SQ Tips, Trips and Tales

[Cruiser Elite]

I appreciate your opinion MEL but I won’t be debating with you

 

[lovestotravel]

SQ is still the best option for us, despite constant enhancements that never seem to end.

My EK F flight that was meant to happen in March was cancelled due to the UAE issues, so haven't flown a premium cabin with EK now for about 5 years to compare accurately

We can get 2 Adult and 2 Children return in J to the UK/EU for around $28,500 with Amex Plat discounts. Qatar is around $30,000 but I'd never fly them. Etihad is $34,000 and Emirates is $36,000.

So for the extra $$ we'll stick to SQ and just let SQ be SQ..

I'm also sitting on close to 3 million QF points that we will burn on EK, at some stage....

At some point you cannot escape the fact that SQ are Singaporean through and through. Following rules to the exact letter and saying "Cannot lah" to anything else is modus operandi, especially amongst middle management level. Not everyone is like that, but people who would have the willingness and lateral thinking to see your problems as a problem, and much less solve it are probably in a higher pay grade.

To be fair though (and my occasional frustration with local colleagues here might be coloring my views in previous paragaph) I am not sure if this scenario happened on QF or QR or EK that the outcome would be any different, such is the tight leash that customer service roles are kept on across the industry.

I love Singapore, but the rules do make me laugh at times and I just go straight to the threat of a credit card chargeback when I need a refund. I don't have time for pathetic excuses.

Anyways, this is about SQ

Next flight with them is in 3 weeks in J...

 

[Steady]

In what universe could O’Riads Shiraz ever be considered a worthy ‘F Class’ wine offering?

QF’s universe I suspect, along side the Penfolds Koonunga hill

 

[I love to travel]

But you are ignoring the fact of their inconsistency in that I was compensated a 1 sector upgrade J to R or F SYD-SIN when a previous substitution occurred - they set the precedent not me

do they only offered 5000 points - nothing else? If you booked on points shouldn't you have been entitled to at least the usual points difference? If cash, fare difference? That seems outrageous

 

[SomeRando]

QF’s universe I suspect, along side the Penfolds Koonunga hill

I know barely anything about wine but even I know that is cheap wine. It's the stuff I use to cook with and then drink the rest with the meal. To see this served in F is hilarious (as a poor, non F customer of course).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

do they only offered 5000 points - nothing else? If you booked on points shouldn't you have been entitled to at least the usual points difference? If cash, fare difference? That seems outrageous

That’s the thing… the ‘through fare’ for points is lower than the component parts.

F saver AU (east coast) to Europe is 198k in F.

If one of those sectors was in J and the other in F, the total points would be either 206k (98+108) or 220k (72+148) - depending which sector you had in F and in J.

on mixed cabin award itineraries SQ charges the highest class for the entire trip, they don’t break it down to component parts.

Reading around it seems for cash fares they refund the difference between the fare you paid and the walk-up fare in the day of travel for the lower class… like how Qantas used to do it So it may mean a very small refund, if anything.

Additional compensation doesn’t seem to be a ‘thing’ with SQ from the various fora.

Ex EU/UK it would be different… that would be a 75% refund of the downgraded sector, whether paid by cash or points.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

do they only offered 5000 points - nothing else? If you booked on points shouldn't you have been entitled to at least the usual points difference? If cash, fare difference? That seems outrageous

The difference in pts for Advantage Saver fare SIN-MEL sector will be refunded + additional 5,000 KF pts. Sorry if previlous posts were a bit unclear.

 

[MARTINE]

Flew into Singapore in J tonight. Husband’s seat did not recline easily… but could be done
So sorry sir - voucher for $200 to spend

 

[lovestotravel]

Flew into Singapore in J tonight. Husband’s seat did not recline easily… but could be done
So sorry sir - voucher for $200 to spend

As nice as that was, it's the max you will see from SQ

Your seat could be faulty, no TV and no WiFi and you'd still get a $200 voucher

 

[MARTINE]

As nice as that was, it's the max you will see from SQ

Your seat could be faulty, no TV and no WiFi and you'd still get a $200 voucher

.. its better than nothing

 

[umberloidster]

We can get 2 Adult and 2 Children return in J to the UK/EU for around $28,500 with Amex Plat discounts.

