AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend offering “easier” fast-track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders normally enjoy a fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold status by spending at least S$15,000 on Singapore Airlines or Scoot tickets within the first 12 months of card approval.

However, unless you’re purchasing tickets for multiple people, reaching that S$15,000 threshold can be a significant challenge. And if you’re spending that much on your own tickets, you’d likely qualify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold on your own merit anyway!

Perhaps in recognition of this fact, American Express runs an annual promotion that reduces the fast track’s spending requirement, and makes it easier to attain by including non-SIA spend. The last campaign took place in February 2024, and now, one year later, it’s back again.

Unfortunately, this year’s promotion has actually increased the minimum spend requirement to S$16,000, and even though the Singapore Airlines/Scoot component has been cut to S$6,000, it’s still not what I’d call “easy”!

KrisFlyer Elite Gold fast track for AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

Details

From 1 February to 31 July 2025, AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders will be fast tracked to KrisFlyer Elite Gold status when they fulfill both of the following conditions:

1. Charge at least S$6,000 on Singapore Airlines or Scoot flight bookings, and
2. Charge at least S$16,000 in total

Registration is not required, and unlike the regular fast track offer, this is available regardless of whether you’re still within the first 12 months of card approval, or have crossed that threshold already.

In addition to the KrisFlyer Elite Gold fast track, AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders who complete the minimum spending quickly may receive additional gifts:

• the first 250 cardmembers to spend at least S$16,000 (including S$6,000 on SIA/Scoot) will receive a S$150 eCapitaVoucher
• the first 250 cardmembers to spend at least S$20,000 (including S$6,000 on SIA/Scoot) will receive a 28″ Samsonite luggage

Each cardmember will only be eligible for one gift. For example, if you meet the criteria for the Samsonite luggage, you won’t be eligible for the eCapitaVoucher also.

Who is eligible to participate?

This offer is open to all AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders, except those who are Solitaire PPS Club, PPS Club or KrisFlyer Elite Gold members as of 1 August 2025.

In other words, this is not intended to be an initiative for existing KrisFlyer Elite Golds to extend their status by a further year.

That said, an existing KrisFlyer Elite Gold whose status expires up till 31 July 2025 and has not accumulated enough Elite miles for requalification could still take advantage of this offer.  There would, obviously, be a brief downgrade in the period between his/her status expiry and the fulfillment of the offer (by 31 October 2025).

For example:

• John’s KrisFlyer Elite Gold status expires on 31 July 2025
• He meets the minimum spend requirement on his AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend card during the 1 February to 31 July 2025 promotion period
• He can look forward to an upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold by 31 October 2025
• However, from 1 August to 31 October 2025,  he will not be a KrisFlyer Elite Gold

Also, even though the KrisFlyer Elite Gold fast track offered by the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend is normally “once per account lifetime”, an American Express spokesperson has confirmed that if you participated in a previous KrisFlyer Elite Gold fast track, you will still be eligible for this offer. 

What counts as eligible spending?

S$6,000 on Singapore Airlines or Scoot

The S$6,000 on Singapore Airlines or Scoot flight bookings must be made through the following channels to be eligible:

• Singapore Airlines: singaporeair.com, SingaporeAir mobile app, phone bookings
• Scoot: flyscoot.com, Scoot mobile app

Bookings made through other channels like OTAs will not be eligible.

The T&Cs further state that purchases must be made in SGD, and flights must originate from Singapore. However, past experience shows that the latter term isn’t strictly enforced, and so long as your transaction is made in SGD, it will be counted.

For example, the Scoot website prices all bookings in SGD, so purchasing a one-way ticket from HKG to SIN would qualify. Likewise, the Singapore Airlines website sometimes allows you to change the purchase currency to SGD for overseas bookings, so opting for that should work as well (make sure the rate offered is fair though!).

We also know from past years that paying for taxes and surcharges on Singapore Airlines or other partner airline award tickets will count towards the S$6,000 spend component, provided the itinerary is booked on the Singapore Airlines website or mobile app.

S$16,000 overall spend

Now, despite the eDM listing groceries, travel accommodation and dining as examples of eligible spending, the fact is that the S$16,000 minimum spend can be met by any online or offline retail spending in Singapore or overseas, except those on the AMEX exclusions list.

Some examples of ineligible spending include:

• Charitable donations
• Education
• GrabPay top-ups
• Insurance premiums (unless purchased through AMEX authorised channels)
• Public hospitals
• SPC transactions
• Utilities

CardUp spending and private hospital transactions will count towards the minimum spend. 

When will upgrades be processed?

Cardmembers who meet the qualifying criteria will receive an email from KrisFlyer on their upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold by 31 October 2025.

If you qualified for the eCapitaVouchers or Samsonite luggage, you’ll receive notification of the gift by the same date too.

How long is status valid for?

KrisFlyer Elite Gold status is valid for 12 months from the date of upgrade.

Subsequently, you’ll need to requalify via the regular route (by accruing 50,000 Elite miles in a 12 month membership year). 

What are the perks of KrisFlyer Elite Gold?

KrisFlyer Elite Gold isn’t quite the promised land of the Solitaire PPS Club or PPS Club, but members can still look forward to perks such as priority check-in and boarding, extra baggage, airport lounge access, and a 25% bonus on mileage accrual.

