Singapore Airlines‘ renowned new first-class Suites are now available in the United States. Beginning on March 28, the airline resumed daily service between New York (JFK) and Singapore (SIN), with a stop in Frankfurt, Germany (FRA).
Singapore Airlines had flown the A380 to the United States before the pandemic hit, but never with the brand new first-class Suites. What exactly sets these suites apart from the rest? You can fly in one of the world’s best first-class seats for next to nothing by combining the airline’s excellent frequent-flier program with any of the many credit cards you probably already have or can easily apply for.
How do the A380‘s first-class Singapore Suites stand out? What matters most are the services and experiences provided. Each of the six first-class apartments features a swivel seat upholstered in full-grain leather by Poltrona Frau and a bed. It’s safe to assume you won’t need your trusty neck pillow on this trip.
If you’re traveling with a partner, the best option is to book a Double Suite, as the beds in these rooms may be joined to make a larger bed. That’s right, a twin bed among the clouds.
Each suite has a sliding door for seclusion, a 32-inch high-definition touchscreen for in-flight entertainment, noise-canceling headphones from Bang & Olufsen, and many other comforts like Lalique pyjamas explicitly designed for Singapore Airlines.
The suites feature many outlets, so you won’t have to bring your commute power bank to keep your devices charged. Additionally, all Singapore Suites customers can use the airline’s free in-flight Wi-Fi to maintain contact with loved ones back on solid ground.
You may feast on some of the most delectable in-flight meals when mealtime rolls around. A lobster thermidor is the signature dish served in first class on flights with Singapore Airlines.
The airline is also a pioneer in the food service sector by providing passengers with locally grown vegetables. Singapore Airlines is now using vegetables from AeroFarms, a Newark, New Jersey-based vertical farm, on its aircraft departing from JFK and Newark.
AeroFarms can produce ecologically friendly vegetables all year round with 95% less water versus conventional farming and no chemicals. The greens for Singapore Airlines’ Suites guests are flown in from farms on the other side of the Hudson and served to them as soon as they are prepared, a quarter of the time required to produce vegetables on a conventional farm. Honestly, I’ve never had more delicious or freshly prepared airplane food than what was served to me.
The airline’s new and enhanced business-class cabin will be available to passengers beginning with the return of the A380 to the United States. Each seat in business class provides direct aisle access, and the seats may be arranged to make a double bed if you’re flying with a companion.
A380’s new Singapore Suites are among the most excellent ways to travel. As a result, now that the plane frequently departs and arrives in the United States, how do you reserve a Singapore Suite or Singapore business class seat almost free using points and miles?
Instructions for Accumulating Miles on Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines miles, also known as KrisFlyer miles, can be used to book a flight in Singapore Suites or business class for the price of the ticket plus taxes and fees, which are often quite affordable. If you can secure award status, a one-way flight from New York to Frankfurt in Suites will only cost 86,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees.
Maybe you’ve never flown with Singapore Airlines before, so you don’t have any miles with them. In that case, you’re in luck: various credit cards in the United States offer simple access to Singapore KrisFlyer miles. This is since Singapore Airlines participates in all of the leading credit card transferable points services.
In other words: you can switch to Singapore Airlines using points earned from credit card companies like Capital One, American Express, Citi, and Chase.
Suppose you have 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, for instance. In that case, you may exchange them for 1,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles when you transfer them to Singapore Airlines using a credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Suppose you don’t already have either of these cards. In that case, Sapphire Preferred is presently offering a 60,000-point sign-up bonus after spending $4,000 within the first three months. This will go a long way toward redeeming a Suites seat. Another option for getting a head start on collecting sufficient points to fly in Singapore Suites is to get the Sapphire Reserve and spend $4,000 in the first three months to receive 60,000 bonus points.
A similar Singapore Suites flight could be within reach if you have many American Express Membership Rewards points, thanks to a welcome bonus offer on either The Platinum Card® from American Express or the American Express® Gold Card.
You could fly from New York to Europe in Singapore Suites for free with the 100,000 bonus points you’d get after spending $6,000 on your Amex Platinum during the first six months of card membership. You can also earn 60,000 bonus points with the American Express Gold Card if you splurge $4,000 within the first six months following establishing your account, which might get you pretty far toward a one-way ticket.
