Expiry of KrisFlyer points

[Tassie Devil]

I have only ever flown Singapore Airlines once and that was nearly 3 years ago. Brisbane to Singapore return and i joined up to KrisFlyer at the time and accumulated 7636 Miles, but haven't had any need to use those points since and now i have received an e-mail from KrisFlyer today which tells me these points expire this Friday and my KrisFlyer account will be closed. So not real impressed.

Is there any way i can transfer these points somehow or at least use them to buy something, within the next day or so, before they are taken away?

 

[adl73x]

Not that I know of.

I never got any email telling me my points would expire and my Kris flyer account would be closed. The first I knew about it was when I knew I was moving to the UK and tried to credit flights to SQ. They said I'd need to rejoin.

I declined.

NZ have now had four successive years of my Gold Elite custom instead.

 

[kpc]

I have only ever flown Singapore Airlines once and that was nearly 3 years ago. Brisbane to Singapore return and i joined up to KrisFlyer at the time and accumulated 7636 Miles, but haven't had any need to use those points since and now i have received an e-mail from KrisFlyer today which tells me these points expire this Friday and my KrisFlyer account will be closed. So not real impressed.

Is there any way i can transfer these points somehow or at least use them to buy something, within the next day or so, before they are taken away?

IIRC, you can pay using $$ or points to extend your miles for 6 months....cheaper to do it online than call up. SQs FF program is one of the stingiest around:shock:, and has this ridiculous "points expire after 3 years rule":evil:

 

[StevePER]

IIRC, you can pay using $$ or points to extend your miles for 6 months....cheaper to do it online than call up. SQs FF program is one of the stingiest around:shock:, and has this ridiculous "points expire after 3 years rule":evil:

How are they stingy apart from the points expiry? Otherwise I think they are quite reasonable.

 

[kpc]

How are they stingy apart from the points expiry? Otherwise I think they are quite reasonable.

Try booking a J saver award ex Syd, and you will see what I mean:shock:; the problem is that J saver (and F saver) awards are not available on the (newish) 777-300ER and A380 ie the premium cabins, and you need to redeem a standard award which is double the points of a saver award. The Syd - Sin route which has 4 flights daily was served by 2 xA380, a 777-300ER and a 777-300, altho the 777-300ER is currently deployed elsewhere. I think you will also find it very difficult to redeem a Sin-Lhr award at saver level in the premium cabins.

 

[anat0l]

Try booking a J saver award ex Syd, and you will see what I mean:shock:; the problem is that J saver (and F saver) awards are not available on the (newish) 777-300ER and A380 ie the premium cabins, and you need to redeem a standard award which is double the points of a saver award. The Syd - Sin route which has 4 flights daily was served by 2 xA380, a 777-300ER and a 777-300, altho the 777-300ER is currently deployed elsewhere. I think you will also find it very difficult to redeem a Sin-Lhr award at saver level in the premium cabins.

Yeah I know what you mean.

If Saver awards were available on many flights that would be a riot (in a good way, although then if I were a KrisFlyer member I'd be supporting SQ's blocking of premium inventory across *A). Once you need to redeem in Standard or Full awards, it's back to ballpark with everyone else or worse (except the USA-based carriers, of course, who are in a league of their own).

Essentially what it boils down to now are the cheap awards available are:

• Anything in Y
• Regional J (viz. 333 equipment)

In saying that, there is at least one member of this forum who burns plenty of J awards with SQ, usually longhaul ones. Of course, I know that that "at least one member" has quite a few points to burn...

Many FFPs oddly have the hard expiry rule, although some have a longer period than 3 years, and some let you have infinite validity as long as you're an elite. This was one of my problems I was sorting through when trying to choose a good *A program.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

SQs FF program is one of the stingiest around:shock:,

Well I guess that depends with what you compare it to. ie QF???

Though I do fly out of MEL though.

For J, I find it generous, and also remember that you can book *A J.

So when I can cannot get Saver J's on SQ I fly J on Thai.

Booked 5 J seats at Xmas to coughet at less than a months notice on Thai...and back home got 4 J on SQ with one daughter coming homea bit earlier which suited her work committments. All at cheap burn rates. Not sure whether you could do that on QF!!

 

[cove]

SQ is a brilliant system. My 2 sons went J to Manchester so that would be a retail price value of say $15k and they booked inside of a month for their trip.
Yes 3 years represents almost 1,100 night time sleeps so that is a long time.

 

[adl73x]

The impact of the expiry depends entirely on the frequency and class of your pattern of flying.

If you fly infrequently, programs with any expiry are not going to let you save for a rainy day. NZ, SQ, both have these, although NZ do not expire if you maintain Gold or higher.

I do fly a lot, but rarely redeem for anything other than the occasional upgrade. So for me, lack of, or preventable, expiry is a must in a loyalty program. In that, SQ and MA fail utterly.

 

[Tassie Devil]

Oh well, i guess those points are now going to go to waste. Now that i know this, i think i can cross SQ off my list of carriers to use in the future. My own fault of course, i should have checked this out and would have obviously flown Qantas at the time if i was aware of this.

 

[albatross710]

I had a similar feeling after I had used Emirates a few years ago.

I joined the Skywards program, accumulated the points with enough points for a return flight to Auckland. I couldn't find a reason to go and at the time the taxes were similar to what a regular competitive ticket could be bought.

I think in the end Emirates had a scheme to buy some raffle tickets and make a charitable donation of the points. The end result was the loss of the points but I felt better about it.

