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American Express raises foreign currency transaction fees to 2.95%, adds GrabPay wallet top-ups, SPC to list of exclusions

Published by Shane

Now it’s even harder to earn miles for GrabPay wallet top-ups

Amex hasn’t really been the most popular card to hold for miles chasers given its relatively lower earn rates. Having said that, it has a particular niche following for very specific reasons, such as its (in)famous $1712-per-year Amex Platinum Card for the insane perks.

They also once had a solid dining programme, offering up to 50% discounts at a good range of restaurants for customers holding certain cards.

The card issuer is also a pretty generous one when it comes to rewards. While many banks curate a fairly extensive list of exclusions on spending that will earn points or miles, Amex has been relatively lax in that aspect.

So I guess as with all good things, they must come to an end.

Foreign currency transaction fee revised to 2.95% from 1 March 2020

Amex will be revising its foreign currency transaction fee upwards to 2.95% from 1 March 2020, up from the current 2.5%.

At 2.5%, Amex also has the lowest foreign currency conversion fee in town for the longest time, especially when we see practically all the local banks raising their conversion fee to as high as 3.25% in 2019.

At the revised rate of 2.95%, it is actually rather low – only Maybank and HSBC comes in lower.

Bank	Visa / Mastercard	Amex
SCB	3.5%	N.A.
Citibank	3.25%	3.3%
DBS	3.25%	3.0%
OCBC	3.25%	N.A.
UOB	3.1% to 3.25%	3.25%
CIMB	3.0%	N.A.
Bank of China	3.0%	N.A.
Amex	N.A.	2.95% (from 1 Mar 20)
HSBC	2.8%	N.A.
Maybank	2.75%	N.A.

To be fair, it’s a matter of time given that Amex has not raised this fee since 2013.

Despite that, this upward revision just makes it less likely for me to use the Amex card, given that their miles earn rates are rather dismal to begin with.

New exclusion categories for earning points

From 1 March 2020, Amex will also stop award points for the following spend:

Bill payments and all transactions made through SingPost SAM kiosks and mobile app
Payments to insurance companies (except payments made for insurance products purchased through American Express authorized channels)
Payments to SPC petrol stations
GrabPay wallet top-ups

Of the above, the one that will hit most cardholders is probably the SPC petrol station spend, as well as GrabPay wallets.

For the longest time, Amex has held out on excluding GrabPay wallet top-ups, and even gone on to give bonus points for GrabPay wallet top-ups (as high as 3.2 miles per dollar spend), although this is capped at $200 per month.

This new exclusion will definitely be a sad one, so I can imagine most people turning to Citi Rewards Visa for bonus points or UOB One card for cashback.

Final thoughts

This latest development is definitely not a good one but most cardholders, but one that is definitely on the cards. I just hope this is the end of it (for at least a long while), and Amex doesn’t go on to broaden its exclusion clauses even further.

Having said that, for the American Express Singapore Airlines-branded cardholders, this card still provide good value for low value spend, given that points are earned on the dollar (as opposed to S$5 blocks at UOB), and transfers to Krisflyer is free and done automatically.

51% off miles required: Krisflyer Spontaneous Escapes February 2020

Published by Shane

Enjoy a 30% + 21% off mileage on select routes for travel in February 2020

If you have gotten used to looking out for the monthly offer featuring the usual 30% off mileage redemption on Singapore Airlines, SIA has pleasantly surprised members this month with an additional 21% off the discounted mileage on selected routes to celebrate its 21st birthday.

Highlights

51% is the best deal ever… so everything is good. Given that this will probably be as low as it goes this month, you should not be redeeming them for economy, but take this time to try the premium economy or business class products.

Japan and Korea are both on sale this month in both directions, given that traffic during winter months are typically low. Taipei has never been on offer before, but it’s only available in economy class.

Europe offers a vast range of options, a lot more generous that in previous months. You get a choice of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dusseldorf, Milan, Paris and Rome, all of which are pretty attractive destinations.

