Fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold status with $12,000 Amex spend

EXPIRED This article relates to an offer or promotion which has now expired.

American Express is launching an enhanced offer tomorrow for holders of the Amex Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend credit card to fast track to Elite Gold status with a reduced spend of S$12,000 (normally S$15,000) in the next three months.

Crucially only S$3,000 of the spend needs to be made at singaporeair.com or through the SingaporeAir mobile app (under the regular offer all S$15,000 had to be spent in this category).

The regular offer

Accelerated KrisFlyer Elite Gold status through credit card spending isn’t a completely new concept, the Amex Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend card already has a regular deal for accelerated upgrade to this tier.

It kicks in when you spend above $15,000 on eligible purchases made at singaporeair.com within the first 12 months of card approval.

While it’s quite a useful way to earn yourself Star Alliance Gold status, the cost is high. Unless you fly a lot or are able to channel large business expenses with Singapore Airlines through your personal credit card, it’s unlikely to be of too much interest.

The new offer

From 1st March 2019 to 1st June 2019, spend a reduced S$12,000 on your Amex Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend card, at least S$3,000 of which must be made at singaporeair.com or through the SingaporeAir mobile app, for the same benefit to kick in.

That’s a much easier threshold to achieve, provided you have some decent spending plans coming up and need to lock in some cash tickets between now and June.

Remember you will earn 2 miles per dollar spent at singaporeair.com using your KrisFlyer Ascend card (but sadly only 1.2 miles per dollar for any additional general spend you need to make to reach the threshold).

Provided you meet the requirements, your KrisFlyer Elite Gold status will start around 8 to 10 weeks after the end of the campaign and then be valid for a year from that date.

Requalification for Elite Gold status after that will be based on the standard program terms (essentially, you must earn 50,000 Elite Miles in a 12-month period to keep hold of it).

The card

Since this offer is open to both existing and new KrisFlyer Amex Ascend cardholders, here are the details of the latest sign-up bonus for this card, which is running until 31st March 2019.

We’ve also provided a link to our full review of this card where you can learn more about the annual fee and other perks.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer American Express Ascend

APPLY

CLICK HERE for our full review

• 5,000 KrisFlyer miles welcome bonus on first spend with the card.*
• 15,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles if you spend S$6,000 within 3 months of card approval.
• 15,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles if you spend S$6,000 in the 4th to 6th month of card membership.
• Total: 35,000 KrisFlyer miles bonus.

* The 5,000 miles welcome bonus is only applicable to first time applicants for any co-branded American Express Singapore Airlines credit card.

What does KrisFlyer Elite Gold get you?

KrisFlyer Elite Gold, whose equivalent Star Alliance tier is Star Alliance Gold, comes with the following perks.

• 25% tier bonus on actual miles flown with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir
• Complimentary ‘Forward Zone’ and ‘Standard’ seat selection when you fly in Economy Class on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir.
• Priority reservation waitlist
• Airport lounge access (KrisFlyer Gold Lounge at Changi Airport, SilverKris lounges outside Singapore and Star Alliance Gold Lounges worldwide)
• Priority airport check-in
• Priority security and immigration (selected airports)
• Priority baggage handling
• Priority airport standby
• Additional 20kg baggage allowance
• Priority boarding for Economy Class
• Waived or discounted KrisFlyer service fees

Terms and conditions

We’ve listed below the basic terms and conditions to be aware of for this offer.

• Valid from 1 March 2019 to 1 June 2019.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card Members who charge S$12,000 or more on eligible purchases from 1 March to 1 June 2019 will be upgraded to the KrisFlyer Elite Gold Membership tier.
• The S$12,000 general spends must include a minimum of S$3,000 spend at singaporeair.com or SingaporeAir mobile app
• Eligible ticket purchases at singaporeair.com are for travel originating from Singapore only and must be purchased in Singapore Dollars.
• For Card Members who are existing KrisFlyer Elite Gold members, this offer will not be an extension of the current KrisFlyer Elite Gold Membership for another 12 months.

For the full details of this offer including all the terms and conditions, see the dedicated landing page on the American Express website here.

Summary

S$12,000 is a large amount for most people to spend in three months, but the key benefit of this offer is that the vast majority of that (S$9,000) can be general spending, with only S$3,000 to be spent with Singapore Airlines.

KrisFlyer Elite Gold has its perks, but unfortunately doesn’t allow access to the SilverKris lounges in Singapore, instead only permitting you to use the inferior KrisFlyer Gold lounges. Star Alliance Gold status is probably the bigger benefit for regular travellers who tend to stick to the Star Alliance network of airlines around the world.

Even new cardholders are eligible for the offer, and with a generous sign-up bonus available this may well be an offer to consider if KrisFlyer Elite Gold is something you aspire to attain.

Hat-tip to The Shutterwhale

(Cover Photo: Voyage Avance)