5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Points)

[strtrek]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

SQ will be paying. Not VA.

VA will get a free ride in this for any points sent to them.

SQ will be the loser for any account that just flicks to points on the VA. (suspect this will be the vast majority as was on Ozbargain, and most of their readership would be much more likely to be VA users than SQ).

SQ will be the winner for any that just stay with SQ (this is why they were running the promo) and use the points there (suspect this will be very few)

thanks for that..I've been trying to explain to people re who pays for what but didnt really know for sure....

 

[burmans]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

25k will get you one way economy to Asia. The tax and YQ will cost you $300-400. A return SQ ticket on sale to SE Asia frequently go below $800. Why would anyone use miles for these?

I think your info is out of data, just did dummy booking SIN to SYD, extras at SGD 213 (=$AUD 200). I agree that return to SE Asia can be got under $800 but not in peak time and I have in many occasions got peak rewards flight on SQ when paid flight are $1200+ return. From Yangon to Sydney (one way) I can get a flight for 21K points (15% discount online) and $250 over Xmas. Cost price is USD 2663. Now I'm sure I can get it cheaper than that but good luck in getting under about $600.

Don't forget you still need to fork out extra the return leg and it won't be $300-400.

Not sure why you say this, those SQ sales you mention are available one way at $400 or less and you can get scoot/Air Asia regularly for under $300. Sure not interesting for most people on this site but plenty of people do actually fly Scoot and Air Asia and this would help them save money and get a better airline one way.

 

[VAG newbie]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

From a business perspective = No. SQ wants new adult members.

Disagree. Why would SQ just want adult member? If that's the case, all they need to do is put in their T&C that only people >18 can join KF.

The reality is, kids nowadays fly a lot more than elderly. No doubt in this promotion, many people signed up their grandpa or grandma, who are probably too old to travel anyway. Even if they do, it will be once every few years. They also are less likely to have airline loyalty as they would simply look for direct flights because transiting for elderlies aren't easy. They also don't really have the capacity to play the mileage game. (I know my parents can't. They have no idea what airline alliance is, and couldn't understand why they could fly SQ business from Lifemiles even though they enjoyed it)

Whereas kids go with their parents for any family vacation, which sometimes happen a couple of times per year! Kids still pay airfare (albeit with a discount). If they are not allowed to accrue miles, then people will either not fly with SQ, or fly SQ but accredit the miles to other FFP, which SQ will need to pay for the miles. It would've be much better if SQ luer these families to credit the miles to SQ, or if they fly other SQ partners, to credit the miles to KF.

I believe that was the original intention. But they overlooked the loop hole.

 

[hossein_au]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

Read the few posts above yours....promo is now dead apparently

I thought transferring the points is blocked?! I cannot even sign up with the code!

 

[SydneySwan]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

What SQ should have done is allowing family transfer, but limit the eligible family member. (Perhaps only those nominees in the account.) Then there will be much less people converting miles to VA as we all know KF miles are more valuable. That would limit to 25000 bonus miles per family, not enough to get any good redemption, but good enough to make people want to earn a bit more KF miles to make it useful.

You have a good point about family transfer but since SQ don't allow it, it is moot and irrelevant if your earning / travel pattern means you have precious little chance of adding to them as is my case. KF miles may be more valuable than VA but they are not very usable if split into 4 individual accounts of 5k each where they will grow old and lonely. However 14k+ points added to the family pooled VA account are very usable and will get consumed this year. Obviously I would have preferred not to have paid the 35% SQ transfer tax to get them into VA but since SQ freely gave me the points in the first place, i will try not to complain too much.

 

[VAG newbie]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

I think your info is out of data, just did dummy booking SIN to SYD, extras at SGD 213 (=$AUD 200). I agree that return to SE Asia can be got under $800 but not in peak time and I have in many occasions got peak rewards flight on SQ when paid flight are $1200+ return. From Yangon to Sydney (one way) I can get a flight for 21K points (15% discount online) and $250 over Xmas. Cost price is USD 2663. Now I'm sure I can get it cheaper than that but good luck in getting under about $600.

Not sure why you say this, those SQ sales you mention are available one way at $400 or less and you can get scoot/Air Asia regularly for under $300. Sure not interesting for most people on this site but plenty of people do actually fly Scoot and Air Asia and this would help them save money and get a better airline one way.

Yes, my bad. SQ recently reduced their YQ so my data was old. However, ex-Aus is still bit more expensive (cuz we charge more departure tax?). I just did a dummy booking BNE-SIN and it's $279. And I obviously have missed something on one way sale with SQ cuz last time I tried to book a one way during sale, SIN-BNE is >$700.

