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Singapore Airlines is one of the most aspirational airlines you can book with miles, thanks to its excellent business class, first class, and famous Suites products. The challenge is that premium-cabin award space can be difficult to find — especially at the lowest Saver award rates.
That’s where Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer’s waitlist feature comes in. Instead of simply showing “no availability” when a Saver or Advantage award isn’t currently confirmable, KrisFlyer may let you waitlist the award and potentially confirm it later if space opens up.
This can be a useful tool if you’re hoping to book a high-value Singapore Airlines award — but it’s not something to rely on without a backup plan. Waitlisted awards don’t always clear, and you’ll need enough KrisFlyer miles in your account before joining the waitlist.
Here’s how the Singapore KrisFlyer award waitlist works, when it might be worth using, and what to know before transferring points or counting on a waitlisted award to clear.
How To Waitlist a Singapore KrisFlyer Award Ticket
To waitlist an award ticket, there isn't anything different you need to do when searching. Just log in as usual and search for your desired date and route.
Let's use a business-class flight from New York to Singapore as an example:
In our example, KrisFlyer's cheapest Saver awards cost 117,000 miles, which can be a great redemption considering the long trip. However, it's currently only available as a waitlist option, meaning I won't get a confirmed booking until the waitlist clears.
If I choose to waitlist the Saver award, I simply click through the next page, just as I would for a regular award booking.
Unlike a confirmed booking, I won't need to put down any credit card info or make seat and baggage selections at this stage.
Singapore Airlines will then send a confirmation of the waitlist.
Related: How To Book a Free Stopover Using Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles
Important KrisFlyer waitlist basics
Singapore Airlines will email when your waitlist clears. You'll learn the outcome no later than 14 days before departure and then choose whether to confirm the booking. Singapore will give you a deadline for when to confirm your ticket; if you don't book it by then, you will lose that award.
Here are several other things to note:
- Award waitlists are available for flights at least three weeks before departure.
- You need enough KrisFlyer miles for the flight you intend to waitlist.
- You can waitlist multiple award flights, and you only need enough miles for the most expensive award ticket.
- Waitlists are available for Saver and Advantage awards. Access awards are not eligible for waitlists.
- You can only waitlist a Singapore Airlines award flight. Partner airline awards are not eligible.
- You can cancel a waitlisted award flight at any time.
Related: How To Maximize Singapore KrisFlyer Miles: Award Charts and Best Sweet Spots
What Are the Chances of a Waitlisted KrisFlyer Award Clearing?
Being able to waitlist a Singapore KrisFlyer's award ticket is a nice feature, but it's not necessarily something you should get your hopes up for. Essentially, in the event that Singapore Airlines releases more award space for the specific award fare you waitlisted for, or if another passenger cancels their booking, you would have a head start at getting the new award space.
You would likely have a better chance of a waitlist clearing if you book far in advance, or if you're looking to snag an economy or premium economy award instead of a seat up front. Still, it's best to keep your expectations low.
It's a good idea to have a backup plan or to think of alternatives. In our above example from New York to Singapore, I may opt to burn some extra points and snag the Advantage award for 165,000 KrisFlyer miles instead of waitlisting for the Saver award.
Luckily, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer partners with all major transferable points currencies, so racking up additional miles can come quite easily. Below is a look at KrisFlyer's transfer partners:
Remember that transferring points to your KrisFlyer account cannot be undone, meaning you may be left with additional KrisFlyer miles if your waitlist does not clear. Again, it's a good idea to have an alternate plan when considering the waitlist.
To top off your KrisFlyer account balance, you may want to consider the following credit cards and their welcome offers:
$325Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on cruises booked and paid through amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
$395
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
$795Rates & Fees
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
Bottom Line
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer has a unique feature of waitlisting award flights. This may give you a second chance at snagging a high-value award ticket, especially with the airline's lucrative First and Suites class seats. However, there’s no guarantee that a waitlist will clear, so it’s best to have a backup plan rather than counting on additional award space opening up.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
