KrisFlyer is a great frequent flyer program for redemptions in Business and First Class with Singapore Airlines and a range of Star Alliance partners.
Earning KrisFlyer miles from credit card spend is one of the key ways that many KrisFlyer members earn their points – if you happen to put a lot of your day to day spend on any of American Express, Visa or Mastercard, there are some high points earning options out there.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up some of the highest KrisFlyer earning cards on the market, with American Express options earning more than 1 KrisFlyer mile per $, and the Visa/Mastercard options earning over 0.75 miles per $.
We’ve included an overview table so you can assess the cards that are out there, versus those you may have in your wallet. We also include some of the current sign up bonuses for new card applicants.
Redemptions on domestic Virgin Australia Business Class flights are one of the best uses of KrisFlyer miles
Note that 2017 proved to be a game changer in the Australian credit card market, with a number of changes from the Reserve Bank continuing to make themselves felt to consumers and business alike. We are now seeing changes in a wide range of cards especially with regards to card benefits, points earn rates, and transfer rates. All figures in the table below are updated with details from the latest announcements and we will do our best to keep this guide up to date.
Both ANZ and Citi have already announced changes to their range of credit cards, with ANZ severing ties with American Express but also increasing earn rates on the Visa albeit implementing a points cap across their line up effective 6 August 2017, read more here.
Citi’s changes also affects the majority of their points-earning credit cards, with both earn rate and transfer rate to partners being adjusted effective 15 June 2017, you can read our full summary of these changes by Citi here.
Recent announcements by Westpac, St. George group, NAB and Commonwealth Bank have seen even more changes coming into the scene with most changes effective from 1 July 2017 onwards. You can keep up with all the upcoming changes here.
How to analyse this list
For all the cards and offers listed on this page we are only touching on the ‘effective earn rate’ – this is when points in the parent bank / credit card rewards program are transferred to KrisFlyer, and is a way to compare the specific points earn rates for each card across various credit card rewards programs that offer different headline earn rates and transfer rates to frequent flyer programs.
Each card has other benefits too, along with other transfer partners, annual fees and terms and conditions – so be sure to check out the full guide to each card.
There’s also the signup bonus of a card to consider. A large signup bonus may help to offset a lower earn rate on a card, so bear that in mind. It depends how much spend you put through your credit card each month, and how long you keep the card for.
Each card offer, with bonus, fee and other offer information on this page will be up to date at the date of publication, however please note that we update offers over time.
Transferring to KrisFlyer through Velocity
One of the unique things about Singapore Airlines partnership with Virgin Australia is that you can immediately transfer points / miles between the two programs, at a rate of 1.35 points / miles in one program = 1 point / mile in the other.
What does this mean for credit card choice? Well, this opens up any Velocity-linked card to KrisFlyer transfers. You’ll need 5,000 points minimum in Velocity to be able to transfer, but otherwise it’s useful to be able to earn KrisFlyer miles from other credit cards.
This partnership is also why I’d be surprised to see a KrisFlyer-branded credit card in the market again here in Australia – Westpac used to issue one, but it’s no longer open to new applicants.