Full list of destinations and details below:

Singapore Airlines

Southeast Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur	3,675	SQ112, SQ116	–	9,310	SQ112, SQ116, SQ118	–
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore	3,675	SQ107	–	9,310	SQ107	–
Singapore to Jakarta	3,675	SQ950, SQ962, SQ964	–	–	–	–
Jakarta to Singapore	3,675	SQ951, SQ967	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Surabaya	3,675	SQ930, SQ932	–	9,310	SQ930, SQ932	–
Surabaya to Singapore	3,675	SQ931, SQ933	–	9,310	SQ931, SQ933	–
Singapore to Bali	3,675	SQ946, SQ948	12 – 15 February, 21 – 22 February 2020	9,310	SQ938, SQ942, SQ946, SQ948	–
Bali to Singapore	3,675	SQ939, SQ943, SQ949	–	9,310	SQ939, SQ943, SQ947, SQ949	–
Singapore to Hanoi	6,125	SQ176, SQ188	1 – 3 February 2020	–	–	–
Hanoi to Singapore	6,125	SQ175, SQ187	1 – 3 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City	6,125	SQ178, SQ184, SQ186	1 – 3 February 2020	–	–	–
Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore	6,125	SQ177, SQ183, SQ185	1 – 3 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Bangkok	6,125	SQ982, SQ976	–	10,535	SQ982, SQ978	–
Bangkok to Singapore	6,125	SQ973, SQ981	–	10,535	SQ973, SQ981	–
Singapore to Manila	6,125	SQ912, SQ916, SQ918	–	10,535	SQ912, SQ916, SQ918	–
Manila to Singapore	6,125	SQ915, SQ919, SQ921	–	10,535	SQ915, SQ919, SQ921	–
Phuket to Singapore	6,125	SQ993	–	10,535	SQ993	–

North Asia – Economy & Business

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Taipei	7,350	SQ878	1 – 3 February, 8 – 10 February 2020	–	–	–
Taipei to Singapore	7,350	SQ877, SQ879	1 – 3 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Guangzhou	7,350	SQ850	1 – 13 February 2020	–	–	–
Guangzhou to Singapore	7,350	SQ851	1 – 9 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Hong Kong	7,350	SQ890, SQ860, SQ856, SQ866, SQ872, SQ868	1 – 3 February 2020	14,945	SQ890, SQ860, SQ856, SQ866, SQ872, SQ868	–
Hong Kong to Singapore	7,350	SQ857, SQ891, SQ863, SQ861, SQ865, SQ871, SQ1	–	14,945	SQ857, SQ891, SQ863, SQ861, SQ865, SQ871, SQ1	–
Hong Kong to San Francisco	16,170	SQ2	–	43,610	SQ2	–
San Francisco to Hong Kong	16,170	SQ1	–	43,610	SQ1	–
Singapore to Beijing	9,800	SQ800, SQ802, SQ806	1 – 16 February 2020	19,110	SQ800, SQ802, SQ806	1 – 17 February 2020
Beijing to Singapore	9,800	SQ805, SQ807	1 – 10 February 2020	19,110	SQ805, SQ807	1 – 9 February 2020
Singapore to Shanghai	9,800	SQ826, SQ828, SQ830	1 – 14 February 2020	19,110	SQ826, SQ828, SQ830	1 – 13 February 2020
Shanghai to Singapore	9,800	SQ825, SQ827, SQ831, SQ833	1 – 6 February 2020	19,110	SQ825, SQ827, SQ831, SQ833	1 – 6 February 2020
Singapore to Busan	–	–	–	23,030	SQ616	–
Busan to Singapore	12,250	SQ615	–	23,030	SQ615	–
Singapore to Seoul	12,250	SQ600, SQ602, SQ612	–	23,030	SQ602, SQ608, SQ612	–
Seoul to Singapore	12,250	SQ609, SQ603, SQ611	–	23,030	SQ603, SQ607, SQ611	–
Singapore to Fukuoka	12,250	SQ656	6 – 11 February, 20 – 29 February 2020	23,030	SQ656	–
Fukuoka to Singapore	–	–	–	23,030	SQ655	–
Singapore to Tokyo	–	–	–	23,030	SQ630, SQ634, SQ638	–
Tokyo to Singapore	–	–	–	23,030	SQ639, SQ637, SQ11	–
Singapore to Nagoya	12,250	SQ672	7 – 11 February, 21- 29 February 2020	23,030	SQ672	–
Nagoya to Singapore	12,250	SQ671	2 – 9 February, 13- 24 February 2020	23,030	SQ671	–
Singapore to Osaka	12,250	SQ618, SQ620, SQ622	21 – 25 February 2020	23,030	SQ620, SQ622	–
Osaka to Singapore	12,250	SQ621	1 – 2 February, 21 – 22 February 2020	23,030	SQ619, SQ621, SQ623	1 – 2 February 2020

