Despite some recent award chart changes, this remains an extremely useful mileage program for a number of reasons.
Transfer and airline partners: Name a partner, chances are Singapore Airlines works with it. American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Marriott? Check, check, check. It’s also a member of Star Alliance and has mileage agreements with other carriers like Alaska Airlines and Virgin Australia.
Reasons to consider it: Earning and redeeming Singapore Airlines miles for flights on its Star Alliance partners is great, but booking business- and first-class awards on Singapore’s own flights is even better. (The airline tends to hold back award space in premium cabins, including its stunning new First Class Suites, exclusively for members of the KrisFlyer program.) A business class award on the airline’s recently relaunched service from Newark to Singapore would cost 99,000 miles each way, while an award in the new First Class Suites from Singapore to Shanghai can be had for as few as 53,000 miles. Members can also “wait-list” for awards that might not be available immediately.
Drawbacks: Both recently raised redemption rates and a cumbersome award search engine might frustrate new members.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Great customer service and some interesting redemption opportunities set this U.K. carrier’s mileage program apart.
Transfer and airline partners: Even without being part of a major aviation alliance, Virgin offers myriad possibilities for earning, including through Marriott, Chase, Citi, and American Express. The latter two offer regular transfer bonuses of around 30 percent, stretching your points even further. And its airline partners are nothing to sneer at, either: They include Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, ANA, and South African Airways, among others.
Reasons to consider it: Some of the best uses for Virgin Atlantic redemptions are for partner flights. You can book into those fancy new Delta One business class suites for just 50,000 Virgin Atlantic miles each way between the U.S. and Europe, or 60,000 miles from the U.S. to Asia—that’s far better than paying nearly half a million Delta miles for the same experience.
Drawbacks: Virgin has some of the best phone customer service agents in the industry, which is good, since limited searchability of partner awards online means you will almost certainly have to use them. One thing they can’t fix? Virgin’s high taxes and fees for awards on its own flights.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.