Each year, I create a wishlist of things Iโd love to see happen in the miles and points world. While some wishes might be a little optimistic, others have actually come true!
So in keeping with that tradition, hereโs The MileLionโs Christmas Wishlist for 2024 โ presented in no particular order of preference (or realism, for that matter).
But firstโฆ
How did 2023โs wishlist go?
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Pretty good, actually! From my 2023 Christmas wishlist:
- Scoot began flying to Koh Samui in May 2024, providing Bangkok Airways with some much-needed competition
- American Express eased the restrictions on HighFlyer points transfers in July 2024, removing the nominee limit and increasing the cap per nominee to 100,000 miles (up from a mere 30,000 miles)
- Singapore Airlines didnโt quite unveil its B777X cabin products, but has pledged to have them flying by Q2 2026 on the A350-900LH, and Q1 2027 on the A350-900ULR (with a First Class cabin, to boot!)
- HSBC added points pooling across all its cards in May 2024, giving all cardholders access to its 20 transfer partners
Not everythingโs hunky dory though. My wish that banks would sensibly implement anti-malware measures has rather backfired; if anything, theyโre getting increasingly paranoid and disruptive. I had another nightmare experience with OCBC in October 2024, when a bad update incorrectly flagged TikTok, Fake GPS and other innocuous apps as remote administration tools and locked me (and many other users) out. Keep in mind: OCBC didnโt actually say which app was the problem, this was only discovered through guess and check!
Hereโs a rundown of previous yearsโ wishlists and how successful theyโve been.
2015 Christmas Wishlist
๐ 2015 Christmas Wishlist |
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2016 Christmas Wishlist
๐ 2016 Christmas Wishlist |
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2018 Christmas Wishlist
๐ 2018 Christmas Wishlist |
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2019 Christmas Wishlist
๐ 2019 Christmas Wishlist |
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2020 Christmas Wishlist
๐ 2020 Christmas Wishlist |
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2021 Christmas Wishlist
๐ 2021 Christmas Wishlist |
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2022 Christmas Wishlist
๐ 2022 Christmas Wishlist |
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2023 Christmas Wishlist
๐ 2023 Christmas Wishlist |
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(1) Extending the UOB Ladyโs Savings Account promotion
The UOB Ladyโs Cards ended their 6 mpd promotion in April 2024, but immediately followed it up with a new offer called โThe Unstoppable Pairingโ, designed to reward UOB Ladyโs Cardholders who also hold a UOB Ladyโs Savings Account.
The interest on this account is a miserly 0.05% p.a., but the interest isnโt the point. Instead, accountholders can earn an extra 2-6 mpd on their UOB Ladyโs Card spending, depending on their Monthly Average Balance (MAB).
Monthly Average Balance | UNI$ from Ladyโs Savings Account | UNI$ from Ladyโs or Ladyโs Solitaire Card | Total |
<S$10K | N/A | 10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
S$10,000 to S$49,999 | 5X UNI$ (2 mpd) |
15X UNI$ (6 mpd) |
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S$50,000 to S$99,999 | 10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
20X UNI$ (8 mpd) |
|
S$100K and more | 15X UNI$ (6 mpd) |
25X UNI$ (10 mpd) |
Iโve made the argument why S$10,000 is the sweet spot, because the incremental 2 mpd should more than offset the foregone interest (the opportunity cost for S$50,000 and S$100,000 would be simply too high). And Iโve put my money where my mouth is, diligently maxing out the cap on the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Card each month for 12,000 miles per month (just a shame the bonus cap was cut from S$3,000 to S$2,000!).
But The Unstoppable Pairing is positioned as a limited-time promotion, and itโs currently set to end on 31 March 2025. I donโt know about you, but I wouldnโt mind too much if they extended it (who needs the KrisFlyer UOB account?).
(2) Make it easier to add infants to Singapore Airlines award bookings
While there have been incremental improvements to the Singapore Airlines website over the years, it still lacks a lot of functionality when it comes to award bookings: no open jaw awards and no mixed cabin bookings, for example.
One big pain point for parents is adding infant tickets to award bookings. Unlike commercial bookings, this cannot be done online. Instead, youโll have to book your award first, then call up KrisFlyer membership services to add the infant.
This process takes at best 10 minutes or so. Youโll need to verbally communicate your infantโs name and birthday, and the CSO has to manually calculate the fare- both of which are prone to human error. Iโve had to correct CSOs on more than one occasion, as the adult fares they were basing the infant ticket on were higher than the ones I could find on the website.
