Author: Shane

UOB raises fee to 2.1% for PRVI Pay

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If you are into accumulating miles through your credit card spending in Singapore, chances are you will hold the UOB PRVI MasterCard (or Visa, or it’s more affluent counterpart – Amex). While the earn rate is now somewhat on the average side with newer entrants such as the BOC Elite Miles card, one of the most powerful function of this card is the ability to buy miles on demand through PRVI Pay. What is PRVI Pay? Launched in 2017, PRVI Pay is essentially a cash advance facility offered by UOB with a 2% fee for a one-time drawdown (which means you need to pay back at the end of your billing cycle), or a 2.2% fee if you want to break the about into a 3-month instalment. As with any other unsecured loan, you do not actually need to show that you actually need the money and it is credited into your bank account directly. The cash advance also earns you an effective rate of 1 mile per dollar drawn through PRVI Pay, awarded in …

Krisflyer Spontaneous Escapes: up to 50% off miles required for your March trips

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So after running it intermittently last year, Singapore Airlines have officially launched the Spontaneous Escapes as a regular feature. What is KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes? Singapore Airlines releases a list of discounted KrisFlyer redemption Saver awards, in both Economy and Business, to select destinations every month, at 30% off the usual redemption rates. The deals are usually available for a very short time, and travel is also limited to the following month, making this perfect if you have unused leave or you are in need of a spontaneous holiday. Offer destinations for February 2019 For the launch, they have offered a very generous 50% off the usual economy class redemption rates, and business cabins at economy rates. Some interesting destinations and redemption rates include: Shanghai, Beijing: 10,000 miles each way for Economy, 20,000 miles each way for Business Auckland: 28,000 miles each way for Business Rome, Zurich, London: 19,000 miles each way for Economy If you are looking at the non-stop flights to US, Los Angeles is also on offer – you can redeem for a Premium Economy seat at Economy rate …

Qantas reveals more details of its Singapore First Lounge

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The Qantas First Lounge in Singapore will use a neutral colour palette, luxurious materials and leafy green highlights as it offers the airline’s top customers with a restaurant-style a la carte dining experience, a cocktail bar and showers. Following the announcement of a new Qantas First Lounge in Singapore last year, Qantas has released more details and images on what travellers can expect from the luxe lounge when it opens later this year at Changi Airport Terminal 1. Qantas is working with David Caon in collaboration with Akin Atelier, to build a First Lounge for 240 customers, offering a luxurious design and premium dining inspired by Singapore’s vibrant culture. David Caon has also worked with Qantas most recently in the redesign of the crockery and cutlery used on its flights. The Qantas First Lounge in Singapore is expected to open in ‘late 2019’, with no definitive date set at the moment.

A deeper look into UK airport fees: why does this matter?

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If you are a frequent traveller to UK, you will notice that airfares are always inherently expensive when you fly out of airports within the UK. UK airports have infamously high airport taxes, probably one of the highest in the world. Those who have redeemed miles on those flights before will know that there is a usually a hefty fee added on top of the miles used for the flight and you wonder why. Let us break it down. Typically, UK airports levy two fees, a UK air passenger duty (APD) levied by the UK authorities, and a passenger service charge by the airport. Both of these are included in your fare at the time of booking. UK air passenger duty This is relatively straightforward and also the one that is insane. There are essentially three rates – reduced, standard and higher – applied across two distance bands. Reduced rates apply to the lowest class of travel on the plane with seat pitch (distance between your seat back and the seat in front of you) …

Marriott Rewards to be rebranded; hotel category changes in 2019

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While Marriott and SPG’s loyalty programmes merger that took place last year August was probably one of the biggest event in the industry in 2018, there are still more changes coming. Marriott Rewards to be rebranded Marriott Bonvoy This has been widely reported in many loyalty and hotel news sites, and the new brand will take effect from 13 February 2019. The three programmes that preceded this – Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest – will be abandoned after the new brand kicks in. The other change that comes with the new brand is that the Platinum Premier tier, and the Platinum Premier with Ambassador Tier will be rebranded as Titanium and Ambassador respectively. The unified tier charts of Marriott Rewards came under fire when it was unveiled last year for having three platinum tiers. Marriott hotel category changes; new category 8 kicks in March 2019 Another major change coming is the introduction of category 8 award pricing, a new tier above the current 7-tier chart that Marriott Rewards have. The means that …