Review: AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Card, which launched in 2013 as a premium alternative to the entry-level KrisFlyer Gold Card (now known as the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card).

For many years, this was a solid, if unspectacular card. It had little miles-earning potential beyond the welcome offer, but a combination of the free Hilton hotel night, four complimentary lounge visits, assorted AMEX Offers and American Express’ general lack of exclusions made it worthwhile.

Unfortunately, that’s now changed, because in November 2024, American Express decided to “enhance” the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend by:

• Bumping its annual fee to almost S$400
• Removing the four free lounge visits
• Axing bonuses for foreign currency spend, and the one-time bonus for telco bills

Needless to say, this isn’t how you win friends and influence people, and while there were some marginal enhancements (such as finally rewarding spend on Scoot after ignoring SQ’s LCC cousin for so long), the changes were overwhelmingly negative.

The upshot is that the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend becomes little more than a “bonus and banish” card, something you get if there’s a good welcome offer, but abandon as soon as the first year’s up.

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend
🦁 MileLion Verdict
First Year	Recurring
☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It	☐ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It
What do these ratings mean?
Mediocre earn rates, convoluted benefits and a hefty annual fee mean the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend isn’t worth holding beyond the first year- if at all
👍 The good	👎 The bad
Often runs attractive sign-up bonuses Free Hilton hotel night and Hilton Silver status Fast-track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold No conversion fees	Weak earn rates for Singapore Airlines spend and in general Lounge visits have been removed Annual fee has been increased to almost S$400 (and isn’t waivable in the first year) Convoluted Miles Redemption Vouchers that aren’t worth earning

Overview: AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Card.

Apply Here
Income Req.	N/A*	Points Validity	3 years
Annual Fee	S$397.85	Min. Transfer	N/A
Miles with Annual Fee	10,000^	Transfer Partners	1
FCY Fee	3.25%	Transfer Fee	N/A
Local Earn	1.2 mpd	Points Pool?	Yes
FCY Earn	1.2 mpd	Lounge Access?	No
Special Earn	2 mpd on SIA, Scoot & KrisShop	Airport Limo?	No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions
*AMEX no longer publishes an official income requirement for this card; the last documented requirement was S$50,000 p.a.
^Offered in the form of a Miles Redemption Voucher, which comes with further complications of its own- more on that below

Singapore Airlines has a total of four Singapore Airlines AMEX cobrand cards.

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend is positioned as the more premium of the two cards available to the general public, the other being the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card (aka “KrisFlyer Blue”). The AMEX PPS and Solitaire PPS Credit Cards can only be held by PPS and Solitaire PPS members respectively. 

Card	Eligibility	Annual Fee
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	All	S$179.55 (FYF)
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend		S$397.85
AMEX PPS Credit Card	PPS Club	S$561.35 (FYF)
AMEX Solitaire PPS Credit Card	Solitaire PPS Club*	S$561.35 (FYF)
*Only for principal members; supplementary members do not qualify

How much must I earn to qualify for an AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend?

American Express no longer publishes minimum income requirements for any of its cards, saying instead that “card application is subjected to customers meeting the regulatory minimum income requirement and internal assessment”.

Prior to this, however, the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend had an income requirement of S$50,000 per year. In all likelihood, this requirement is no longer strictly enforced, and you should be able to get approved with a minimum income of S$30,000. 

How much is the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend’s annual fee?

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend has an annual fee of S$397.85 for the principal cardholder, and S$81.75 for supplementary cardholders. 

The principal cardholder annual fee represents a 16% increase from the pre-November 2024 figure of S$343.35. If your annual fee was billed on or after 1 November 2024, you’ll be subject to the higher charge (even if your card was approved in October 2024, which seems rather unfair to me!).

The first year’s annual fee is waived for the first two supplementary cards, but cannot be waived for principal cardholders.

That gives the Ascend the distinction of being the only Singapore Airlines cobrand card that does not come with a waiver of the first year’s annual fee. All other cobrand cards, be it the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, AMEX PPS Credit Card, AMEX Solitaire PPS Credit Card or KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, waive their fees for the first year. 

Principal cardholders can request an annual fee waiver for the second and subsequent years, but it’s subject to approval. It never hurts to call up and ask, but unless you’ve been using it regularly over the past year (American Express does not define a minimum spend threshold for a fee waiver), or hold a premium card like the AMEX Platinum Charge or AMEX Centurion, you may not be successful.

