AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card increases earn rates to 1.3 mpd

Despite its association with Singapore Airlines, the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card has never been a good option for earning miles. Outside of some occasional excellent sign-up bonuses (30,000 miles for S$500 spend?!), the day-to-day earn rates were, quite frankly, embarrassing.

How embarrassing? At 1.1 mpd for both local and overseas spend, it placed dead last among general spending cards. And yet, you’d be amazed at how many people use this card as their daily driver. I suppose the thought process is: “it literally has ‘KrisFlyer’ on it, how bad could it be?”

Well, American Express is finally giving those earn rates a boost, though it’s really lipstick on a pig at this point — and not great lipstick either.

AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card boosts earn rates to 1.3 mpd

From 1 November 2026, the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card earns:

• 1.3 mpd on local spend (up from 1.1 mpd)
• 1.3 mpd on FCY spend (up from 1.1 mpd)

As before, there’s no minimum spending requirement, and no cap on the miles that can be earned. 

This marks the second change to earn rates in the space of two years, after the 2 mpd FCY earn rate for June and December was removed on 1 November 2024.

So how does it compare with the competition now? Here’s a table of entry-level general spending cards, sorted by the sum of their local and FCY earn rates. You’re going to have to scroll down quite a bit to find the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card…

💳 Earn Rates for Entry-Level General Spending Cards (Sorted by Sum of Local + FCY Spend)
Cards	Local Spend	FCY Spend
UOB PRVI Miles Card AMEX MC Visa	1.4 mpd	3 mpd IDR, MYR, THB, VND 2.4 mpd All Others
BOC Elite Miles Card Apply	1.4 mpd	2.8 mpd
HSBC TravelOne Card Apply	1.2 mpd	2.4 mpd
DBS Altitude Card AMEX Visa	1.3 mpd	2.2 mpd
OCBC 90°N Card MC Visa	1.3 mpd	2.1 mpd
Citi PremierMiles Card Apply	1.2 mpd	2.2 mpd
StanChart Journey Card Apply	1.2 mpd	2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Apply	1.5 mpd	1.5 mpd
AMEX Solitaire PPS Card Apply	1.5 mpd	1.5 mpd Up to S$3,800 2.4 mpd S$3,801 onwards
AMEX PPS Card Apply	1.5 mpd	1.5 mpd Up to S$3,800 2 mpd S$3,801 onwards
Trust Freedom Card Apply via app with code 2GQEAM81	1.3 mpd	1.3 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card Apply	1.3 mpd	1.3 mpd
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Apply	1.2 mpd	1.2 mpd

In fact, I’d argue that this table flatters it somewhat. The Trust Freedom Card has similar earn rates, but:

• Offers cardholders the choice of Max Miles or KrisFlyer miles
• Has no FCY transaction fee

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has lower earn rates for general spend, but:

• Earns an uncapped 2.4 mpd on dining, food delivery, online shopping, travel and transport
• Earns an uncapped 3 mpd on SIA, Scoot, KrisShop, Kris+ and Pelago

No changes to other earn rates

There are no changes to the rest of the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card’s earn rates. 

Cardholders will continue to earn an uncapped 2 mpd on:

• Singapore Airlines bookings (commercial and award tickets) made through singaporeair.com, mobile app or over the phone
• Scoot bookings (commercial and award tickets) made through flyscoot.com or the mobile app
• KrisShop purchases made onboard Singapore Airlines flights or at krisshop.com
• Pelago bookings made through pelago.com or the Pelago mobile app

Air tickets must originate from Singapore and be purchased in Singapore Dollars. Do note that the bonuses for KrisShop and Pelago transactions do not apply if you shop via the Kris+ app. 

But considering how you could easily earn 4 mpd on these purchases with other credit cards, there’s nothing to get excited about here. And if you exhaust the bonus caps on those cards, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card offers an uncapped 3 mpd on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop and Pelago.

The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card also earns 2 mpd on the first S$200 spent each calendar month on Grab Singapore transactions, including Grab rides, GrabFood, GrabMart and Grab Express.

Changes to SIA cashback benefit

✈️ SIA Cashback Benefit
	Until 18 Nov 2026	From 19 Nov 2026
Qualifying Spend for Benefit	S$12,000 (from 1 Jul to 18 Nov 26)	S$6,000 (from 19 Nov 26 to 18 May 27)
Cashback Benefit	S$150	S$100
Min. Spend to use Cashback	S$800	S$400
Validity	12 months*	2 months
*This refers to the original validity, but American Express has now cut it to six months

In case you missed it, the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card also announced a revision to its SIA cashback benefit last month, which was a bit of a mixed bag.

The bad news is that from 19 November 2026, the cashback benefit will be cut from S$150 to S$100, and cardholders will have just two months to use the perk once earned.

The good news is that the qualifying spend to unlock the benefit will be cut from S$12,000 to S$6,000, and the minimum spend to use the cashback will be reduced from S$800 to S$400. 

The other terms remain the same:

• The minimum spend must be made in a single transaction
• Tickets must be booked on singaporeair.com or the SingaporeAir mobile app
• Tickets must originate from Singapore
• Tickets must be purchased in Singapore Dollars
• Excludes flight bookings purchased via Pay Small

There are some complicated transitional arrangements in place, so refer to the article below for further details.

AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card cuts SIA cashback to S$100, but makes it easier to earn and spend

What’s the point of the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card?

Given its still mediocre earn rates and lack of any meaningful Singapore Airlines benefits, is there any point in keeping the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card?

Perhaps. The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card offers a first-year waiver of its S$179.85 annual fee, and it’s relatively easy to get the second and subsequent years’ fees waived too. So if all you’re looking for is a fee-free way of enjoying AMEX Offers, this (or the AMEX True Cashback Card) would be your best option. 

For all the nerfs that AMEX cards have suffered, AMEX Offers remain genuinely useful. Earlier this year, cardholders received S$525 of hotel credits for use at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Millennium Hotels and Peninsula Hotels, and there have been several SimplyGo offers which are basically free money.

Conclusion

The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card now earns 1.3 mpd on all local and FCY spend. Is 1.3 mpd better than 1.1 mpd? Yes. Is 1.3 mpd still woefully inadequate? Also yes. You’d think that AMEX cards would offer better earn rates, given their limited acceptance!

So in my opinion, this changes little. Unless there’s a particularly lucrative welcome offer, or you just want a free way of enjoying AMEX Offers, there’s no reason to get an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card. If you really want a Singapore Airlines cobrand card, go for the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card instead — it’s a far better deal.