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In this blog post, I will explain how to book a complimentary stopover using Singapore KrisFlyer miles.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is one of the best frequent flier programs in the world.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles are extremely valuable and versatile.
They can be used to book award flights on Singapore Airlines and its partner airlines, including Star Alliance members, Alaska Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.
Additionally, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer offers a variety of excellent benefits when flying on their premium products, such as complimentary Singapore Airlines Lounge access, priority check-in and boarding, and more.
This blog post will review one of my favorite perks of the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program – its complimentary stopover benefit.
This valuable perk is offered whenever your redemption involves flying on round-trip flights served by Singapore Airlines.
In this blog post, I will explain how to add stopovers to your redemptions so you can maximize the value of your Singapore KrisFlyer awards.
Singapore KrisFlyer Stopover Benefit
Whether you want to stay an extra few days or a full month in another city, adding a “free” stopover to an airline award redemption can be a wonderful method to expand your journey without breaking the bank.
One of the excellent features of the Singapore KrisFlyer program is the ability to book free stopovers on award tickets.
A stopover is a layover in a specific city en route to your final destination that lasts more than 24 hours.
For each round-trip award ticket you redeem using your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles, you can book at least one complimentary stopover, depending on the award type you purchase.
Only a few frequent flier programs currently allow free stopovers on award tickets, so it is a delight that Singapore Airlines continues to offer its members this generous perk.
July 31, 2022: KrisFlyer Stopover Update
As per Singapore KrisFlyer, stopovers for eligible redemptions ticketed on or after August 1, 2022, will be limited to 30 days.
Effective August 1, 2022, complimentary stopovers exceeding 30 days and the paid stopover option will no longer be available.
COVID19 Updates
Because most routes will stop in Singapore, it is terrific news that the island nation has slowly started to reopen to tourism after an extended shutdown due to the pandemic.
Vaccinated travelers from the United States and other parts of the globe are no longer required to quarantine, effective April 1, 2022.
Of course, this is subject to change, so periodically check the updates for the latest entry requirements and restrictions.
At any rate, if the KrisFlyer award you’re planning to redeem is on Singapore Airlines (and not with its partner airlines), consider taking advantage of adding a stopover to your itinerary.
But before we discuss the steps to add a stopover to your round-trip itinerary, let’s familiarize ourselves with the two types of KrisFlyer award redemptions.
Two Types of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Redemptions
Before we discuss the details of adding stopovers to your KrisFlyer redemptions, it is beneficial to learn about the two types of awards Singapore Airlines offers: Saver Awards and Advantage Awards.
Saver Awards
These are capacity-controlled award seats that require a lower number of KrisFlyer miles.
Since they are limited in quantity and highly in demand, my strategy for obtaining these inexpensive saver awards is to purchase them as soon as the Singapore Airlines award calendar opens, typically around 355 days before travel.
Advantage Awards
Once saver awards are sold out, Advantage Award tickets will be your only alternative if you want to use your KrisFlyer miles.
These tickets are considerably more expensive than Saver Awards, so I try to avoid booking them whenever possible.
If you have some flexibility in your travel schedule, aim for Saver Awards instead of Advantage Awards.
Being familiar with these two types of award redemptions is crucial, as the stopover benefit will depend on whether you are redeeming a Saver Award or an Advantage Award.
Stopover Rules for Singapore KrisFlyer Saver and Advantage Awards
Stopover Rules for Singapore KrisFlyer Saver Award Redemptions:
- 1 free stopover on round-trip Saver Awards (Bookable online)
- Ends on July 31, 2022:
$100 to add a second stopover on round-trip Saver Awards (Call Singapore KrisFlyer to book)
- Ends on July 31, 2022:
$100 to add a stopover on one-way Saver Awards (Bookable online)
Stopover Rules for Singapore KrisFlyer Advantage Award Redemptions:
- 1 free stopover for one-way Advantage Awards (Bookable online)
- 2 free stopovers for round-trip Advantage Awards (Bookable online)
- Ends on July 31, 2022:
$100 to add an additional stopover (Call Singapore KrisFlyer to book)
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Singapore KrisFlyer Stopover Rules
- You can’t combine stopovers on partner tickets; therefore, your entire itinerary must be on Singapore Airlines.