But it doesnโt have to be this way. With other programmes, like Air Canada Aeroplan or British Airways Executive Club, adding an infant is as easy as booking an adultโs ticket. Iโm not even asking KrisFlyer to adopt their much-superior pricing (with Aeroplan you pay a flat CAD25 or 2,500 points per infant, with BAEC you pay 10% of the adult mileage requirement), but please, could you make the website better?
(3) Starlink internet for the Singapore Airlines fleet
While Singapore Airlines became the first Asian carrier to offer free inflight Wi-Fi to all passengers in July 2023, itโs lagging behind when it comes to speeds.
On all the flights that Iโve tested, whether using the Panasonic Avionics or SITAOnAir systems, Iโve never had anything faster than an 8 Mbps download speed. Most of the time, speeds hover in the 2-3 Mbps range- usable, but barely. Forget about Netflix and chill, youโd be lucky to send a naughty emoji at that speed.
But faster inflight speeds are possible; just ask Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways has partnered with Starlink to bring satellite internet to its fleet, boasting real-world speeds of about 150 Mbps. Thatโs fast enough for 4K video streaming, or even playing online games.
Starlink has already signed up Air France, Air New Zealand, Hawaiian Airlines, and ZIPAIR, to name a few, and Iโm certainly hoping that Singapore Airlines is taking a serious look at the technology.
(4) More $200K credit cards
Towards the end of 2024, we saw the debut of the StanChart Beyond Card, Standard Charteredโs follow up to the ill-fated X Card.
This is quite clearly intended to be a flagship product, but unlike other flagships such as the Citi ULTIMA or DBS Insignia, which have minimum income requirements of S$500,000 and annual fees in the S$3,000 to S$4,000 range, the Beyond has a minimum income of S$200,000 and a S$1,635 annual fee.
This suggests that Standard Chartered is trying to carve out a new niche: a product with significantly better benefits than the $120K pack, yet stops short of the annual fees of the $500K segment. I call this, somewhat unimaginatively, the โ$200K segmentโ.
While Iโm not completely sold on the StanChart Beyond Card, I do like the idea of an in-between product, and in 2025 Iโd like to see more banks dipping their toes into the water. Can I get something thatโs superior to a Citi Prestige, without the white glove service of the Citi ULTIMA?
The only other card I can think of thatโs currently in this segment is the AMEX Platinum Charge, which has a similar annual fee to Beyond. Yes, Iโm aware it doesnโt have an official income requirement anymore, and AMEX pretty much accepts anyone who doesnโt flinch at the S$1,744 entry fee. But it did start life with a S$200,000 income requirement, and if youโre the type who can afford a Platinum Charge, a Beyond wouldnโt be beyond you.
I do know what some banks are seriously looking at this segment, and if the Beyond does well, who knows?
(5) Singapore Airlines making no-fly status credits a permanent feature
During the pandemic, Singapore Airlines allowed KrisFlyer and PPS Club members to earn Elite miles and PPS Value on the ground through KrisShop purchases, Kris+ payments, cobrand card spending and conversion of credit card points.
Thanks to that campaign, I earned enough Elite miles to qualify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold till October 2024, and those who timed their transfers just right will have status all the way till February 2025.
This was only a limited-time concession, however, and ended once things returned to normal. But we did see a brief revival of this mechanic from March to June 2024, with PPS Club and KrisFlyer members able to earn 2,500 PPS Value or 5,000 Elite miles without having to fly.
My wish is that Singapore Airlines makes no-fly status credits a permanent feature of the programme. Iโm not saying that everyone should be able to earn PPS Club status just by transferring credit card points. What I am saying is that a certain amount of Elite miles or PPS Value โ maybe 10-20% of the requirement for KrisFlyer Elite Gold or PPS Club โ could be earned through on-ground activity.
The general idea is that the on-ground component should be small enough that the elite ranks donโt get clogged with members who hardly do any flying, but large enough that it incentivises members at the margins to make that incremental effort.
Some suggestions of what this might look like can be found in the article below.
Should Singapore Airlines make no-fly status credits a permanent feature?
(6) A XNAP replacement
For those looking to earn credit card rewards at QR-code only merchants, XNAP was an absolute godsend.
All transactions made through XNAP coded as MCC 5814 Fast Food Restaurants, which meant you could earn 4 mpd on vegetables at the wet market or hawker centre, at mom-and-pop merchants and otherwise cash-only establishments.
But then in April this year, XNAP just stopped working. A notification about โmaintenanceโ was posted to the website, attempts to reach customer service were unsuccessful, and the XNAP Facebook page taken down. After publishing about the outage, I received an email from the Head of Marketing and Communications at Liquid Group, inviting me to reach out with questions. I did โ twice โ and never heard back from her.