In my experience, AMEX tends to offer principal cardholders a 50% waiver of the second and subsequent years’ annual fee upon request, on the condition you give up the complimentary hotel night voucher for the upcoming membership year. 

What welcome offers are available?

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend
Apply Here
	New Customers	Existing Customers
First Spend	5K	5K
Spend S$1,000 in FCY (First 30 days)	31.8K + S$50 cash	21.8K + S$50 cash
Base Miles from S$1,000 in FCY (@ 1.2 mpd)	1.2K	1.2K
Total Spend	S$1K	S$1K
Total Miles	38K + S$50 cash	28K + S$50 cash

New-to-AMEX cardholders who apply and receive approval for an AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend by 2 December 2024 and spend S$1,000 in FCY in the first 30 days will receive 36,800 bonus miles + S$50 cashback when they pay the annual fee and spend S$1,000 within 30 days of approval. 

Existing AMEX cardholders who apply and receive approval for an AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend by 2 December 2024 and spend S$1,000 in FCY in the first 30 days will receive 26,800 bonus miles + S$50 cashback when they pay the annual fee and spend S$1,000 within 30 days of approval. 

Cardholders will also earn a further 1,200 base miles (S$1,000 @ 1.2 mpd).

If the S$1,000 minimum spend is made in SGD instead of FCY, you will need to deduct 4,000 miles from the bonus component. Also, the calculations assume that this is your first-ever American Express Singapore Airlines cobrand card. If you have held one in the past at any time, you need to deduct 5,000 miles from the bonus component.

How many miles do I earn?

SGD/FCY Spend

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardmembers earn:

• 1.2 miles for every S$1 spent in Singapore Dollars
• 1.2 miles for every S$1 spent in foreign currency (FCY)

It used to be the case that the FCY earn rate was boosted to 2 mpd in June and December, but that feature has been discontinued effective 1 November 2024. I don’t think you should shed too many tears about that, since it was always an underwhelming, highly-restricted rate anyway. 

No prizes for surmising that the earn rates are incredible mediocre. I’d have thought that cobrand cards would need to offer higher-than-average earn rates, because the cardholder is being asked to “pledge their loyalty”. Miles earned with the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend can only be transferred to Singapore Airlines, after all, and if I could earn better rates through a non-cobrand card with a wider choice of partners, what appeal is there? 

Here’s how this earn rate compares to other general spending cards.

💳 Earn Rates for General Spending Cards (income req.: S$30K)
Cards	Local Spend	FCY Spend
UOB PRVI Miles	1.4 mpd	2.4 mpd
HSBC TravelOne Card	1.2 mpd	2.4 mpd
DBS Altitude	1.3 mpd	2.2 mpd
OCBC 90°N Card	1.3 mpd	2.1 mpd
Citi PremierMiles Card	1.2 mpd	2 mpd
StanChart Journey	1.2 mpd	2 mpd
BOC Elite Miles	1 mpd	2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	1.2 mpd	1.2 mpd
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card	1.2 mpd	1.2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	1.1 mpd	1.1 mpd

When it comes to FCY transaction fees, American Express charges the same 3.25% as most of the market.

Using your card overseas therefore means buying miles at 2.71 cents each, way too expensive to consider.

2mpd for Singapore Airlines, Scoot and KrisShop

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders earn an uncapped 2 mpd on all transactions made at:

• Singapore Airlines website
• Singapore Airlines mobile app
• Singapore Airlines phone bookings
• KrisShop purchases onboard Singapore Airlines
• KrisShop purchases at krisshop.com
• Scoot website
• Scoot mobile app

Do note that the bonus for KrisShop transactions does not apply if you shop via the Kris+ app. 

Tickets must originate from Singapore and be purchased in Singapore dollars. For avoidance of doubt, you’ll also earn 2 mpd if you redeem an award ticket and pay for the taxes and surcharges with the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend. But considering how you could easily earn 3-4 mpd on these purchases by using other credit cards, there’s nothing to get excited about here.

2 mpd on Grab

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders used to earn 3.2 mpd on Grab transactions, capped at the first S$200 spent per calendar month.