That's really interesting... can I ask how reliably you're able to get that pricing?

I'm Amex Platinum also, have never booked a cash fare through Amex though I had heard (before I read your post) they can get discounted fares.

Yet when I look at SQ website I see cheaper fares than Amex Book Travel Online for the same dates.

Is there a trick to securing the lower fares that you mentioned?

 

[daft009]

That's really interesting... can I ask how reliably you're able to get that pricing?

I'm Amex Platinum also, have never booked a cash fare through Amex though I had heard (before I read your post) they can get discounted fares.

Yet when I look at SQ website I see cheaper fares than Amex Book Travel Online for the same dates.

Is there a trick to securing the lower fares that you mentioned?

I booked ~4wks ago for a trip at the end of May (so last month) and direct with SQ was cheaper than centurion prices too

 

[lovestotravel]

That's really interesting... can I ask how reliably you're able to get that pricing?

I'm Amex Platinum also, have never booked a cash fare through Amex though I had heard (before I read your post) they can get discounted fares.

Yet when I look at SQ website I see cheaper fares than Amex Book Travel Online for the same dates.

Is there a trick to securing the lower fares that you mentioned?

Last 3 times I've booked it's been far cheaper with Amex than direct with SQ. I've also booked about 6-10 months in advance though. I book for 2 Adults and 2 Children - Under 12 (for one more year)

I usually book into FRA or CDG but have seen these fares INTO LHR as well, but not out LHR (The taxes departing the UK are disgusting)

But looking at random dates in March, with very similar flight timings (there were other options)

Direct with SQ $39,464


Amex $32,061, but there were some other dates a few days earlier with about $29,500 fares



Looking quicky for August 2026

SQ direct
AUD 41,356.00

Amex

I booked ~4wks ago for a trip at the end of May (so last month) and direct with SQ was cheaper than centurion prices too

You can't book with Amex past the 13th of May at the moment, as they only allow bookings 330 days ahead. 4 weeks ago you would have only been able to book until Mid April.

Even direct with SQ - 4 weeks ago, you would have only been able to book until around 9th May.

 

[daft009]

You can't book with Amex past the 13th of May at the moment, as they only allow bookings 330 days ahead. 4 weeks ago you would have only been able to book until Mid April.

Even direct with SQ - 4 weeks ago, you would have only been able to book until around 9th May.

Mine was a last minute trip, I booked mid May for 25/5/26 for example.
SQ direct was ~$1k cheaper than amex travel for J

 

[lovestotravel]

Mine was a last minute trip, I booked mid May for 25/5/26 for example.
SQ direct was ~$1k cheaper than amex travel for J

Ah thanks

It seems Amex has a bucket of cheaper fare classes, that are not on the SQ website.

 

[umberloidster]

Last 3 times I've booked it's been far cheaper with Amex than direct with SQ. I've also booked about 6-10 months in advance though. I book for 2 Adults and 2 Children - Under 12 (for one more year)

I usually book into FRA or CDG but have seen these fares INTO LHR as well, but not out LHR (The taxes departing the UK are disgusting)

But looking at random dates in March, with very similar flight timings (there were other options)

Direct with SQ $39,464
View attachment 510403

Amex $32,061, but there were some other dates a few days earlier with about $29,500 fares
View attachment 510404


Looking quicky for August 2026

SQ direct
AUD 41,356.00

Amex
View attachment 510405






You can't book with Amex past the 13th of May at the moment, as they only allow bookings 330 days ahead. 4 weeks ago you would have only been able to book until Mid April.

Even direct with SQ - 4 weeks ago, you would have only been able to book until around 9th May.

Thank you. I'd just been looking at LHR, perhaps that's what was skewing my research.

Interesting to see however that with Amex, cash pricing on MH and TG comes out a lot less $$ on SQ for similar routing.

Historically I'd always assumed SQ was a cut above everyone else so just pushed my MR points to Krisflyer like everyone else does... But given all the recent talk of SQ deteriorating and/or others catching up, it has me wondering whether SQ remains worth the premium.