Complete guide to KrisFlyer Elite Gold

KrisFlyer Elite Gold is the top tier in the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer programme, before you hit the lofty heights of the PPS Club, which is exclusive to those making significant cash spend in SIA’s First and Business Class cabins each year.

As such it’s the highest status tier many of our readers will attain, and during the COVID-19 pandemic there were even ways to accrue it solely through on-ground earning, which propelled many people into KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership for the first time.

It’s also equivalent to the Star Alliance Gold tier, which provides perks like lounge access and priority check-in when flying with a host of other airlines, not just SIA.

Here’s our summary of how it works, and what the principal benefits are.

Where KrisFlyer Elite Gold sits

First of all it’s important to note that Singapore Airlines effectively has two status programmes for its frequent flyers – KrisFlyer and PPS Club.

Here’s where KrisFlyer Elite Gold sits in the rankings.

Solitaire PPS Club To achieve / maintain: 50,000 PPS Value in 12 months
PPS Club To achieve / maintain: 25,000 PPS Value in 12 months
KrisFlyer Elite Gold To achieve / maintain: 50,000 Elite miles in 12 months
KrisFlyer Elite Silver To achieve / maintain: 25,000 Elite miles in 12 months
KrisFlyer Member To achieve / maintain: Free to join

As you can see KrisFlyer Elite Gold is the top status tier you can achieve in the KrisFlyer programme. After that you’ll be into the PPS Club, which requires you to accrue paid flights on Singapore Airlines in Business Class or First Class.

We have separately comprehensively covered KrisFlyer Elite Silver earning and benefits, and PPS Club earning and benefits, in the articles linked below.

What are Elite miles and how do you earn them?

To rise through the KrisFlyer status tiers you’ll need Elite miles, which are effectively the programme’s status credits and are earned alongside KrisFlyer miles, but cannot be converted into KrisFlyer miles nor redeemed for anything else.

Elite miles only exist to determine your status tier in the KrisFlyer programme.

Elite miles are credited to your account based on the actual miles flown on flights operated by:

• Singapore Airlines
• Star Alliance carriers
• Juneyao Air
• Virgin Australia within Australia, Trans-Tasman, and between Australia and the Pacific Islands (these must be Singapore Airlines codeshare flights)
• Vistara within India (these must be Singapore Airlines codeshare flights)

Since 1st March 2023, Virgin Atlantic was struck off the list of Elite miles earning partners.

You cannot accrue Elite miles with other partners, like Alaska Airlines, jetBlue and Olympic Air (but in those cases, unlike Virgin Atlantic, you never could).

Elite Miles earning on Singapore Airlines flights
Cabin	Booking Class / Fare Code	Elite Miles Earning (distance flown x)
Suites / First	F, A	200%
Business	Flexi: Z, C, J	150%
	Standard: U	125%
	Lite: D
Premium Economy	Flexi: S, T	125%
	Standard: L, P	100%
	Lite: R
Economy	Flexi: Y, B, E	100%
	Standard: M, H, W	75%
	Value: Q, N	50%
	Lite: V, K

For Star Alliance carriers and other eligible partners, Elite miles earning multiples based on distance flown vary based on booking class and fare code.

When flying on Scoot as a KrisFlyer member, distance flown becomes irrelevant. Instead you will earn a fixed 2.5 Elite Miles for every S$1 spent on the fare, excluding taxes.

In the above example, 995 Elite Miles are earned for this booking (the base fare of S$398 x 2.5).

If you are travelling on a mixed itinerary containing both Scoot and Singapore Airlines sector(s), you earn Elite miles for the Singapore Airlines sectors based on the table above, but on the Scoot sectors based on a percentage of the actual miles flown on Scoot, and your Scoot booking class, as shown below.

Elite Miles earning on Scoot flights (with a mixed SIA / Scoot itinerary)
Cabin	Fare Code	Elite Miles Earning (distance flown x)
ScootPlus	C, D, I, J, U, Z	25%
Economy	A, F, P, R, S, Y	20%
	B, H, M, W	15%
	N, O, X	10%

You can find the fare code of your Scoot sector(s) within the PDF itinerary attachment of your booking confirmation email.

For example, if this ‘B’ fare Scoot flight from Bangkok to Singapore is part of a combined itinerary with Singapore Airlines continuing to Perth in an ‘M’ fare code, Elite miles earning will be:

• 15% x 876 miles = 131 Elite miles for the Scoot sector (BKK-SIN)
• 75% x 2,421 miles = 1,815 Elite miles for the SIA sector (SIN-PER)
• 1,946 Elite miles in total

Regardless of which airline you’re flying with, you must credit miles from your flight to your KrisFlyer account in order to earn Elite miles.

