Singapore Airlines, an Ultimate Rewards transfer partner
RewardsGuy explores the best ways to use Ultimate Rewards points on Singapore Airlines award tickets.
The announcement earlier this year that Singapore Airlines has become the newest transfer partner for Chase Ultimate Rewards Points received decent buzz from the frequent flyer community. I, however, do not believe the news that Chase card holders will now be able to use Ultimate Rewards points on Singapore Airlines received nearly enough attention – and I will tell you why.
Singapore Airlines (known simply as SQ, the IATA designation code) is arguably one of the top 5 airlines in the world. The premier airline consultancy Skytrax agrees – making Singapore Airlines one of a handful of airlines to receive the highest 5 Star rating. All cabin levels, from economy to business to first, are all among the best in their class. They operate an all wide-body fleet, and in-flight service consistently ranks as one of the best globally. SQ also operates some interesting routes to and from the US such as: JFK to Frankfurt (on an A380), Houston to Moscow, San Francisco to Hong Kong and Seoul, and LAX to Tokyo.
Singapore A380
Now that we have sung its praises, let us take a look at one of the major disappointments of flying Singapore Airlines – earning miles. Unless you are flying long-haul in business or first class, it is very difficult to earn decent mileage in their Krisflyer frequent flyer program. For economy bookings you will earn anywhere from 10% to 50% of miles flown, unless you pay the full-fare class which is very expensive. If you want to bank the miles flown on SQ to a partner program such as United MileagePlus, be sure to check the earning chart – chances are you are earning ZERO miles for most economy fare classes.
This is exactly why the latest addition of Singapore Airlines as a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner is such a treat.
SQ Suite, in double bed mid-row layout
Singapore Airlines First Class Suites
The Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suite embodies the pinnacle of aspirational award travel, which is what RewardsGuy is all about! The good news for you is that this in-flight experience is literally at your fingertips now that you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points on Singapore Airlines. Taking a look at the Singapore Airlines Krisflyer awards chart, a First Class Suite award ticket from New York JFK to Frankfurt is 67,500 miles one-way for saver awards. I tried booking the First Class Suite through singaporeair.com and there is saver award availability!
Singapore Airlines Suite Award Online Booking
You receive a 15% discount on award miles when booking online, meaning the one-way award ticket is 57,375 miles plus $239 in taxes and surcharges. That means the 70,000 Ultimate Rewards points you will earn if you recently signed up for the Chase Ink Plus bonus offer is more than enough for a First Class Suite experience. That is a $6000 value, meaning your Ultimate Rewards points are worth over 10 cents per point. You will even have enough left over to add 12,500 points to your Hyatt Gold Passport account – enough for a Points & Cash stay at a category 6 hotel such as the Andaz Maui or Park Hyatt Vienna (read my earlier post on maximizing Ultimate Rewards points by transferring them to Hyatt Gold Passport).
So if you find yourself in the fortunate position of having a new influx Ultimate Rewards points, consider splurging on one of the most memorable in-flight experiences available on any airline. A recent article I read was titled “Flying Singapore Airlines in First Class Ruined My Life“. It may be an exaggeration, but one thing is definite – it most likely will be a once in a lifetime experience. Go for it – use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points on Singapore Airlines!
