AMEX HighFlyer Card temporarily suspends new applications

Back in August 2019, Singapore Airlines partnered up with American Express to launch the AMEX Singapore Airlines Business Credit Card (or AMEX HighFlyer Card for short). This product, aimed at SMEs, offered much better earn rates and perks than the usual lacklustre corporate cards.

Back in the day, this card was almost too good to be true.

1. The first year’s annual fee was waived
2. Cardholders received a complimentary Accor Plus Explorer membership
3. There were almost no rewards exclusions

Point (3) was particularly lucrative, because you could even earn miles on GrabPay top-ups! I remember clocking the minimum spend for my 30,000 miles welcome offer on GrabPay top-ups alone, then using GrabPay to pay income taxes and top-up my CPF Special Account via AXS. What a time to be alive!

I suppose that couldn’t last forever, and these days, the AMEX HighFlyer Card is much less exciting. It’s probably still the best corporate card you could hope for, though that’s not saying much.

But it appears a shake up might be on the cards, as American Express has temporarily suspended new application. 

Applications paused for AMEX HighFlyer Card

American Express has temporarily paused new applications for the AMEX HighFlyer Card until further notice. Per a notification on its website:

Thank you for your interest in the American Express Singapore Airlines Business Credit Card. We’re temporarily not accepting any new card applications, please visit this space for further updates soon.

-American Express

There’s really only two possibilities here.

The first is that the card is being discontinued. Never say never, but I just find that hard to believe, given that the supposedly decent take-up rate amongst its key SME audience. 

The second is that the card is being refreshed ahead of a relaunch. That’s probably the more likely scenario, though just what the relaunched product will look like is anyone’s guess.

There have already been some improvements to the AMEX HighFlyer Card over the years, such as boosting the annual conversion cap to 100,000 miles and adding new conversion options for HighFlyer points. Of course, there have also been nerfs, like removal of points for GrabPay, and the ending of support for CardUp,

I certainly don’t think we should expect a return to the glory days, but some things I would like to see are:

• An enhanced earn rate for foreign currency spend
• Complimentary checked bags for travel on Scoot
• Complimentary access to the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge in Singapore (perhaps passes can be earned based on cumulative spend)
• Participation in the annual KrisFlyer Elite Gold fast-track promotion (where a reduced spending threshold is required for status; this has historically been offered to the Ascend card only)

There’s no knowing how long applications will be closed for, but I certainly hope American Express moves faster than HSBC. HSBC paused new applications for the HSBC Visa Infinite in September 2024, and has yet to break cover on the new version!

Conclusion

American Express has temporarily paused new applications for the AMEX HighFlyer Card, and it seems very likely that a refresh is in the works.

We’ll have to wait and see whether this can breathe new life into the card, which has become somewhat unexciting of late. Hopefully it won’t be as underwhelming as the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend’s refresh!

What would you like the AMEX HighFlyer Card to offer?