So I have precisely 4484 DBS points expiring next week and I wanted to figure out the optimal way of using them. I can use 4250 for SQ's KrisFlyer miles, but that leaves a terribly awkward 234 points going to waste -- surely I can do something with them?
As it turns out, yes, I can invest 180 pts in a S$5 KFC voucher (whee). But other than that there's nothing more useful, and here's why.
As the baseline, we'll consider a return award trip to Denpasar (Bali) on SQ requires 15000 miles, which at the new 2:1 ratio needs 7500 DBS points. (It's actually even more cost-effective to buy upgrades to Raffles Class, but let's keep things simple.) In comparison, buying this on SQ costs around S$300 if you travel at the right time with the right number of people. We can thus calculate that 1250 DBS points are worth (1250/7500) * 300 = S$50... plus S$5 for the KFC voucher, for a total of S$55.
Now, 4 Cathay tickets (normal price $7.50 each) and a $10 HMV voucher would use up 1480 points, leaving only 4 left over... but providing a value of only $40, leaving me $10 poorer than simply wasting the 230 points! A quick browse through the reward catalogue shows that, in fact, there are as far as I can see no awards that provide over $40 per 1000 points of value -- and hence it always makes sense to invest in frequent flyer miles.
Is there a catch? But of course: merely linking your card to KrisFlyer will set you back S$40 a year. Next time I get bored I'll try to factor this in too, but suffice it to say, if you do pay it makes sense to use it to the fullest, and if you don't get lots of points it makes no sense to join.
Class dismissed
Anything on singtel red reward points? ..