From 1 November 2024, this has been cut to 2 mpd, with the cap remaining the same. 

No more bonuses on telcos

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders used to receive a one-time bonus of 500 miles on their first recurring bill payment at Singtel, Starhub, M1, Circles.Life or MyRepublic. 

This perk has been removed from 1 November 2024 onwards. 

How are KrisFlyer miles calculated?

Here’s how KrisFlyer miles earned on the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend are calculated:

Notice how the transaction is not rounded down to the nearest S$1; instead, it’s multiplied by 1.2 straight away. This means the minimum spend to earn points is S$0.42.

This beneficial rounding policy allows the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend to compete favourably with ostensibly higher-earning cards like the UOB PRVI Miles (1.4 mpd), at least where smaller transactions are concerned:

	AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Earn rate: 1.2 mpd	UOB PRVI Miles Earn rate: 1.4 mpd
S$5	6 miles	6 miles
S$9.99	12 miles	6 miles
S$15	18 miles	20 miles
S$19.99	24 miles	20 miles
S$25	30 miles	34 miles
S$29.99	36 miles	34 miles

If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate miles: 

For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:

• General Spending Cards
• Specialised Spending Cards

What transactions aren’t eligible for KrisFlyer miles?

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend’s full exclusion list can be found below:

Historically speaking, the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend was very liberal with awarding miles, and  merchant acceptance was a bigger issue than exclusions. However, in recent times the exclusion list has been growing (though to be fair, it’s no different from what other banks do).

Key exclusions are charitable donations, education, GrabPay top-ups, insurance premiums, SPC transactions, utilities and public hospitals. For avoidance of doubt, private hospitals, CardUp and government organisations still earn miles, where AMEX is accepted. 

However, American Express imposes certain restrictions on the types of payments that can be made via CardUp, which are explained below. 

Explained: American Express restrictions on CardUp payments

What do I need to know about KrisFlyer miles?

Expiry

KrisFlyer miles earned on the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend will expire at the end of the month, three years after they were earned. For example, KrisFlyer miles credited to an account from 1-31 July 2024 will expire at the end of the day on 31 July 2027.

Cancelling an AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend has no impact on the miles already in your KrisFlyer account.

Pooling

All miles earned on the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend will be credited directly to your KrisFlyer account, where they will pool with miles earned from all other sources (be it other credit cards, flights etc.).

Transfer partners & fees

At the risk of stating the obvious, the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend is a cobrand card which does not give you a choice of where to credit your points. If you want to earn points that can be converted into a range of frequent flyer partners, pick a non-cobrand card instead.

All conversions to KrisFlyer are free of charge.

Transfer times

Miles earned on the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend are batched and credited to your KrisFlyer account once a month. 

You can typically expect to see them credited around the end of your statement period. 

While direct crediting avoids conversion fees, it does mean the three year expiry countdown for KrisFlyer miles starts immediately.

Contrast this with non-cobrand cards where you pay conversion fees, but enjoy “two validities”, one on the bank side, and one on the airline side. For example, if I had a UOB PRVI Miles Card:

• My UNI$ are valid for two years
• Once I convert UNI$ to KrisFlyer miles, they’re valid for three years
• In total I get five years of validity

This means there’s slightly more time pressure to use your miles, though three years should be plenty for most people.

Other card perks

Lounge access (discontinued)

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders previously received 4x lounge vouchers, each of which grants access to one person at participating SATS and Plaza Premium Lounges worldwide.

From 1 November 2024, these vouchers will no longer be awarded. Existing vouchers can be used:

• at SATS Premier Lounges till 31 December 2024
• at Plaza Premium Lounges till 31 March 2025

Miles Redemption Vouchers

When the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend got “enhanced”, one of the big selling points was a new feature called Miles Redemption Vouchers (MRVs), described as “new benefits specifically for KrisFlyer redemption flights”.

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders can earn a Foreign Spend MRV (18,000 miles) and a Renewal MRV (10,000 miles) by doing the following. 

The Foreign Spend MRV is available to cardholders who spend at least S$10,000 in FCY  between 1 November 2024 and 31 October 2025 (I assume this benefit will be subsequently extended for future years).

