Get 30% off business class using Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles

Sitting on a stack of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles? This could be the perfect time to trade them in on a business class ticket, with savings of 30% off the regular redemption rates across the airline's worldwide network as part of the Spontaneous Escapes promotion.

For example, business class from Sydney to Singapore can be yours for just 43,400 KrisFlyer miles one-way: a respectable saving off the rack rate of 62,000 miles.

Continuing on from Singapore to Johannesburg, to name just one of the Spontaneous Escapes destinations, requires a mere 34,300 KrisFlyer miles in business class. That's truly excellent value for a flight exceeding 10 hours of lie-flat comfort.

From seat to sleep: Singapore Airlines business class.

And while we're calling out the best value business class rates, those Spontaneous Escapes discounts also apply to premium economy and even economy bookings made using KrisFlyer miles.

Singapore Airlines premium economy is great value on relatively short daytime legs such as between Australia and Singapore.

However, you'll need to step lively: these reduced KrisFlyer reward rates apply only to bookings made by the end of February 2020 for travel in March 2020.

KrisFlyer often targets its monthly Spontaneous Escapes promotions at short-notice holiday jaunts, but they're also a smart play for the self-funded business traveller looking to make the most of their miles.

The only catch? Discounts are limited to specific flight numbers on each route, and the saving only applies to 'Saver' reward bookings. Flights which only have the higher-priced 'Advantage' reward seats for sale aren't discounted.

KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes: how many miles you'll need

These are the Australian routes and flights covered by this month's promotion in business class, along with how many miles you'll need under this deal, aside the number of miles normally required. Note that taxes and surcharges still apply to KrisFlyer bookings, and are displayed at the time of booking.

Be aware that Singapore Airlines is also temporarily cutting back flights in March 2020, so on some days, the flights above aren't operating – the Brisbane-Singapore SQ236/255 service is paused on March 12, for example.

However, as these changes have now been processed in Singapore Airlines' booking systems, if a flight is presented to you during the booking process then it's still expected to operate. Note also, flights to and from Cairns are operated by SilkAir, but are also included under this promotion.

If you're looking to fly in premium economy in exchange for fewer KrisFlyer miles, then here are the routes you can book this month for travel in March 2020.

From Singapore, the business class discounts continue on a number of routes such as Bali, Phuket and cities in Europe.

Here are some of the highlights, and you can also visit the Spontaneous Escapes page to see the full list of discounted destinations.

KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes: what you need to know

Only certain flights and destinations are eligible: Spontaneous Escapes don't apply to the entire Singapore Airlines network – the offers change monthly. Some routes don’t have business class included this time around even if economy or premium economy is discounted, such as Melbourne-Singapore.

Internationally, there is a scattering of destinations included across Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the USA.

Book by Saturday 29 February 2020: the cut-off is 11:59pm Singapore time, which is equivalent to 2:59am on Sunday 1 March in Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time. (We still recommend you book before midnight local time, just to be on the safe side).

Travel during March 2020 only: You must travel between 1 March to 31 March, inclusive. An exception is made for some non-stop premium economy flights between Singapore and Los Angeles, which are open for travel from 1 to 30 April 2020.

The entire itinerary must be eligible: The special rates will apply only if every flight in your itinerary is listed on the promotion's website. While this won't be an issue for simple one-way bookings, it's something to consider for multi-city and return itineraries. If any flight is not included in the promotion or is scheduled outside of the promotional dates, then your whole booking will be charged at normal rates.

An easy workaround if you're flying return and can't find an eligible flight in one direction is to make two one-way bookings as opposed to a single return ticket, so at least one of your flights is locked in at the discounted rate.

Splurge your KrisFlyer miles and treat your partner to a spontaneous getaway.

The deal is online only: Phone bookings through the KrisFlyer contact centre will be charged at normal KrisFlyer rates and also incur a US$25 service fee.

No changes or cancellations: Once booked, you are locked-in to travel. You're not able to make any flight/date changes or cancel the booking without forfeiting the entire fare.

Spontaneous Escape fares are cumulative: If you're flying on two or more eligible Spontaneous Escape fares (e.g. business class Sydney to Singapore [43,400] and Singapore to Barcelona [64,400]), then the number of KrisFlyer miles required is added together: 107,800 KrisFlyer miles one-way in business class, in this case.

Be aware of points transfer times: If you're saving points with American Express Membership Rewards or other similar programs which can then transfer points across to KrisFlyer, take note of how many days it’ll take to make that conversion. For example, American Express transfers usually take under 24 hours, but they advertise ‘up to 15 days’, which you should factor into your planning.

Transfers from a Velocity account to KrisFlyer are instant, which makes it a handy way to top up your balance in a pinch, although the exchange rate is 1.55:1, and in many cases, it'll make more sense to book your flight with Velocity points outright, if that's where your points are coming from.

KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes: how to book

You can only do this online, so start by logging in to your KrisFlyer account and entering your desired flight details.

Ensure ‘Redeem flights’ is checked, and tick ‘Flexible travel dates’ if your schedule allows some wiggle room.

If you were flexible, a seven-day calendar will appear, showing which days have Saver awards, or Advantage awards only. If any date doesn't show 'Saver' availability, you can disregard it immediately as there won't be any eligible Spontaneous Escapes flights left.

On the next screen, select your desired routing. If you’ve picked an eligible flight, then you'll see the discounted KrisFlyer miles amount and taxes payable in the top-right corner, with the normal KrisFlyer rate showing on the selection screen.

From here onwards, just proceed as usual to finalise your reservation, and soon you’ll be rewarded with a great value business class trip.

If you're already a Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer member, you can sign-up today: it's fast, it's free, and you can earn 500 bonus miles using our exclusive Executive Traveller code. Click here to get started.

Brandon Loo

Based in Perth, Brandon enjoys tucking into local delicacies, discovering new cocktails, and making aeroplane food look good on camera.