North Asia – Premium Economy

Sector	Mileage required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Beijing	15,680	SQ802, SQ806	1 – 15 February 2020
Beijing to Singapore	15,680	SQ801, SQ807	1 – 3 February 2020
Singapore to Shanghai	15,680	SQ828, SQ830, SQ836	1 – 9 February 2020
Shanghai to Singapore	15,680	SQ825, SQ831, SQ833	1 – 2 February 2020
Singapore to Tokyo	16,905	SQ12, SQ632, SQ634, SQ636, SQ638	–
Singapore to Hong Kong	12,005	SQ860, SQ856, SQ866, SQ2	1 – 3 February 2020
Hong Kong to Singapore	12,005	SQ863, SQ861, SQ865, SQ1	–

South Asia – Economy & Business

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Ahmedabad	9,065	SQ530	1 – 7 February 2020	19,110	SQ530	–
Singapore to Kolkata	9,065	SQ516	–	19,110	SQ516	–
Singapore to Bangalore	9,065	SQ502, SQ504	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Dhaka	–	–	–	19,110	SQ446, SQ448	–
Dhaka to Singapore	–	–	–	19,110	SQ447, SQ449	–
Singapore to Malé	9,065	SQ452	–	19,110	SQ452	1 – 8 February 2020
Malé to Singapore	9,065	SQ451	–	–	–	–

South Asia – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Delhi	15,680	SQ406	–
Singapore to Mumbai	15,680	SQ422, SQ424	–

Southwest Pacific (Australia only for this month)

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Adelaide	–	–	–	30,380	SQ279	–
Adelaide to Singapore	13,720	SQ278	–	30,380	SQ278	–
Singapore to Brisbane	13,720	SQ255	1 – 16 February 2020	30,380	SQ245, SQ255, SQ265	–
Brisbane to Singapore	13,720	SQ236, SQ246, SQ266	–	30,380	SQ236, SQ256, SQ266	–

Southwest Pacific – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period
Brisbane to Singapore	23,030	SQ246	–
Singapore to Melbourne	23,030	SQ227, SQ237	–
Melbourne to Singapore	23,030	SQ208, SQ218, SQ228, SQ238	–
Singapore to Sydney	23,030	SQ231	1 – 4 February 2020
Sydney to Singapore	23,030	SQ212, SQ222, SQ232, SQ288	–

Middle East & Africa – Economy & Business

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Dubai	12,250	SQ494	–	24,010	SQ494	–
Dubai to Singapore	12,250	SQ495	–	24,010	SQ495	–
Singapore to Johannesburg	12,250	SQ482	–	24,010	SQ482	–
Johannesburg to Singapore	12,250	SQ481	–	24,010	SQ481	–

Middle East & Africa – Premium Economy

FROM	MILES REQUIRED FOR PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS	FLIGHT NO.	BLACKOUT PERIOD
Singapore to Dubai	18,130	SQ494	–
Dubai to Singapore	18,130	SQ495	–
Singapore to Istanbul	18,130	SQ392	–
Istanbul to Singapore	18,130	SQ391	–
Singapore to Johannesburg	18,130	SQ482	–
Johannesburg to Singapore	18,130	SQ481	–

