This is your guide to know all about Singapore Airlines Stopover feature if you book through Krisflyer award ticket program. Before we begin, let’s understand what is a stopover in an airline industry. If you know about stopover, skip to this section.
What is a Stopover?
A stopover refers to a break in your journey where you stay in a connecting city for a certain period, typically more than 24 hours, before continuing to your final destination. It allows travellers to explore and experience an additional destination during their trip.
How is Stopover different than a layover?
A layover is a short period of time during a journey where a passenger switches from one flight to another at a connecting airport. Layovers typically last for a few hours, and passengers often stay within the airport while waiting for their next flight. Unlike a layover, a stopover is intentionally planned to allow travellers to explore the connecting city, experience its culture, and visit attractions.
In summary, a layover is a short, incidental stop for connecting flights, typically within the airport, while a stopover is a deliberate and planned interruption in the journey, allowing for an extended stay in the connecting city.
What are rules of Singapore Airlines Stopover program?
Singapore Airlines award tickets are either priced with Saver rewards or Advantage rewards. Advantage rewards offer better flexibility but higher krisflyer miles. For eg, a saver-economy class award from Mumbai to Singapore costs 20,000 miles whereas advantage-economy costs 37,000 miles.
Here is an excerpt from Singapore Airlines rules for stopover.
If you book saver award return ticket, you are eligible for a stopover with an additional INR 5000.
Why should I book a stopover?
Suppose you are flying from Mumbai to Bali on May 2nd, 2024 & flying back on May 10, 2024 with Singapore Airlines. This will cost you 40,000 miles and taxes. Oh yes, only 40,000 miles, same as Mumbai – Singapore – Mumbai, but we will talk about it in some other article.
Now, you decide to spend a couple of nights in Singapore to explore city or meet your friends. You can easily achieve this with same number of miles & some additional taxes. In below case, tax of ~INR 3500 were added, however in some cases, we have seen INR 0 taxes or INR 5000 taxes.
This in itself will save you bunch of miles. For context, Singapore to Bali in economy saver will cost you around 8,500 miles + taxes. You are also able to visit multiple countries in same number of miles.
Save on Visa cost
How about watching whale sharks under water in Oslob, Philippines at no additional Visa cost?
If you plan it properly, you can save on visa cost as well. Typically, Singapore gives multi entry visa & its hassle free. If you plan to visit Singapore first as a stopover country & then proceed to Philippines, you may not require Philippines visa. This in itself will cover your cost of stopover.
Note – One should check with respective embassy / consulate for latest visa related norms.
Steps to add Singapore Airlines Stopover
Steps to add Singapore Airlines Stopover
- Enter your Flight Itinerary
Add your flight details under Redeem Flights section post logging into Singapore Airlines website.
- Click on Stopover button on Next Page
- Select Stopover Date
Add preferred date of your stopover either for an onward or return journey. Krisflyer will prompt you with applicable cities & dates.
- Choose your flights
Krisflyer will then show you available flights to book for all the three journeys.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
No, Singapore Airlines stopovers are typically available for Krisflyer award tickets only and are not applicable to revenue (cash) tickets. One more importance of having miles.
Taxes for your journey may vary if you choose to add a stopover.
Yes, the date of your stopover must fall within the period from the departure to the arrival of your main journey.
Eligible cities for stopovers will be prompted by Singapore Airlines during the booking process. The airline will provide information on the available stopover options based on your chosen route and itinerary.
As of writing this article, the stopover option is not available on the Singapore Airlines mobile app. It’s recommended to use the airline’s official website or contact their phone reservations for assistance in booking a stopover.
No, this is applicable only for Singapore Airlines Krisflyer award ticket.
Which Credit Cards have Singapore Airlines Transfer Option?
Currently there are 10+ cards which has feature to convert their points in Singapore Airlines. You will soon be able to find out all of that in one app. Download and see if your current credit card offers transfer option.
Conclusion
Singapore Airlines Stopover is an amazing tool to cover multiple countries at price of one. If utilitied properly, you can fly multiple business class as well. For Indians travelling to South East Asia, this becomes an important commodity. You can use this program through only Krisflyer miles, which makes reward points extremely important.
If you are flying to just Singapore, you can look for ongoing Krisflyer Offers.
Share your thoughts in the comment section if you have used this earlier.