As a result, we’ve included Velocity-branded cards in this KrisFlyer round up too, and specified their effective earn rate per $ after transferring points to KrisFlyer.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Earning Credit Cards
| Card | American Express KrisFlyer Miles earned / $ spent | Visa/MasterCard/Diners KrisFlyer Miles earned / $ spent | Points Cap | Annual Fee | Our Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Business Accelerator ↓ | 2 miles (1 mile after points cap) | - | 100,000 p.a. | $160 | → |
| American Express Explorer ↓ | 1.5 miles | - | uncapped | $395 | → |
| American Express Business Explorer ↓ | 1.5 miles | - | uncapped | $395 | → |
| Westpac Altitude Black ↓ | 1.2 miles on general spend 2 miles on foreign currency spend | 0.5 miles domestic | uncapped | $250 for the Mastercard $199 for the Amex | → |
| American Express Velocity Platinum ↓ | 1.11 miles on general spend except utilities and ATO 1.85 mile with Virgin Australia | - | uncapped | $375 | → |
| American Express Platinum Charge ↓ | 1 mile on general spend except utilities and ATO 3 miles at selected restaurants 2 miles on travel & overseas spend | - | 300,000 p.a. | $1,200 | → |
| American Express Platinum Edge ↓ | 1 point on general spend except utilities and ATO 3 points at supermarkets 2 points on fuel | - | uncapped | $195 | → |
| American Express Business Platinum Charge ↓ | 1 mile on general spend 2 mile on selected business and advertising expenses, at most restaurants in Australia, on travel and overseas spend | - | 375,000 p.a. | $1,500 | → |
| Diners Club Card + World MasterCard | - | 1.5 miles on Diners 0.625 miles on Mastercard | uncapped | $389 | n/a |
| St. George Amplify Signature ↓ | - | 0.75 mile | uncapped | $279 | → |
| Citi Prestige Visa ↓ | - | 0.4 mile on general spend 0.8 mile at major petrol stations, supermarkets and retailers 1.2 miles at major restaurants, airlines and international spend | uncapped | $700 | → |
American Express Business Accelerator - 2 points per $ up to 100,000 points yearly
The American Express Business Accelerator offers business owners and sole traders 2 Membership Rewards per dollar up to 100,000 points earned each cardholder year, with 1 point per $ earned after for an annual fee of $160.
- 2 Membership Rewards points earned per $ spent everywhere (except for utilities, insurance and the ATO up to 100,000 points per year)
- 1 Membership Rewards point earned per $ after 100,000 points earned in a year
- $160 p.a. annual fee
Read the Business Accelerator guide →
Point Hacks receive a maximum of $200 per applicant for this card. More about this →
The American Express Business Accelerator earns the equivalent of 2 KrisFlyer Miles per dollar up to 100,000 points earned per year.
American Express Explorer - 50,000 Membership Rewards Gateway points
American Express 'Explorer' card has 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Gateway points on offer. Includes $400 travel credit each year, free American Express lounge access plus a range of insurances and high points earn rates on spend.
- 50,000 Membership Rewards Gateway point bonus
- $400 travel credit every year
- Free access to the Sydney or Melbourne Airport American Express lounge twice a year
- 2 Membership Rewards points earned per $1 on all purchases except government bodies where you will earn 0.5 points per $1 spent.
- Included Insurances - smartphone screen insurance and various travel insurances (PDS)
- 0% p.a. on balance transfer for the first 12 months - A one-off credit plan establishment fee of 1% applies
- $395 p.a. annual fee
- Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18 month period are ineligible for this offer. Previous and existing bank-issued American Express companion cardholders are eligible for this offer
- $3,000 minimum spend in 3 months required to earn bonus points
Read the Amex Explorer Guide →
Point Hacks receive a maximum of $250 per applicant for this card. More about this →
The American Express Explorer’s earn rates are very similar to the personal version, which earns the equivalent of 1.5 KrisFlyer Miles per dollar with no points cap, including utilities. Government bodies earn at 0.5 Miles per $ spent.
The American Express Business Explorer earns the equivalent of 1.5 KrisFlyer Miles per dollar with no points cap, including utilities. Government bodies earn at 0.5 Miles per $ spent.
Westpac Altitude Black - up to 120,000 Qantas or Altitude Rewards Points
Westpac's Altitude Black Mastercard and American Express has up to 120,000 bonus Qantas or Altitude Points on offer for new cardholders. There are many ongoing card benefits, including American Express, Qantas or Priority Pass lounge invites and World Mastercard benefits.