You won’t earn Elite miles, for example, if you credit a Singapore Airlines flight to your Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles account.

You can only earn Elite miles by taking eligible paid flights as listed above, not from credit card spend, KrisShop spend or miles conversions, or when flying on award tickets.

There was an exception during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Singapore Airlines temporarily awarded Elite miles for a range of on-ground activity to support membership renewal, but this ceased in February 2022.

Qualification requirements

To qualify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold status you’ll have to earn at least 50,000 Elite miles in a 12-month period.

On reaching this threshold, your account will be upgraded to KrisFlyer Elite Gold status for a minimum of 12 months. Your Elite miles threshold is then reset to zero, and requalification is based on the same 50,000 Elite miles threshold being achieved over the next 12 months.

You can check your progress towards these goals on the Singapore Airlines app or website when logged in to your account.

If your account is upgraded to KrisFlyer Elite Silver (requiring 25,000 Elite miles), the Elite miles total will not be reset and you will continue to earn over and above your current balance until the end of your membership year.

For example, if your membership year starts in January as a basic member (zero Elite miles) and you hit 25,000 Elite miles in May, the counter will not reset to zero even though you upgrade to KFES, and you still have until January the following year to reach 50,000 Elite miles.

If you then reach 50,000 Elite miles in November that year, the counter will reset to zero upon your upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold status, which in this example will be effective from that date to the end of November the following year.

Do note that redemption nominees listed on your account do not benefit from your KrisFlyer Elite Gold perks (unless they hold this status themselves), but there are a few cases where they’ll basically be treated as Gold if you are travelling together, from a practicality standpoint.

Earn Elite miles on the ground

Singapore Airlines is currently running an ‘Earn Status Credits Beyond the Skies’ promotion from 5th March 2024 to 4th June 2024, to celebrate the KrisFlyer programme’s 25th anniversary.

During the promotion, KrisFlyer and PPS Club members can earn status credits (Elite miles and PPS Value respectively) for on-ground spend at the following SIA Group merchants:

• Kris+
• KrisShop
• Pelago

The deal allows you to earn only 10% of the status credits required for upgrade or retention from this on-ground spend.

That’s not going to open the floodgates for a raft of new elite memberships – but think of it more as a ‘leg up’ if you’re going to end your membership year slightly short of the status retention or upgrade threshold.

The earn rates and status credits cap for KrisFlyer and PPS Club members under this offer are outlined in the following table.

Earn Status Credits Beyond the Skies

Current Membership	Earn Rate	Cap
KrisFlyer	1 Elite mile per S$1 spent*	5,000 Elite miles
PPS Club	1 PPS Value per S$3 spent**	2,500 PPS Value

* Or 1 Elite mile per AU$1 spent via Kris+ in Australia
** Or 1 PPS Value per AU$3 spent via Kris+ in Australia

Elite Miles can only be earned by KrisFlyer members under this promotion, while PPS Value can only be earned by PPS Club members.

That means if you are a KrisFlyer member trying to achieve PPS Club status through accrual of PPS Value, this on-ground earning promotion will not be able to assist you with that, since you’ll only be able to earn Elite miles under this offer.

You can view the full terms and conditions, including a range of frequently asked questions regarding the “Earn Status Credits Beyond the Skies” campaign at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.

No more physical membership kits

You can access your digital KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership card immediately on the SingaporeAir mobile app, but physical membership kits are no longer sent to KrisFlyer members, only PPS Club members.

You can also add your membership card to your mobile wallet, so you don’t need to open the app each time you need to show your status tier.

No ‘soft landing’

There is no ‘soft landing’ to KrisFlyer Elite Silver if you fail to requalify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold, like some other frequent flyer programmes permit.

You would have to earn 25,000+ Elite miles during your membership year in this case, per the standard Silver qualification requirements, otherwise it’s straight back to the basic member tier if you reach the end of your membership year with 24,999 Elite miles or less.

Fun fact: PPS Club members who have held that status for more than a year will ‘soft land’ to KrisFlyer Elite Gold status for one year, then be subject to standard requalification requirements. PPS Club members who have held their status for only one year will soft land to KrisFlyer Elite Silver, unless they would have accrued enough Elite miles to achieve Gold (this is still tracked in the background).

Star Alliance Gold status

KrisFlyer Elite Gold status is equivalent to Star Alliance Gold, and therefore gives you this coveted top-tier recognition across all alliance partners when you fly.

In this article you’ll therefore see us refer to KrisFlyer Elite Gold benefits and Star Alliance Gold benefits, but don’t worry – as a KFEG member you’re holding both, which means you get both.

