Best Frequent Flyer Programmes to Upgrade Your Travels

Being a part of a good frequent flyer programme is key to travelling in comfort for less. You can buy Business and First Class flight tickets with cash, like you would for Economy, but they’re often pricey. Think S$3,000 and up just for a return trip in Business Class between Singapore and Japan.

This is where a frequent flyer programme comes in. Almost every airline has this loyalty scheme which allows you to earn points by taking its flights or swapping your credit card’s rewards points over. Frequent flyer programme points, also known as miles, can then be used to redeem flight tickets or offset the cash price of a ticket.

The best part? These programmes are free to join. As you climb its tiers, you gain extra perks too. These include complimentary airport lounge visits and priority check-in.

However, what’s the top frequent flyer programme? Which one grants members the best perks and flight redemptions? Read on for the full scoop.

Best Airline Rewards Plans

KrisFlyer: Best for Singaporeans

Singapore Airlines’ frequent flyer programme, KrisFlyer, will naturally be the best fit for travellers based in Singapore. Singapore Airlines, its low-cost carrier arm Scoot, and codeshare airlines fly to over 130 destinations globally. What’s more, nearly every miles or rewards credit card in Singapore supports points transfers to KrisFlyer.

Additionally, joining KrisFlyer grants you access to Star Alliance, which Singapore Airlines is a member of. Other carriers in this global airline alliance include All Nippon Airways (ANA), EVA Air, and Turkish Airlines. If you were wondering, you can indeed use your KrisFlyer miles to redeem flights on these airlines as a result of that.

Furthermore, your KrisFlyer membership maps over to Star Alliance’s own programme. Here’s a summary of what you stand to gain across these two memberships:

With all that said, Singapore Airlines has a more exclusive frequent flyer programme dubbed PPS Club. The only way you can earn points to qualify for this—barring any special promotional efforts from Singapore Airlines—is to buy its Business, First, or Suites Class flights with cash.

Here’s how its tiers work, along with the benefits you enjoy as a PPS Club member:

Asia Miles: Unlock Access to Oneworld Flights

Asia Miles is the frequent flyer programme of Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific. For all intents and purposes, it’s synonymous with the Cathay (formerly known as Marco Polo Club) programme. Asia Miles miles is what you use for flight redemptions and Cathay Status Points are simply used to keep track of your membership tier.

KrisFlyer may grant you access to Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance carriers, but there are other airline alliances too. Cathay Pacific is part of Oneworld, which includes American Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways.

Joining the Asia Miles programme is free as well, just like KrisFlyer above and Flying Blue, which we’ll cover soon. When you have an Asia Miles membership, your flight redemption and discount options expand immensely. Remember, Asia Miles lets you redeem tickets across almost ever Oneworld airline, akin to KrisFlyer functions with Star Alliance members.

Furthermore, an almost identical selection of miles and rewards credit cards in Singapore support points transfers to Asia Miles too.

Here’s a summary of what you stand to gain as an Asia Miles member:

Flying Blue: The Leading Way to Redeem SkyTeam Flights in Singapore

The last piece of the global airline alliance puzzle is SkyTeam, which counts Air France, China Airlines, Delta Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), and Korean Air as members. The most convenient way to access SkyTeam flights for folks in Singapore is by joining Flying Blue, the frequent flyer programme of both Air France and KLM.

If you’re wondering why this is the case, it’s because both airlines are under the same holding company, dubbed the Air France–KLM Group.

Although Flying Blue may be the best programme to earn points for and eventually redeem SkyTeam flights for people in Singapore, it’s still not convenient. Only Citi, HSBC (only one card at the moment), OCBC, and Standard Chartered support points transfers to it.

However, it’s still handy to have a Flying Blue membership because of the additional flight redemption options you gain access to. Furthermore, Flying Blue does hold miles sales from time to time. You can then use the miles purchased to redeem flights at great value, including Singapore to London in Business Class at 70,000 miles.

With that being said, here’s what you’ll enjoy as a Flying Blue member:

How Do I Pick the Right Credit Card to Earn Frequent Flyer Programme Points?

One of the best ways to earn miles is by spending with your credit card to rack up its own rewards points.

