Miles&Smiles vs KrisFlyer in 2026: Award Prices, Membership Tiers and Transfers

By Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, Founder and CEO of The Points King. Last updated: October 12, 2026. Editorial Policy

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer are both Star Alliance programs with published award charts, and both can book flights on United and other partners. For a traveler in the United States the choice comes down to two things: which bank points you hold, and where you want to fly.

KrisFlyer takes points from American Express, Chase, Citi and Capital One, and is far cheaper for economy seats to Europe. Miles&Smiles takes Capital One, Citi and Bilt, and is the cheaper way to reach Turkey itself. For business class to Europe on partners the two now cost about the same. Maximiles, the İşbank card program in Turkey, does not convert to Miles&Smiles: see Miles and Smiles vs Maximiles. To book Turkish flights with KrisFlyer miles, see how to use SIA miles on Turkish Airlines.

I am Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, and I have run The Points King since 2017. We buy airline miles, so I have a stake in the subject, and there are no affiliate links on this site. Many readers reach this page looking for how KrisFlyer membership itself works, so it now covers the KrisFlyer tiers and how members in Australia earn miles, as well as the comparison with Miles&Smiles.

Contents hide
1 Miles&Smiles vs KrisFlyer at a Glance
2 Award Prices: What Changed and When
3 Flying Each Airline’s Own Planes
4 Which Bank Points Transfer
5 Surcharges and Fees
6 Booking
7 KrisFlyer Membership Tiers in 2026
8 KrisFlyer for Members in Australia
9 Which One Should You Use?
10 If You Have Miles You Will Not Use
11 Frequently Asked Questions
11.1 Are Miles&Smiles and KrisFlyer both in Star Alliance?
11.2 Which is cheaper for flights to Europe?
11.3 Can I transfer Chase or Amex points to Miles&Smiles?
11.4 Do the miles expire?
11.5 What are the KrisFlyer membership tiers?
11.6 Is KrisFlyer membership free?
11.7 Can I convert Velocity points to KrisFlyer miles?
12 Sources

Miles&Smiles vs KrisFlyer at a Glance

One way, from the United States Miles&Smiles KrisFlyer
Alliance and hub Star Alliance, Istanbul Star Alliance, Singapore Changi
How awards are priced Fixed charts Fixed charts for Saver and Advantage awards; Access awards priced by availability
US to Europe on a partner, economy 50,000 to 55,000 32,500
US to Europe on a partner, business 85,000 to 90,000 89,500
Within the US on United, economy 15,000 15,000
Within the US on United, business 22,500 29,000
US mainland to Hawaii, economy 25,000 20,500
Bank points that transfer Capital One, Citi, Bilt American Express, Chase, Citi, Capital One
When miles expire End of the third calendar year after they post Three years after the month they were earned
Cost to extend $20 per 1,000 miles, for three more years $12 or 1,200 miles per 10,000 miles, for six months, once

Prices are from Turkish Airlines’ award chart and Singapore Airlines’ Star Alliance award chart, both read on October 10, 2026. Singapore publishes partner prices as round trips; a one-way award costs half.

Award Prices: What Changed and When

Both programs have raised prices in the last two years, Turkish more sharply.

  • Miles&Smiles, February 2024. Business class between Europe and North America on partners went from 45,000 to 85,000 miles one way, according to Prince of Travel.
  • Miles&Smiles, December 2025. Same-country partner awards, such as United flights within the US, rose 50% with no notice: economy from 10,000 to 15,000 miles. US mainland to Hawaii went from 10,000 to 25,000, as One Mile at a Time reported.
  • Miles&Smiles, September 2026. Upgrades from the cheapest economy fares on Turkish flights rose by up to 38%, again without notice, according to AwardWallet. Award ticket prices did not change.
  • KrisFlyer, November 1, 2025. Singapore raised Saver awards to Europe and the US by about 5% and partner business class between North America and Europe from 81,000 to 89,500 miles, and introduced Access awards, which cost more and are priced by availability (Singapore Airlines, AwardWallet).
  • KrisFlyer, March 2026. Access awards went up again without notice, according to MileLion.