25% KrisFlyer miles bonus on paid flights

Whenever you take a paid flight on Singapore Airlines or Scoot as a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member, you’ll earn 25% bonus KrisFlyer miles, except when travelling in Economy Lite (code V, K) or Economy Value (code Q, N) fares on Singapore Airlines.

This is in addition to any booking class bonus (or penalty) you may receive on a Singapore Airlines flight, as shown in the following table.

KrisFlyer Miles earning on Singapore Airlines flights (KFEG Members)
Cabin	Booking Class / Fare Code	KF Miles Earning (distance flown x)
Suites / First	F, A	200% 225%
Business	Flexi: Z, C, J	150% 175%
	Standard: U	125% 150%
	Lite: D
Premium Economy	Flexi: S, T	125% 150%
	Standard: L, P	100% 125%
	Lite: R
Economy	Flexi: Y, B, E	100% 125%
	Standard: M, H, W	75% 100%
	Value: Q, N	50%
	Lite: V, K

With Scoot, the 25% bonus is applied to the usual 1 mile per Singapore Dollar of the base fare charged (i.e. you’ll get 1.25 miles per SGD spent as a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member).

If you are travelling on a mixed itinerary containing both Scoot and Singapore Airlines sector(s), you earn KrisFlyer miles for the Singapore Airlines sectors based on the table above, and on the Scoot sectors based on a percentage of the actual miles flown on Scoot, and your Scoot booking class, with a 25% bonus.

For example, as a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member you’ll net the following total KrisFlyer miles accrual on a return trip from Singapore to Melbourne with one of these two carriers.

	Singapore Airlines	Scoot
Route	Singapore – Melbourne – Singapore
Fare Type	Economy Standard	Economy
Base Fare	S$1,690.00	S$605.00
Taxes & Fees	S$164.60	S$164.23
Regular KrisFlyer Miles	5,628	605
Bonus KrisFlyer Miles	1,407	151
Total KrisFlyer Miles	7,035	756
Elite Miles	5,628	1,513

In this example you’re netting over 1,400 bonus KrisFlyer miles in addition to regular earning for basic members when flying with SIA, or (a slightly more paltry) 151 bonus miles when flying with Scoot.

Notice how Elite miles earning is not affected by your tier status in either case – the 25% bonus only applies to KrisFlyer miles accrual on both airlines.

Lounge access

The best part of KrisFlyer Elite Gold status, and undoubtedly the reason most people aim for it, is complimentary lounge access.

There will effectively almost always be a lounge for you to use around the world as an Elite Gold member whenever you are departing on the same day with the airlines shown in the following table.

Lounge Access departing in Y/PY
Departing on	From Singapore	Outside Singapore
Singapore Airlines	KrisFlyer Gold Lounge	SilverKris Lounge (J) or Third-party Lounge
Star Alliance	KrisFlyer Gold Lounge	Star Alliance Gold Lounge
Virgin Australia	n/a	Virgin Australia Lounge
Departing on	From London Heathrow	From other airports
Virgin Atlantic	Club Aspire Lounge T3	Virgin Clubhouse

Note that lounge access for KrisFlyer Elite Gold members when departing on SIA-owned Vistara was removed in July 2022.

For example, KrisFlyer Elite Gold members based in the USA can access United Club lounges across the country when departing on United Airlines flights, since United is a Star Alliance carrier and those are Star Alliance Gold lounges.

Do be aware that the exact lounge you can access does vary. Most airlines will allow KrisFlyer Elite Gold (Star Alliance Gold) members to access their Business Class lounge, but here in Singapore SIA has its own (sadly inferior) KrisFlyer Gold lounges for these members flying in Economy or Premium Economy.

At airports outside Singapore where SIA offers a SilverKris lounge, KrisFlyer Elite Gold members are eligible to access these lounges (only the Business Class section in the case of SilverKris lounges in Hong Kong, London, Melbourne and Sydney).

On the flip side, you’ll get access to the superior Senator lounges at many of the Lufthansa Group’s airports around the world as a Star Alliance Gold member flying Economy, which are better than the carrier’s Business Class lounges and usually have a tended bar.

At airports where Singapore Airlines only offers a third-party lounge to travellers, the lounge you are entitled to use as a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member is usually the same as the one Business Class passengers can use, but this is not the case at some airports.

Here are the current locations where a different lounge is offered to KrisFlyer Elite Golds flying Economy and Premium Economy compared to Business Class passengers.

