Best Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer credit card sign-up offers

Of the many international frequent flyer programs available to Australian travellers, Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer scheme is one of the most popular, particularly when it comes to credit card spend.

Not only can KrisFlyer miles be transformed into business class and first class flights with Singapore Airlines once international travel returns, they can be used to book domestic flights with Virgin Australia as well.

Add to that, trans-Tasman journeys aboard Air New Zealand – flying quarantine-free when the bubble opens back up – as well as broader flights across the Star Alliance network.

With as many as 150,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles to be earned from a single card application, here are this month's top KrisFlyer credit card offers from American Express, ANZ, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA, Citi, St.George and Westpac. 

10 best Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer credit card sign-up offers

1. AMEX Platinum Charge Card

Sign-up Bonus: Take home 350,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply, are approved and spend $3,000 on your new card within the first three months.

That's worth 175,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles, after converting your Membership Rewards points to KrisFlyer at a 2:1 rate.

Rewards: Most purchases accrue 2.25 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent (1.125 KrisFlyer miles, after conversion), except for government payments which earn at the reduced rate of one Membership Rewards point per dollar spent (0.5 KrisFlyer miles).

Annual Fee: $1,450, although the points you can earn are uncapped, and there's no extra fee to add up to four additional cardholders.

2. St.George Amplify Signature Visa with Amplify Points

Sign-up Bonus: Apply online for the Amplify Signature with Amplify Points card and spend $12,000 on eligible purchases in the first year to unlock up to 150,000 bonus Amplify Points.

With Amplify Points converting to KrisFlyer at a 2:1 rate, that's a reward of up to 75,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles.

Rewards: Earn the equivalent of 0.75 KrisFlyer miles per $1 spent on eligible purchases, uncapped – boosted to 0.825 KrisFlyer miles per dollar spent via St.George's 'birthday bonus', being a 10% bonus counted on all the points earned via the card over the past year (or part-year, for new customers), except on the already generous sign-up bonus.

Bank disclaimer: Eligible purchases do not include interest, fees and charges, cash or ATM cash advances, cash equivalent transactions, gambling transactions, a purchase from or payment to a local, state or federal government or government related agency, BPAY or similar transactions (such as Post Billpay), refunds and balance transfers debited to the card account.

Annual Fee: $199 first year card fee ($279 thereafter), with no additional cardholder fee.

3. AMEX Explorer Credit Card

Sign-up Bonus: Pocket 175,000 bonus AMEX Membership Rewards points when you apply and spend $3,000 on your card within the first three months. When converted to KrisFlyer at a 2:1 rate, that puts your bonus at 87,500 KrisFlyer miles.

Rewards: Collect 2 Membership Rewards points (1 KrisFlyer mile) per $1 spent on most eligible purchases, except at government bodies in Australia, where you'll earn a reduced 1 Membership Rewards point (0.5 KrisFlyer miles) per dollar spent.

Annual Fee: $395, but with no fees for up to four additional cardholders.

4. Citi Prestige Mastercard

Sign-up Bonus: You could unlock 200,000 bonus Citibank Rewards points when you apply and spend $7,500 on the Citi Prestige Mastercard within 60 days of approval. When converted to KrisFlyer at a 2.5:1 rate, that's equal to 80,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles.

When applying for this card, you also have the option of requesting a Linked Diners Club Card: however, spending on the Diners Club card doesn't count towards that $7,500 tally to earn your bonus points: for this, only Mastercard spends are counted.

Rewards: When using the Mastercard overseas, and in Australia with major airlines, chain hotels and restaurants, you can earn 3 Citi Points (1.2 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent. At major Australian supermarkets, petrol stations and national retailers, you'll get 2 Citi Points (0.8 KrisFlyer miles) per dollar spent, and on all other eligible purchases in Australia, the earn rate is 1 Citi Point (0.4 KrisFlyer miles) per dollar spent.

When using the optional Linked Diners Club Card, you'll earn a flat 2 Citi Points (0.8 KrisFlyer miles) per dollar spent, both in Australia and overseas – so be sure to use the Mastercard when dining, staying in hotels and booking flights to earn the most points. All government-related spend earns no points on either card, however.

Annual Fee: $700. The fee remains the same whether or not you opt for the Linked Diners Club Card, and whether or not you have additional cardholders.

5. ANZ Rewards Black

Sign-up Bonus: Receive 180,000 bonus ANZ Reward Points when you apply and spend $2,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months from approval. Converted to KrisFlyer at a 3:1 rate, that's 60,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles.