Flying Each Airline’s Own Planes

Turkish Airlines. Between North America and Istanbul, a promotion-level award costs 40,000 miles in economy and 65,000 in business one way. The standard level is 55,000 and 135,000. Connecting beyond Istanbul adds a second award: 20,000 to 25,000 more in business to most of Europe, which is how the 85,000 to 90,000 total comes about.

Singapore Airlines. New York to Frankfurt, a route Singapore Airlines flies itself, costs 27,500 miles in economy and 89,000 in business at the Saver level. Singapore to the US West Coast is 112,500 in business. If no Saver seat is open, Advantage and Access awards cost more: MileLion found a last-minute Singapore to San Francisco business seat at 305,000 miles. Prices are from Singapore’s one-way award chart.

Which Bank Points Transfer

Bank program Miles&Smiles KrisFlyer
American Express Membership Rewards No Yes, 1:1
Chase Ultimate Rewards No Yes, 1:1
Citi ThankYou Yes Yes
Capital One Yes, 1:1 Yes, 1:1
Bilt Rewards Yes, 1:1 No

Capital One and Bilt publish their own ratios. The American Express and Chase ratios are as reported by The Points Guy and NerdWallet. NerdWallet puts Citi’s ratio at 1:1 for most cards and 1:0.7 for some. For the Chase side in full, see our guide to Chase transfer partners.

Surcharges and Fees

Both programs pass on whatever surcharge the operating airline sets, so the airline you fly matters more than the program you book with.

  • On United, a business class round trip between the US and Frankfurt booked with Miles&Smiles carried about $175 in taxes and no fuel surcharge. The same trip on Lufthansa carried about $2,300, of which about $2,000 was fuel surcharge (Thrifty Traveler, December 2025).
  • On Turkish’s own flights, expect about $475 in taxes and surcharges on a business class round trip between the US and Istanbul (Thrifty Traveler).
  • With KrisFlyer, New York to Frankfurt on Singapore Airlines showed $5.60 in taxes and fees. A routing on Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa showed $1,165.30 (AwardWallet, April 2026).

Change fees are lower at Singapore: $25 to change the date of a Saver award and $75 to cancel it and get the miles back. Turkish charges $70 to change an international award.

Booking

Both programs let you book Star Alliance partners online. Thrifty Traveler reports that Turkish’s site does not show every available partner flight and usually books only one passenger at a time online. Singapore charges $25 or 2,500 miles for a booking made by phone, waived when the booking cannot be made online, and offers a waitlist only on its own flights.

In July 2026, members with empty or very small KrisFlyer balances found they could no longer search for award seats online (Upgraded Points). Singapore Airlines told MileLion it had added “additional safeguards” against automated searching, without saying what the threshold is. If your balance is close to zero, expect searches to fail until miles post.

KrisFlyer Membership Tiers in 2026

KrisFlyer is free to join for anyone aged 2 or older, and the membership card lives in the SingaporeAir app. Above the basic level there are four tiers. Elite tiers are earned with Elite miles, mostly from flying; PPS Club tiers are earned with PPS Value, which only comes from paid Suites, First and Business tickets on Singapore Airlines.

Tier How to qualify, within 12 months Main benefits
KrisFlyer Free sign-up Earn and spend miles on Singapore Airlines, Scoot and partners
Elite Silver 25,000 Elite miles 25% bonus miles on Singapore Airlines and Scoot (most fares), extra baggage, priority check-in and boarding
Elite Gold 50,000 Elite miles Star Alliance Gold, lounge access, 20 kg extra baggage or one extra piece
PPS Club 25,000 PPS Value Star Alliance Gold, business class lounges, double baggage allowance on Singapore Airlines, miles that do not expire while you hold the status
Solitaire PPS Club 50,000 PPS Value The PPS benefits plus first class lounges

Qualification levels are from Singapore Airlines; benefits are summarized from MileLion and MainlyMiles. PPS Value is counted in Singapore dollars.

