Singapore Airlines IAP Rates (Platinum Card) Made Online Not Earning 5X MR Points - Rectified!
[Update (27 May 2019): American Express has confirmed that Singapore Airlines IAP rates booked online will qualify for 5X Membership Rewards points - partial payment of points and cash will not.]
Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express can now access International Airline Partners (IAP) Rates for Singapore Airlines (you can save over 25% off Business Class tickets with these rates which is incredible!). Other participating airlines in the IAP program include Qatar Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad and Japan Airlines.
Photo Credit: American Express
According to previous communication with the Platinum travel desk of American Express, Platinum Members would 'still be eligible to earn 5X Membership Rewards Points if purchasing the air ticket (based on Singapore Airlines' IAP fare) through the online travel portal'. However, when I made a transaction for a Singapore Airlines flight in Business Class recently, the transactions were only awarded 2x Membership Rewards points.
Photo Credit: Singapore Airlines
One of the perks of The Platinum Card from American Express is the ability to earn 5X MR Points on transactions made with the Singapore Airlines group - this roughly equates to 1.95 miles per dollar which is not great but if you can double-dip with the amazing IAP rates, it is a fantastic deal! If you are looking for an American Express credit card that gives you more miles on such expenses, the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card gives you 2 KrisFlyer miles per dollar and signing-up using my unique referral link with give you an additional 7,500 KrisFlyer miles after spending just S$50 within the first 3 months.
The photo above shows how a typical transaction made with the Singapore Airlines group would post - the 5X MR points post automatically as ‘Double Points’ and ‘Local Airline Bonus’.
When I made the booking for an IAP rate on the American Express Travel Portal however, I noticed that only the ‘Double Points’ component posted and the ‘Local Airline Bonus’ did not. To be very honest, I was a little skeptical that the posting would be automatic since it was only until very recently that the ability to book IAP rates online was launched. I have since then contacted the American Express team who informed me that they will check the terms and conditions to give me a definite answer on whether these transactions would post 5X MR points moving forward.
Approximately 2 days later, I noticed that American Express has adjusted my points balance and have awarded me with the remaining 3X MR points for both Singapore Airlines transactions made online. I am currently waiting for a callback from American Express to let me know whether this adjustment was made out of goodwill (because it was incorrectly communicated to me) or was this a system oversight (meaning Platinum Members would continue to earn 5X MR points for SQ flights booked via the travel portal) - I will certainly update this article once again once I have definite confirmation from the team.
American Express has finally revealed information on The Platinum Card’s new statement credit offers which replaced the previous S$800 travel credits.