AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend offering S$100 eCapitaVoucher and 45,000 miles sign-up bonus

The first half of the welcome bonus (20,000 bonus miles for new-to-AMEX, 10,000 bonus miles for existing) will be credited 12 weeks after meeting the minimum spend.

The second half of the welcome bonus (20,000 bonus miles for new-to-AMEX, 10,000 bonus miles for existing) will be credited 12 weeks after spending at least S$1 in the 15th month of card membership.

All questions about fulfilment should be directed to American Express.

What counts as qualifying spending?

Applicants must spend at least S$5,000 within the first 180 days of approval. 

American Express provides a list of excluded spending categories here, but the key ones to take note of are:

• Bus/MRT rides
• Donations
• Education
• GrabPay top-ups
• Insurance
• Public hospitals and polyclinics
• SPC transactions
• Utilities

CardUp and private hospitals, as well as anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend. Do note there are certain restrictions on AMEX payments with CardUp, as summarised in the article below. 

Explained: American Express restrictions on CardUp payments

All spending on supplementary cards will pool with principal cards when determining whether the minimum spend has been met.

Is it worth it?

Here’s what you get for paying the S$397.85 annual fee, in the first year of membership (remember, part of the bonus miles are deferred until the second year).

New-to-AMEX and existing AMEX customers should get S$675 and S$525 of value respectively, though it really boils down to how much you value the free night and miles.

The key restriction is that American Express has tightened its new-to-AMEX criteria such that holding any principal or supplementary AMEX card in the past 24 months (previously: 12 months) will render you ineligible.

Also, since the bonus is split into two tranches, you will have to pay the second year’s S$397.85 annual fee if you want to get an additional 20,000 (new) or 10,000 (existing) miles. 

Terms & Conditions

Overview: AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend
Apply
Income Req.	N/A*	Points Validity	3 years
Annual Fee	S$397.85	Min. Transfer	N/A
FCY Fee	3.25%	Transfer Fee	None
Local Earn	1.2 mpd	Points Pool?	N/A
FCY Earn	1.2 mpd	Lounge Access?	No
Special Earn	2 mpd on SIA, Scoot, KrisShop, Pelago, Grab	Airport Limo?	No
*AMEX no longer publishes income requirements for the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend. The last published income requirement was S$50,000 p.a.
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend is the more premium counterpart to the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, and carries an annual fee of S$397.85.

Cardholders earn 1.2 mpd on local and overseas spend, as well as 2 mpd on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop and Pelago. Frankly speaking, these are far from the best earn rates on the market, and can easily be beaten by other alternatives.

Key card benefits include: 

• One-night stay at participating Hilton Hotels across Asia Pacific
• Hilton Silver status (which allows you to enjoy the 5th night free on award redemptions— valuable if you’re buying Hilton points)
• A Foreign Spend Miles Redemption Voucher worth 18,000 miles for spending S$10,000 between 1 November and 31 October of the following year
• A Renewal Miles Redemption Voucher worth 10,000 miles for paying the second and subsequent years’ annual fees 

From now until 16 December 2026, AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders who spend at least S$15,000 on their card — with a minimum of S$5,000 on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop and Pelago — will be fast-tracked to KrisFlyer Elite Gold, bypassing the usual qualifying requirements.

Don’t forget to check out my full review of the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend below. 

Review: AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

Conclusion

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

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The latest AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend welcome offer is significantly better value than before, with the minimum spend reduced to S$5,000 and an extra S$100 eCapitaVoucher added to the mix.

However, half the bonus miles are still deferred until the following year, and this isn’t the sort of card you should be spending on outside of the welcome offer. If you’re looking for a cobrand card with good earn rates, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card does a much better job — though it doesn’t have any welcome offer to speak of.