Merry Christmas from The MileLion

A very Merry Christmas to The MileLion Community!

Wherever today finds you, I hope you’re having some time to rest and recuperate together with friends and family, after what’s been a rather challenging year in the world of miles and points (to put it mildly).

Just a few updates on what’s happening on my side.

This year marked The MileLion’s 10th year anniversary, and goodness me has the time flown by. When I first started this blog, I always thought I’d maintain it for a few months before losing interest, only for it to come back to haunt me when I’m running for political office (he said WHAT about the Mayans?!). But here we are, 10 years and 6,000+ articles later. How about that?

I’ve been spending the past few weeks firming up the travel docket for 2026- now that the MileCub has turned two, we’re going to have to be a bit more selective with where we travel, since the end of 10% infant fares means Economy Class or bust. For the sake of my back, we’re limiting our travel radius to Phuket, Langkawi, and Hong Kong, though Tasmania in late 2026 is tantalising.

On the review front, United Airlines has announced that their new Elevated interior (aka Polaris 2.0) will be coming to Singapore in early 2026, and with the first aircraft already doing test flights, it looks like they’re on track to make good on that timeline. This is clearly a throwdown to Singapore Airlines, and it speaks volumes that United is renewing its Business Class product ahead of SIA, when Polaris 1.0 was launched in 2016- three years after SIA’s current long-haul Business Class!

The main problem is that United has pretty much stopped releasing Business Class awards to partners, reserving it for their MileagePlus elites or cobrand cardholders.

Speaking of Singapore Airlines, we all know that its long-delayed new Business Class will finally be launched in Q2 2026 (with London a likely candidate for the launch route, if not soon after). I’ll certainly want to be among the first to try that out, so stay tuned.

Another one to keep an eye on is ANA’s The Room FX, an evolution of The Room found on selected B777-300ERs (I reviewed it in 2020). This has been modified for the B787-9, and will be “the world’s largest seat in its class on a mid-sized aircraft”. I doubt that Singapore will be among the first routes to get this seat, but it’s something I’d consider making a special trip just to try out.

As for hotels, no, I don’t think I’ll be doing the Raffles Hotel Sentosa. I don’t care how good it is, paying S$1,800++ a night for a hotel is just insane, plain and simple.

I am, however, intrigued by the soon-to-open Four Points by Sheraton Jurong, and I say that with all seriousness. The west of Singapore badly needs more hotels, especially one conveniently located near IMM, Snow City, and the Science Centre. Can the Aman boast all that? Didn’t think so.

Other potentially interesting openings for 2026 include the Varel Singapore and Hotel D’Art. Further from home, I’m also considering the Kimpton Naluria at TRX (just opened), and keeping tabs on the Conrad Kuala Lumpur (Q3 2026) and Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur (Q4 2026)

I’m putting the finishing touches on my annual Christmas wishlist for the miles and points game, together with a recap of the biggest stories on The MileLion in 2025, and of course, my overall credit card strategy for 2026. And what’s this? Yet another overproduced, self-congratulatory awards ceremony? No, not the Oscars. I’m talking of course about this year’s Mileys, which recognise achievements both distinguished and dubious. 

Finally, there’s still time left to join The MileLion’s Christmas Fundraiser, which this year seeks to raise S$75,000 to support the work of Home for Good, a charity for foster children and families in Singapore. As of this morning, we’ve crossed the S$51,000 mark, so there’s still some way to go- but go we shall!

Donate Here

All donations of at least S$20 are eligible for 2.5X tax deductions, and you can refer to this post for which credit cards still earn miles on donations.

Merry Christmas to one and all!