Europe – Economy & Business

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Amsterdam	18,620	SQ324	21 – 29 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Barcelona	18,620	SQ388	21 – 29 February 2020	45,080	SQ338	–
Barcelona to Singapore	18,620	SQ377	1 – 9 February 2020	45,080	SQ377	–
Singapore to Düsseldorf	–	–	–	45,080	SQ338	–
Düsseldorf to Singapore	–	–	–	45,080	SQ337	–
Singapore to London	18,620	SQ308, SQ318	–	–	–	–
London to Singapore	18,620	SQ317	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Milan	18,620	SQ356	1 – 8 January 2020	45,080	SQ356	–
Milan to Singapore	18,620	SQ377	1 – 9 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Rome	18,620	SQ366	26, 29 February 2020	45,080	SQ366	–
Rome to Singapore	–	–	–	45,080	SQ365	–
Singapore to Paris	18,620	SQ334	1 – 3 February, 18 – 29 February 2020	45,080	SQ334	1, 8, 15, 22, 29 February 2020
Singapore to Frankfurt	18,620	SQ326	–	45,080	SQ326	–
Frankfurt to New York	11,025	SQ26	–	–	–	–
New York to Frankfurt	11,025	SQ25	–	–	–	–
Manchester to Houston	11,025	SQ52	–	–	–	–
Houston to Manchester	11,025	SQ51	–	–	–	–

Europe – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Barcelona	31,605	SQ388	–
Barcelona to Singapore	31,605	SQ387	–
Singapore to Rome	31,605	SQ366	–
Rome to Singapore	31,605	SQ365	–
Singapore to Paris	31,605	SQ334, SQ336	–
Paris to Singapore	31,605	SQ333, SQ335	–
Singapore to Frankfurt	31,605	SQ326	–
Manchester to Houston	23,030	SQ52	–
Houston to Manchester	23,030	SQ51	–

Americas

Note: below excludes the HKG-SFO, MAN-HOU, FRA-JFK and vv. Refer to tables above for those sectors.

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to San Francisco	18,620	SQ2	–	46,550	SQ2	–
San Francisco to Singapore	18,620	SQ1	–	46,550	SQ1	–

Americas – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period
Frankfurt to New York	33,320	SQ36, SQ38	–
New York to Frankfurt	33,320	SQ35, SQ37	–
Singapore to Houston	35,770	SQ22	–
Houston to Singapore	35,770	SQ21	–

SilkAir

Southeast Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight NO.	BLACKOUT PERIOD	MILES REQUIRED FOR BUSINESS CLASS	FLIGHT NO.	BLACKOUT PERIOD
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur	3,675	MI320, MI326, MI328, MI330, MI340, MI342	–	9,310	MI320, MI326, MI328, MI330, MI340, MI342	–
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore	3,675	MI319, MI321, MI323, MI325, MI341	–	9,310	MI319, MI321, MI323, MI325, MI341	–
Singapore to Penang	3,675	MI346, MI348, MI350, MI352, MI354, MI356	1 February 2020	9,310	MI346, MI348, MI350, MI352, MI354, MI356	–
Penang to Singapore	3,675	MI345, MI347, MI349, MI351, MI353, MI355	1 – 3 February 2020	9,310	MI345, MI347, MI349, MI351, MI353, MI355	–
Singapore to Bandung	3,675	MI192, MI194, MI196	–	–	–	–
Bandung to Singapore	3,675	MI191, MI193, MI195	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Bali	–	–	–	9,310	MI176	–
Bali to Singapore	–	–	–	9,310	MI175	–
Singapore to Surabaya	3,675	MI224, MI226	–	–	–	–
Surabaya to Singapore	3,675	MI223, MI225	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Lombok	3,675	MI124, MI128	–	9,310	MI124, MI128	–
Lombok to Singapore	3,675	MI123, MI127	–	9,310	MI123, MI127	–
Medan to Singapore	3,675	MI237	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Davao City	–	–	–	9,310	MI562	–
Davao City to Singapore	–	–	–	9,310	MI562	–
Cebu to Singapore	6,125	MI559	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Phuket	6,125	MI756	–	10,535	MI754, MI756	–
Phuket to Singapore	6,125	MI749	–	10,535	MI749, MI753	–
Singapore to Hanoi	6,125	MI654	1 – 3 February 2020	–	–	–
Hanoi to Singapore	6,125	MI653	1 – 3 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Phnom Penh	6,125	MI602, MI606, MI608	–	10,535	MI602, MI606, MI608	–
Phnom Penh to Singapore	6,125	MI601, MI605, MI607	–	10,535	MI601, MI605, MI607	–

North Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Chengdu	7,350	MI938	1 – 15 February 2020	–	–	–
Chengdu to Singapore	7,350	MI935, MI937	1 – 5 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Chongqing	7,350	MI972, MI976, MI980	1 – 9 February 2020	–	–	–
Chongqing to Singapore	7,350	MI971, MI975, MI979	1 – 5 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Shenzhen	7,350	MI962, MI966, MI968	1 – 7 February 2020	–	–	–
Shenzhen to Singapore	7,350	MI961, MI965, MI980	1 – 5 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Xiamen	7,350	MI922	1 – 9 February 2020	–	–	–
Xiamen to Singapore	7,350	MI921	1 – 5 February 2020	–	–	–
Singapore to Hiroshima	12,250	MI868	–	23,030	MI868	–
Hiroshima to Singapore	12,250	MI867	–	23,030	MI867	–

South Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Chennai	–	–	–	19,110	MI436	–
Singapore to Kochi	9,065	MI462, MI468	–	19,110	MI462, MI468	–
Kochi to Singapore	–	–	–	19,110	MI461, MI467	–
Singapore to Kathmandu	–	–	–	19,110	MI416	–
Kathmandu to Singapore	–	–	–	19,110	MI415	–
Singapore to Malé	9,065	MI480	–	–	–	–
Malé to Singapore	9,065	MI479	–	–	–	–

Southwest Pacific

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout period	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout period
Singapore to Darwin	9,800	MI801, MI803	–	17,885	MI801, MI803	–
Darwin to Singapore	9,800	MI802, MI804	–	17,885	MI802, MI804	–
Singapore to Carins	13,720	MI811, MI813	1 – 12 February 2020	30,380	MI811, MI813	–
Carins to Singapore	13,720	MI812, MI814	–	30,380	MI812, MI814	–

LOUNGE REVIEW: Plaza Premium Lounge, Rome Fiumicino Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport, Terminal 3

Published by Shane

I had a late night flight out of Rome’s Fiumicino airport, and after spending an entire week in the city I was pretty happy to head to the airport early for a leisurely check-in, and then check out the lounges.

As I was travelling with friends, it was not possible for me to use the airline’s lounge, given that I could only guest one other person. That would have been rather anti-social (and I don’t really want to have to choose my favourite friend). So instead, we all went to the Plaza Premium lounge, since most of us had a Priority Pass card.

*Plaza Premium Rome Lounge, Terminal 3, E Gates*

Plaza Premium is a very familiar name to many seasoned travellers. With a network of over 100 lounges across 44 airports, you will be bound to find one everywhere.

A little more about the Rome Plaza Premium lounge. This is a relatively new lounge, having opened back in April 2018. With a capacity to hold over 300 people, the 100 square metres lounge is also a pay-per-use lounge that any travelling passenger can use for a fee.

In this review:
Access
Location
The space
Food & beverages
Other facilities
Final thoughts

Access

I got access to the lounge with my Priority Pass membership, which came complimentary with the Citi Prestige Mastercard. Unlike many other Singapore-issued credit cards that comes with a Priority Pass membership offering 2 to 4 complimentary visits a year, Citi Prestige’s card comes with unlimited entries for the member plus two guests.

If you don’t have Priority Pass, you can also purchase lounge access at the door at the following rates:

2 hours for EUR 40 (SGD60)
5 hours for EUR 75 (SGD112)
10 hours for EUR 120 (SGD180)

Also, the lounge offers a shower package at EUR 18 (SGD27), which can be pretty precious if you are going on a long-haul flight.

These are pretty hefty fees for lounge access, and as with many other reviews it’s really quite hard to tell how they enforce the time limits. Also, for EUR40, you can get a really decent meal at any other restaurants rather than the lounge (more on that later).

If you really want to check out the lounge and is willing to pay for it, you can also get a cheaper rate by purchasing them online on the airport’s website. You can also book it via Plaza Premium’s but it’s actually more expensive than the door rates, so please don’t.

Location

The Plaza Premium Lounge is located at Terminal 3 at the E gates, which serves the international (non-Schengen) destinations. Located on the upper floor, the lounge is next to the British Airways lounge.

To find it, simply take the first escalator you find after walking through the first Aelia duty free section. At the top of the escalator, do a u-turn and you will see it.

Note that the lounge is located quite a distance from the gates, so be sure to cater sufficient time to walk to your gate. In particular, gates E30+ to 40+ require a monorail ride, so you will need at least 15 to 20 minutes.