Agree that during peak time this can be of good value but peak time is also hard to find an award seat in economy.

I'm not saying 25k mile is completely useless, at least it's worth SGD$250 if you used "pay with miles". What I'm trying to say was SQ should have done the promotion is such a way that would make people want to keep those miles in KF. As long as those KF miles remain with KF, SQ will make money. Say with your peak season redemption, SQ is still making money. Award seats are those seats airline don't think they could sell and were gonna go waste anyway. By selling it as "award" for $250 in YQ is still better than leaving it empty.

Anyone who has a bit of knowledge with FFP knows 5000 KF miles are more valuable than 3704 VA miles. I believe most people have transferred this 5000 miles to VA is because they can't make good use of 5000 miles and it is destined to go expire. But if we can actually combine these miles, I doubt many of us would transfer and waste the 35% miles. Like you say, even 25000 miles can be used for one way to SE Asia, and at least SQ can collect $200-250 out of it. But now, not only they can't get any money, they actually have to pay VA for all those points transferred.

 

[VAG newbie]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

I thought transferring the points is blocked?! I cannot even sign up with the code!

The promo code is dead. I think you can still sign up just can't get the bonus.

You can still transfer mile. There is still something that SQ has overlooked. This was mentioned in one of the above post. It works! But I'm sure it won't last for long.

I am feeling really bad for SQ now (even though I'm a big beneficiary of this promo...) Whoever in the marketing department that came up with this promo (with all good intention) will no doubt be in big trouble now within SQ.

Now I wonder if they will honor the other 5000 bonus mile if we actually fly SQ in the next 6 months.

 

[burmans]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

SQ will be paying. Not VA.

VA will get a free ride in this for any points sent to them.

SQ will be the loser for any account that just flicks to points on the VA. (suspect this will be the vast majority as was on Ozbargain, and most of their readership would be much more likely to be VA users than SQ).

SQ will be the winner for any that just stay with SQ (this is why they were running the promo) and use the points there (suspect this will be very few)

SQ does still have them on the books and will be sending them their emails. Who knows what conversion rate they get but presumably SQ did think it was worth spending to get their attention (even though they probably thought this would be notional spending rather than real spend).

PS. Love your tag line, Africa my top destination so far!

 

[smit0847]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

It doesn't take a genius to predict that a foreign program offering Australians 5k free miles when that is the exact minimum needed to transfer them to an Australian FF program, would lead to many people doing just that.

Making the sign up bonus 4k instead of 5 would have solved a lot of the problem!

 

[rotuma1]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

Just transferred my 5,000 over to VA

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

Just transferred my 5,000 over to VA

I managed to transfer over too from 4 Kris accounts to two Velocity Accounts ( via family pooling) points all sitting there now in Velocity

 

[get me outta here]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

My transfer failed - got a message pop up saying so. I don't know why, are new Kris account transfers failing cos they are on to us?

 

[burmans]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

It doesn't take a genius to predict that a foreign program offering Australians 5k free miles when that is the exact minimum needed to transfer them to an Australian FF program, would lead to many people doing just that.

Making the sign up bonus 4k instead of 5 would have solved a lot of the problem!

Yes, reminds me of a line an ex-Boss used to use - "common sense is not always that common", so true and proved yet again here!

 

[bbqwer]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

Anyone having issue log into VA account ?

 

[mini2]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

Can't login either.

 

[andye]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

Reminds me of the FF advice:

If it seems too good to be true....




....take maximum advantage as quickly as possible before it gets pulled

 

[VAG newbie]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

Can't login either.

I can't log in either. Looks like they might be closing the last remaining loop hole now.......

But I have a very bad feeling. They might be doing some auditing now and with those VA account that suddenly received multiple 3704 miles are getting suspended...... Even though it is not against their T&Cs, it is obviously abuse, and they can use that to suspend our account........

 

[mini2]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

That's kewl. They can go take their points but leave mine alone.

 

[bbqwer]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

Feel free to call VA customer number, if you worry about the balance of your point. I just called up, so far so good.

 

[smit0847]

Re: 5,000 Free KrisFlyer Miles for New Accounts (or 3,703 Velocity Frequent Flyer Poi

I think the whole site is down. I can't access mine that has had no KF activity at all (and none pooled or transferred into it).

It's going to cost them more money to audit 1000s of accounts than it would to just pay out the 3700 points!