How we redeemed Singapore Airlines First Class flights using KrisFlyer miles only

For the longest time, my husband and I travelled in a way that will probably sound very familiar to most Singaporeans — we picked the cheapest flights, took red-eyes without thinking twice, and told ourselves the discomfort was just part of travelling.

It was fine in our early twenties. We could tolerate it, laugh it off, and recover quickly.

But somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling so manageable.

The red-eye budget flight that started everything

By 2022, I had developed a limit. Anything beyond six to eight hours in economy started to feel unbearable. 

I remember a particular trip to Jeju that really stayed with me. We took a red-eye budget flight out of Singapore, departing at midnight and landing around 7am. On paper, it sounded efficient — sleep on the flight, wake up, land, collect our rental car and off we go on our adventure. But in reality, it was one of the worst flights I’ve ever taken.

I was stuck in a cramped seat with strangers, completely exhausted but somehow unable to fall asleep, shifting around every few minutes trying to get comfortable. Nothing worked. At some point, I just sat there wondering why I had done this to myself.

And then came the return flight. Departure was at 8am, which meant getting to the airport by 6am, and waking up at 4am.

To make things worse, we hadn’t pre-ordered any meals because, in true budget traveller fashion, we thought we could withstand the journey.

Discovering credit cards that earn miles

When we got back from Jeju, I started looking into whether there was actually a better way to fly without paying full price. That was when I came across the world of miles. So I signed up for my first miles credit card through SingSaver, partly for the new-to-bank bonus and a free Dyson gift that sealed the deal.

One of my first cards was the Citi PremierMiles Card, which earns 1.2 miles per dollar (MPD) on most types of spending. It was simple enough to use. I could tap and go without thinking too much, and still feel like I was making some progress.

But after a few months, I started to realise I could be doing more. That was when I picked up my next card, the UOB Lady’s Card. It offered 4 MPD on selected categories, and I chose dining. It was a small improvement, but it made me much more conscious of how I was spending.

From there, things started to build. As we got more familiar with spending caps, bonus categories, and how different cards worked, we slowly added a few more into our arsenal.

A few of the main cards that we held at the beginning and still use today include:

• DBS Woman’s World Card: Online spending and travel bookings
• Citi Rewards Card: Online purchases
• UOB Lady’s Card (with a Solitaire upgrade): Dining and travel
• HSBC Revolution: Selected online and contactless payments, including Atome
• UOB Preferred Platinum Visa: Mobile contactless payments

We also briefly held the AMEX Platinum Charge Card for the sign-up bonus. It came with 100,000 miles when we hit $8,000 in spend, which we easily met through wedding expenses.

Even with the hefty (and compulsory) annual fee of $1,744, it made sense. It worked out to roughly 10 MPD, which you can’t get from regular spending.

Becoming intentional about every dollar spent

As we got deeper into the miles game, we became more strategic about our spending. 

We focused on consolidating our expenses onto one person’s cards so we could accumulate miles more efficiently.

Our wedding also turned out to be a major turning point. As we were spending about $50,000, all the vendors we worked with, including the venue, photographer, videographer, and outfit rentals, had to accept card payments. If they didn’t, no further discussion was needed. 

In the beginning, we made a lot of mistakes. 

We had to remember the terms and conditions of each card, as certain transactions might not earn us the miles we expected. 

Early on, I remembered tapping the physical HSBC Revo card for a $400 transaction, thinking that I had earned my 1,600 miles. Then I realised, miles could only be earned through contactless payment, which meant I had to use Apple Pay. 

After that incident, we’d take extra precautions and would verify the terms and conditions before making big-ticket purchases.

The goal that kept us going

From the start, we had one clear goal in mind: to redeem Singapore Airlines First Class tickets for our honeymoon.

We began our miles journey in 2022, and by around mid-2025, we had finally accumulated enough miles to go for it. 

We redeemed two First Class tickets from Singapore to Los Angeles with a layover in Tokyo, and two Business Class tickets for the return. It cost us about 200,000+ miles per person for the First Class leg, and around 120,000+ miles per person for the Business Class flight back, plus roughly $100 to $200 each in taxes and surcharges. 

For something that had started with one miserable red-eye and a lot of trial and error, seeing those tickets confirmed felt unbelievable.

The experience started long before we stepped onto the plane — 24 hours to be exact. 

The moment we pulled up at Changi Airport’s First Class Check‑in Reception, there was already a whole line of staff standing outside, waiting to welcome passengers.

After check‑in, we made our way to The Private Room, Singapore Airlines’ most exclusive First Class lounge. I’d seen it so many times in screenshots, blog posts and TikToks from other mile chasers, but actually walking through the doors felt super unreal. 

Because First Class passengers can access the lounge up to 24 hours before their flight, we took full advantage. Which basically meant one thing: non‑stop eating.

For once, there was no feeling of having to rush. We just sat there, had multiple meals, talked, and enjoyed the moment.

Our experience on Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ER First Class

There were little moments that really drove home how different this was from all my budget flights over the years, such as starting the morning with caviar service. Or having the crew fuss over tiny details I would never have even thought about in economy. 

As someone who fully identifies as low SES and sua ku, I was completely out of my depth. At one point, I even had to ask the stewardess how to eat the caviar because I honestly didn’t know what I was doing.

But beyond all the luxurious food and champagne, the real highlight was this: for the first time in my life, I slept properly on a plane.

I changed into the Lalique pyjamas, stretched out fully flat, pulled the blanket over myself and actually knocked out. No neck ache, no weird half‑sleep, no constantly adjusting my position because the person in front reclined all the way back.

The flight was so enjoyable, and time flew by so fast. In the blink of an eye, we had reached Tokyo.

Was the whole experience worth it?

If we’d paid cash, a one-way First Class ticket would have been around $15,000 per person, which is way beyond what we’d ever spend on a flight. I’m quite sure we wouldn’t have come anywhere near $15,000 in cashback in three years on our normal spending either. For our income and lifestyle, miles simply stretched our dollars much further.

While cashback is a lot more straightforward, we love travelling and were willing to put in the effort to optimise our spending to earn the miles. 

We still fly economy for short trips around Asia. It’s manageable, and we don’t feel the need to “upgrade” every single flight.

But for long‑haul flights, this whole experience shifted something in us. It showed us that travel doesn’t always have to feel like something you suffer through first, just to enjoy the destination later.