Cheapest Ways To Fly Singapore – Japan/South Korea Using Miles

Have you been accumulating lots of miles by using the best miles credit cards in Singapore for your spending? Travel hacking is not just about optimizing your credit card spending to earn maximum miles; all that effort would go to waste if you make poor-value redemptions.

In this article, I’ll rank the cheapest award flights to/from Japan and South Korea that you can redeem your hard-earned miles for.

Looking to make more high-value redemptions? Have a look at our other articles covering award sweet spots to/from Singapore:

• Cheapest ways to fly to Europe using Miles
• Cheapest ways to fly to US/Canada using Miles
• Best ways to redeem KrisFlyer miles

Singapore Credit Card Transfer Partners

Miles and points from most credit cards can be transferred to KrisFlyer and Asia Miles. However, as shown in the table below, Citibank and HSBC cards have many more transfer partners than others, giving cardholders better flexibility when redeeming miles for an award flight; flexibility is very important in the miles game!

Related: My Miles & Credit Card Strategy For 2026

P.S. Although AMEX has many transfer partners, they don’t have any good miles cards.

Useful frequent flyer programs

There are currently 11 useful FFPs that Singapore-based travellers can access through miles/points earned from credit card spending.

So, what makes an FFP useful to Singapore-based travellers? In my opinion, they have to satisfy at least 2 of the following conditions:

1. Good transfer ratios
2. Competitive award rates
3. Acceptable fuel surcharges/fees
4. Good Miles sales

Frequent Flyer Program	Citibank	HSBC	OCBC	DBS	UOB	Maybank	American Express	Standard Chartered
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Star Alliance		Receive 17% fewer miles when you transfer HSBC points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 3.3 mpd 2.4 mpd → 2 mpd 1.2 mpd → 1 mpd
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Oneworld Alliance			Receive 25% fewer miles when you transfer OCBC miles/points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 3 mpd 2.1 mpd → 1.6 mpd 1.3 mpd → 1 mpd
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance
Qatar Airways Privilege Club Oneworld Alliance		(via BA Club only) Receive 29% fewer Avios if you transfer HSBC points directly to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 2.9 mpd 2.4 mpd → 1.7 mpd 1.2 mpd → 0.9 mpd Pro tip: Avoid this poor transfer ratio by transferring to The British Airways Club first, then transfer the Avios to Qatar Airways Privilege Club, for free.					(via BA Club only) This frequent flyer program is not a direct transfer partner of AMEX credit cards. However, you can access it by transferring your credit card miles/points to The British Airways Club first, then transfer the Avios to Qatar Airways Privilege Club, for free.
British Airways Club Oneworld Alliance			Receive 10% fewer miles when you transfer OCBC miles/points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 3.6 mpd 2.1 mpd → 1.9 mpd 1.3 mpd → 1.2 mpd
Finnair Plus Oneworld Alliance	(via BA Club only) This frequent flyer program is not a direct transfer partner of Citibank credit cards. However, you can access it by transferring your credit card miles/points to The British Airways Club first, then transfer the Avios to Finnair Plus, for free.	(via BA Club only) This frequent flyer program is not a direct transfer partner of HSBC credit cards. However, you can access it by transferring your credit card miles/points to The British Airways Club first, then transfer the Avios to Finnair Plus, for free.					(via BA Club only) This frequent flyer program is not a direct transfer partner of AMEX credit cards. However, you can access it by transferring your credit card miles/points to The British Airways Club first, then transfer the Avios to Finnair Plus, for free.
KLM/Air France Flying Blue SkyTeam Alliance
Qantas Frequent Flyer Oneworld Alliance
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Star Alliance		Receive 29% fewer miles when you transfer HSBC points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 2.9 mpd 2.4 mpd → 1.7 mpd 1.2 mpd → 0.9 mpd
Malaysia Airlines Enrich Oneworld Alliance
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance		Receive 29% fewer miles when you transfer HSBC points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 2.9 mpd 2.4 mpd → 1.7 mpd 1.2 mpd → 0.9 mpd

AVOID: Frequent flyer programs that are NOT useful

Miles/points earned from Singapore credit cards can be transferred to 7 FFPs that are NOT useful to Singapore-based travellers, based on the conditions shared earlier.

You can still consider them for a one-time or specific use case.

Frequent Flyer Program	Citibank	HSBC	OCBC	DBS	UOB	Maybank	American Express	Standard Chartered
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus Star Alliance		Receive 17% fewer miles when you transfer HSBC points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 3.3 mpd 2.4 mpd → 2 mpd 1.2 mpd → 1 mpd
Etihad Guest			Receive 10% fewer miles when you transfer OCBC miles/points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 3.6 mpd 2.1 mpd → 1.9 mpd 1.3 mpd → 1.2 mpd
Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles SkyTeam Alliance
United Airlines MileagePlus Star Alliance		Receive 29% fewer miles when you transfer HSBC points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 2.9 mpd 2.4 mpd → 1.7 mpd 1.2 mpd → 0.9 mpd	Receive 30% fewer miles when you transfer OCBC miles/points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 2.8 mpd 2.1 mpd → 1.5 mpd 1.3 mpd → 0.9 mpd
Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club		Receive 29% fewer miles when you transfer HSBC points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 2.9 mpd 2.4 mpd → 1.7 mpd 1.2 mpd → 0.9 mpd
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Oneworld Alliance		Receive 50% fewer miles when you transfer HSBC points to this frequent flyer program. Effective earn rates: 4 mpd → 2 mpd 2.4 mpd → 1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd → 0.6 mpd
Emirates Skywards							Receive 15% fewer miles when you transfer AMEX points to this frequent flyer program.

