Great Deal: Roundtrip Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam on Garuda for S$614 (Jan-Oct Departures)

As shared in Suitesmile Chat Telegram group, Indonesia’s flag-carrier, Garuda Indonesia, is offering great fares for roundtrip Economy Class flights from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam.

Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam for S$614

At the moment, I do not see this offer officially advertised anywhere.

A few things to take note of:

• Fare can be found on some dates from January to October 2024
• All Garuda flights between Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam will have a layover in Jakarta
• Layover duration for the outbound leg starts from 8 hrs 50 mins
• Layover duration for the inbound leg starts from 1 hr 35 mins
• Book a multi-city itinerary with a stopover in Jakarta at no additional cost
• Garuda flies between Jakarta and Amsterdam twice a week only
• 30kg checked baggage allowance is included
• Meals are included
• Seat selection is chargeable

How to book?

Travellers can browse air fares easily through the calendar view on Google Flights, before completing the booking.

Personally, I would prefer my layover in Jakarta to be as short as possible, and would set the “duration” parameter on Google Flights accordingly.

Here’s a direct Google Flights link, showing only flights with a total duration of 25 hours and under (8+ hours layover in Jakarta).

Travellers are always encouraged to make their flight bookings directly with the airline, to avoid complications in case there are flight changes/cancellations.

However, you may consider making the booking on reputable Online Travel Agencies like Trip.com, especially if the fares are substantially lower, and there are promo codes to apply.

Look out for Trip.com’s 12.12 promo codes to bring this fare under S$600!

Here are the fares that I am seeing on both platforms:

• Garuda’s website: S$636 (MYR 2,212)
• Trip.com: S$614

Is this fare useful for Singapore-based travellers?

Travellers based in Singapore should take into account the additional time and cost required to travel to and from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Great regional fares like this are most beneficial to those who wants to visit Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta anyway.

It can also be a great option when other flights between Singapore and Amsterdam are more expensive than usual (over S$1,200).

Best cards for Garuda flight bookings

Travellers can also earn over 3,500 miles with this booking, by using the right cards.

Get 6 mpd with the UOB Lady’s card (with the Travel category selected), and 4 mpd with the other 2 cards. Take note of the monthly caps!

UOB Lady’s

Earn 4 mpd on chosen bonus category

Apply now

🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

UOB Lady’s Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card, which is also available to men, gives you a great earn rate of 4 miles per dollar on your pre-selected bonus category, up to $1,000 per calendar month.

Take note that cardholders will only earn 0.4 mpd on other categories and spending above $1,000 per calendar month.

Cardholders can choose/change a preferred bonus category every quarter.

The 7 bonus categories available are:

1. Beauty & Wellness (e.g. cosmetic stores, hair salons, spas)
2. Fashion (e.g. clothing, shoes stores)
3. Dining (e.g. restaurants, food delivery)
4. Family (e.g. supermarkets, children clothing stores)
5. Travel (e.g. flights, hotels, duty-free stores)
6. Transport (e.g. public transport, taxi, petrol)
7. Entertainment (e.g. bars, night clubs, cinemas)

Cardholders may check existing selected bonus category by calling UOB.

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💸 Annual fee
$196.20
(First year waived)

💼 Income requirement
$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%
(Avoid this fee by linking this card to Amaze!)

⏰ Points expiry
2 years from transaction

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer and Asia Miles

💯 Transfer ratio
1 UNI$ = 2 miles

🧮 Transfer block
5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
$25 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
UNI$ from this card can be combined with those from other UOB cards and transferred out together at once.

❓How/When points are credited
Earn 1 base UNI$ per $5 dollar spent, plus 9 bonus UNI$ for eligible transactions on the bonus category (equivalent to 4 mpd in total). Base and bonus points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Terms & conditions

HSBC Revolution

Earn 4 mpd or 2.5% cashback on selected online/contactless spending

Apply now

🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

HSBC Revolution Visa Card

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you a strong earn rate of 4 miles per dollar on online and contactless spending (in foreign currency too!) on certain spending categories like retail shopping, flight tickets, ride-hailing and dining (excl. fast food), up to $1,000 per calendar month.

Take note that cardholders will only earn 0.4 mpd on other categories and spending above $1,000 per calendar month.

This is a great fuss-free card that offers a great earn rate on key spending categories for most people, without any annual fee to worry about.

There’s a little quirk though. To transfer HSBC points to Frequent Flyer Programs, cardholders need to enroll in HSBC’s Mileage Programme, which costs $43.20 annually. Upon enrollment, cardholders can make unlimited points transfers, at no additional cost. (FYI: Most other cards charge about $25 fee per transfer)

Not into Miles or travel-hacking? Redeem your points for 2.5% cashback instead, on the aforementioned spending categories!

Cardholders also get complimentary access to the ENTERTAINER with HSBC app, where there are over a thousand 1-for-1 deals on dining, entertainment and hotels.

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💸 Annual fee
No annual fee, ever

💼 Income requirement
$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

⏰ Points expiry
3 years from transaction
(37 to 38 months to be exact)

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer and Asia Miles

💯 Transfer ratio
2.5 points = 1 mile

🧮 Transfer block
25,000 points (10,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
$43.20 annually
(Unlimited transfers)

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card cannot be combined with those from other HSBC cards and can only be transferred out separately.

❓How/When points are credited
Earn 1 base point per dollar spent, plus 9 bonus points for eligible online/contactless spending (equivalent to 4 mpd in total). Base points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted, while bonus points are credited by the end of the following calendar month.

📜 Terms & conditions

DBS Woman’s World

Earn 4 mpd on online spending

Apply now

🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

DBS Woman’s World Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card, which is also available to men, gives you a strong earn rate of 4 miles per dollar on online spending (in foreign currency too!) on key spending categories like online shopping, flights, hotels, food delivery and ride-hailing, up to $1,500 per calendar month.

The biggest drawback is that DBS points earned on this card have an expiry term of just 1 year. With a minimum transfer block of 5,000 points (10,000 miles), cardholders often find themselves with expiring “orphan” points of under 5,000, that can only be redeemed for low-value items like mall/dining vouchers.

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💸 Annual fee
$196.20
(First year waived)

💼 Income requirement
$80,000/year
(Not strict. Many readers with lower income have reported that you can get an approval by applying without SingPass, then entering an annual income above $80k, before uploading your actual proof of income that is under $80k.)

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

⏰ Points expiry
1 year from transaction

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer

💯 Transfer ratio
1 point = 2 miles

🧮 Transfer block
5,000 points (10,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
$27 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card can be combined with those from other DBS cards and transferred out together at once.

❓How/When points are credited
Earn 1 base point per $5 dollar spent, plus 9 bonus points for eligible online transactions (equivalent to 4 mpd in total). Base points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted, while bonus points are credited around the middle of the following calendar month.

📜 Terms & conditions

Bottom line

Garuda Indonesia is offering a great air fare for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam, with checked baggage included.

Be sure to look out for Trip.com’s 12.12 promo codes for sub-S$600 fares!