Although the KrisFlyer UOB Credit and Debit Cards are marketed as Singapore Airlines cobrand cards, they actually offer more benefits on Scoot than SIA.
When travelling on Scoot, cardholders enjoy perks such as priority check-in, priority boarding, standard seat selection, and an extra 5kg of check-in baggage allowance. However, you will need to book your tickets through a special portal to receive these benefits, and not all will apply to travel companions.
In this post, I’ll walk through the various benefits and how they work.
What benefits do KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders enjoy?
Here’s a summary of the benefits that KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders enjoy on Scoot flights.
| ✈️ Scoot Privileges for KrisFlyer UOB Cards |
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| For Principal Cardholder | For Companions (on same booking) |
|
| Priority Check-in and Boarding | ✅ | ✅ |
| Extra 5kg Luggage Allowance (with purchase of min. 20 kg allowance) |
✅ | ❌ |
| Standard Seat Selection | ✅ | ✅ |
BoardMeFirst
KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders receive complimentary BoardMeFirst, which includes priority check-in and boarding. This covers the entire travelling party on the same itinerary, whether or not your companions are cardholders too.
The benefit will be automatically included during the booking process.
I’ve always found the check-in queues in Singapore to be manageable, but it can be much worse at outstations like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. In those situations, being able to take the shorter queue can be a lifesaver!
The main benefit of priority boarding is being able to secure the limited overhead bin space, and avoid having to gate-check your carry-on (especially on smaller aircraft like the E190 where space is at a premium).
That said, priority check-in may not be available at all airports. Also, priority boarding benefits do not apply when departing from Macau, Phuket and Phu Quoc.
Extra luggage allowance
KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders who purchase at least 20kg of checked baggage will receive an extra 5kg allowance. This only applies to the principal cardholder.
This benefit applies regardless of whether you add a bag during the booking process or do so later on, but either way the baggage allowance must be purchased at least 24 hours prior to departure.
Do note that the figure you see on the website does not reflect the additional 5kg, so if you need 25kg, buy 20kg, if you need 30kg, buy 25kg etc. You will receive an email within 24 hours confirming the extra baggage allowance.
As far as I know, Scoot doesn’t actually sell checked baggage of <20kg, so it’s basically a 5kg upsize whenever you buy a checked bag.
If you ask me, this feels a little underwhelming. Including a free checked bag, or even a discount instead of an upsize, would certainly entice a lot more people to get this card.
Standard Seat selection
KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders receive complimentary Standard Seat selection. This covers the entire travelling party on the same itinerary, whether or not your companions are cardholders too.
Prior to June 2024, free Standard Seat selection was only offered to the principal cardholder, which really didn’t make sense because the whole point of choosing seats is to sit together (or maybe apart, I don’t judge)!
The Scoot website has a strange quirk in that it does not show this benefit as free. For example, the screenshot below quotes a S$4 fee for seat selection.
However, when you click the button to add a seat, you’ll be brought to the seat selection screen where you can select Standard Seats (coloured in yellow) at no cost.
Do note that not every Standard Seat can be selected for free. For example, the Boeing 787 has a forward cabin called “Scoot-in-Silence” (reserved for passengers aged 12 and above), and selecting a Standard Seat here still requires extra payment.
What happened to the booking flexibility waiver?
KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders used to enjoy a one-time booking flexibility waiver which allowed for a change of dates or flight timings, but this benefit was removed in June 2024.
Now, they have to pay a change fee that ranges from S$60-100, unless they also have KrisFlyer Elite Gold, PPS Club or Solitaire PPS Club status (see below). If the revised fare is higher, a top-up will be required. If the revised fare is lower, no refund will be issued.
For what it’s worth, the UOB KrisFlyer Thailand World Elite Card still enjoys this benefit.
Most important: Book via the Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal!
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| Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB |
To enjoy these benefits, KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders must book their Scoot tickets using the dedicated Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal. If you book your tickets through the public website, or a third-party OTA, it will not be possible to retroactively add the benefits.
If this is your first time making a booking through this portal, you will need to link your KrisFlyer UOB Card to your account, which should only take a minute.
The portal works just like the regular website, only you’ll see a special label reminding you of your complimentary KrisFlyer UOB benefits during the booking process.
