Part of KrisFlyer hub
Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What are elite qualifying miles?
Elite qualifying miles are miles that count towards a frequent flyer status tier rather than towards a free flight. They are tracked separately from the redeemable miles an account spends on awards, they cannot be redeemed, and the balance earned over a set period is measured against a threshold to decide whether a tier is earned or renewed. Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer programme calls its version Elite miles and uses them to award KrisFlyer Elite Silver and Elite Gold. [4]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Qualifying miles are a status currency, not a spending currency: in KrisFlyer, Elite miles cannot be used for award flights, upgrade awards or the purchase of airfares. [4]
- KrisFlyer sets its thresholds at 25,000 Elite miles for Elite Silver and 50,000 for Elite Gold, each earned within 12 consecutive months, with membership lasting 12 months and renewal requiring the same amount again during the membership period. [4] [5]
- The number earned on a flight is not the same as the number of miles flown: Singapore Airlines applies a booking-class rate between 50% and 200% to the distance covered. [4]
How are elite qualifying miles calculated?
On Singapore Airlines, KrisFlyer derives Elite miles from the actual miles flown plus any applicable booking-class bonus on tickets that are eligible to earn miles. The rate depends on the cabin and the booking class booked: [4]
| Cabin class | Booking class | Earning rate |
|---|---|---|
| First Class | F, A | 200% |
| Business | Z, C, J | 150% |
| Business | U, D | 125% |
| Premium Economy | S, T | 125% |
| Premium Economy | R, L, P | 100% |
| Economy | Y, B, E | 100% |
| Economy | M, H, W | 75% |
| Economy | Q, N, V, K, G | 50% |
On Scoot, a member earns 2.5 Elite miles for every KrisFlyer mile earned. Elite miles can also be earned on Star Alliance airlines, on Juneyao Air — a Star Alliance Connecting Partner — and on other selected airline partners. [4]
Two payment rules change the base. For bookings that mix miles and cash, the Elite miles earned are calculated on the amount paid in cash, excluding taxes, and no Elite miles are earned on fares paid in full with KrisFlyer miles. [4]
Why can a long flight out-earn a short one?
The published calculation runs on two inputs multiplied together: the distance actually flown and the rate attached to the booking class. A long sector in a modest cabin can therefore beat a short sector in a premium cabin when the distance difference is large enough — a 50% economy rate applied to a long flight can produce more Elite miles than a 200% First Class rate applied to a brief one. [4]
That is also why the cabin alone does not settle the question: within Business, the rate is 150% for Z, C and J but 125% for U and D, and within Economy it ranges from 100% down to 50% depending on the booking class. [4] The one case where the cash element enters the calculation directly is a booking paid partly in miles and partly in cash, where the cash portion excluding taxes sets the Elite miles earned. [4]
Can you earn Elite miles without flying?
Yes. KrisFlyer awards Elite miles for spending with three partners — Kris+, KrisShop and Pelago — at 1 Elite mile for every SGD 1 spent, based on amounts spent on or after 1 September 2025. [4]
Qualifying spend is defined partner by partner. For Kris+, it is the amount paid at Kris+ partner outlets with cash, credit or debit card offline, or through the Kris+ mobile app when KrisPay miles are earned, and this includes KrisShop and Pelago purchases made with the app's in-app payment function. [4] For KrisShop, it is the net amount spent online on KrisShop.com or in flight on Singapore Airlines and Scoot, excluding KrisShop purchases made through the Kris+ app, taxes and delivery charges. [4] For Pelago, it is the net amount spent on Pelago.com or in the Pelago app, excluding Pelago bookings made through the Kris+ app, taxes and delivery charges, and a booking made before 1 September 2025 for an experience used before that date is not eligible. [4]
Ground-earned Elite miles are capped at 20% of the total required, which means up to 5,000 towards Elite Silver and up to 10,000 towards Elite Gold. [4] The programme's own worked example shows a member with 18,000 flight Elite miles and 6,000 ground Elite miles counting only 5,000 of the ground total, reaching 23,000 and falling 2,000 short of the 25,000 Elite Silver requirement. [4]
Limits and exceptions
- Bonuses do not count. Tier bonuses and promotional bonuses do not count as Elite miles. [4]
- Uncredited flights do not count. Elite miles are not earned if the miles are not credited to a KrisFlyer account, or if the flight is on a non-mileage-accruable fare. [4]
- Partner carve-outs. The Singapore Airlines codeshare arrangement covered by the qualification terms is limited to codeshare flights operated by Virgin Australia within Australia, across the Tasman, and between Australia and the Pacific Islands; Elite miles are not earned on flights operated by Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Olympic Air and Virgin Atlantic. [4]
- Timing of an upgrade. A membership upgrade can take up to one day to process, and Elite miles earned before the upgrade do not count towards the next membership renewal. [4]
- Beyond qualification. Accumulating Elite miles also unlocks KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards, which the programme describes as including Scoot ticket discounts and Singapore Airlines cabin upgrades. [5]
Frequently asked questions
Can you spend elite qualifying miles on a free flight?
No. In KrisFlyer, Elite miles cannot be used for award flights, upgrade awards or the purchase of airfares; they exist to qualify and requalify for Elite Silver and Elite Gold. [4]
How many Elite miles do you need for KrisFlyer Elite Silver?
25,000 Elite miles earned within 12 consecutive months, with membership lasting 12 months and renewal available by earning at least another 25,000 during the membership period; Elite Gold requires 50,000 on the same basis. [4] [5]
Do Elite miles earned on the ground count in full?
No. Elite miles earned through non-flight spending count towards up to 20% of the total required — 5,000 for Elite Silver and 10,000 for Elite Gold. [4]
Do booking-class bonuses count as Elite miles?
The booking-class rate applied to the miles flown is part of the calculation, but tier bonuses and promotional bonuses are excluded. [4]
Is a cheap fare penalised on elite qualifying miles?
The published calculation for cash tickets uses the miles flown and the booking-class rate rather than the fare, so a low booking class earns less than a high one over the same distance; on bookings partly paid with miles, the cash portion excluding taxes sets the amount. [4]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. This page covers Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer only; the qualifying metrics and tier thresholds of other airlines and hotel programmes are not covered here.
- KrisFlyer (Chinese-language KrisFlyer Elite qualification page), checked 18 October 2026
- KrisFlyer Elite Silver & Elite Gold Qualification (Singapore Airlines), checked 18 October 2026
- KrisFlyer programme overview (Singapore Airlines, Chinese-language edition), checked 18 October 2026