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BlogkrisflyerSingapore Airlines KrisFlyer: your ticket to first class travel with PayRewards
Written byChris Chamberlin
PublishedNovember 30, 2025
Last updatedMarch 4, 2026
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Get ready for more rewards
Earn even more points on your business expenses with PayRewards
Get Early AccessMastering Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program is a real power move for savvy travelers. Turn your business spending into business or first class seats with PayRewards and KrisFlyer! Transfer your PayRewards Points at a 1:1 rate and unlock flights from the United States direct to Singapore, Germany, and Japan – and everywhere else that Singapore Airlines can take you.
KrisFlyer miles can also get you flying with United Airlines, Air Canada, Avianca, and every other Star Alliance airline. Use your KrisFlyer miles to soar to over 1,160 airports across 196 countries. Now that’s flexibility!
Singapore Airlines’ luxurious in-flight experiences
Here’s what you can look forward to:
First class with KrisFlyer miles
Indulge in Singapore Airlines first class service between New York and Frankfurt, between Los Angeles and Tokyo, and to Singapore via those cities, too. While you won’t find first class on the airline’s nonstop routes from the U.S. to Singapore, the exclusive Boeing 777 first class cabin on other routes consists of just four seats – it’s a very private affair.
Relax in a comfortable bed and toast to your success with top-shelf Champagne (Louis Roederer Cristal 2025). You’ll also have premium lounge access, including to Singapore Airlines’ The Private Room lounge when departing Singapore.
Fly business class using KrisFlyer miles
Business class brings a consistent experience on U.S. routes, offering a seat that’s practically wide enough for two. As in first class, be sure to ‘Book the Cook’. That is, to pre-order your meal online from an extended menu that is not normally served on board. It’s hard to pass up the lobster thermidor when departing Singapore – and don’t skip the signature satay!
Business class passengers also enjoy lounge access on award tickets, including to the SilverKris Business Class Lounge in Singapore, and to partner airline lounges in the U.S. For instance, when departing from Los Angeles, visit the fantastic Star Alliance Lounge. Make time for the outdoor fireplace!
Even more value with KrisFlyer miles
There’s also premium economy available on all of Singapore Airlines’ U.S. services. It’s a comfortable experience – especially once you pop open the leg rest, don the supplied noise-cancelling headphones, and connect to the free inflight Wi-Fi as a KrisFlyer member.
Best of all, you won’t pay any carrier charges when booking Singapore Airlines flights with KrisFlyer miles, in any cabin class. You’ll only pay the genuine taxes when spending your miles on flights, which keeps cash costs down.
Singapore Airlines’ inflight service is among the world’s best. Expect exceptional attention to detail, and inflight crew that go above and beyond. I’m still impressed by how they’d memorized all passenger names on my recent first-class flight, before we’d even boarded!
Booking Singapore Airlines’ U.S. routes using KrisFlyer miles
Naturally, Singapore Airlines can take you from the U.S. to Singapore. But the carrier also offers a couple of handy ‘fifth freedom’ routes from the United States to Germany and Japan, which you can book using KrisFlyer miles as well.
Here’s how many KrisFlyer miles you’d need for a one-way flight, on every Singapore Airlines route to or from the United States.
We’ve included rates for both ‘Saver’ and ‘Advantage’ awards. Saver seats come at the best mileage cost but with limited availability, while Advantage seats are more plentiful, but require more miles.
Singapore Airlines U.S. routes | Economy# | Premium Economy | Business Class | First class* |
Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle to Singapore | Saver: 44,000 miles Advantage: 79,000 miles | Saver: 79,000 miles Advantage: N/A | Saver: 112,500 miles Advantage: 148,000 miles | Saver: 156,000 miles Advantage: 262,000 miles |
New York (JFK / Newark) to Singapore | Saver: 46,000 miles Advantage: 84,500 miles | Saver: 84,500 miles Advantage: N/A | Saver: 117,000 miles Advantage: 165,000 miles | Saver: 156,000 miles Advantage: 279,500 miles |
New York (JFK) to Frankfurt | Saver: 27,500 miles Advantage: 47,000 miles | Saver: 57,000 miles Advantage: N/A | Saver: 89,000 miles Advantage: 105,000 miles | Saver: 106,500 miles Advantage: 172,000 miles |
Los Angeles to Tokyo (Narita) | Saver: 42,500 miles Advantage: 76,500 miles | Saver: 80,500 miles Advantage: N/A | Saver: 114,000 miles Advantage: 147,500 miles | Saver: 132,500 miles Advantage: 224,500 miles |
* First class only available on Los Angeles-Tokyo-Singapore and New York-Frankfurt-Singapore.