The Citi ThankYou Rewards can also be converted to Singapore Airlines miles at 1:1, giving you more flexibility. The Citi Premier® Card, for instance, provides a 60,000-point bonus after initial spending of $4,000 during the first 3 months of account opening. Suppose you use the card to purchase at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels. In that case, you’ll earn three points for every dollar spent. You’ll make one point for every dollar spent on anything else, putting you well on your way to redeeming for a stay at Singapore Suites.
Miles earned on cards like the Capital One Venture X, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card all transfer to Singapore Suites at a rate of 1 mile every dollar spent.
Business credit cards are the last viable alternative. Many of the aforementioned card issuers cater exclusively to entrepreneurs by providing cards with generous sign-up bonuses. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, for instance, provides a sign-up bonus of 100,000 points after $15,000 in purchases are made during the first three months of account opening, while the Business Platinum Card® from American Express presently provides a sign-up bonus of 120,000 points after $15,000 in purchases are made within the first three months of account opening.
You can earn Singapore KrisFlyer miles by using any of these cards and redeem those miles for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Be aware that transferring points to Singapore Airlines may take up to 48 hours. So, you should prepare in advance if you want to transfer money into your Singapore Airlines credit.
Using miles to reserve a Singapore Suite
You’ll need a Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account before you can begin looking for ways to redeem miles for this luxury service. Registration is quick, simple, and completely free of charge.
Once you’ve joined, you may start thinking about which flight options you’d like to investigate more. Visit Singapore’s website, select “Redeem flights” from the homepage, then sign in with your account information to check the status of your award request. New York (JFK) is where you should start your trip, and either Singapore (SIN) or Frankfurt (FRA) will get you off the plane in Asia or Europe, respectively.
Make sure you choose “First/Suites” as your cabin type and the date(s) you wish to go. Lastly, use the “Search” button to check for award availabilities and dates. Booking a round-trip flight requires searching in both directions separately and then connecting them at the end. Alternatively, you can pay cash to go home on a different airline if you just have enough miles for a one-way flight.
A one-way ticket in Suites on a trip from New York to Frankfurt costs 86,000 miles at the lowest “Saver” level, provided that Singapore has made award space available at that level on the day of travel. To avoid this, you’ll have to pay the extra 140,000 miles for the “Advantage” level. If you intend to fly to Singapore rather than stop in Frankfurt along the way, then you will, of course, require more.
We could not locate any Suites with Saver award availability for 2022 and 2023 in our searches, but this may change in the future. Meanwhile, we uncovered many open Advantage bookings and a waiting list for a cheaper Saver award.
Putting yourself on a waitlist for a Saver award allows you to guarantee the cheaper mileage cost. Still, it does not guarantee you a seat on the trip. A minimum of two weeks before your departure, Singapore Airlines will notify you as to whether or not your waitlist reservation has been processed. This could work out well for you if your trip plans are flexible.
It’s possible that the waitlist booking won’t clear in time, and if you have specific commitments, you might not want to gamble missing your trip.
To reserve a Suites seat at the Saver price for a New York to Frankfurt one-way flight, you need 86,000 Singapore miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees. When purchasing a ticket in Suites for the same date and time, the current cash price is $9,227.
If you’re flying nonstop from New York to Singapore, you’ll have to lay over in Frankfurt for almost two hours. We could not identify any Saver-level vacancy for JFK to Singapore. However, there was a waiting option for several days, which was also the case for our inquiries from JFK to Frankfurt.
You may fly one way from New York to Singapore for 132,000 miles with the Saver fare or 237,000 miles with the Advantage fare. This flight will cost you $30.40, including all taxes and fees. At its current cash price of $10,460, a round-trip flight in Suites from New York City to Singapore is an unreachable experience for many people.
Suppose you want to redeem miles for a business class flight on the A380, which is also a wonderful experience. In that case, it will cost you 72,000 miles at the Saver level (85,000 miles at the Advantage level) to fly to Frankfurt or 99,000 miles at the Saver level (140,000 miles at the Advantage level) to fly to Singapore. More space was available in the business class cabin than we had anticipated. So if you’re looking for a premium flying experience, but there are no Suites available for the dates you want, consider booking in business.
Singapore Airlines’ decision to resume operating A380 flights to the United States is a positive indicator for the airline’s future. Plus, for the first time, one of the best premium items in the world is being regularly provided across the United States. So, if you have the opportunity, this is a fantastic your to redeem your travel credits.
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