Rewards: Earn 2 ANZ Reward Points (0.66 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent on eligible purchases up to and including $5,000 per statement period, and 1 ANZ Reward Point (0.33 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent above $5,000 per statement period.

Annual Fee: Waived in the first year, then $375. A $65 fee payable per additional cardholder per year.

6. Citi Premier Card

Sign-up Bonus: Apply for the Citi premier Card and spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within 90 days of approval to pocket 130,000 bonus Citi Rewards points.

When converted from Citibank Rewards to KrisFlyer at the card's 2.5:1 conversion rate, that puts your haul at 52,000 KrisFlyer miles.

Rewards: You can earn 2 Citi Points (0.8 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent online, as well as on eligible international transactions. All other domestic spend in Australia provides 1 Citi Point (0.4 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent. A cap of 200,000 Citi Points (80,000 KrisFlyer miles) applies per 12-month period on your Citi Premier Mastercard.

However, by adding an optional Linked Diners Club Card to the account, you can earn 2 Citi Points (0.8 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent at home and abroad, without capping or tiering. Do note though, points aren't earned on government-related payments on either the Mastercard or the Linked Diners Club Card.

Annual Fee: $150 in the first year and each subsequent year if you spend $48,000 on eligible purchases or cash advances in the previous year, otherwise $300.

7. Westpac Altitude Black Mastercard

Sign-up Bonus: Eligible new customers can earn 180,000 bonus Altitude Points via Westpac's Altitude Black Mastercard when applying, selecting Altitude Rewards as the card's loyalty option and spending $6,000 on eligible purchases within 120 days of card approval.

With Altitude Points converting into KrisFlyer miles at a 3:1 rate, that gives you a bounty worth 60,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles.

Rewards: Earn 6 Altitude Points (2 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent on the first $10,000 per calendar month on flights purchased in Australia directly with Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia, Emirates, Qantas and Jetstar, then 1.25 Altitude Points (0.416 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent thereafter on these purchases.

You'll also earn 1.25 Altitude Points (0.416 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent on most other eligible purchases, uncapped, except at Spotify, David Jones, Myer, The Iconic, Airbnb, Uber and Uber Eats, at which you'll earn a higher 2 Altitude Points (0.66 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent, also uncapped.

Annual Fee: A discounted first year card fee of $99 applies, after which the card fee is $250, although there's no extra charge for an additional cardholder. You can apply here.

8. Westpac Altitude Platinum Mastercard

Sign-up Bonus: Apply for the Westpac Altitude Platinum Mastercard, select Altitude Rewards as your loyalty option and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within 90 days of card approval to earn 100,000 bonus Altitude Points.

As with the higher-tier Westpac Altitude Black Mastercard, Altitude Points convert into KrisFlyer miles at a 3:1 rate, which makes your sign-up bonus on-par with approximately 33,333 KrisFlyer miles.

Rewards: Earn 3 Altitude Points (1 KrisFlyer mile) per $1 spent on the first $10,000 per calendar month on flights purchased in Australia directly with Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia (but not Emirates and Singapore Airlines, as with Altitude Black), then 1 Altitude Point (0.33 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent thereafter on these purchases.

You'll also earn 1 Altitude Point (0.33 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent on most other eligible purchases, uncapped, except at Spotify, Airbnb, Uber and Uber Eats, at which you'll earn a higher 2 Altitude Points (0.66 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent, also uncapped.

Annual Fee: A reduced card fee of $99 applies in the first year, reverting to $150 thereafter, and with no charge for one additional cardholder in the first or subsequent years. You can apply here.

9. St.George Amplify Platinum Visa with Amplify Points

Sign-up Bonus: Apply online for the St.George Amplify Platinum with Amplify Points card and you could earn 130,000 bonus Amplify Points when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days from card approval.

When converted from the Amplify Rewards program to KrisFlyer at a 2:1 rate, that bounty is worth 65,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles.

Rewards: You'll earn one Amplify Point per $1 spent on everyday purchases, equal to 0.5 KrisFlyer miles per dollar spent after conversion. Points earning is uncapped.

Annual Fee: $49 First year card fee ($99 thereafter). There's no additional cardholder fee, or separate rewards fee to participate in the Amplify Rewards program, through which you can convert points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

Similar offers for bonus points can also be found on the near-identical Bank of Melbourne Amplify Platinum with Amplify Points and the BankSA Amplify Platinum with Amplify Points credit cards when applying online.