The one recent change to qualifying: since September 1, 2025, spending through Kris+, KrisShop and Pelago earns Elite miles, but it can cover no more than 20% of the requirement, so 5,000 for Silver and 10,000 for Gold (Singapore Airlines).

KrisFlyer for Members in Australia

KrisFlyer is popular in Australia because of Singapore Airlines’ partnership with Virgin Australia:

  • Earning on Virgin Australia. Singapore Airlines says members can earn KrisFlyer miles on Virgin Australia flights, and Elite Gold and PPS Club members get Virgin Australia lounge access and priority services (Singapore Airlines).
  • Velocity conversion. Velocity points and KrisFlyer miles convert both ways at 1.55 to 1, with a minimum of 5,000, once the two accounts are linked (same source; also Point Hacks, September 18, 2026).
  • Bank points. American Express Australia cards have transferred at 3 points to 1 mile since October 2023 (Australian Frequent Flyer). Check your own card’s rate before you move points.
  • Award prices. The November 2025 chart change raised many business class prices from Australia, for example Melbourne to London from 130,500 to 141,000 miles (Point Hacks).

KrisFlyer miles expire 36 months after the month they post. One six-month extension per batch costs US$12 or 1,200 miles per 10,000 miles, and Elite members get 12 months instead (MainlyMiles).

Which One Should You Use?

  • You hold Amex or Chase points: KrisFlyer. Miles&Smiles takes neither.
  • You hold Bilt points: Miles&Smiles. KrisFlyer is not a Bilt partner.
  • Economy to Europe: KrisFlyer, at 32,500 miles against 50,000 or more.
  • Flying to Turkey: Miles&Smiles, at 65,000 miles in business on Turkish’s own flights.
  • You change plans often: KrisFlyer, for the lower fees.

If You Have Miles You Will Not Use

Brokers, including The Points King, buy airline miles for cash. Selling Miles&Smiles miles is against the program’s terms, which say Turkish Airlines can terminate a membership and declare its miles invalid. KrisFlyer’s terms also prohibit selling miles and allow Singapore Airlines to cancel them. Read the risks of selling miles and points first, then see what Miles&Smiles miles sell for or our page on selling airline miles for cash.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Miles&Smiles and KrisFlyer both in Star Alliance?

Yes. Turkish Airlines joined in 2008 and Singapore Airlines in 2000, so miles in either program can book flights on United and the other Star Alliance airlines.

Which is cheaper for flights to Europe?

In economy, KrisFlyer: 32,500 miles one way on a partner against 50,000 to 55,000 with Miles&Smiles. In business the two are within a few thousand miles of each other.

Can I transfer Chase or Amex points to Miles&Smiles?

No. Miles&Smiles takes Capital One, Citi and Bilt points. KrisFlyer takes American Express, Chase, Citi and Capital One.

Do the miles expire?

Yes, in both programs, after about three years. Turkish sells a three-year extension for $20 per 1,000 miles. Singapore sells one six-month extension for $12 or 1,200 miles per 10,000 miles.

What are the KrisFlyer membership tiers?

KrisFlyer, Elite Silver (25,000 Elite miles in 12 months), Elite Gold (50,000), PPS Club (25,000 PPS Value) and Solitaire PPS Club (50,000 PPS Value).

Is KrisFlyer membership free?

Yes. Anyone aged 2 or older can join on the Singapore Airlines website, and the membership card is in the SingaporeAir app.

Can I convert Velocity points to KrisFlyer miles?

Yes, at 1.55 Velocity points per KrisFlyer mile, with a minimum of 5,000, after linking the accounts. It works in the other direction at the same rate.

Sources

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