How is SIA's KrisFlyer programme revamp impacting consumer sentiment?

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has unveiled a major revamp of its KrisFlyer frequent flyer programme. From 1 November 2025, miles required for business and suites/first saver awards for flights within Asia and the Southwest Pacific will increase by 5%, while economy saver award redemptions in the same region will decrease by 5%.

Flights to and from Europe and the United States will see a 5% increase in saver award rates across all cabins, while flights to Africa, the Middle East and Turkey will rise by 10 to 20%. In addition, advantage award rates will also climb 10% to 15% across most zones and cabins, with Zone 10 seeing economy advantage rates up 5%, business advantage 18%, and suites/first advantage 15%.

SIA said all bookings confirmed and ticketed on or before 31 October 2025 will not be affected and will still use the current award rates. That said, headline changes to award redemption rates have already sparked concern among members.

According to media intelligence firm CARMA, sentiments of conversations on SIA changed to 29.1% positive and 16.4% negative after the rate increase for KrisFlyer. Prior to the change, sentiments were 32.1% positive and 11.2% negative. It's word cloud, which used to include words such as 'flights', 'booking' and 'good', now reflect words 'rebooked', 'devalues' and even 'cancellations'. 

Don't miss: No bad romance: How KrisFlyer can maximise next gen data with Lady Gaga tie-up 

CARMA revealed that netizens found KrisFlyer miles becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to redeem with the devaluation expected in November 2025. This leads to frustration among frequent flyers, said the CARMA analysis. 

The firm added that some are perceiving the redemption changes as diminishing the value of miles and discouraging redemption. In overall, there were netizens who also criticised SIA's pricing strategy and perceived high cost in comparison to competitors.

In tandem, media intelligence firm Truescope found that netizens were particularly concerned about the increased redemption rates for premium cabins. Many also discussed alternative credit card options and competing loyalty programs, especially in markets such as Indonesia where KrisFlyer-earning credit cards are popular. This differs from Singaporean consumers who were more concerned with premium cabin redemption increases, revealed to Truescope. 

The last time Singapore Airlines revised its KrisFlyer redemption programme was in 2022. At the time, the airline increased mileage requirements for a range of award redemptions, affecting both SIA-operated flights and those with Star Alliance and partner airlines. Stopovers for eligible redemption bookings ticketed on or after 1 August 2022 were limited to a maximum of 30 days, and complimentary stopovers exceeding that duration, as well as the paid stopover option, were no longer available.

In an electronic direct mail to members, the airline stated it remained “committed to providing our members with more ways to earn and redeem miles, both in the air and on the ground, and to providing greater value to your KrisFlyer membership, through regular enhancements to our programme offerings and benefits.” The email also thanked members for their support of the KrisFlyer programme.

The 2022 devaluation, however, was met with criticism from frequent flyers, who called the airline "sneaky" for devaluing miles at a time when travel restrictions were being lifted globally, while another flyer stated that the airline was charging more despite having received support from consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Other changes this 2025 

Beyond the changes to award rates, SIA has introduced several other enhancements to the KrisFlyer programme. Members can now earn PPS Value or KrisFlyer Elite miles from everyday spending with SIA Group non-flight services, including Kris+ shopping and dining in Singapore and Australia, KrisShop purchases, and Pelago experiences. PPS Club members earn one PPS Value for every SG$3 spent, while KrisFlyer members earn one Elite mile per S$1.

Starting 1 November, the airline will roll out an “Access redemption” option, allowing members to use miles to book confirmed Singapore Airlines flights immediately, even if standard award seats are fully booked. The number of miles required will vary depending on demand, with extra seats available beyond the usual allocation.

Other recent updates include the launch of Scoot award flights on 13 August, letting members redeem miles for economy class travel to over 70 destinations, with saver awards starting at just 1,500 miles one-way between Singapore and Malaysia. The airline has also improved the KrisFlyer miles-and-cash option, effective 1 July, with 100 miles now worth S$1 and a minimum of 1,000 miles needed to use this feature.

Accelerate your brand’s growth with AI-first strategies, emerging tech and data-driven experiences. Join 500+ marketing leaders at Digital Marketing Asia 2025 Singapore on 24–25 September to uncover transformative trends, real-world wins and powerful ideas for 2025 and beyond.

Related articles:   
Krisflyer embraces life's adventures in new film celebrating 25 years  
'Don't jump on every single thing that you see': Singapore Airlines' comms chief on responding to criticism 
Why SIA quietly devaluing KrisFlyer miles isn't a surprise from a comms perspective