✈️ Overview: KrisFlyer Elite Silver & Gold
	KrisFlyer Elite Silver	KrisFlyer Elite Gold
Elite Miles Req. (in 12-mth period)	25,000	50,000
Mileage Bonus	25%	25%
Priority Waitlist	✅	✅
Free Seat Selection	✅ (Standard)	✅ (Forward and Standard)
Birthday Bonus	✅ (1,500 miles)	✅ (1,500 miles)
Discounted Service Fees	✅	✅
Extra Baggage	✅	✅
Priority Check-in	✅	✅
Priority Boarding	✅	✅
Priority Baggage		✅
Lounge Access		✅
Waived Service Fees		✅
Shangri-La Jade Fast Track		✅
Heathrow Express Upgrade		✅

I’ve written a detailed guide to all the perks, so be sure to refer to the post below for more information.

Complete Guide: KrisFlyer Elite Gold benefits

Is it worth it?

Given the mediocre earn rates of the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, clocking S$16,000 on this card will entail a significant amount of opportunity cost.

• Cardholders earn 2 mpd on Singapore Airlines and Scoot tickets, so compared to 4 mpd alternatives, they’re giving up 12,000 miles (S$6,000 x 2 mpd)
• Cardholders earn 1.2 mpd on all SGD/FCY spend, so compared to 4 mpd alternatives, they’re giving up 28,000 miles (S$10,000 x 2.8 mpd)

That’s 40,000 lost miles to factor into your calculations, though it does assume you would have been able to earn 4 mpd on all of that spending. If you were to meet the minimum spend through a platform like CardUp, where the best most people can do is 1.4 mpd, then the opportunity cost is somewhat reduced (keep in mind you can’t meet the entire minimum spend with just CardUp though!).

As for whether it’s worth it, only you can decide. Do you fly Economy or Premium Economy enough on Singapore Airlines or Star Alliance partners for perks like lounge access, extra baggage, priority baggage handling and boarding to be worthwhile? If so, then this fast track is the only way to earn KrisFlyer Elite Gold without flying.

What I can certainly say is that this fast track offer is less generous than 2024’s, when the requirement was to spend S$12,500 in total, including S$2,500 on SIA. True, this year you have more time, and Scoot tickets count too, but we’re still talking about a 28% increase in overall spend, coming in the wake of a very nasty nerf to the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend in November 2024. 

And if we want to dredge up even older history, back in 2021 American Express offered KrisFlyer Elite Gold with S$5,000 spending, of which S$300 had to be on SIA- though I don’t think many people would have found elite status very useful with the ongoing pandemic!

Overview: AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

Apply Here
Income Req.	N/A*	Points Validity	3 years
Annual Fee	S$397.85	Min. Transfer	N/A
FCY Fee	3.25%	Transfer Fee	None
Local Earn	1.2 mpd	Points Pool?	N/A
FCY Earn	1.2 mpd	Lounge Access?	No
Special Earn	2 mpd on SIA, Scoot, KrisShop, Grab	Airport Limo?	No
*AMEX no longer publishes income requirements for the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend. All applications are subject to internal review. For reference, the last published income requirement was S$50,000 p.a.
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

American Express is currently offering the following welcome offers to customers who sign up for an AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend and spend S$2,000 within the first 30 days

• New-to-AMEX: 37,600 KrisFlyer miles + S$50 statement credits.
• Existing AMEX cardholder: 27,600 KrisFlyer miles + S$50 statement credits.

This is on top of the 2,400 base miles received for spending S$2,000.

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders enjoy complimentary Hilton Silver status (which gives the 5th night free on award redemptions), as well as a one night stay at participating Hilton hotels across Asia Pacific. 

Unfortunately, the Ascend is otherwise a pale shadow of what it used to be, as the following changes took place in November 2024:

• The annual fee was hiked from S$343.35 to S$397.85
• The FCY earn rate of 2 mpd in June and December was cut to 1.2 mpd year-round (not that 2 mpd for two months in the year was great to begin with!)
• The Grab earn rate of 3.2 mpd was cut to 2 mpd
• The 4x lounge vouchers for SATS/Plaza Premium Lounges were removed

So outside the first year, where the welcome bonus helps provide extra value, there really is little reason to hold on to this card.

Conclusion

From 1 February to 31 July 2025, AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders can fast track their way to KrisFlyer Elite Gold by spending S$16,000 on their card, including S$6,000 on Singapore Airlines or Scoot tickets.

While it might be less restrictive than the usual S$15,000 requirement, which must be spent entirely on Singapore Airlines or Scoot, it’s still a hefty threshold to meet. That’s especially compared to 2024’s offer, where the required spend was S$12,500, of which only S$2,500 had to be on Singapore Airlines.

Is KrisFlyer Elite Gold nice to have? Sure. But is it worth the kind of spending that this offer demands? I have my doubts, especially since the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend was nerfed so badly last year.

Do remember that this is not a way for existing KrisFlyer Elite Golds to retain their status, unless said status expires by 31 July 2025 and they don’t mind a few months of no status (well, you’d technically be soft-landed to KrisFlyer Elite Silver) in between.

Will you be going for this fast track offer?