- 80,000 Qantas or Altitude Rewards Points with the Mastercard
- 40,000 Qantas or Altitude Rewards Points with the American Express
- 2 x lounge passes to Sydney or Melbourne Airport American Express lounge for cardholders of the Westpac Altitude Black American Express
- 0.75 Qantas or 1.25 Altitude Points for every $1 spent with the Mastercard
- 2 Qantas or 5 Altitude Points for every $1 spent overseas, 1.25 Qantas or 3 Altitude Points for every $1 spent locally with the American Express
- 2 x Qantas Club or Priority Pass invitations per cardholder year
- Access to World MasterCard benefits and Amex Invites
- Overseas Travel Insurance, Purchase Protection and other insurances(PDS)
- Annual fee: $250 p.a. for the Mastercard plus $50 annual Qantas Rewards fee if you choose to earn Qantas Points, $199 for the Amex
- $3,000 minimum spend and charged to the Mastercard within the first 90 days is required to earn 80,000 bonus points
- $3,000 minimum spend and charged to the American Express card within the first 90 days required to earn 40,000 bonus points
- Existing Westpac customers who currently hold an Altitude Platinum Visa Card or Altitude Black Mastercard, or who have held one in the last 12 months, are not eligible for the Mastercard bonus offer.
- Offer ends: 23 October 2018
Read the Westpac Altitude Black guide →
Point Hacks receive a range of commissions per applicant for this card. More about this →
The American Express Westpac Altitude Black earns the equivalent of 1.2 KrisFlyer Miles per dollar on local spend, and 2 Miles per $ on overseas spend. While the Mastercard account earns 0.5 miles per dollar on spend.
Government bodies earn at 0.2 Miles per $ spent with the American Express account.
American Express Velocity Platinum - 50,000 Velocity Points
The American Express Velocity Platinum card has 50,000 Velocity Point bonus on offer, along with bonus status credits, a number of Virgin Australia perks including lounge passes, bonus points, and a free domestic flight.
- 50,000 Velocity point bonus
- 100 Velocity Frequent Flyer Status Credits
- One free domestic flight with Virgin Australia each cardholder year
- Two Virgin Australia lounge passes each cardholder year
- Two Sydney or Melbourne Airport American Express lounge passes per year
- 2.5 Velocity points earned per $ spend on selected Virgin Australia purchases, 1.5 Velocity points earned per $ on everything else except for government bodies and the ATO
- 0% p.a. on balance transfers for the first 12 months with 1% establishment fee - maximum balance transfer is $10,000 or 70% of your approved credit limit, whichever is less
- $375 annual fee
- Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18 month period are ineligible for this offer. Previous and existing bank-issued American Express companion cardholders are eligible for this offer
- $3,000 minimum spend within the first 3 months required to trigger bonus Velocity points
- $50,000 minimum spend within your Card Membership year to receive Status Credits
Read the Velocity Platinum Amex guide →
Point Hacks receive a maximum of $180 per applicant for this card. More about this →
The American Express Velocity Platinum earns the equivalent of at least 1.11 KrisFlyer Miles per dollar for most transactions, and 1.85 Miles per $ on spend with selected Virgin Australia products and services, after being transferred from Velocity.
Utilities & government bodies earn at 0.2 Miles per $ spent.
American Express Platinum Charge - 80,000 Membership Rewards points
American Express are offering 80,000 bonus Membership Rewards points with the American Express Platinum Charge. A great card for those who want to earn Membership Rewards points on everyday spend with lots of additional benefits. Read the Point Hacks guide for the full rundown.
- 80,000 Membership Rewards points signup bonus
- $300 travel credit annually
- Unlimited access to certain airline lounges - including Virgin Australia Domestic, Delta and American Express lounges globally
- Access to American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts perks & discounts
- 3 Membership Rewards points earned per $ spent at restaurants, 2 points earned per $ on travel spend, and 1 point per $ everywhere else except for utilities and the ATO
- $1200 p.a. annual fee
- Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18 month period are ineligible for this offer. Previous and existing bank-issued American Express companion cardholders are eligible for this offer.
- Spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of approval to trigger bonus points
- Charge card, not credit card - balance requires payment in full each month but with no pre-set spending limit - more about this
Read the Amex Platinum Charge guide →
Point Hacks receive a maximum of $300 per applicant for this card. More about this →
The American Express Platinum Charge Card earns the equivalent of at least 1 KrisFlyer Miles per dollar for most transactions, with 3 Miles per $ on restaurant and dining spend, and 2 Miles per $ on travel and overseas spend – those bonuses are available up to 300,000 points per year.