# There’s no economy cabin (or first class) on non-stop flights from JFK and Newark to Singapore.
Booking other U.S. routes using KrisFlyer miles
Singapore Airlines boasts a powerful network of partners with fantastic opportunities for spending KrisFlyer miles. Better yet, KrisFlyer uses fixed pricing for partner airline award seats – not variable rates, as with some other programs. If there’s an award seat open for booking using points with a partner airline, you can snap it up and always know how many miles it’ll cost.
KrisFlyer’s North American partners include United Airlines and Air Canada, along with Avianca and Copa Airlines in Latin America. There’s also Air China, Air India, Germany’s Lufthansa, SWISS, Turkish Airlines and more – all of which you can book through KrisFlyer.
Here’s a look at some of those key options for travel in economy and business class. These award rates are based on where you fly, not which airline you book with.
Partner Airline Routes | Economy | Business Class |
U.S. domestic routes*
U.S. to Canada* | 15,000 miles | 29,000 miles |
Hawaii to other U.S. states and Canada
U.S. to Central America* (Bermuda, Caribbean, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Puerto Rico) | 20,500 miles | 43,000 miles |
U.S. to South America* (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) | 35,000 miles | 71,500 miles |
U.S. to Europe* | 32,500 miles | 89,500 miles |
U.S. to Turkey* | 60,000 miles | 114,500 miles |
U.S. to India* | 64,000 miles | 151,500 miles |
*These rates exclude travel to/from Hawaii, which sits in a different KrisFlyer pricing zone.
Tips and tricks for spending KrisFlyer miles
Signing up to KrisFlyer is **quick and easy**. With a KrisFlyer account, you can begin searching for award flights straight away – even without any miles in your account.
Hot tip: Check that there’s an award flight available where and when you need to travel, before transferring PayRewards Points to KrisFlyer.
While we’re sharing tips, here are five ways to get more out of KrisFlyer:
- Can’t find a seat available on your preferred route? The search displays Singapore Airlines flights as a priority. Press the ‘Star Alliance’ button near the top of the page to broaden your search. Magic!
- Speaking of the Singapore Airlines website… You can only search for one cabin class at a time. If there’s nothing in business class, try splurging on first class. In fact, even on flights without any award seats in economy, you may still be able to find premium economy and business class. Patience searching can pay off!
- Watch out for carrier charges. Singapore Airlines waives these on its own flights, but many partner airlines pass them through. They can be pretty high on carriers like Lufthansa, SWISS and Turkish Airlines. Look out for them in the total cash price alongside the mileage required.
- You can fly Singapore Airlines without going to Singapore. Singapore Airlines’ JFK-Frankfurt and LA-Tokyo flights both continue to Singapore, but you don’t have to fly the whole way. You can travel solely between the U.S. and Germany on Singapore Airlines – ditto, between the U.S. and Japan. It’s all in the details!
- Land a free stopover in Frankfurt, Singapore or Tokyo. Book a return Saver award or a one-way Advantage ticket on Singapore Airlines through these cities and you can break your journey there for no extra miles. Fly Advantage round-trip and you can even enjoy a free stopover in each direction.
Soar to greater heights with KrisFlyer
These frequent-flyer tips can help you get the most out of KrisFlyer:
- Don’t lose your miles. KrisFlyer miles each expire after 36 months after being earned – even if you’ve continued to earn and spend miles. Consider keeping your miles in your PayRewards account until you’re ready to travel, to avoid this.
- Book award flights for your team. You can always spend KrisFlyer miles on yourself, but you can also spend those miles on up to five other people by listing them as a ‘Redemption Nominee’ in your KrisFlyer account. It’s free to set up, but you’ll pay $30 or 3,000 KrisFlyer miles to substitute somebody new onto the list. Consider that you can also transfer PayRewards Points directly to other KrisFlyer members – handy for booking travel for coworkers or family alike.
- Need last-minute flights? KrisFlyer runs monthly ‘Spontaneous Escapes’ promotions, discounting the number of miles needed for a flight on certain routes, cabins and dates. These change from month to month, so keep your eyes peeled!
- Already earning rewards on a credit card? American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards all transfer to KrisFlyer at 1:1. Plus when you add PayRewards Points on those same expenses, you’re double-dipping your way to award flights faster.
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About the author
Chris enjoys making the most of frequent flyer points, which have taken him around the world – usually, at the front of the plane. He’s travelled over 1.5 million miles sampling the best in Business Class and First Class. That’s further than three return trips to the moon! Chris is based at Point Hacks' Melbourne office as News Editor, and shares his experiences via @chris_chamberlin on Instagram. When he’s not travelling, he enjoys tennis, keeping fit, and discovering new gins.
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