With XNAP gone, the main options for earning miles at QR-code only merchants are AMEX Pay and Shopback Pay, but neither has anywhere close to the adoption that XNAP did. Besides, the earn rate for AMEX Pay is limited by the AMEX cards themselves. If youโre lucky and have an AMEX HighFlyer Card, youโll earn 1.8 mpd. Otherwise, 1.2 mpd with the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend is as good as it gets for most people.
(7) A Centurion Lounge at Changi Airport
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An AMEX Centurion Lounge at Changi Airport is a wish I know wonโt be fulfilled for a very long timeโ if ever. Finding a space for a Centurion Lounge in the existing three terminals (because I just canโt see it being at T4) will be a tall order, so if we ever do see one, it probably wonโt happen till Terminal 5 in the mid-2030s.
While the AMEX Centurion Lounges in the US are notorious for overcrowding issues, I do find the quality of F&B to be a big step up from your average credit card lounge. I know it reads like a punchline, but one of the best lounge meals Iโve had this year came at the Centurion Lounge at Los Angeles, where I demolished maybe half a tureen of Brussel sprouts and pastaโ it was that good!
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Centurion Lounges do have an international footprint, but the only โtrueโ lounges are in London Heathrow, Hong Kong and Tokyo Haneda (opening 2025). All the rest are reflagged legacy American Express lounges, which might not be to the same standard.
Singapore would be a nice addition to that list. Just saying.
Conclusion
So thatโs my hopes and dreams for the miles and points game in 2024! Iโd love to hear whatโs on your wishlist, and what you think the odds are of any of mine happening.
Hereโs to a 2025 with no devaluations, great sweet spots, and plenty of award space for everyone!
Whatโs on your miles and points wishlist this year?
thank you for your list Aaron and your blog again this year. My wish would be for a higher tier than TPPS/Solitaire as I find 50โ000 SGD/year at tad light if compared to the equivalents of other programs, for example HON Circle over at M&M. The only issue I have is that apart from granting Private Room access for flights in Business/First (no Economy), I donโt see any advantage that can be given. I dismiss the amount of Upgrade Vouchers or other non-physically experienceable perks. What do you think?
i think itโs quite likely thereโs already an unofficial tier beyond solitaire. SQ obviously tracks its whale customers, and even though theyโre solitaire on paper theyโll get the kind of special treatment that regular solitaires can only dream of (like pick up the phone and saver award space magically appears).
thank you for your comment Aaron. What kind of revenue are you thinking of?
Honestly, anything I tell you would be a wild guess on my part. But Iโm quite certain it exists, because SQ has a way of inviting its โmore valuableโ Solitaire PPS members for certain events, so it must be keeping tabs.
Many airlines have a dedicated relationship team with their largest commercial clients.
Not individuals rated on a โtop tierโ on the consumer grade scale โ itโs generally corporate or governmental clients, with negotiated rates & terms. Priority/guaranteed bookings are often a key part, VVIP services etc.
#8: DBS and UOB re-instate miles for transactions using the Amaze Card.
next week: CITI TO NERF AMAZE TRANSACTIONS
R U F R ???
Another wish list would be for more co brand cards in Singapore. We are stuck with a paltry amount that partners only SQ and pathetic co brand benefits.
Or even better hotel co brand cards with hotel elite benefits. The credit card scene is so bad. Everything in SG is simply cookie cutter template.
More co branded cards wonโt be of any use if their benefits are mediocre. You know which card Iโm talking about โฆ
Hi Aaron, Iโve got a taste of your review on a cashback card this year with the DCS Flex card. I know that you say that cashback cards are not your lane, but I really appreciate your thoughts on cards outside the usual miles card, such as the Citi SMRT Card and some less-known cards like the BOC Family Card (3% Cashback for Hospital). In fact, I would really like to see a revival of the The Milelion Credit Card Omnibus series. Having a short analysis with a Yay or Nay is nice, but I am looking forward to yourโฆ Read more ยป
Seconded!
i take it youโve seen this already?
https://milelion.com/2024/12/10/should-you-earn-miles-with-a-cashback-card-instead/
and there have been a few cashback posts in 2024 actually!
https://milelion.com/2024/06/21/new-hsbc-live-card-8-cashback-on-dining-entertainment-and-shopping/
https://milelion.com/2024/08/28/distrust-trust-banks-misleading-new-cashback-card/
more pls
-insatiable gen z
I am a simple person with no big wishlist
Just no more nerfs and I would be happy
No devaluations from SQ!