Esso and Singapore Airlines are offering a deal when you convert points or miles between their two loyalty programmes between 1st August 2021 and 30th September 2021, with an extra 20% bonus in both directions.
This is the first bonus offer we’ve seen between the two partners since conversion from KrisFlyer miles into Esso Smiles points became possible back in February 2021.
The new transfer ratios
Usually you receive 1 Esso Smiles point for every 6 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles you convert, with a minimum transfer of 3,000 miles.
During this promotion you’ll only need 5 KrisFlyer miles to get 1 Esso Smiles point, but the minimum transfer remains the same.
| Transfer Ratio
KrisFlyer miles Esso Smiles points 3,000 : 600 |
There’s also still an upper cap of 80,000 KrisFlyer miles transferred to Esso per calendar year (1 Jan – 31 Dec).
In the other direction, here’s how the new transfer ratios look for Esso Smiles points into the KrisFlyer programme.
You’ll earn 1 Esso Smiles point for every litre of Esso Synergy fuel purchased, plus an additional KrisFlyer mile for those pumping its more expensive Synergy Supreme fuel.
| Manual Conversion Ratio
Esso Smiles points KrisFlyer miles 150 : 120 |
The Esso Smiles points can then be converted at a 150:100 ratio into KrisFlyer miles on an ad-hoc basis, but as you can see during this promotion you’ll get 120 KrisFlyer miles instead per transfer block.
| Auto Conversion Ratio
Esso Smiles points KrisFlyer miles 100 : 120 |
If you opt for Auto-Conversion, where your Esso Smiles points will be transferred to your KrisFlyer account on a regular basis without you needing to do anything, you normally get a much better 100:100 transfer ratio.
That’s also hiked to 120 KrisFlyer miles during this promotion, with no action required on your part.
Full details for the offer including terms and conditions can be found at the Esso website.
Is KrisFlyer to Esso Smiles worth it?
The best value from Esso Smiles points comes when using them to offset your fuel or mart purchases at the cashier, where you’ll get up to 4 cents per point in value, by redeeming in one of the following blocks.
| Instant Redemption | Points Required | Value per point |
| S$5 | 250 | 2 cents |
| S$10 | 300 | 3.3 cents |
| S$30 | 750 | 4 cents |
Even at the best rate, you’d need to transfer 3,750 KrisFlyer Miles during this promotion (instead of the usual 4,500) to achieve 750 Esso Smiles points, for a rebate of S$30, which is 0.8 cents per mile (S$30 ÷ 3750).
Remember this particular Esso Smiles redemption is the best case scenario for value. If you opt for one of the smaller rebates, it’s significantly worse than this.
We therefore still recommend not to transfer your KrisFlyer miles into Esso Smiles points, even during this promotion.
Here’s our table showing what value you can get from your miles when redeeming for cash alternatives.
Cash alternatives for KrisFlyer miles
| Method | Min. miles | Value per mile |
| Transfer to Shangri-La points for ‘Instant Dining Awards’ Jade / Diamond SLGC status |
20,000 | 1.40¢ |
| Transfer to Shangri-La points for ‘Instant Dining Awards’ Gold SLGC status |
20,000 | 1.12¢ |
| Credit towards an SIA / SilkAir cash ticket | 980 | 1.02¢ |
| Credit towards a Scoot cash ticket | 1,050 | 0.95¢ |
| Kris+ at Esso (till 31 Dec) |
15 | 0.80¢ |
| Transfer to Esso Smiles points (1 Aug – 30 Sep) |
3,000 | 0.80¢ (at best) |
| Redeem a KrisShop purchase | 1,000 | 0.80¢ |
| Redeem a vRooms hotel stay | 1,200 | 0.80¢ |
| Transfer to Tap for More points | 3,000 | 0.73¢ |
| Kris+ | 15 | 0.67¢ |
| Transfer to Esso Smiles points (regular) |
3,000 | 0.67¢ (at best) |
As you can see conversion from KrisFlyer miles to Esso Smiles points is now only matching the (much more flexible) KrisShop redemption rate or vRooms hotel stays, which we don’t recommend either!
It also matches the Kris+ redemption rate at Esso, which runs between now and the end of 2021 with a 20% miles back offer for fuel purchases.
Is Esso Smiles to KrisFlyer worth it?
On the Esso Smiles to KrisFlyer side it’s a different equation thankfully.
We do actually recommend transferring your Smiles points to miles, since you should get better value from them this way.
With a 20% bonus to the regular rate, whether you make ad-hoc transfers or are enrolled in the auto conversion option, that’s definitely a solid improvement for the next couple of months.
Remember these points and miles will be awarded in addition to the regular general spend earn rate for your credit card when making payment, typically adding 1.2-1.4 mpd, plus some credit cards offer discounts for fuel purchases at Esso stations, including:
- Citibank Credit Cards
- Up to 20.88% fuel savings with Citi Cash Back Card
- Up to 14% fuel savings with other Citi Credit Cards
- DBS Credit Cards
- Up to 21.2% fuel savings + 2.4% Smiles savings with DBS Esso credit card
- Up to 21.2% fuel savings + 2.4% Smiles savings with DBS Esso credit card
- OCBC Credit Cards
- Up to 6% fuel savings + 2.4% Smiles savings with NTUC/OCBC Plus! Visa credit card
- Up to 6% fuel savings + 4.2% rebate with OCBC 365 credit card
(Source: Motorist.sg)
Remember you can also convert Esso Smiles points into Asia Miles, at a 150:100 ratio (whether you use a Flexi- or Auto-Conversion, the ratio is the same), but there is no bonus promotion currently running in that case.
Summary
A good deal for those transferring from Esso Smiles points to KrisFlyer over the next two months with this 20% bonus on an already decent ratio.
If you’re on the auto conversion plan this will apply automatically, but for those doing manual transfers you should make them before 30th September 2021 to take advantage (but do consider enrolling for auto conversion, since the rate is better).
Sadly the same cannot be said for conversions in the other direction from KrisFlyer miles into Esso Smiles points, which under this deal still only yield a poor value of 0.8 cents per mile at best.
With no current expiry concerns for your miles and overseas travel back on the horizon from next month, we definitely wouldn’t recommend a transfer in the KF > Esso direction!
(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)