AVOID: Hotel loyalty programs

There are currently 5 hotel loyalty programs that are accessible to Singapore credit cardholders.

While these hotel points are useful for redemptions on hotel stays, it’s a horrible idea to convert your credit card miles/points to them, as the transfer ratios are poor, and you’d be forgoing the opportunity to convert them to frequent flyer miles that are generally more valuable. Besides, you can often buy hotel points at a discount through year-round promotions.

You can still consider them for a one-time or specific use case.

Hotel Loyalty Program	Citibank	HSBC	OCBC	DBS	UOB	Maybank	American Express	Standard Chartered
Marriott Bonvoy		Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.	Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.				Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.
Hilton Honors							Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.
Accor Live Limitless		Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.	Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.
IHG One Rewards	Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.	Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.	Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.
Wyndham Rewards		Receive poor value for your credit card miles/points when you transfer to this hotel loyalty program. Pick a frequent flyer program instead.

Frequent Flyer Programs and Partner Airlines

These are the top 7 Frequent Flyer Programs (FFPs) that Singapore credit cardholders should consider, when booking award flights between Singapore and Japan/South Korea.

Follow the booking links below to check for award availability and redeem your miles:

Frequent Flyer Program	Alliance	Booking Link
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer	Star Alliance	All airlines
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles	oneworld	All airlines
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands	Star Alliance	EVA Air Star Alliance
KLM/Air France Flying Blue	SkyTeam	All airlines
Finnair Plus	oneworld	Website or Call/Chat
British Airways Club	oneworld	All airlines
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles	Star Alliance	Star Alliance

Miles from every airline’s FFP can also be redeemed for flights on partner airlines.

For example, miles in EVA Air MileageLands can be redeemed for flights on its Star Alliance partners like Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and All Nippon Airways.

Star Alliance

Here are some Star Alliance airlines that you can fly in, between Singapore and Japan/South Korea:

• Singapore Airlines
• EVA Air
• Thai Airways
• All Nippon Airways

oneworld

Here are some oneworld airlines that you can fly in, between Singapore and Japan/South Korea:

• Cathay Pacific
• Malaysia Airlines
• Japan Airlines

SkyTeam

Here are some SkyTeam airlines that you can fly in, between Singapore and Japan/South Korea:

• China Airlines
• Korean Air
• Vietnam Airlines

Cheapest ways to fly between Singapore and Japan/South Korea using Miles

The award rates shown below are only for the lowest rates available on each FFP, ignoring low-value “Advantage” or “non-promotional” rates that some FFPs offer.

Economy Class

Travellers are usually advised against redeeming miles for Economy Class flights as they can often get far better value on Premium classes. For example, Business Class flights from Singapore to Japan/South Korea cost as much as 4 times more in cash (vs Economy), but only require as little as 50% more in miles.

However, travellers who can only travel during peak holiday seasons (when Business Class availability is poor) or have a large family to redeem for can still get decent value by redeeming their miles for Economy Class flights on some airlines/FFPs, especially when the cash fares are very high.

Here are the cheapest ways to travel between Singapore and Japan/South Korea, in Economy Class, using miles earned from Singapore credit cards:

Frequent Flyer Program	Airline	Miles (one-way, Economy)	Taxes/ Fees (estimated)
				Finnair Plus	Japan Airlines	15.5k (Japan only)	S$220
Infinity Mileage- Lands	EVA Air	17.5k	S$160
Infinity Mileage- Lands	Singapore Airlines	25k	S$68
Infinity Mileage- Lands	Star Alliance	25k	S$190 – S$250
Asia Miles	Cathay Pacific	20k	S$150
Asia Miles	oneworld	27k	S$100 – S$280
BA Club	Japan Airlines	20.75k	S$160
Flying Blue	Malaysia Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Garuda, Korean Air	23-26k	S$95 – S$230
KrisFlyer	Singapore Airlines	25.5k	S$68
KrisFlyer	Star Alliance	28.5k	S$190 – S$250
Miles& Smiles	Singapore Airlines	35k	S$68
Miles& Smiles	Star Alliance	35k	S$190 – S$250

Premium Economy Class

This is a smaller list, as not all airlines offer Premium Economy seats on flights to/from Singapore. On top of that, not all FFPs have the Premium Economy class listed in their award charts.