At first glance, it may appear that you need to spend an outsized amount of money just to redeem your dream flight, but all you need to do is settle your daily expenses with the appropriate card. The right credit card signup bonuses will help accelerate your travel plan’s progress too. What’s more, there are frequent flyer programmes who do hold sales for their own points every now and then. However, don’t bust your monthly budget or make unnecessary spends just to ensure that you fly in comfort and style.

Check out these three credit cards which will help you pick up the pace in earning frequent flyer programme points:

1. DBS Woman’s World Card

Source: DBS

Despite the name, anyone and everyone can apply for the DBS Woman’s World Card. The minimum annual income requirement for this credit card is currently S$80,000, although DBS has been known to approve applications for folks who earn less than that. However, do note that this is subject to a case-by-case basis.

Here’s a quick highlight reel of this credit card’s miles earning power:

• You earn 4 MPD (miles per dollar) on eligible online purchases (flight tickets, hotel bookings, clothes, etc.)
• This maximum earn rate is capped at S$1,500 of spending per month
• However, no minimum spend is required to enjoy the 4 MPD earn rate
• DBS Points can be transferred to KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer, or AirAsia Rewards

Check out a full review of the DBS Woman’s World Card here.

2. UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card

Source: UOB

The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card is as straightforward as it gets. Add this card to Apple Pay, Fitbit Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay and spend with it via any of these services at mobile contactless payment terminals. You’ll then earn 4 MPD on almost any transaction you make, with a total monthly bonus points limit of S$1,110.

Simple, right?

Here’s a brief summary of how else it can turbocharge your miles earnings:

• Because of how UOB only blacklists specific merchants, you’ll earn 4 MPD almost everywhere if you spend with the card via mobile contactless payment
• The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card also grants you 4 MPD for eligible online purchases, specifically shopping and entertainment. However, this is subject to your overall S$1,110 monthly cap.
• UOB’s rewards points, also known as UNI$, can be transferred to KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, or AirAsia Rewards

Read through a detailed review of the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card here.

How Do I Select the Best Travel Insurance Plan?

Selecting the best travel insurance plan can be daunting because of how many options there are. However, with online aggregators conveniently compiling the leading policies in town, you don’t have to trawl through each insurer’s platform just to decide on a plan.

Here’s what you need to look out for when choosing the best travel insurance policy for your vacation:

Policy Benefits

Don’t simply select the cheapest policy, especially if you’re travelling to a distant nation for a long amount of time (two weeks, for example). Coverage for incidents like cancelled flights, theft, and loss of personal belongings are important. Of course, that doesn’t discount the usual coverage for medical expenses, and personal accident and death.

Additionally, if you require specific coverage, such as a COVID-19 add-on and for your sports equipment, do note these down when you’re comparing between plans.

Duration

To be exact, this refers to either a single trip or annual plan. An annual plan is definitely a no-brainer if you travel to a specific country or region frequently. This is handy for entrepreneurs or employees who are constantly moving around for meetings or site inspections.

For the latter group, even if your company automatically purchases a travel insurance plan whenever you’re required to make a business trip, do check it and see if there are any gaps an annual plan can cover. Because you’re moving around so frequently, it’s best to be fully protected from any potential income loss at all times.

For even more details on selecting the best travel insurance plan, visit our full guide.

Related: 4 Ways To Save On Travel Insurance

Conclusion

As you plan your next long-awaited vacation (or two), consider signing up for an airline rewards programme based on your travel wants and needs. Depending on where you enjoy travelling to and how often you plan on travelling, one plans might be more worth it than the other.

And while you are pondering your next holiday retreat, be sure to sign up for a miles credit card to maximise the rewards points you earn! Ditto for travel insurance, because the peace of mind you get when being whisked away to a splendid vacation is always worth the small sum you part with. For easy comparison, check out our round up of the best travel insurance plans.

Read More:

• Best Reward Credit Cards in Singapore
• How To Survive and Thrive as a Solo Traveller
• Travel Diaries: 5 Safest Travel Destinations in the World
• Average Costs and Benefits of Travel Insurance
• Travel Essentials for Every Trip – From the Best Travel Insurance to Miles Credit Card

Cover image source: Unsplash