The space

When you first walk into the lounge after checking in, the first impression of Plaza Premium Lounge was pretty good: the lounge has a really beautiful space. Encased with a high ceiling, the lounge overlooks part of the tarmac which I presume will give it ample natural light during daytime.

The first area to greet you is a central dining area, with dining tables set up in either pairs or fours.

In case those are full, you can always seat yourself at the bar, which features ample space for dining as well.

If you prefer a more comfortable seat such as an armchair, there are plenty further in. These are perfect for groups, and each pair comes with a side table for your drink or a small plate of bites.

*Armchairs which are suitable for groups as well*

There are also suite-like armchairs at both corners of the lounge, which I think are perfect for solo travellers.

*High privacy ‘suites’ suitable for solo travellers*

For those who need to get some last minute work done, there are several options. There are the individual cubicles that provide some level of privacy if you need to work on something confidential.

Alternatively, you can also perch on the communal tables with power sockets and USB charging ports at every seat.

*Communal tables suitable for both dine and work*

While the lounge doesn’t offer nap rooms, you can always rest at some of these seats below nearer to the windows. They come with an ottoman, and I’ve seen people resting their legs on them and taking a nap. I would presume these are not great for naps during the daytime, though.

*Window-facing armchairs with ottoman, suitable for a nap*

Food & beverages

Unlike some of the other Plaza Premium lounges I’ve visited, this particular lounge only offers a self-service buffet, and no cooked-to-order options. There is a pretty big range of cold foods, including an assortment of salads and pastries.

*Other cold foods, including sweet treats*

In terms hot food, there are some pasta dishes available, meatballs, lentils and a soup. There’s also some mini-pizzas available.

I tried the meatballs and lasagne, both of them were nowhere near great. The food looked like it has been put out for a while. The meatballs were a little too hard, and the lasagne was a little cold despite being under a warmer and somewhat mushy. I certainly didn’t return for seconds.

As for drinks, Plaza Premium Lounge offers a range of self dispensed soft drinks (they serve Pepsi Co products), as well as still and sparkling water. Complimentary alcohol is limited to beer and house wines (red, white and prosecco), which can be requested at the bar.

Unfortunately spirits and better wines are only available for purchase, starting from EUR 5 for an aperol spritz, to EUR 45 and upwards for a bottle of premium wine.

Other facilities

There are a couple of shower rooms available for use in the lounge, which you can request access for at the reception desk. When I visited at 7pm, there were no lines at all for showers.

A meeting room is also available at the lounge, although this was closed up when I was there. I cannot imagine why you will want to hold a meeting at the airport lounge, but just in case you are travelling on a company trip and you need an emergency private working space, why not?

Unfortunately the lounge doesn’t offer any nap rooms or sleeping pods, so if you are looking to take a nap or use the lounge overnight for an early morning start, you are left with the recliners.

Final thoughts

Plaza Premium has really upped the game in the area of pay-per-use lounges, with more of more new lounges popping up not just in Asia, but across the world.

The lounge is beautifully furnished and is indeed a comfortable place for passengers to rest in, with one of the widest assortment of seating types for every kind of lounge user. The attention to detail when the lounge was built was also there, with power sockets available virtually everywhere.

However, what makes a perfect lounge experience is also the quality of the soft offerings.

Service standards are acceptable, but what I found lacking was in terms of the catering. While I don’t think it’s necessary to have cooked-to-order items, what I would have loved is for the lounge to have a better understanding of how some food items, particularly pasta, don’t stay very well if they are put out for too long. They would have done better offering cold foods, such as panini sandwiches that is pretty much ubiquitous in Italy. This is particularly true if customers are paying or lounge access, given that they can possibly spend their EUR 40 somewhere else and get a very decent meal.

Nonetheless, Plaza Premium Rome lounge is still a pretty solid offering for an independent lounge. I really like the space, and having a full bar is also a plus for me.

one of the vast expansion Plaza Premium has done in the last two years and the momentum is only going up. Most recently it has announced that it will invest US$100m in the coming years to enter new markets, including the US and a brand new 1260 square metres lounge in Dubai Terminal 3.

A quick review on Qatar’s new economy Quisine

Published by Shane

I was travelling to Italy over Christmas and New Year and took my flight with Qatar Airways, in economy (no less!) as I was travelling with some friends.