Same for me also with AA, I end up giving my US based friends magazine subscriptions as in my case I have been able to redeem the few points I've had with these schemes. The end result was the loss of the points but I felt better about it.

I guess that to be useful I concentrate my activities into one scheme (currently KrisFlyer) and keep QF on standby. Subject to change post 15 Mar.

Cheers

Alby

 

[Tassie Devil]

Just gave KrisFlyer a phone call and the only option they gave me was to use the points for domestic flights out of Singapore. Strangely they advise that the points won't actually expire until the end of March, even though the e-mail said the 7th of January. As i don't have any plans to be in Singapore before the end of March or any time this year for that matter, that option was of no use.

I asked if there was any way i can use these points to buy anything and was advised no.

 

[adl73x]

I think for programs with time-based expiry that is not fixed term miles validity like SQ, it can be useful to know what the "heartbeat" options are to keep them alive.

With QF the easiest one now is a Woolworths everyday rewards card, which given I can buy stuff online at Woolies from the UK is handy.
For BA, the same is sort of true of Tesco, although strictly you have to live in the UK to use that route, but you can buy BA miles from anywhere.
For AF you need a Skyteam flight or a French based Flying Blue Amex.

There are bound to be lots of others, but unless someone can come up with one for SQ, I'm going a bit OT.

 

[kpc]

Though I do fly out of MEL though.

That's the crux of the problem, I think. J saver SQ awards are available on 2 of the 3 flights ex Mel. However, just looked at some random dates later this year.....almost impossible to find J saver awards from Mel -Kul return which is the main destination I'm looking for.

also remember that you can book *A J.

So when I can cannot get Saver J's on SQ I fly J on Thai.

I shall look at Thai J awards to Kul but it is a slight detour to Kul via Bkk, but that's OK....do you know if there's a way to check availability online, or do you have to ring up? I have been exploring TFing my AMEX pts to MH Enrich; Syd-Kul return in J is 100000 AMEX pts (90000 Enrich pts), and F is 120000 AMEX pts (100000 Enrich pts), and availability seems pretty good on the random dates that I have looked at...just that i've heard quite mixed reviews about the Enrich program, not the hard MH product which I hear is very good.

 

[StevePER]

Point taken with the Saver Awards, though even at Standard award levels they're still on par with QF but with much better availability (in my experience). And then you've got the Star Alliance awards which are also good value - 35k return to South Pacific in J, 150k to Europe, etc.

 

[albatross710]

There are bound to be lots of others, but unless someone can come up with one for SQ, I'm going a bit OT.

Trickling into my SQKF account I have:

Avis rentals
Marriott points from stays,


If the OP could get an Avis (or other) car rental to post then his KF account remains open but his points would still expire.

 

[Logan^]

That's the crux of the problem, I think. J saver SQ awards are available on 2 of the 3 flights ex Mel. However, just looked at some random dates later this year.....almost impossible to find J saver awards from Mel -Kul return which is the main destination I'm looking for.

I shall look at Thai J awards to Kul but it is a slight detour to Kul via Bkk, but that's OK....do you know if there's a way to check availability online, or do you have to ring up? I have been exploring TFing my AMEX pts to MH Enrich; Syd-Kul return in J is 100000 AMEX pts (90000 Enrich pts), and F is 120000 AMEX pts (100000 Enrich pts), and availability seems pretty good on the random dates that I have looked at...just that i've heard quite mixed reviews about the Enrich program, not the hard MH product which I hear is very good.

You can use the ANA tool to check availability.

Link here to the FT thread about it: bmi FAQ No.4: Redemptions - Finding Award seats : the ANA online tool masterclass - FlyerTalk Forums

Basically you need to sign up, run a script that is posted in that thread that I have linked to and then you can check availbility. Normally on Thai there is heaps of availability.

 

[cove]

Thanks Logan for that post on ANA tool.
If you want more availability be prepared to split your group up and also look at departures from adjacent airports.
Say you are in MEL I would look at SYD and ADL to help get you what you want.
I think of Saver as a gift and Standard as the Standard so don't beat yourself up about the lack of Saver fares especially when you are wanting business class.
StevePER has it right in my thinking.

 

[kpc]

Point taken with the Saver Awards, though even at Standard award levels they're still on par with QF but with much better availability (in my experience). And then you've got the Star Alliance awards which are also good value - 35k return to South Pacific in J, 150k to Europe, etc.

Yup, maybe I have to accept to travel award J on SQ, it has to be a standard award; the star alliance partners is something I will explore more.

You can use the ANA tool to check availability.

Link here to the FT thread about it: bmi FAQ No.4: Redemptions - Finding Award seats : the ANA online tool masterclass - FlyerTalk Forums

Basically you need to sign up, run a script that is posted in that thread that I have linked to and then you can check availbility. Normally on Thai there is heaps of availability.

Great info....thanks!! Much rather find the flights I want, than ring up and get an uninterested person search for you:shock:

I think of Saver as a gift and Standard as the Standard so don't beat yourself up about the lack of Saver fares especially when you are wanting business class.
StevePER has it right in my thinking.

As above, I WILL have to adjust my thinking

 

[docjames]

Just gave KrisFlyer a phone call and the only option they gave me was to use the points for domestic flights out of Singapore. .

This would be a short flight. :shock:


I joined SQ at one stage and let it lapse as the 3 year rule was hopeless for me. It would be fine if much of my travel was to SIN I guess.


You only alternative here would be to roll in some credit card points and then redeem something. All before March.