The Renewal MRV is available to cardholders who pay the S$397.85 annual fee. For avoidance of doubt, this MRV is not offered in the first membership year; as the name suggests, it’s for renewing your card. 

The most important thing to highlight that MRVs are not credited to your KrisFlyer account as such. For example, it doesn’t mean that when you earn a Renewal MRV, your KrisFlyer miles balance increases by 10,000.

Instead, they’re used to offset the cost of a redemption booking or redemption upgrade. In other words, you must fly to use it; you can’t spend those miles on KrisShop, Kris+, Pelago or other on-the-ground options (not that these are worthy uses of miles, mind you). 

Moreover, MRVs comes with some very nitpicky rules that limit their usefulness:

• MRVs can only be used for redemption bookings or redemption upgrades on Singapore Airlines operated flights
• MRVs work as rebates, not discounts. For example, if you have a Renewal MRV and want to book a ticket that costs 40,000 miles, you must have at least 40,000 miles in your account; 30,000 miles won’t cut it
• While you can earn both the Renewal MRV and Foreign Spend MRV, you can only use one MRV per booking
• MRVs will only be applied to the first eligible passenger in the booking or upgrade

Because of this, I strongly advise you against going out of your way to earn the MRVs. The opportunity cost incurred is just too high, and the MRVs are troublesome to use. 

For a detailed rundown on how the MRVs work, refer to the article below.

How do the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Miles Redemption Vouchers work?

Free Hilton night certificate

Booking Portal

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Card members receive a free one-night stay at selected Hilton properties every year, which covers the room only without breakfast. This is a crucial benefit, because your ability to recover the annual fee depends on how strategically you use it.

There are currently 208 properties where this voucher is accepted, all within Asia Pacific (though more than half are in China). 

Obviously, not all hotels represent equal value so you’ll want to choose wisely. As a general guideline, when it comes to brand positioning:

Waldorf > Conrad > Hilton > Doubletree > Hilton Garden Inn

You will not be eligible for Hilton Honors benefits and points on these stays, although some properties may choose to go above and beyond. When I used my voucher at the Conrad Bangkok a couple years back, I was accorded Hilton Gold benefits like free breakfast. This isn’t an entitlement, however, so YMMV.

All bookings must be made with a valid voucher code at least 14 days in advance of arrival via this webpage. Eligible rates will be displayed with a “Confidential Price” label.

Voucher stays follow the hotel’s flexible rate policy, which usually allows for free cancellations at least 24-48 hours before check-in. However, you may need to request a voucher reissuance if you want to cancel and rebook. 

What’s interesting is that the T&Cs say you don’t need to present the physical voucher during check-in, though you will need to show the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Card. Based on past experience, however, some properties insist on collecting the voucher, and don’t care what card you use to pay!

Hilton Silver status

Register Here

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Card members receive complimentary Hilton Silver status, which is valid until 31 March, two calendar years later. For example, if you register on 30 June 2024, your status will expire on 31 March 2026. The general formula to remember is that if you meet the requirements in Year X, your status expires on 31 March X+2.

Subsequently, you’ll need to requalify via the usual criteria. To stretch your validity, apply for the upgrade as early in the year as possible.

Hilton Silver status, in and of itself, isn’t fantastic. It’s just one rung above the entry-level, with no free breakfast, lounge access or room upgrade perks.

But why it matters is because Silver members get the 5th night free on all award redemptions. Hilton sells points several times a year, with prices as low as 0.5 US cents each. You could buy points and redeem them for Hilton’s top-tier properties, saving hundreds of dollars over retail value. 

Take for example the Conrad Maldives, where rooms cost 120,000 points per night. If you bought those points at 0.5 US cents each, you’d pay just US$600, significantly less than the asking price. If you’re a Silver member and redeem five consecutive nights, you’d only need to pay 4 x 120,000=480,000 points, or an average of just 96,000 points (US$480) per night!

Fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders can enjoy a fast-track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold when they spend at least S$15,000 on Singapore Airlines or Scoot ticket purchases within the first 12 months of card approval. If you miss that window, you won’t get another chance to try in the following membership year, barring a promotion. 