- If all your preferred flights are available on the same type of award (Saver or Advantage), then Singapore KrisFlyer will offer this complimentary stopover when booking.
- Remember that you can not mix Saver and Advantage awards in one itinerary when adding a stopover on a round-trip flight. A workaround would be to book two one-way “Advantage” award tickets. As mentioned, one-way Advantage Awards are eligible for a complimentary stopover, whereas a one-way Saver Award redemption no longer receives a free stopover as of July 31, 2022.
Any additional stopovers are permitted at USD100 each, regardless of the class of service, but you will have to call as it is currently not bookable online.
Pro-Tip: Given the substantial price difference between Saver and Advantage awards, you should generally stick to Saver reservations whenever feasible. See the image below for an example of the price difference.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Stopovers
It is fairly easy to add stopovers to your Singapore KrisFlyer redemption when booking at singaporeair.com.
Whether you’re booking a one-way or round-trip itinerary, keep an eye out for the notification that invites you to take advantage of this spectacular perk.
If your itinerary involves multiple stopovers such as this routing: SFO-HKG-SIN-JNB-CPT, KrisFlyer will list out which cities you are eligible to add as stopovers.
Since the flight from San Francisco to Cape Town stops in 3 cities (Hong Kong, Singapore, and Johannesburg), Singapore KrisFlyer will offer all three cities as stopover options.
For the above itinerary, here are the possible stopover options depending on the award (Saver or Advantage) you are redeeming:
- You can add two complimentary stopovers if you are redeeming a round-trip Singapore KrisFlyer Advantage Award. This can be booked online.
- You can add one complimentary stopover if you are redeeming a round-trip Singapore KrisFlyer Saver Award. This can be booked online.
- You can add one complimentary stopover if you are redeeming a one-way Singapore KrisFlyer Advantage Award. This can be booked online.
- Ends on July 31, 2022: By adding $100 to your airfare, you can add a stopover to your itinerary when redeeming a one-way Singapore KrisFlyer Saver Award. This can be booked online.
- Ends on July 31, 2022: If you want extra stopovers in addition to what is already provided, you will have to pay USD100 for each additional stopover. This feature is currently not available online so you will have to call Singapore Airlines to include these stopovers in your itinerary.
- Stopovers are permitted as long as they do not exceed 30 days.
Steps on How to Add a Stopover to Your Singapore KrisFlyer Redemption
STEP 1:
Log in to your Singapore KrisFlyer Account.
If you do not have an account yet, you can sign up for one for free by clicking the button below.
STEP 2:
Once signed in, navigate to “Book Trip” or “Book Flight”.
It may be labeled differently once the site updates in the future, but it should look similar to the image below.
STEP 3:
Click “Redeem Flights” and then enter your travel details, including the departure city, arrival city, travel dates, and the service class.
Select whether you want to redeem a one-way or roundtrip (“return”) award.
STEP 4:
The search will provide stopover options if your redemption is eligible.
Using my example above, the flight between SFO and CPT generated three possible stopovers: HKG, SIN, and JNB.
Click “Add Stopovers” to make your selections.
STEP 5:
Add your stopover points by clicking the “+” sign.
STEP 6:
Select the stopovers you wanted to add to your itinerary.
STEP 7:
After selecting your stopover/s, the website will issue a stopover policy reminder: Select one complimentary stopover if you choose a round-trip Saver award or up to two complimentary stopovers if you choose a round-trip Advantage award.
For the purpose of this article, I selected a roundtrip Saver Award which will make me eligible to receive “one” complimentary stopover.
But I also wanted to see how the site would respond if I had selected two stopovers.
As expected, when I tried to add two stopovers, the website prompted me to modify my itinerary to either book a round-trip Advantage Award or remove one of my stopovers if I continue to redeem a Saver Award.
Ends on July 31, 2022: Technically, it is possible to add another stopover to a roundtrip Saver Award by adding USD100, but you may have to call to book this itinerary as Singapore Airlines’ website is not yet equipped to tackle such complex reservations.
STEP 8:
The website will then price out your itinerary, including your complimentary stopover if your award redemption is eligible.