Utilities & government bodies earn at 0.5 Miles per $ spent.
American Express Platinum Edge - $200 Travel Credit
American Express are offering a $200 travel credit each year for new cardholders of the Platinum Edge. Includes travel insurance, earns 3 points per $ at supermarkets, and 2 points per $ on fuel.
- $200 travel credit each year which can be used for flight, hotel or rental car bookings with Amex Travel
- Travel and purchase protection insurances (PDS)
- 3 Membership Rewards points earned per $ spent at supermarkets, 2 points earned per $ on fuel, and 1 point per $ everywhere else except for utilities and the ATO
- 0% p.a. on balance transfers for the first 12 months, with a 1% establishment fee - maximum balance transfer is $10,000 or 70% of your approved credit limit, whichever is less
- Annual fee: $195 p.a.
- Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 60 day period are ineligible for this offer. Previous and existing bank-issued American Express companion cardholders are eligible for this offer.
Read the Platinum Edge guide →
Point Hacks receive a maximum of $150 per applicant for this card. More about this →
The American Express Edge earns the equivalent of at least 1 KrisFlyer Miles per dollar for most transactions, with 3 Miles per $ on supermarket spend, and 2 Miles per $ on fuel spend – those bonuses are available up to 300,000 points per year.
Utilities & government bodies earn at 0.5 Miles per $ spent.
American Express Platinum Business Charge - 120,000 Membership Rewards points
With a 120,000 Membership Rewards bonus, the American Express Platinum Business Charge card is aimed at small and medium size businesses who want to maximise their points earn and travel benefits.
- 120,000 Membership Rewards points on approval
- 2 Membership Rewards points earned per $ spent at restaurants, airlines, accommodations and business expenses, 1 point per $ everywhere else except for utilities and the ATO
- A vast range of Small and Medium Enterprise specific benefits, insurances (PDS), rewards and travel options
- Unlimited access to Virgin Australia and American Express airline lounges globally
- $1500 p.a. annual fee
- Spend $5,000 in first 2 months of ownership to qualify for signup bonus
- Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any other Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18 month period are ineligible for this offer. Previous and existing bank-issued American Express companion cardholders are eligible for this offer.
- Offer expires: 2 July 2018
Read the Amex Business Plat Charge guide →
Point Hacks receive a maximum of $330 per applicant for this card. More about this →
The American Express Platinum Business Charge earns the equivalent of 1 Krisflyer mile per dollar on general spend, 2 miles on selected business and advertising expenses, 2 miles at selected restaurants and 2 points on travel and overseas spend, capped at 375,000 p.a..
St.George Amplify Signature Visa - 90,000 Qantas points and reduced first year annual fee
St.George are offering 90,000 bonus Qantas or Amplify Points plus a reduced first year annual fee with the Amplify Signature Visa exclusively for Point Hacks readers. Includes two complimentary airport lounge passes per year and you can also receive a 10% bonus reward of the points you earned for the previous year on your birthday.
- 90,000 bonus Qantas or Amplify points
- Reduced first year annual fee, save $100
- 2 x Qantas Club or Priority Pass invitations per cardholder year
- 0.75 Qantas Points or 1.5 Amplify Points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases
- Overseas Travel Insurance, Extended Warranty Insurance and Price Guarantee (PDS)
- Access to Visa Luxury Hotels program
- Annual fee: $179 for the first year, $279 p.a. ongoing
- $4,000 minimum spend required the first 90 days to trigger the bonus points
- Offer not available to existing St.George/BankSA/Bank of Melbourne customers who hold an Amplify Platinum or Signature card, or those who have held one within the last 12 months
- Offer ends: 31 July 2018
Read the St.George Amplify Signature guide →
Point Hacks receive a range of commissions per applicant for this card. More about this →
The St. George Amplify Visa earns the equivalent of 0.75 KrisFlyer Miles per dollar with no points cap, along with a 10% points bonus of all points earned in the previous year on your birthday.