Here are the cheapest ways to travel between Singapore and Japan/South Korea in Premium Economy Class, using miles earned from Singapore credit cards:

Frequent Flyer Program	Airline	Miles (one-way, Premium Economy)	Taxes/ Fees (estimated)
				Infinity Mileage- Lands	EVA Air	20k	S$160
Asia Miles	Cathay Pacific	38k	S$150
BA Club	Japan Airlines	41.25k	S$160
KrisFlyer	Singapore Airlines	39.5k	S$68

Business Class

Here are the cheapest ways to travel between Singapore and Japan/South Korea in Business Class, using miles earned from Singapore credit cards:

Frequent Flyer Program	Airline	Miles (one-way, Business)	Taxes/ Fees (estimated)
				Infinity Mileage- Lands	EVA Air	25k	S$160
Infinity Mileage- Lands	Singapore Airlines	40k	S$68
Infinity Mileage- Lands	Star Alliance	40k	S$190 – S$250
Finnair Plus	Japan Airlines	41.5k (Japan only)	S$190
Flying Blue	Malaysia Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Garuda, Korean Air	48-57.5k	S$160 – S$230
Miles& Smiles	Star Alliance	50k	S$190 – S$250
KrisFlyer	Singapore Airlines	54.5k	S$68
KrisFlyer	Star Alliance	58k	S$190 – S$250
Asia Miles	Cathay Pacific	58k	S$165
Asia Miles	oneworld	63k	S$100 – S$280
BA Club	Japan Airlines	62k	S$160

First Class

This is also a small list, as not all airlines offer First Class seats on flights to/from Singapore, and not all FFPs allow booking of First Class awards for partner airlines.

Note: Redeeming miles for Singapore Airlines First Class at Saver rates for flights to/from Japan is only theoretical as KrisFlyer doesn’t seem to make those rates available, even when booking a year ahead.

Here are the cheapest ways to travel between Singapore and Japan in First Class, using miles earned from Singapore credit cards:

Frequent Flyer Program	Airline	Miles (one-way, First)	Taxes/ Fees (estimated)
				Finnair Plus	Japan Airlines	53k (Japan only)	S$190
Infinity Mileage- Lands	Singapore Airlines	62.5k	S$68
KrisFlyer	Singapore Airlines	81k	S$68

Why are some taxes/fees so high?

The taxes and fees on award flights depend on a number of factors:

1. Airport taxes/fees
2. Whether the airline carries fuel surcharges (e.g. Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines don’t)
3. Whether the FFP passes on fuel surcharges
4. The amount of fuel surcharges (e.g. EVA Air has fairly low fuel surcharges, but Thai Airways has much higher for a similar flight distance)
5. Other additional FFP/airline fees

So, should you only aim for redemptions with low taxes/fees? The short answer is no. In some cases, the FFP-airline combination that has low taxes/fees, also has a much higher award rate.

For example, to travel to Tokyo in Business Class, a traveller can redeem just 25k miles + ~S$150 in taxes/fees for EVA Air flights with Infinity MileageLands. With KrisFlyer, the traveller need at least 54.5k miles + ~S$68. That’s S$82 less cash for 29.5k more miles (worth S$443)!

While Infinity MileageLands may look like a clear winner here, there are other factors that can influence your decision, as every traveller has different needs and priorities:

1. Is there award availability on your preferred route/date/airline/class?
2. Do you only want to fly direct?
3. Does the airline fly to your preferred destination?
4. Do you care about the values of miles?
5. Are you earning miles much faster than you have time to redeem them?
6. Do you have miles that are expiring very soon?
7. Do you enjoy trying out different airlines and lounges?
8. Are there any special transfer bonus or award discount offers?
9. Do you prefer the seat/food/service on some airlines?
10. Do you feel the need to “make good use” of your airline status by sticking to a particular airline/alliance?

How to search for award space

To check if there is award availability, travellers can visit the respective FFPs’ website. However, most of them are really slow, as they only allow users to search date-by-date or week-by-week.

Search faster with calendar views

For oneworld flights, travellers can search for partner award availability much faster through the calendar view on American Airlines’ website.

Related: Best ways to search for Oneworld award availability

For Star Alliance, this can be done on United or Lifemiles websites.

Note: Use these websites only as a guide and ignore the award rates listed. Once you see availability, simply repeat the search on the website of your preferred FFP and complete your booking there.

Also note that some airlines like Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and EVA Air tend to release more award seats on their own FFPs. This means that members will not be able to see the additional award availability on partner websites like AAdvantage or Lifemiles.

Independent award search engines

Travellers can also find near-term award availability across different FFPs, airlines or alliances through independent search engines like seats.aero.

Again, use these websites only as a guide and repeat the search on the website of your preferred FFPs.

Get alerted when there is award space

Travellers can also receive alerts when there is award availability on their preferred date and route, with paid services from websites like seats.aero.

Conclusion

The “best” award redemption depends almost entirely on your preferences and there is no right answer. Travellers who spend using credit cards with flexible miles will always have the upper hand in finding award availability across multiple FFPs.

I hope that this guide gave you the required knowledge to make the best decisions to suit your travel needs, when redeeming miles for flights between Singapore and Japan/South Korea.