" o noes! " - Singapore enhances redemption rates

[lovetravellingoz]

Date of issue: 16 March 2017 for travel in February 2018
Change #1: February 2018 > 1st April 2018
Change #2: 1st April 2018 > 6th April 2018

Was this done by calling or online?

Online I cannot go past the 12 months.

If calling, have you had to pay the fee each time?

 

[jazza1971]

Hi folks wanted some advice if anyone has been able to do what I tried to just do. I have a saver booking SYD-SFO return and on the way back I'm using my free stopover in Singapore for two nights. I managed to score a few extra days off work, so I thought I would see if I could push just my SIN-SYD flight two days later to spend the extra days there (and there is reward space SIN-SYD) and was told it is not possible to change that one leg and that I would need to change both the SFO-SIN & SIN-SYD legs.

Does this sound right, or was it just my operator? I dont want to change the SFO-SIN flight as the reward seats are now only waitlisted....

 

[blingy90]

Was this done by calling or online?

Online I cannot go past the 12 months.

If calling, have you had to pay the fee each time?

Calling both times. No fee

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Calling both times. No fee

So HUCA is alive and well at SQ.

I tried calling too but so far only got the you will have to cancel line. And indeed when I asked to move the date of my flight, the first thing the CSR asked is did I want to move it beyond a year of ticketing as that was not possible.

 

[JohnK]

Booked 2 one-way economy awards CNX-SIN-SYD at 10:00pm on the last day before the new rates took effect. The only A380 SIN-SYD flight available was the after midnight flight which meant around 9 hours transit with an infant. Waitlisted the earlier A380 flight. By the way this was all booked the next day via the call centre as there were issues with my online booking.

Received SMS the other day that waitlist had cleared and to go online to confirm waitlist. Unable to confirm online so called and they called back to make changes and earlier flight confirmed at original rates. Asked about upper deck bassinet which has been pre-allocated and they offered infant meal as well. Interested to see what this would be like.

 

[Albert Hoffman]

Does anyone know if yq is applied to Singapore airlines flights on a star alliance award redemption?, it would be a significant loophole if not I also noticed that Air New Zealand and United do not have fuel surcharges, does this apply when redeemed through krisflyer as well? I hate YQ with a vengeance and since I am transferring my points from velocity want to minimise them as much as possible.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Does anyone know if yq is applied to Singapore airlines flights on a star alliance award redemption?, it would be a significant loophole if not I also noticed that Air New Zealand and United do not have fuel surcharges, does this apply when redeemed through krisflyer as well? I hate YQ with a vengeance and since I am transferring my points from velocity want to minimise them as much as possible.

From the FAQs: Important Changes to Flight Redemption apparently fuel surcharges may be applicable for other star alliance itineraries.

 

[Pele]

Gday

Well i have had multiple goes(US,AU and SG number, weekday and weekend) of changing a redemption ticket to a departure date of more than one year past original ticketing and it is not a goer. Need to cancel original ticket, redeposit miles and reissue a new ticket(at the new rates). Kinda half expected it but the mileage hit is massive. I thought well at least i will get a big tax refund. That is where the fun starts. They said they have to refund the taxes to the card used to make the original booking, problem is that that card is cancelled. They said i need to send them a letter from the issuer saying it is cancelled, which i did, then they can get approval to refund the taxes to a new card. Get a call a few minutes later saying that they have got my letter but the manager says the taxes must still be refunded to the original card and that once that happens i have to contact American Express and work out with them how to get my money back. What a f*ck up. Surely this happens all the time. Has anyone else been through this process?

Thanks.

Pele.

 

[BacchusMarsh]

Has anyone else been through this process?

Yep, unfortunately I've been through exactly that process for exactly that reason. If you still have some sort of card with Amex then it shouldn't be too difficult, but it's worth calling to let them know that a refund will be processed to the now-non-existent account.

 

[LadyC]

I have had refunds hit cards I have cancelled - most recently earlier this year it was a Westpac issued AMEX for a Booktopia order. I was sent a statement with a positive balance. I went into Westpac and requested that they transfer the funds out as I had already cancelled the account. They were happy to transfer it to my nominated bank account after showing ID. Transfer came across in a few days. Not exactly on point but I hope this helps.

Be mindful that SQ used to state as part of the booking that the passenger could be required to show the credit card used for the booking. Not sure if they still say that but I have been asked in the past.

 

[firstclasser]

Be mindful that SQ used to state as part of the booking that the passenger could be required to show the credit card used for the booking. Not sure if they still say that but I have been asked in the past.

I remember about 10 years ago when I went on a trip to Thailand the check in staff asked to see the c/c I used to book the tickets with. But since then, I have not seen a mention of this policy, and I thought is non existent.
I always wondered if this is a practical policy, since there are many times when someone is buying a ticket on someone else's behalf. How would that go down at check in?

 

[LadyC]

Well hopefully they have got rid of it! A bit annoying when you churn cards too. I just thought I had been asked in the last few years, maybe in Japan, can't quite remember though.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I remember about 10 years ago when I went on a trip to Thailand the check in staff asked to see the c/c I used to book the tickets with. But since then, I have not seen a mention of this policy, and I thought is non existent.
I always wondered if this is a practical policy, since there are many times when someone is buying a ticket on someone else's behalf. How would that go down at check in?

If you buy a ticket directly on the SQ website the requirement to show your credit card still exists depending on the circumstances. One of those circumstances is if you are buying a ticket for someone else... SQ will either need you at the airport during check-in to show the card, or you have to go into one of SQ's offices before departure for them to see the card and make a note in the booking. If you don't do that SQ can refuse to carry the passenger.

If buying a ticket for yourself, SQ can ask to see the card depending on their assessment of the security of the card... cost of the ticket, whether or not a two-stage verification was done during purchase, departure from a high-fraud area (etc).

If you buy a ticket for yourself or another through an OTA you won't be asked for additional verification at the airport or before departure.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Still my understanding also MEL - if you make a booking direct with SQ make sure you have payment CC with you at check-in.

Payment for tix for 3rd parties? NFI as I never do it but I would never chance it either - clearly YMMV but I would never chance it.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Still my understanding also MEL - if you make a booking direct with SQ make sure you have payment CC with you at check-in.

Payment for tix for 3rd parties? NFI as I never do it but I would never chance it either - clearly YMMV but I would never chance it.

I booked tickets for my parents (so surname of credit card was the same as pax travelling), I had to go to SQ's office for them to sight the card, + sign an indemnity/waiver, a copy of which my folks had to carry for check-in.

There are examples where pax have been denied boarding, or had to purchase new tickets because they couldn't complete CC verification at the airport.

 

[cove]

We all board in Perth and none of the 6 I have booked recently have needed my credit card to be sighted. Perth has all contractors.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

As has been mentioned booking with a travel agent or ota cancels out that cc sighting requirement as the onus is on the company selling the ticket to ensure the payment was legitimate.

 

[whughes3]

Earlier this year I booked an SQ flight online using my Diners card, which I had not used for some time. When I made the booking, I received a warning that the actual credit card would have to be presented at checkin; this warning continued to be displayed when I subsequently accessed the booking online. However, the warning disappeared after a few weeks, and I was not asked for the card at checkin. Not sure exactly what is happening here...

 

[moffat39]

My bookings with SQ have only been redemption bookings done on website. Have also had adult children and my parents book as redemption nominees sometimes using my cc. Never had them asked for my credit card to be presented and I have never been asked to present cc.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Agree - plenty of instances where the CC is not asked for, however may be asked for. Those without it may be required to purchase a new ticket at walk-up fares (or make other arrangements).