Singapore Airlines or Scoot tickets must be:

• Purchased on the Singapore Airlines or Scoot website or mobile app
• Originating from Singapore
• Charged in Singapore Dollars

However, real world experience says that the “originating from Singapore” requirement is not strictly enforced. If you’re booking a ticket to Singapore and the website lets you pay in SGD (there’s usually a dropdown box appearing on the final screen, though not always), then such transactions would count. Keep in mind that this is an unofficial loophole that could be patched at any time, so do it at your own risk.

Eligible spending includes both commercial tickets as well as paying for taxes and surcharges on a KrisFlyer award ticket with your card (whether the award flight is on Singapore Airlines or one of its partners).

There is no requirement that the purchased tickets need to be flown by the cardholder. Think about the scenario of someone who often buys air tickets for his entire family. He can’t accrue the Elite miles on their tickets (only the person whose name is on the ticket can), but can nonetheless achieve KrisFlyer Elite Gold through his total card spending. 

From time to time, American Express runs promotions that allow you to meet the minimum spend through transactions other than Singapore Airlines/Scoot flight bookings. The most recent offer, which ended on 31 May 2024, reduced the total spend to S$12,500, of which only S$2,500 had to be on Singapore Airlines flight bookings.

Status granted under this fast-track is only valid for 12 months, after which you will need to requalify by clocking the regular 50,000 Elite miles. 

KrisFlyer Elite Gold confers additional benefits when flying on Singapore Airlines or Star Alliance carriers, such as:

• A 25% bonus on KrisFlyer miles
• Airport lounge access, including a guest
• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding
• Priority luggage handling and additional 20kg allowance

For more details on KrisFlyer Elite Gold benefits, refer to the post below.

Complete Guide: KrisFlyer Elite Gold benefits

Complimentary travel insurance

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders who charge their airfares to the card will receive automatic travel insurance coverage, underwritten by Chubb. For avoidance of doubt, this applies both to cash tickets, as well as award tickets where the taxes and fees are paid for with the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend.

Cardholders receive S$1,000,000 coverage for accidental death or permanent disability while traveling on a public conveyance. There’s also coverage for travel inconveniences like missed connections and bag delays. 

However, there is no coverage for medical expenses, nor medical evacuation. This is something you can’t afford to miss, so a separate travel insurance policy is almost mandatory. 

AMEX Offers

AMEX Offers are targeted deals pushed to your AMEX app, which can range from small savings like getting a few dollars back on contactless transactions, to much more substantial offers like S$75 off a S$300 Hilton transaction. They can also take the form of bonus miles promotions, like a bonus 2 mpd on Deliveroo and foodpanda. 

This is a nice feature to have and can result in substantial savings, but it’s not a unique feature of the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, and you could enjoy the same benefits with any other AMEX card.

How to save money or earn extra points with AMEX Offers

AMEX Pay

AMEX Pay is a QR-code based payment solution that allows you to pay with American Express cards at participating merchants.

The key use case here are hawker, wet market or other small businesses which normally don’t accept credit card payments. In these situations, having an American Express card allows you to earn some miles that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders will earn 1.2 mpd on AMEX Pay transactions. Of course, you don’t need an Ascend card to use AMEX Pay; you could just as well earn 1.1 mpd with an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, for instance.

Terms and conditions

• AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Terms and Conditions
• AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card Rewards Exclusions

Summary review: AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Card

Apply Here
🦁 MileLion Verdict
First Year	Recurring
☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It	☐ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It

While American Express may spin the changes to the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend as enhancements, reality is anything but.

The Miles Redemption Vouchers are convoluted and earning them entails a significant opportunity cost, the earn rates are painfully mediocre, the lounge vouchers have been removed, and to add insult to injury, the annual fee has been hiked to almost S$400- that’s approaching the cost of some cards in the $120K segment! 

The most you can say is that getting the card for one year might make sense if the welcome offer is good enough. For example, given the offer available at the time of writing:

• 36,800 bonus miles are worth S$552 (at a value of 1.5 cents per mile)
• The Hilton voucher could conservatively valued at S$250-300, though you can certainly get more depending on which property you choose and when you stay

Those two perks alone should cover the first year’s S$400 annual fee, but from the second year onwards, it’s hard to see any reason to keep the card.

All things considered, I still believe the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is the superior cobrand option, given its uncapped 3 mpd on dining, food delivery, online shopping & travel and transport (not to mention its waivable annual fee).

So that’s my review of the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend. What do you think?