With last year’s nerf to the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card might actually have become the more attractive of the two cards, with its easily waivable annual fee and more lucrative welcome offers (based on the miles to spend ratio).
On that note, American Express has now launched a new welcome bonus for the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, which offers 22,900 bonus miles with a minimum spend of S$1,000. If all you need is a no-frills AMEX card to enjoy AMEX Offers, this would be the one to consider.
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card welcome offer
 AMEX KrisFlyer Credit CardFirst Year Free |
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| Apply Here |
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| New-to-AMEX | |
| First Spend | 5,000 miles |
| Spend S$1,000 (First 30 days) |
17,900 miles |
| Base Miles from S$1,000 (@ 1.1 mpd) |
1,100 miles |
| Total Spend | S$1,000 |
| Total Miles | 24,000 miles |
New-to-AMEX customers can enjoy this offer when they apply for and receive approval for an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card from 13 January to 16 February 2025.
| โ New-to-AMEX definition |
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New-to-AMEX customers are defined as those who:
For avoidance of doubt, there is no โtimeout periodโ for a customer with a recently-cancelled card to be considered new (provided that card is not an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card). However, all approvals are subject to internal review. The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card is a distinct product from the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, AMEX PPS Club Card and AMEX Solitaire PPS Club Card. |
All first-time American Express KrisFlyer cobrand cardholders will enjoy 5,000 bonus miles on their first spend of any amount. This is a once per lifetime bonus, so if youโve held an American Express KrisFlyer cobrand card before, you wonโt receive it a second time.
New-to-AMEX customers who spend at least S$1,000 within the first month of approval (defined as 30 calendar days) will receive 17,900 bonus miles.
To summarise the offer, by spending S$1,000 in the first 30 days of approval, you’ll receive 24,000 miles, broken down as follows:
- 5,000 bonus miles for first spend
- 17,900 bonus mile for meeting S$1,000 spend
- 1,100 base miles for spending S$1,000 @ 1.1 mpd
When will the bonuses be credited?
If you’re eligible for the 5,000 miles bonus for first-time AMEX Singapore Airlines cobrand cardholders, these will be credited to your KrisFlyer account after the month of approval and first spend.
The remaining bonus of 17,900 miles will be credited within 10 weeks of the date you meet the spend threshold.
All questions about fulfilment should be directed to American Express.
What spending is eligible?
American Express provides a list of excluded spending categories here, but the key ones to take note of are:
- Donations
- Education
- GrabPay top-ups
- Insurance
- Public hospitals and polyclinics
- SPC transactions
- Utilities
CardUp and private hospitals, and anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend. Do note there are certain restrictions on AMEX payments with CardUp, as summarised in the article below.
All spending on supplementary cards will pool with principal cards when determining whether the minimum spend has been met.
Is it worth it?
Since there’s no need to pay the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card’s first year annual fee, the bonus is essentially offered at no cost. You’ll earn a ratio of 24 miles per S$1 on the first S$1,000 spent.
This is currently the most generous offer on the market for the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, and as I mentioned earlier, it’s ideal for those who to keep an AMEX card handy to enjoy AMEX Offers.
Terms & Conditions
Overview: AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card
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| Apply Here | |||
| Income Req. | N/A* | Points Validity | 3 years |
| Annual Fee | S$179.85 (FYF) |
Min. Transfer |
N/A |
| FCY Fee | 3.25% | Transfer Fee | None |
| Local Earn | 1.1 mpd | Points Pool? | N/A |
| FCY Earn | 1.1 mpd | Lounge Access? | No |
| Special Earn | 2 mpd on SIA, Scoot & KrisShop | Airport Limo? | No |
| *AMEX no longer publishes income requirements for the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card. All applications are subject to internal review. For reference, the last published income requirement was S$30,000 p.a. | |||
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card has an annual fee of S$179.85, waived for the first year.
Cardholders earn 1.1 mpd on local and FCY spend. An uncapped 2 mpd is offered on Singapore Airlines, Scoot and KrisShop transactions. Frankly speaking, these are poor earn rates that can be easily bested by other alternatives. You’re better off getting this card for the welcome offer, and putting your day-to-day spend elsewhere.
In terms of benefits, the main one of note is that cardholders who spend at least S$12,000 between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 will receive S$150 cashback for use on their next Singapore Airlines booking. Keep in mind that given the low earn rates of this card, however, there will be a significant opportunity cost incurred, which could more than outweigh the S$150.
Conclusion
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| Apply Here |
The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card is now offering 22,900 bonus miles for new-to-AMEX cardholders who spend at least S$1,000 in the first 30 days of approval.
Since the first year’s annual fee is waived, it’s essentially free miles for those who meet the eligibility criteria- though you’d ideally be diverting your post-bonus spend to other cards with higher earn rates.
Question: So if I am new to Amex and I must get the Amex Krisflyer Ascend card simply for the Hilton Silver benefit but donโt want to pay Amex Platinum Charge level of annual fee, would it make more sense to (1) sign up for Amex Blue for the 24k bonus then (2) sign up for Amex Krisflyer Ascend for the another 19k bonus, is that right
you can’t hold the blue and the ascend card together. i think you need to pick one.