When Kris+ first launched as KrisPay back in July 2018, Esso was one of the 18 initial launch merchants in the “burn only” programme, but when earning at selected retailers finally rolled out in March 2019, Esso remained one of the few options in that poor-value “burn only” category.
After five years without earning benefits, Kris+ and Esso finally extended their partnership to include miles earning in early 2024. The standard rate of 1 mile per S$2 spent (0.5 mpd) was underwhelming, but a launch promotion of 3 mpd – later repeated from October 2024 through March 2025, then made year-round from July 2025 – proved far more attractive.
That “year-round” rate lasted exactly a year. In July 2026 Kris+ quietly dropped Esso back to 0.5 mpd, which left the app bonus barely worth triggering and sent most miles chasers to Shell, Caltex or Sinopec instead.
Happily, that didn’t last either. With effect from 14th September 2026, Esso has been upgraded to a 2 mpd Kris+ earn partner, four times the rate that applied over the last couple of months.
It’s not the 3 mpd of old, but there’s no end date attached, so this looks like another year-round arrangement rather than a limited promotion, and it’s enough to put Esso back on the shortlist.
Kris+: 12% off and 2 mpd on Esso petrol purchases
You can now earn 2 mpd on petrol purchases at Esso when you pay with the Kris+ app, four times the 0.5 mpd accrual level that’s applied since July.
In addition, Esso Smiles members who use Kris+ for payment are entitled to a 12% discount on fuel purchases, though this replaces any other existing card discounts at Esso stations in Singapore, which are in place for Citi, DBS and OCBC cards as follows:
- Citi: 14% discount
- DBS: 14% discount
- DBS Insignia & Vantage: 18% discount
- OCBC: 14% discount
In-app payments via Kris+ at Esso support Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
Note that Kris+ can only be used for fuel purchases at Esso, not other items from the mini-mart. You’ll have to pay for those separately if you’re using Kris+ for a petrol purchase.
Up to an extra 4 mpd with your credit card
The beauty of this 2 mpd earn rate on petrol purchases at Esso via the Kris+ app is that it stacks with the points or miles you can earn on your credit card for the purchase, and that means up to a further 4 mpd is currently available, for an effective total earn rate of 6 mpd.
Here’s a rundown of the credit cards in Singapore which will give you between 3 mpd and 4 mpd for Esso fuel purchases made through Kris+ with in-app payment.
| Card | Earn rate |
Spend Cap per calendar month |
 UOB Lady’s |
4 mpd | S$1,000 (Lady’s) or S$750 (Lady’s Solitaire) Transport must be one of your bonus categories |
 DBS WWMC |
4 mpd | S$1,000 |
 UOB VS |
4 mpd | S$1,000 – S$1,200 on petrol and contactless (per statement month) |
 UOB KF |
3 mpd | No cap (unlimited) |
Note that these are the best cards for Esso petrol paid via Kris+, which is not the same thing as the best cards for petrol paid at the pump. The DBS WWMC is a good example – pay at the pump and it’s next to useless for fuel (0.4 mpd), but route the same transaction through Kris+ and the online category unlocks the full 4 mpd bonus rate.
Esso Smiles points on top
You’ll also earn Esso Smiles points for your petrol purchases as an Esso Smiles member, at a rate of 1 point per litre of fuel purchased.
These can be converted to KrisFlyer miles at 100:100 under the Auto scheme, or a much less generous 150:100 if you convert manually under Flexi. Either way, the points are best kept for a future offset of 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.
Esso Smiles Points Redemption Value
| Instant Redemption | Points Required | Value per point |
| S$5 | 180 | 2.78 cents |
| S$10 | 300 | 3.3 cents |
| S$30 | 750 | 4 cents |
Is the Kris+ deal worth it?
If you fill up at Esso stations anyway, it’s very likely you’ll do better with this now-year-round Kris+ 2 mpd deal.
For example, if you are an Esso Smiles member using the DBS Vantage card (1.5 mpd) to fill up with fuel, here’s how that looks for a S$100 purchase:
- S$100 petrol purchase
- Less 18% discount = S$18 off
- S$82 final cost
- S$82 x 1.5 mpd (Vantage) = 123 miles
Now let’s say you also have a DBS WWMC card – useless for fuel purchases since it would earn only 0.4 mpd for offline transactions like this, but no such concern with Kris+, where the payment codes as online and 4 mpd is then unlocked.
- S$100 petrol purchase
- Less 12% discount = S$12 off
- S$88 final cost
- S$88 x 2 mpd (Kris+) = 176 miles
- S$88 x 4 mpd (WWMC) = 352 miles
- Total 528 miles
In this case you’re paying S$6 more for your petrol (S$88 – S$82), but earning 405 more miles (528 – 123).
That’s the equivalent of ‘buying’ miles for 1.48 cents each. Not the bargain it was at 3 mpd, when the same sums came out at 1.22 cents, but still one most of our readers will take.
Obviously you’ll have to do the maths based on the payment cards you have available to you, and the margin is thinner than it was, so it’s worth checking against the discount your own card gets you at the pump elsewhere.
Don’t forget the rest of Kris+
If you’re not using Kris+ to earn additional miles for dining, retail, wellness or other goods and services in Singapore, then you’re potentially missing out on thousands of additional KrisFlyer miles each year.
Here’s our regularly updated list of earn rates for all Kris+ merchants island-wide, before credit card points and miles are accounted for.
Summary
Esso is once again worth a look for miles chasers filling up in Singapore, as the Kris+ earn rate has been hiked to 2 mpd from 14th September with no expiry date attached, and it still stacks with up to a further 4 mpd from your credit card for a total of 6 mpd.
Esso Smiles members also keep the 12% discount when paying in-app, which typically means picking up those additional miles at around 1.5 cents each on a 4 mpd card.
It’s not the 7 mpd heyday, and the deeper discounts at Shell, Caltex and Sinopec still make them the better call for some drivers. But after a couple of months where Esso simply wasn’t worth considering, 6 mpd puts it back in contention.
(Cover Photo: Esso)