I’ve not done an exhaustive comparison, but in my experience so far the prices are the same as the public website. However, there are two downsides to booking through the portal.
First, you will not be able to purchase Scoot’s Cancel Your Trip add-on, which allows you to cancel your booking and receive a refund in the form of a Scoot voucher. Scoot says it is working to make this feature available, but has not provided a date for implementation.
Second, you must pay directly with a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, which will incur a 2.2% payment processing fee (this was originally 2.6% when Scoot reintroduced fees in February 2025, but Scoot has generously cut it to 2.2% since).
While it is possible to avoid — albeit temporarily — the payment processing fees by “wrapping” your card in Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal, these payment methods are not available through the Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal.
Therefore, your additional perks technically aren’t “free”, insofar as you could have booked via the public website and not incurred the payment processing fee.
What about award flights?
KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders do not enjoy any benefits when booking award flights through the Scoot award chart.
However, benefits can still be enjoyed on Miles + Cash bookings, since these are basically commercial bookings where miles are used as a method of payment.
What happens if I also have KrisFlyer Elite or PPS Club status?
Solitaire PPS Club, PPS Club, KrisFlyer Elite Gold and KrisFlyer Elite Silver members also enjoy additional perks when travelling on Scoot.
| ✈️ Scoot Privileges for SQ Elites |
||
 |
 |
|
| KrisFlyer Elite Gold/Silver | Solitaire PPS/PPS Club | |
| Priority Check-in and Boarding | ✅ | ✅ |
| Extra 5kg Luggage Allowance^ (with min. purchase of 20 kg allowance) |
✅ | ✅ |
| Free Standard Seat Selection* | ✅ | ✅ |
| One-time Booking Flexibility Waiver | ✅ Elite Gold only |
✅ |
| SilverKris Lounge Access | ❌ | ✅ Solitaire only |
| ^Only applies to the elite member, and not travelling companions *Only applies to bookings made directly on the flyscoot.com website |
||
Many of these perks overlap with those enjoyed by KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders, but for the avoidance of doubt, benefits can only be enjoyed once per booking.
For example, a KrisFlyer UOB Cardholder who also has KrisFlyer Elite Gold status would enjoy a 5kg luggage upsize, not 10kg. However, he would enjoy the one-time booking flexibility waiver on top of the regular KrisFlyer UOB Cardholder perks.
| ❓Where should you make your booking? |
|
If you’re a Singapore Airlines elite member who also has a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, I reckon you’d be better off not making your booking through the Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal. That’s because the benefits practically overlap, and in fact, are slightly better for Singapore Airlines elites (because of the booking flexibility waiver). However, avoiding the Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal allows you to use Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal, all of which avoid Scoot’s payment processing fees. Again, I should emphasise that payment processing fees will eventually affect Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal too, but not at the time of writing. |
I’ve written separate guides that cover in detail the full benefits of PPS Club, KrisFlyer Elite Gold and KrisFlyer Elite Silver status.
Conclusion
KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders enjoy additional benefits when travelling on Scoot, such as priority check-in and boarding, an extra 5kg check-in allowance, and complimentary Standard Seat selection.
While it’s better than nothing, I don’t find any of these perks particularly compelling. I’d be much more likely to book Scoot if my card also gave me a complimentary checked bag or Wi-Fi, though these are probably high-margin upsells that the airline is unwilling to give away for free.
Cardholders must book their tickets through the dedicated Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal to receive their perks, though this will be subject to a 2.2% payment processing fee. This fee could have been avoided if bookings were made through the public website with Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal, so you’ll need to decide if the extra fee is worth it.
I was looking forward to this article. good one!
last month i booked through the Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal using UOB krisflyer card – I thought the seat selection is still payable therefore i didn’t move to the seat selection page and it was randomly assigned to me – and i was seated right behind its super far.
The plane was 3/4 fill and the front seat(normal seat) are usually empty(must pay ma). I just sat infront nearest to the entrance without asking. you can only do this without embarassing yourself if you are the last to board.
This act is mightily dangerous as it affects weight and balance for take off. No airline would allow you to change seat before take off without checking or enter in system.
It is not that I am rich it is just that my friends and I do not have great experiences with Scoot. Delays, dirty toilets, unsuitable timing and seemingly flight rescheduling. Adding the extras, many a times not a great deal of differences.
what benefits?