I thought it would be a good chance to take a look at the revamped economy class catering that Qatar Airways has shouted about in 2019 to see how it actually measures up.

The PR Spin

Qatar Airways did quite a fair bit of hype over their new and improved economy catering back in April 2019. Styled as Quisine, the PR spin has this to say:

Food portions have increased by 25 per cent – 50 per cent, with a greater focus on the use of local, fresh and healthy ingredients that are in season. Meals will also feature individually-wrapped artisanal warm infused bread and an individual bottle of water. A wider selection of mid-flight movie snacks includes a tantalising array of cheese and crackers, chocolate bar, potato crisps and popcorn, with innovative flavours such as Himalayan Salted Caramel and French Butter and Pink Salt provided by gourmet popcorn brand 4700BC.
Qatar Airways press release

This was almost reminiscent of what Qantas did back in 2015, although that squarely had the effect of reducing a tray full of food into just one single entree, which to many people took away the joy of flying (there’s hardly any joy left in economy class, honestly).

First, my flights

A bit more details about my flights. My first flight departed Singapore at 2am and scheduled to arrive at Doha at 5am Doha time. My connecting flight was three hours later, departing at 8am from Doha and arriving into Italy at about 12pm local time.

My return flight from Rome was at 10pm, arriving into Doha once again at 5am. The last leg to Singapore was scheduled to leave Doha at 8am, arriving into Singapore slightly after 9pm.

As you can see below, I became an expert in Qatar’s economy breakfast and obviously painfully sick of it after my trip.

Sector	Flight	Depart	Arrive	Flight Time	Meals
SIN-DOH	QR945	0200	0530	8h 30m	Snack, Breakfast
DOH-VCE	QR125	0810	1235	6h 25m	Breakfast, Snack
FCO-DOH	QR114	2205	0515(+1)	5m 10m	Supper
DOH-SIN	QR944	0830	2115	7h 45m	Breakfast, Snack

Let’s talk about the menu first

*Qatar Airways economy class Quisine menu card (click to open image in a new window)*

In economy class, a menu card (as opposed to a booklet like how Singapore Airlines does it) is provided to every passenger.

On the left side of the menu is a graphical representation of the service order, which in this case goes by:

Take off
Menu card distribution
Pre-meal beverage service
Main meal service
Coffee/tea service
Water/beverage service
Pre-arrival snack service
Landing

The full offering is then presented on the right hand side, first the food, followed by the beverages.

What was served on board

Departing Singapore at 2am, this means that a snack and breakfast was served on my first flight. I went on board and dozed off immediately, thereby missing my snack, so it’s straight to breakfast for me.

For the breakfast on my first flight, I was pleasantly surprised that Qatar Airways offered three options, rather than two. I went for the nasi lemak. For those unfamiliar with the dish, it’s a Southeast Asian breakfast commonly found in Singapore and Malaysia, featuring a fragrant rice cooked in coconut oil and comes with a side of curry chicken, egg and a good sambal chilli.

This was how my breakfast looked like:

*Qatar Airways economy class Quisine breakfast – Nasi Lemak* *(December 2019)*

I actually took the same flight exactly a year ago, and also had nasi lemak. This was how it looked like a year ago:

*Qatar Airways economy class breakfast – Nasi Lemak (December 2018)*

Now, not that different isn’t it? To be fair, I can’t really tell if the portion is indeed now bigger, but based on the photos nothing really have changed. I still have a yogurt, a fruit and a croissant to go with my meal. I’m not that hard up about the cupped orange juice, given that I can always ask for a glass if I really wanted juice.

Here’s another option on the same flight, a spanish omelette with ham:

*Qatar Airways economy class Quisine breakfast – Spanish omelette*

On my next flight to Venice, I opted for a regular breakfast of scrambled eggs, potato wedges and sausage. This was not particularly memorable, but sufficient for a breakfast.

*Qatar Airways economy class Quisine – Western breakfast*

I’m not going to bore you with more of my critique, but i’ll let the photos do the talking:

*Qatar Airways economy class Quisine dinner – Chicken baharat in Catalan sauce*

*Qatar Airways economy class Quisine breakfast – Plain congee with roasted cod flakes*

*This is just to show you how small the congee portion is*

*Pre-landing snack service – Fajita chicken pastry*

Where are the movie snacks?