10. ANZ Rewards Platinum

Sign-up Bonus: Pocket 120,000 bonus ANZ Reward Points when you apply and spend $1,500 on eligible purchases in the first three months from approval. Following the same 3:1 conversion rate to KrisFlyer as ANZ Rewards Black, that's worth 40,000 KrisFlyer miles.

Rewards: Collect 1.5 ANZ Reward Points (0.5 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent on eligible purchases up to and including $2,000 per statement period, and 0.5 ANZ Reward Points (0.16 KrisFlyer miles) per $1 spent above $2,000 per statement period.

Annual Fee: Waived in the first year, then $95. There's also a $65/year fee charged per additional cardholder.

Ranking Order & Updates

Ranking Criteria

This page provides a list of the most rewarding credit card sign-up offers in Australia for those seeking to earn KrisFlyer miles with Singapore Airlines, as available at the time of publishing.

Generally, cardholders would first earn loyalty points (including bonus points) in the credit card issuer's own loyalty program, which can later be converted into KrisFlyer miles at a rate set by that program (such as 2 AMEX Membership Rewards points = 1 KrisFlyer mile).

This list includes personal credit cards and general, public sign-up offers, but does not include corporate or business credit cards, or deals that are targeted, restricted or private, with the exception of any offers targeted to Executive Traveller readers, which may give applicants more points, or have reduced fees and charges, compared with a bank's standard public offering.

Credit cards listed above as part of this 'top 10' appear in descending order based on the total number of KrisFlyer miles offered via the card's sign-up bonus, based on the value of the credit card points being tabled, and their worth in KrisFlyer miles after conversion.

Where more than one card offers the same number of bonus points, other factors such as annual fees, minimum spend requirements, points earning rates for ongoing purchases and sign-up incentives such as statement credits are considered in determining rank.

Ranking Updates

These rankings were last updated on October 5 2021, with several changes since September.

Chiefly, American Express has slightly softened the offer on its Platinum Charge Card, reducing from being equal to 175,000 KrisFlyer miles, to being on-par with 150,000 KrisFlyer miles – but which still finds the card in first place.

Previous changes in September included the AMEX Explorer Credit Card increasing its offer to be worth 87,500 KrisFlyer miles.

What are Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer credit cards and how do they work?

While Singapore Airlines no longer has any 'co-brand' credit cards in Australia, the airline maintains partnerships with a number of Australian banks and credit card issuers, which allow customers of those companies to earn KrisFlyer miles via the credit card or charge card.

This usually requires the cardholder to first earn points in their credit card or charge card's own loyalty program (such as ANZ Rewards, NAB Rewards, Westpac Altitude Rewards, AMEX Membership Rewards, and others), and to later convert those points into KrisFlyer miles.

Each rewards program sets its own conversion rates, so do be mindful that the conversion rate used by one bank can differ from another.

For instance, a bank offering 120,000 bonus points in its own rewards program with a 3:1 conversion rate to KrisFlyer is offering a bonus equal to 40,000 KrisFlyer miles.

That can sometimes lead to confusion, because a bank offering 100,000 bonus points in its own program but which instead uses a 2:1 conversion rate would instead be offering 50,000 KrisFlyer miles: a more generous offer for KrisFlyer members, despite the 'headline' number being lower.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer credit card FAQs

Can you combine frequent flyer miles and points?

In Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer program, members cannot transfer miles between KrisFlyer accounts. However, under normal circumstances, points can be converted between Velocity and KrisFlyer at a 1.55:1 rate, which applies in both directions.

This could allow you to combine all the frequent flyer points you've earned across both programs into the one account, to make a reward booking. However, at the time of publishing, these transfers are currently paused.

Can I earn miles or points if I buy a ticket for someone else?

Yes, but only when paying using an eligible credit card. Purchasing a flight is just like any other transaction, where a credit card may provide a certain number of points per dollar spent.

These are separate to any miles or frequent flyer points the traveller may earn from the flight itself, depending on the airline, fare type and frequent flyer program.

Can I use KrisFlyer miles to buy a ticket for someone else?

Yes. KrisFlyer allows you to choose up to five 'redemption nominees' – these being people for which you can book flights using your KrisFlyer miles.

While there are no fees to set-up these nominees, if you wish to change them at a later date (so that you book flights for somebody not on that list), fees may apply.

10 best Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer credit card sign-up offers

* KrisFlyer miles earned per $1 spent is based on everyday eligible purchases on transactions within Australia. This figure considers the card's earning rate on spend and its conversion rate to KrisFlyer, to display the equivalent number of KrisFlyer miles earned per $1 spent. Some spending categories may also earn more, fewer or no points on each card than the standard earn rate indicated above, such as government transactions, overseas purchases, etc.