Differentiated Lounge Access (SIA passengers)
Airport	Business Class	KrisFlyer Elite Gold
Frankfurt	LH Business Lounge or AC Maple Leaf Lounge	LH Senator Lounge or AC Maple Leaf Lounge
Houston	UA Polaris Lounge	United Club
Istanbul	TK Business Lounge	TK M&S Lounge
Manchester	1903 Lounge	Escape Lounge
Mumbai	Adani Lounge	Loyalty Lounge
Munich	LH Business Lounge	LH Senator Lounge
San Francisco	UA Polaris Lounge	United Club
Zurich	LX Business Lounge	LX Senator Lounge

Lounge guests

KrisFlyer Elite Gold members departing on a Star Alliance or eligible partner airline can generally invite one guest to join them in the departure lounge they are eligible to visit, but the following restrictions apply:

• When departing on Singapore Airlines or a Star Alliance carrier, your guest must be travelling on the same flight as you.
• When departing on Virgin Australia, your guest must be departing on a Virgin Australia flight the same day.
• When departing on Virgin Atlantic, you are not permitted to bring any guests into the Virgin Clubhouse.

The guesting policy at Singapore Airlines lounges in Changi was officially tightened last year to align with new Star Alliance norms, a topic we covered in detail at the time.

Milestone rewards

KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards replaced Elite Gold Rewards back in early 2021, and are now available to those holding any of the three membership tiers in the KrisFlyer programme (previously, only Golds got treats!).

This benefit gives you gifts as you follow the road to requalification (or initial qualification) each year, with 10 milestones to hit if you accrue a significant 100,000 Elite miles in a single calendar year.

There are two major aspects to be aware of with Milestone Rewards:

• Elite miles earned to achieve Milestone Rewards only considers your accrual on Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights – not other Elite miles earning partners like Star Alliance carriers.
• Milestone Rewards are awarded based on Elite miles accrued in a calendar year (1st January to 31st December), not your membership year, which may be different.

The gifts start small but get progressively more attractive the more Elite miles you earn, though it’s safe to say none of them are generous in any life-changing sense and we doubt many members will particularly strive to attain them.

Nonetheless they are nice to have and Milestone Rewards start at 1,000 Elite Miles earned, as shown below. Simply click the ‘Full details’ dropdown for each reward for further information.

Milestone Rewards
Elite miles earned*	Reward
1,000	1,000 Bonus KrisFlyer miles on your next flight with Scoot
	Full details (click) Receive a reward to earn an additional 1,000 KrisFlyer miles on your next flight with Scoot, in addition to the actual miles earned for a single flight segment. The bonus miles will be automatically credited into your account within four weeks of your flight, and are applicable for itineraries involving Scoot-operated flights only, or itineraries involving both Scoot and Singapore Airlines-operated flights.
2,500	20% Discount Voucher on Scoot
	Full details (click) Receive a 20% Discount Voucher off your next Scoot booking on selected fare types (applicable to base fare only). Blackout periods apply and the principal KrisFlyer member must be travelling on the booking. Click here to find out how you can redeem your voucher.
5,000	1,500 KrisPay miles (S$10)
	Full details (click) This reward must be claimed within 12 months of earning 5,000 Elite miles on flights operated by Singapore Airlines and/or Scoot. As usual with Kris+, these miles are valid for 6 months and are not transferable to KrisFlyer miles.
10,000	S$20 KrisShop Promo Code
	Full details (click) Receive a promo code for S$20 off a minimum purchase of S$150 on KrisShop.com (excluding promotional offers and discounted items). A lengthy brand exclusion list also applies, the promo code is not applicable for purchases made inflight or via the KrisShop order form, nor is it valid with any existing KrisShop promotions, offers, privileges and PPS Club discounts. The promo code is valid for 12 months, and can only be used once.
20,000	25% Bonus KrisFlyer Miles
	Full details (click) Receive a reward to earn 25% more KrisFlyer miles on top of the actual miles earned for a single flight segment. The reward is valid for 12 months and can be applied before your flight departure or or on a past booking up to seven days ago. Only one Bonus KrisFlyer Miles reward may be used for one flight segment, and it can only be used by the principal member. If you have mixed KrisFlyer miles and cash to purchase your ticket, the bonus KrisFlyer miles will only be awarded on the amount paid for by cash. That means that any tier bonus or any amount redeemed by KrisFlyer miles are excluded from the calculation.
30,000	50% Bonus KrisFlyer Miles
	Full details (click) Receive a reward to earn 50% more KrisFlyer miles on top of the actual miles earned for a single flight segment. The reward is valid for 12 months and can be applied before your flight departure or or on a past booking up to seven days ago. Only one Bonus KrisFlyer Miles reward may be used for one flight segment, and it can only be used by the principal member. If you have mixed KrisFlyer miles and cash to purchase your ticket, the bonus KrisFlyer miles will only be awarded on the amount paid for by cash. That means that any tier bonus or any amount redeemed by KrisFlyer miles are excluded from the calculation.
40,000	5,000 KrisFlyer Miles Redemption Discount
	Full details (click) Receive a reward for a redemption discount of 5,000 KrisFlyer miles when you are redeeming your KrisFlyer miles for an award ticket or a redemption upgrade. Valid for 12 months from the date of issue for redemption bookings (excluding HighFlyer bookings) or for redemption upgrades on eligible flights operated by Singapore Airlines. The reward can be used by the principal member or for their redemption nominee. If your booking is refunded, the discount will be credited back to your KrisFlyer account if it remains valid.
60,000	Double KrisFlyer Miles Reward
	Full details (click) Receive a voucher which allows the principal member to earn twice the usual KrisFlyer miles for a single flight segment. This can be applied before your flight departure, or on a past booking up to seven days ago. If you used KrisFlyer miles to offset any cash element of your booking then you'll only receive double KrisFlyer miles in relation to the amount you paid in cash.
75,000	Short-haul advance upgrade
	Full details (click) Receive an advance upgrade voucher for a one cabin class upgrade for you or a redemption nominee (subject to availability) on a single flight segment for flights between Zone 1 & Zone 2, between Zone 1 & Zone 3, or within Zone 11. Flights within Zone 11 currently include SIA's "fifth freedom" Milan - Barcelona flights. The single cabin class upgrade is valid: From Economy to Premium Economy (if fitted) From Economy to Business (if PY is not fitted) From Premium Economy to Business From Business to First (if fitted) The upgrade is valid for commercial tickets (not award flights) booked under anything except the 'Value' and 'Lite' fare buckets (i.e. excluding D in Business Class, R in Premium Economy and K, N, Q or V in Economy).
100,000	Premium Economy Advance Upgrade
	Full details (click) Receive an advance upgrade voucher for an upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy (subject to availability) on a single flight segment, for you or your redemption nominee. Valid for commercial tickets booked under anything except the Value and Lite fare buckets (i.e. only valid for bookings under B, E, H, M, W, Y). Your flight must have Economy (obviously) and Premium Economy installed in order to use this voucher (A350 LH, A380 or 777-300ER only). There is no upgrade to Business Class on aircraft without a PY cabin.

