Last month a new miles earning opportunity was launched for KrisFlyer members, with SIA’s lifestyle app Kris+ offering 10 mpd on bookings with Pelago, the airline’s own Klook-like “destination discovery platform”, when locking in experiences via in-app payment.
While we expected the rate to drop to its year-round norm of 3 mpd from 1st November 2024, happily the deal has been kept almost as sweet for the next two months, with Kris+ confirming a rate of 9 mpd for bookings made through to 31st December 2024.
That hugely eclipses Pelago’s own year-round 3 mpd earn rate, which itself is capped at the first 5,000 miles earned per booking (S$1,667 spend). Happily, the Kris+ earn rate has no such upper limit.
In addition, as always, you can accrue up to 4 mpd when making payment using a bonus miles-earning credit card, subject to your monthly spend limits, for up to 13 mpd total earning.
This also finally brings the KrisFlyer UOB credit card into the mix for Pelago bookings at its bonus uncapped 3 mpd rate, for a total of 12 mpd earning on even the most expensive Pelago experiences, without even touching your 4 mpd card spend caps.
Earn 9 mpd for Pelago bookings via Kris+
You can now book any Pelago activity worldwide and pay using the Kris+ app. To search and book, you’ll need to have the latest version of the app installed (Apple | Google).
Simply click the new Pelago link at the top of the screen after you launch the app.
You will still need to log in to (or create) a Pelago account in order to make a booking.
Once you select your activity and proceed to pay, you’ll be redirected back to the Kris+ app to make payment.
As you can, 9 mpd is being offered, before your credit card points come into play.
Activities and experiences available on Pelago include include theme park admission, food and drink tours, wellness treatments and museum tickets, with over 200,000 packages currently available ranging from a few dollars to several thousand dollars, including nearly 500 here in Singapore itself.
Kris+ circumvents Pelago’s earning cap
Back in February this year, we reported that Pelago had quietly introduced a KrisFlyer miles earn cap on activated booked through its website.
That means no matter how expensive your experience is, you’ll never earn more than 5,000 KrisFlyer miles per booking via Pelago’s website, an issue that crops up once the total cost is more than S$1,667.
Luckily this Kris+ payment method circumvents that, with no upper cap imposed.
Remember also that with Kris+ the miles are awarded instantly, rather than after your experience booking has happened – great for a short-term top-up to secure a redemption.
The earn rate will drop to 3 mpd
Kris+ has confirmed to us today that from 1st January 2025, Pelago bookings made via the app will revert to 3 mpd, the same as when booking via the Pelago website.
That means it’s a good time to lock in experience bookings before the end of this year, even for future-dated activities, while this generous 9 mpd continues to be offered.
Which card to use
Many bonus credit cards in Singapore earn at their top rate for Kris+ transactions, either for all spend or for purchases in selected Merchant Category Codes (MCCs).
For some cards it’s a little complicated, because the payment you make in-app will tag under the merchant’s MCC, so you’ll need to be confident it qualifies prior to your purchase, but there are some cards that earn at their top rate for all Kris+ spend too.
Pelago uses the following Merchant Category Code (MCC) when processing credit card payments:
MCC 4722 Travel Agencies and Tour Operators
Here’s how many miles some of these cards earn for Kris+ payments in general, within their monthly spend caps. You can check the MCC with the merchant in advance of your payment if necessary, though some are obvious (like restaurants – 5812).
Bonus cards Kris+ earning
| Card | Earn Rate |
Notes / MCCs | |
 UOB Lady’s
|
4 mpd | Capped at S$1,000 per month (Lady’s) or S$2,000 per month (Lady’s Solitaire). Subject to your specified quarterly bonus category, including: |
|
| Dining: | MCC 5499 MCC 5812 MCC 5814 |
||
| Beauty: | MCC 5977 MCC 7230 MCC 7297 MCC 7298 |
||
| Fashion: | MCC 5621 MCC 5651 MCC 5661 MCC 5691 MCC 5699 MCC 5948 |
||
 HSBC Revolution(see our review) |
4 mpd | On mobile wallet payments at specific outlets by MCC, capped at S$1,000 per calendar month. |
|
| MCC 3501 MCC 5045 MCC 5462 MCC 5621 MCC 5651 MCC 5661 MCC 5691 MCC 5699 MCC 5732 |
MCC 5734 MCC 5812 MCC 5944 MCC 5945 MCC 5947 MCC 5948 MCC 5992 MCC 5999 MCC 7011 MCC 7997 |
||
 DBS WWMC(see our review) |
4 mpd | On on up to S$1,500 of online spend per calendar month, including when paying at a merchant using Apple Pay or Google Pay via the Kris+ app (all MCCs). |
|
 OCBC Rewards(see our review) |
4 mpd | On shopping transactions in specific MCCs, capped at S$1,110 per calendar month. | |
| MCC 5309 MCC 5621 MCC 5651 MCC 5655 MCC 5661 |
MCC 5691 MCC 5699 MCC 5941 MCC 5948 |
||
 KrisFlyer UOB(see our review) |
3 mpd | On all Kris+ spend, with no minimum and no upper cap. | |
UOB Lady’s SolitaireAs you can see for Pelago it’s the DBS WWMC and the KrisFlyer UOB credit card that will work well here, given it’s rather limited MCC.
The UOB Lady’s Cards also work, provided Travel is nominated as one of your bonus spend categories, since MCC 4722 is included in that one.
Nonetheless, this finally brings the KrisFlyer UOB credit card into play for Pelago bookings.
Despite earning an 3 mpd for all “SIA Group” spend including at the KrisShop, the card still does not award this higher rate for Pelago transactions booked via the website.
The good news is that the card has earned this rate for Kris+ spend since late 2022, so it’s a great uncapped 13 mpd option for Pelago bookings, until the end of 2024.
Pelago does not support payment by American Express cards via Kris+, like most other partner merchants in Singapore do. You’ll need to pay via Apple Pay or Google Pay using a Visa or Mastercard.
Don’t forget – transfer straight to KrisFlyer miles
Once you’ve earned miles from a Pelago booking via the Kris+ app, or indeed have earned any miles from merchant payment via Kris, always remember to transfer them to KrisFlyer miles.
Why? Well KrisPay miles can only be transferred to your KrisFlyer account within 21 days of the transaction. To do so, simply tap on the “Transfer to KrisFlyer” button which will appear on the miles earned confirmation screen or transaction details screen.
You can do so later (within 21 days), but why wait?
Remember that KrisPay miles earned per transaction can only be transferred to your account in their entirety. If you earned 100 KrisPay miles from a single Kris+ transaction, for example, the full 100 KrisPay miles must be transferred to your KrisFlyer account. If you have already spent some of your KrisPay miles earned, a partial transfer option is not available.
We therefore recommend transferring to KrisFlyer immediately following any Kris+ earning transaction, in case you either forget or make a mistake later.
Summary
Between now and 31st December 2024, you’ll net a very generous 9 mpd when making Pelago experience bookings anywhere in the world and making payment via the Kris+ app, using a Visa or Mastercard.
That means up to 13 mpd with many popular miles-earning cards on the market in Singapore, but also crucially an uncapped 12 mpd with the KrisFlyer UOB credit card, which is still excluded from “SIA Group” bonus earning at Pelago directly.
This represents a two-month extension of the 10 mpd launch deal, and while not quite as sweet as before it’s a great boost on the year-round 3 mpd earn rate, so if there’s something of interest on the Pelago platform you should lock it in via the Kris+ before the end of the year to take full advantage.
(Cover Photo: Sentosa Development Corporation)