HeyMax has been one of the most exciting things to happen in the miles game in recent memory, with useful tools like the MCC checker and Card Maximiser, MCC-transforming vouchers, and of course, the Max Miles loyalty currency, which opens up redemption opportunities previously unavailable in Singapore.
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On that note, it’s been roughly a year since HeyMax announced a major overhaul of Max Miles, as part of an ambitious roadmap targeting 50 partners by 2027. The company has now provided an update on the progress, and there are a couple of things to cheer: three more direct transfer partners, and an upcoming 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue.
However, the real headline here is sandwiched between those two, because from June 2026, HeyMax will be losing 17 airline and hotel partners as it sunsets its Cash For Miles programme.
While some of these could yet make a return as direct transfer partners, the timeline is unclear — so you might want to make your final redemptions in the next few weeks.
Background: Direct transfer partners vs Cash For Miles
To better contextualise this announcement, it may be helpful to do a quick recap of how HeyMax transfers currently work.
HeyMax airline and hotel partners are currently divided into two categories.
| Direct Transfer Partners | Cash For Miles | |
| Min. Transfer | 1,000 Max Miles (1 Max Mile after)# |
10,000 Max Miles (1,000 Max Miles after) |
| Conversion Speed | Instant^ |
5+ business days |
| Conversion Ratio | 1:1* | 1:1* |
| Admin Fees | None | None |
| #Accor currently requires transfers in 1,000 miles blocks, though this will eventually be reduced to 1 mile like the rest ^Except Asia Miles; three business days *For all partners except Shangri-La Circle (5 Max Miles = 1 point), and AirAsia Rewards (1 Max Mile = 1.2 points) and IHG One Rewards (1 Max Mile = 1.5 points) |
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Direct transfer partners are similar to redeeming points on a bank rewards portal, with instant in-app conversions (except Asia Miles) and a minimum conversion of 1,000 miles.
Cash For Miles is a comparatively more complicated process. Customers must:
- Fill out a manual redemption form
- Wait for a virtual Visa debit card to be issued (up to five business days)
- Visit the airline/hotel’s official portal to purchase miles/points
- Wait for the miles/points to be credited (may be instant, but could take a few days)
Both direct transfers and Cash For Miles are free of admin fees, and the conversion ratio is 1:1 across almost all partners.
Discontinuation of Cash For Miles programme
From 1 June 2026, HeyMax will terminate its Cash For Miles programme, which effectively means goodbye to the following programmes (at least until they rejoin as direct transfer partners).
| ❌ HeyMax Cash For Miles Partners | |
| ✈️ Airlines | |
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| 🏨 Hotels | |
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HeyMax will honour Cash For Miles redemptions until 31 May 2026, so if you’re eyeing one of these partners, be sure to submit your transfer request by then.
Frankly speaking, it’s not surprising to see Cash For Miles retired, because it always struck me as unsustainable. HeyMax users could convert Max Miles at any time — not just during sales — and at regular prices, this could be very expensive to fulfill (e.g. American AAdvantage normally charges 3.5 US cents per mile).
Moreover, issuing prepaid Visa debit cards involves a lot of admin work, and not every partner has a straightforward miles purchase process. For some, like THAI Airways Royal Orchid Plus, you have to do it over the phone or in person at a service office!
I’m not really concerned about the following partners, because they’re either (1) readily available elsewhere, or (2) aren’t a great use of Max Miles in the first place.
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I am, however, sad to lose the following, because there aren’t any viable alternative options for earning these in Singapore (short of paying out of pocket to buy miles/points directly).
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| *Transfer partner of HSBC, but conversion ratio negates much of the value | |
Losing AAdvantage is particularly painful, because of its excellent redemption rates for Singapore-Japan travel. JAL First Class service isn’t always available on this route, but when it is, it sets you back just 40,000 miles (with an excellent preflight visit to the Qantas First Lounge awaiting too).
For what it’s worth, HeyMax mentions that it has 10 more transfer partners in the works, so I hope these are among them.
3 more direct transfer partners coming
In the coming weeks, HeyMax will add three new direct transfer partners:
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Miles
- Radisson Rewards
These will join the existing direct transfer partners, bringing the total number to 20.
| ✅ HeyMax Direct Transfer Partners | |
| ✈️ Airlines | |
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| 🏨 Hotels | |
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EVA Air is arguably the most useful of the three, with its lucrative sweet spots for Business Class travel to Europe and North America (though booking awards for more than one traveller is a major headache).
Switching to direct transfers from Cash For Miles also helps circumvent the rule that no more than 50% of a redemption can consist of purchased miles.
25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue
HeyMax is planning to launch a 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue in the near future, which will run for a 10-day period.
While its dynamic award pricing can be all over the place, Flying Blue does sometimes offer up attractive redemptions between Singapore and Europe, such as 85,000 miles in Business Class between Singapore and Paris.
A 25% bonus would make this even more exciting, so stay tuned and I’ll cover this in a separate article when it goes live.
Conclusion
HeyMax will be sunsetting its 17 Cash For Miles partners from 1 June 2026, which will see the discontinuation of Max Miles conversions to Alaska, American, Emirates, Virgin Australia and World of Hyatt, among others.
However, EVA Air Infinity MileageLands will soon be onboarded as a direct transfer partner, and a 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue can be expected soon.
HeyMax is promising more opportunities to earn Max Miles from day-to-day life, and plans to launch its “fly now, earn later” service HeyMax First later this year, so there’s a lot yet to come.
In the meantime, if you have your sights set on any Cash For Miles partner, now would be a good time to start planning your conversions.