* Per calendar year (Jan-Dec)

Again, do remember that Elite miles earned on other Star Alliance airlines and eligible SIA partner airlines will continue to count towards your Elite Silver and Elite Gold status qualification / requalification, however they are not included in the calculation for Milestone Rewards.

Simply log on to your KrisFlyer account summary via the website or mobile app and click on “Account Summary” (desktop) or “My account” (mobile) and then “KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards” to check your progress through the chocolate wheel during the year.

KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards are valid for 12 months from the date of issue, unless otherwise stated, so you don’t have to use them within the calendar year of accrual (e.g. an award unlocked in November 2023 is valid for use until November 2024).

To use a Milestone Reward, log in to your account the same way we described above and you’ll see a list of those those you’re eligible to apply, alongside any you have used already.

You can find further details about KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards here.

Priority check-in

In Singapore, KrisFlyer Elite Gold members travelling with Singapore Airlines can check-in at the Premium Economy check-in counters.

At overseas airports, KrisFlyer Elite Gold members may be directed to the Premium Economy or Business Class check-in counters when departing on Singapore Airlines flights. Just look for the KrisFlyer Elite Gold or Star Alliance Gold logo.

If in doubt, use the Business Class queue.

When departing with a Star Alliance carrier, you can check-in wherever you see the Star Alliance Gold logo.

When flying with Lufthansa, this includes the airline’s First Class check-in counters, but alas not the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt.

With Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia or Vistara you can head to the relevant priority check-in queue, though you’re unlikely to see a KFEG or Star Alliance Gold logo displayed with these airlines!

Again, if in doubt – use the Business Class queue.

Priority security and immigration clearance

Star Alliance offers priority security clearance lanes at selected airports under its Gold Track system.

This benefit is available at 126 airports at the time of writing, including several SIA airports like:

• Amsterdam
• Barcelona
• Brussels
• Fukuoka
• Houston
• Istanbul
• London Heathrow
• Los Angeles
• New York JFK
• Zurich

Additional baggage allowance

KrisFlyer Elite Gold members receive an additional checked baggage allowance when flying with Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Star Alliance carriers or a Star Alliance Connecting Partner, as follows:

• An extra 20kg of checked baggage, where the weight concept applies.
• An extra piece of checked baggage, where the piece concept applies (USA / Canada flights).

Different additional baggage allowances apply when flying with the following partners:

• Virgin Australia: An extra bag of up to 32kg for Business passengers, and up to 23kg for Economy Class passengers, on domestic and short-haul international flights.
• Vistara: An extra 10kg of checked baggage.

