I have been planning to visit Cambodia with a friend this coming March.
At first we were hoping to book the Malaysian Airlines Business Class, buy one get one deal from Maybank credit card. But it got sold out pretty quickly.
Our next option is to is utilize other sources such as credit card points, frequent flyer miles or cash.
Fortunately, I have enough credit card rewards that can be converted into airlines miles but before I convert them, I had to explore my flight options.
I researched all possible airlines that serves flights to Cambodia on the day I want to go. There are various options from a low cost carrier like AirAsia to a more premium one such as Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines.
BACA JUGA : Beli Susu dapat Susu dengan Poin 123 Ibu & Balita
BACA JUGA : Kelebihan Kelas Premium Ekonomi Singapore Airlines
A one-way trip, 5- hour flight to Siem Reap with Singapore Airlines cost about IDR 8 million, which is very pricey for such a short flight. To put this number into perspective, a one-way flight of over 20-hour journey from Jakarta to Chicago cost about IDR 14 million.
Since I still have 14,000 American Express rewards points that is transferable to Singapore Airlines Krisflyer with 1:1 ratio.
I’ve checked that Jakarta to Siem Reap (one-way) using miles would require 12,500 Krisflyer miles.
So I transferred:
- 12,500 American Express Rewards Points = 12,500 Krisflyer Miles
It took about 2 working days until the miles reached my Krisflyer account. Would have been more convenient if it was real-time.
After the conversion, everything else is just a breeze as I booked my award seat from the Singapore Airlines website.
Logged into my Krisflyer account. Then I choose redeem flight. Put in all the details and then voila, open award seats on all the flights that day.
After choosing my preferred flight, the taxes came close to IDR 250,000.
After finalizing payment, the e-ticket was sent directly into my email. And I am good to go.
In my opinion, the redemption process is very pleasant, everything was very easy and straightforward.
I didn’t have to call customer service in the process.
A few final notes, before I end everything
- Redeeming is easier from the website than the mobile application. At first, I tried to book using the mobile app, but somehow it won’t let me redeem. It kept crashing and I gave up, so I decided to go to the website.
- Use the mobile app to manage your booking and KrisFlyer account. I think this is the most efficient way to utilize the app so you won’t lose your booking details and membership number.
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