On my return flight from Rome, I stayed up through most of both flights and I only have this to say: Where are my snacks?

*Qatar Airways Quisine movie snacks (Photo: Qatar Airways)*

This was the marketing photo that was rather well publicised, and when I saw it, I was like, hey I want that popcorn, and cheese and crackers!

But nope, none of that was offered on any of my four flights, sadly. Sure enough, they did go around giving us chocolates and a packet of pretzels each time I asked for a drink, but the fancier snacks were nowhere to be seen.

Beverages

One thing worthy of mention is the quality of beverages served on board.

The bad news first: Qatar Airways partners with Pepsi for their catering, so fans of Coca Cola will be sorely disappointed. I know that some people can tell the difference between the two and particularly prefer one over the other.

And now the good news for people who needs a good drink or two. For a start, Qatar Airways serves sparkling wine in economy class, something that only a handful of airlines do.

If you are in a mood for something stronger, the choice of spirits that Qatar goes for include Bombay Sapphire gin, Smirnoff vodka and Dewar’s White Label blended scotch whisky. I’m not a judge of the whisky, but I’ll take Bombay Sapphire over Gordon’s dry gin any day.

If you prefer something non-alcoholic, Qatar Airways always serve up a good range of at least five different juices, on top of the usual soft drinks.

Final thoughts

Qatar Airways has one of the best economy class experiences if you ask me. The food is decent, they serve sparkling wine (and actually carry enough of it), and has a great variety of snacks. Come on, who else serves Godiva chocolates in economy class?

Having said that, my opinion is that the entire Quisine transformation in economy class is, after all, still a PR spin. The essence of the meal didn’t really change – I’m not certain if the entrees are indeed larger (they looked the same to me), and instead I’m missing a couple of items from the meal tray such as the chocolate bar.

I get that wastage for these items are usually rather high, so moving them from the tray where everyone gets one, to an on-request basis can be a more environmentally and cost friendly way of operating.

Having said that, by removing these little luxuries, the little changes do slowly chip away at the halo effect of flying the world’s best airline.

Hilton points sale now on: buy and get 100% bonus

Published by Shane

Buy at least 10k Hilton points to trigger 100% bonus.

Hilton has kicked off its first sale of 2020 with a 100% bonus if you buy at least 10,000 points (before bonus).

Hilton points usually cost USD0.01 each, so a 100% bonus means you’re buying them at half a cent (USD) per point, the lowest price Hilton has offered in a while.

Note that each account can only purchase up to 80,000 points per year before bonus, so this is a good chance to max out your purchase for the year. if you need and want to buy more points, nothing is stopping you from opening new accounts and purchasing more points, given that it’s free to transfer points between accounts.

Why should you buy points

Buying Hilton points is one of the most value-for-money ways to book luxury hotel rooms for less.

A quick search on ‘Hilton points redemption’ will show you that these points are good value for resort properties, including Waldorf Astoria Maldives, which goes for 120,000 points per night, translating to USD600 if you buy the points with the bonus. That’s still pretty much a deal given that the cheapest room night typically go for USD1,400 upwards.

*Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi* *(Photo: Hilton)*

Closer to home you can also try for Conrad Koh Samui at 95,000 points per night (translating to about USD475), a property that usually goes for USD700 per night.

Hilton Honors also offer a 5th night free if you use your points, so if you have a huge points balance, your points outlay for these swanky resorts will go down.

How to buy points

If you are a Hilton Honors member and are subscribed to their promotional emails, you should have received an email earlier this week on the offer.

Otherwise, simply go to Hilton.com and sign into your Hilton Honors account (sign up for one if you don’t have).

Navigate your way to “Buy Points”, and the offer should be automatically reflected there.

Final thoughts

This is certainly one of the best deals Hilton has ever put out for the purchase of points.

However, as conventional wisdom has proven, do not buy points speculatively unless you have an intended use for it in the near future.

In Hilton’s case, since the hotel chain has stopped publishing award charts a couple of years ago, you may find that the number of points required may shift from time to time, so there’s a level of uncertainty if you intend to hoard points and redeem later.

Remember – sale ends 20 January 2020, 12.59pm Singapore Time.