Here’s how this looks on a practical basis when flying with Singapore Airlines to and from most destinations, which use the weight concept.

Singapore Airlines Baggage Allowance (weight-based)
Travel Class	Regular Allowance	KrisFlyer Elite Gold Allowance
First / Suites	50kg	70kg
Business	40kg	60kg
Premium Economy	35kg	55kg
Economy Flexi Economy Standard	30kg	50kg
Economy Value Economy Lite	25kg	45kg

These allowances also apply to award tickets, with Economy Saver and Economy Advantage redemptions both entitled to the Economy Flexi baggage allowance of 30kg, which is therefore hiked to 50kg for KrisFlyer Elite Gold members.

Here’s how it looks for flights to and from the USA and Canada, where the piece concept applies.

Singapore Airlines Baggage Allowance (piece-based)
Travel Class	Regular Allowance	KrisFlyer Elite Gold Allowance
First / Suites	2 x 32kg	3 x 32kg
Business	2 x 32kg	3 x 32kg
Premium Economy	2 x 23kg	3 x 23kg
Economy	2 x 23kg	3 x 23kg

Again, award bookings also benefit from the same increased allowances for Gold members.

Note that the increased baggage allowance benefit does not apply on:

• “Light” fares on Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss
• “Check&Go” fares on Brussels Airlines
• “Go light” fares on SAS
• “Seat” fares on Air New Zealand

Priority baggage handling

KrisFlyer Elite Gold members get priority baggage handling, even when flying in Premium Economy Class or Economy Class on Singapore Airlines or with other Star Alliance carriers.

In theory at least, this directs your bag for loading into a ULD container with other priority bags inside, which is then supposed to be loaded closest to the aircraft’s cargo door (the load last / unload first concept).

That should make your bag one of the first to reach the belt on arrival, though success with this does vary from airline to airline and airport to airport.

It can go awry, for example, when last minute no-shows cause baggage from containers loaded further into the cargo hold to be removed just before departure, which can sometimes result in the ULDs being re-loaded out of sequence, to minimise delays.

Therefore while this is a nice benefit that should see you on your way out of the destination airport sooner than most passengers, it’s far from guaranteed.

Complimentary and discounted seat selection on SIA

Singapore Airlines passengers in First Class, Suites and Business Class get complimentary seat selection, whether flying on a revenue fare or award ticket.

However, seat selection fees do apply in Premium Economy and Economy Class, as follows:

• Premium Economy: Extra Legroom, PY Upgrade*, Solo Seats
• Economy: Standard, Forward Zone, Extra Legroom

* Advance selection of a PY seat on a flight with no service differentiation from Economy Class (e.g. SIN-CGK)

Singapore Airlines quietly hiked these fees, by up to 88% in some cases, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s the latest charging structure and who pays for it.

Singapore Airlines Seat Selection Fees
	Standard	Forward Zone	Extra Legroom
Applies to:	Economy Lite	Economy Standard Economy Value Economy Lite Economy Saver Award	Premium Economy Economy Flexi Economy Standard Economy Value Economy Lite Economy Saver Award Economy Advantage Award
SE Asia*	US$8.00	US$15.00	US$25.00
N Asia W Asia Middle East	US$10.00	US$20.00	US$60.00
Australia New Zealand	US$15.00	US$25.00	US$80.00
Europe S Africa^	US$20.00	US$40.00	US$100.00
USA Canada	US$25.00	US$50.00	US$120.00

* Plus Italy to/from Spain
^ Plus USA to/from Europe and North Asia

KrisFlyer Elite Gold members travelling in Economy or Premium Economy Class on Singapore Airlines flights get free seat selection in:

• Standard (saving US$8-25)
• Forward Zone (saving US$15-50)

Where payment is required for seat selection, a 15% discount applies for KrisFlyer Elite Gold members.

Here’s how the discount structure looks for all members.

Seat Selection Fees KrisFlyer Discounts
	Standard	Forward Zone	Extra Legroom PY “Upgrade” PY Solo Seats
Non-KF	No discount	No discount	No discount
KF Member	5% discount	5% discount	5% discount
KF Elite Silver	Free	10% discount	10% discount
KF Elite Gold	Free	Free	15% discount
PPS Club	Free	Free	Free

As you can see, KrisFlyer Elite Gold members get a 15% discount on Extra Legroom (in both Premium Economy and Economy), PY “Upgrade” and PY Solo Seats when travelling with Singapore Airlines.

Travel companions on the same booking will get a 10% discount on any seat selection fees they would be liable for based on their own status level.

For example, a KFEG member travelling in Economy with a basic KrisFlyer member will not pay for Standard seat selection at all, but the basic member companion will still have to pay, albeit with a 10% discount on their seat selection fee (usually 5% discount if travelling alone).