Citi Prestige Visa - 150,000 Citi Rewards points (75,000 Velocity points / 60,000 Krisflyer miles if transferred)
150,000 Citi Rewards Points are on offer with the Citi Prestige Visa when signing up and linking to Citi Rewards. Comes with a vast range of perks including unlimited lounge access, free hotel night, and airport limo transfers.
- 150,000 bonus Citi Rewards points
- Ability to transfer points to Velocity, Krisflyer, Asia Miles or other international frequent flyer programs
- Priority Pass lounge access, Visa Luxury Hotels service, and other premium benefits
- 3 Citi Rewards points earned per $1 on select purchases and bookings from a range of major restaurants, major hotel chains and flights directly booked with major airlines and international spend
- 2 Citi Rewards points earned per $ for selected purchases made at major petrol outlets, major supermarkets and major national retailers
- 1 Citi Rewards point earned per $ spent everywhere else on eligible spend
- Complimentary bottle of wine when you dine with partner restaurants
- Annual fee: $700 p.a.
- Spend a minimum of $3,000 in the first 90 days from card approval to receive bonus
- $150,000 p.a. minimum income requirement
- Offer expires: 30 June 2018
Read the Citi Prestige Visa guide →
Point Hacks receive a maximum of $280 per applicant for this card. More about this →
The Citi Prestige Visa earns the equivalent of 1 KrisFlyer Mile per dollar with no points cap, and 2.5 KrisFlyer Miles per $ on all overseas spend until 15th June 2017.
Many other cards with lower annual fees are also linked to KrisFlyer, but with lower points earn rates too. Check out the cards table for the list.
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Keith Mason
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Do you know of any Krisflyer linked cards that provide SG lounge passes similar to the Qantas Westpac Card? Looking to gain extra Krisflyer points and also obtain lounge access in Singapore lounges.
I’m not aware of any KrisFlyer-linked cards in Australia providing Singapore Airlines lounge access, so I would suggest getting a card with Priority Pass lounge membership as a perk and using that to visit one of the many lounges at Changi Airport.
With the The American Express Business Accelerator you need an ABN to apply.
As long as you keep transferring points to your Krisflyer before reaching the 100,000 limit you can consider this card also uncapped.
You do need an ABN, yes.
However the points are bonused on earning them, not on transferring them. You can see this on your points activity statement – you’ll see double, up until the point at which you earn 100,000. After that they earn at 1 point per dollar. The transfer rate to KrisFlyer doesn’t change though, so the card does have a cap for the 2 points per $ earn rate – but you do keep earning after the cap (points don’t drop down to 0).
The Westpac Altitude Black Amex only offers 1.2 Krisflyer points per $ now I think, can you verify. Will we be better off transferring our Citi Prestige points to Velocity after June 15th when they offer the 15% bonus as that will work out to around .852 points per dollar for Krisflyer.
Thanks Keith and understand. However you still need to add the double overseas rate for the St George/BankSA card.
The list is wrong both for the Citi Signature (no longer earns overseas bonus) and for the St George/BankSA card (does earn an overseas bonus) and also earns an exta 10% for your birthday so if you are keeping the card long term it makes it one of the highest earning non Amex cards.
Thanks – Citi Signature corrected.
I didn’t factor in the St. George birthday bonus into the earn rate – people should if they intend to keep the card year on year, but firstly if you don’t keep the card until that point then the earn rate is 0.75, and secondly, just like most of the cards on the list – they could devalue their earn rates or take away that feature at any time, so I chose not to factor it in given it’s a long-term benefit.
2 other cards that may be worth mentioning if you have no need of the free flight (Edge) or travel credit (Explorer) would be the DJs Amex cards.
The DJs Amex would give:
1.5 miles at supermarkets and fuel
1 mile at DJs
0.5 miles on everything else
The Platinum DJs Amex would give:
1.5 miles at supermarkets and fuel
2 miles at DJs
0.5 miles on everything else
Unless you shop a lot at DJs the regular card looks like a good deal for supermarkets and fuel (especially for only a $99 annual fee).