In our example, I selected Singapore as my stopover for a few days.
If all the legs are available on a Saver Award or Advantage Award, then the site will prompt you to select your preferred flights.
Then, the site will combine all the segments and your complimentary stopover.
Again, this is just a reminder that mixing Saver and Advantage awards on a round-trip itinerary does not qualify for a stopover.
Going back to our example, I chose to redeem Saver Awards for the entire itinerary between San Francisco and Cape Town.
Since it is a round-trip Saver Award, I know I can receive one free stopover.
Once booked, the trip will now include three distinct flights, with a free stopover in Singapore for a few days.
a. San Francisco to Singapore on March 1st
b. Singapore to Cape Town on March 4th
c. Cape Town to Singapore on March 14th
Total: 104,000 Singapore KrisFlyer Miles & USD69.47
Effective August 1, 2022, stopovers can not exceed 30 days.
If I had booked these three flights separately, it would have cost a total sum of 115,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles and USD117.86.
Compare this with the free stopover option (104,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles and USD69.47), and you’re looking at potentially saving a total of 11,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles and USD48.39 when you leverage the Singapore KrisFlyer stopover benefit.
| Redemption | Miles | Taxes |
|---|---|---|
| Booking Individually | 115,000 | USD117.86 |
| Booking Together With Stopover | 104,000 | USD69.47 |
| Total Miles and Money Saved | 11,000 | USD48.39 |
STEP 9:
Book your Krisflyer Award Flight and select your seats.
And, huge congratulations, too, for a fantastic redemption!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to add a stopover exceeding 30 days after August 1st 2022?
Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to add free stopovers that exceed 30 days for redemptions ticketed on or after August 1st 2022 regardless of the class of travel.
If you plan to stay at a stopover destination for more than 30 days, you will be required to book two separate award redemptions if the ticket was booked on or after August 1st, 2022.
I have a KrisFlyer award reservation with a stopover of more than 30 days booked previously. Am I allowed to make changes to my booking after 1 August 2022?
Only date changes for tickets issued before 1 August 2022 will be permitted free of charge.
Other changes to the itinerary will not be permitted. If you plan to change your routes, you will have to cancel your prior booking and rebook again.
There is a service fee of $25 or 2,500 KrisFlyer miles if you make changes with a Singapore Airlines agent, although this can be waived if you get lucky.
Ways to Earn Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles
Singapore KrisFlyer miles are one of the easiest frequent flier miles to earn without flying as it is a transfer partner of the following programs:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Capital One Rewards
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou Rewards
If you have credit cards that generate these types of flexible travel points, you should be able to effortlessly transfer them to your KrisFlyer account.
The table below will list some of the travel credit cards that transfer to Singapore Airlines.
| Travel Cards |
|---|
| Chase Ultimate Rewards 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards Point = 1 Singapore KrisFlyer Mile |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Chase Sapphire Reserve® Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card |
| American Express Membership Rewards 1 American Express Membership Rewards Point = 1 Singapore KrisFlyer Mile |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express The Platinum Card® from American Express American Express® Gold Card American Express® Business Gold Card The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
| Capital One Venture Miles 1 Capital One Venture Mile = 1 Singapore KrisFlyer Mile |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Capital One Venture X Business Capital One Spark Miles for Business |
| Citi ThankYou Points 1 Citi ThankYou Point = 1 Singapore KrisFlyer Mile |
| Citi Strata PremierSM Card |
| Bilt Rewards 1 Bilt Point = 1 Singapore KrisFlyer Mile |
| The Bilt Mastercard® |
Final Thoughts
Singapore Airlines allows its members to add a stopover on award tickets when booked with Singapore KrisFlyer miles.
This can be a fantastic way to add extra value to your award redemption and see more of the world for less!
If you’re looking for a way to explore new destinations without spending a lot of extra miles, booking a stopover with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles is the perfect option.
Stopovers on award itineraries are cost-effective and straightforward with KrisFlyer.
So, make sure to take advantage of this feature the next time you plan an award flight with Singapore Airlines.
Do you plan to take advantage of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer’s stopover benefit? Let us know in the comments.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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