Note that those travelling with children can select Standard seats in advance for free, even when travelling on the cheapest Economy Lite fares, while those with infants in their booking can pre-select Forward Zone seats for free (sort of – that one’s a bit more complicated as our guide explains).

No complimentary seat selection on other airlines

One big gripe many travellers have about Star Alliance Gold status (and in turn, that includes KrisFlyer Elite Gold and all PPS Club members) is that there is no complimentary seat selection benefit when flying with other alliance carriers.

That’s quite unlike Oneworld and SkyTeam elites, who get discounted or complimentary seat selection on almost all partners within their respective alliance.

Priority reservation waitlist

If you are waitlisted for a revenue ticket or an award ticket on Singapore Airlines or a Star Alliance carrier, you’ll receive priority as a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member over and above those with Elite Silver status and below.

This may increase the likelihood of a waitlisted award redemption clearing for you from time to time, but it’s certainly no guarantee of anything.

Priority airport standby

KrisFlyer Elite Silver and Gold members are given priority over regular members and non-members on airport standby lists for Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance flights, where a confirmed reservation is not available.

This benefit does not apply to award tickets or flight upgrades.

Priority boarding

As a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member, you’ll be invited forward to board before Economy Class passengers on a Singapore Airlines flight.

The boarding sequence depends on how many cabin classes are offered on your flight. Here’s how it looks for a two-class regional flight with only Business Class and Economy Class cabins.

As you can see KrisFlyer Elite Gold passengers get a boarding group of their own in this case, but get lumped in with the Premium Economy group on a four-class aircraft like the Airbus A380, as follows:

1. Passengers who require special assistance, or who are travelling with infants and toddlers
2. Suites and First Class passengers
3. Business Class passengers and PPS Club members
4. Premium Economy Class passengers, KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold members
5. Economy Class passengers (by sequential boarding group)

The major benefit here is therefore when travelling in Economy Class, where you’ll get first dibs on overhead locker space.

You’ll also get priority boarding on other Star Alliance carriers as a Star Alliance Gold member, though they may adopt a slightly different boarding sequence.

For example, Lufthansa gives boarding priority to Star Alliance Gold passengers along with Business Class, ahead of general boarding for the Premium Economy cabin on long-haul flights, and even boards Golds ahead of the Business Class cabin on European flights, which SIA does not do in either case.

ANA is another Star Alliance carrier boarding Star Alliance Gold members alongside Business Class passengers on international flights – you have to reach the lofty heights of PPS Club to get the same treatment with Singapore Airlines!

Free Wi-Fi in Premium Economy and Economy Class on SIA

All KrisFlyer members, including Gold tier holders, get unlimited complimentary free Wi-Fi on board Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft in the Singapore Airlines fleet (all except the Boeing 737-800), regardless of cabin class.

Singapore Airlines Complimentary Wi-Fi Allowance
	PPS Club Member*	KrisFlyer Member	Non-KrisFlyer Member
Suites First Class Business Class	Unlimited free Wi-Fi
Premium Economy Class	Unlimited free Wi-Fi		None
Economy Class	Unlimited free Wi-Fi		None

* Includes supplementary cardholders

While there is no need to have your KrisFlyer number added to your booking when flying in Suites, First Class or Business Class, it is essential when flying in Premium Economy or Economy Class, since non-KrisFlyer members in these cabins have to use one of the airline’s paid options if they wish to be connected.

If you’re flying in Premium Economy or Economy Class, you’ll need to enter your KrisFlyer membership details when you book your flight, via Manage Booking, at the airport check-in kiosk, or check-in counter in order to benefit from free unlimited Wi-Fi on board.

It’s too late to do this once you’re on board.

Pro Tip: Even if you redeemed miles for your flight in Premium Economy or Economy Class, and so won’t be accruing any for the trip, don’t forget to add the KrisFlyer membership details for all passengers on the booking, to benefit from free Wi-Fi on board.

Further details of SIA’s inflight Wi-Fi service are available here.

Birthday Bonus

KrisFlyer members receive a bonus KrisFlyer miles gift when they take a paid Singapore Airlines or Scoot flight during their birthday month, or up to two months afterwards.

The gift is credited as follows:

• 1,000 bonus miles for KrisFlyer members
• 1,500 bonus miles for KrisFlyer Elite Silver and KrisFlyer Elite Gold members
• 2,000 bonus miles for PPS Club members

These miles are in addition to the regular KrisFlyer miles earning from a paid fare.

This benefit applies during all of 2024, as it did in 2023, but may be further extended in subsequent years. Full terms and conditions are available here.

Change Redemption Nominees for free

You’ll get a waiver on the regular service fee as a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member when changing your redemption nominees, as shown in the following table.

Change of Redemption Nominees
	Fee
KF Member	3,000 miles or US$30
KF Elite Silver	1,500 miles or US$15
KF Elite Gold	Free
PPS Club	Free

However, do note that unfortunately there are no discounts or waivers for KrisFlyer or PPS Club members regardless of status tier when it comes to paying change fees for award tickets, like date changes and miles redeposit charges.

Benefits when flying Scoot

When flying with SIA’s budget subsidiary Scoot, you’ll get the following perks as a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member:

• Additional 5kg baggage allowance with purchase of a minimum of 20kg baggage
• Automatic assignment of the best available standard seat*
• Priority check-in and BoardMeFirst**
• 25% more KrisFlyer miles for every mile earned (1.25 miles per S$1 fare)

* SIA says that “standard seats are automatically assigned on a best available basis at time of booking. Additional charges may apply for any subsequent changes, where applicable.”
** BoardMeFirst is not available in Haikou, Ipoh, Langkawi or Macau

Your entire travelling party on the same booking reference will have these benefits, provided you add your KrisFlyer membership number at least 24 hours prior to departure.

These benefits are not applicable to group bookings with 10 or more passengers.

Heathrow Express upgrade

KrisFlyer Elite Gold members are entitled to a complimentary upgrade to Business First Class on Heathrow Express trains (which link London Heathrow Airport with London Paddington Station in 15 minutes, every 15 minutes).

This requires the purchase of a standard class one-way or return ticket on the service. You can simply sit in Business Class on board, subject to seat availability, and present your ticket and KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership card (physical or digital) to the attendant.

Amenities in Business First include more leg room, wider seats, a personal table, a power socket at each seat and on-board TV.

This is a Star Alliance perk, available to those holding Star Alliance Gold status in any frequent flyer programme. Further details are available here.

Shangri-La Jade status

KrisFlyer Elite Gold members get accelerated membership status with Shangri-La’s hotel loyalty programme, Shangri-La Circle.

After a one night stay, KFEG members automatically pick up Jade status, which would normally require 20 stay nights in a year to qualify.

Benefits then include:

• Guaranteed Deluxe room availability for reservations made 72 hours prior to arrival at selected properties
• Priority check-in and check-out at an exclusive area at selected properties
• Upgrade to the next room type in the same category for standard and club rooms at selected properties
• Choice of welcome amenity, including US$10 dining voucher at selected properties
• Daily breakfast served at Café Restaurant or designated restaurant
• Companion staying in the same room also gets your applicable breakfast benefit
• Early check-in at 11am and late check-out -at 4pm, subject to availability at selected properties
• 25% bonus Circle points (1.25 points) for every USD spent
• Elite rollover nights to the next calendar year

Unfortunately club lounge access is not part of the Jade membership (only Diamond members get this benefit), but these are useful perks nonetheless if you frequent hotels in the Shangri-La chain.

Double miles extension period

While KrisFlyer miles were given a range of complimentary validity extensions during the COVID-19 pandemic, these ended in July 2023, meaning all members regardless of status tier in the KrisFlyer programme once again have to contend with the regular three-year expiry policy.

No matter how you earn your KrisFlyer miles (from revenue flights to credit card spend, from Kris+ earning to Quandoo restaurant bookings) they will expire on the last day of the month 36 months following the month in which they were first credited to your account.

KrisFlyer Miles Expiry A member’s KrisFlyer miles will expire after three years at the end of the equivalent month in which they were earned. For example, miles credited to a member’s KrisFlyer account in July 2021 will expire on 31st July 2024.

One option KrisFlyer offers to members is to extend the validity of their miles through payment of a fee.

You can choose to pay US$12 (around S$16) per block of 10,000 expiring miles, or sacrifice 1,200 miles per 10,000-mile block to achieve the same extension.

This extension is for six months if you are a basic KrisFlyer member – but it’s good for 12 months if you are a KrisFlyer Elite Silver or Elite Gold member.

However, don’t just look at miles extension as your only option.

There are a range of things you can do with your miles before they expire to retain some value from them, as we outline in our full guide linked below.

KrisFlyer Elite Gold is the top status tier in the KrisFlyer programme, with only PPS Club levels available after that for those spending big money with SIA each year in First and Business Class.

It’s equivalent to the Star Alliance Gold tier and comes with a host of benefits, the primary one being lounge access when flying in Premium Economy or Economy Class with SIA or a Star Alliance airline.

However, there are a variety of other perks too, and all combined these can help make your journey more seamless as a regular traveller throughout the year.

What’s your favourite KrisFlyer Elite Gold benefit?

(Cover Photo: Singapore Airlines)