Singapore Airlines has proven to be one of the slowest airlines in providing refunds for points redemption flights. We have just been advised that five months after our flight was due to eave our points have finally been returned and airline taxes refunded.
Back in March we decided to start cancelling our holidays due to coronavirus. We built a tool that allowed us to track all our refunds. I can finally stop checking the tool each week.
In this post:
Changing A Singapore Airlines Redemption Flight
One of the great things about frequent flyer redemptions is they are an extremely flexible way of booking flights. They can be relatively cheaply changed or cancelled.
When changing the dates on an existing Singapore Airlines redemption flight you have the choice of paying USD25 to move the flight to a more convenient time or route or pay USD75 to cancel the flight and receive your taxes and points back and then rebook the more convenient flight.
On our booking we were returning from Zurich via London to Singapore and then Sydney. We were able to get a more convenient direct flight from Zurich to Sydney via Singapore. We choose to pay USD $25 and some additional points.
How Long Does A Refund Take
The short answer is it depends. Singapore has been great to provide a refund on purchased tickets even if you are halfway through a journey. We were able to get a refund on a partially completed ticket using our cheap business class flights to Europe hack within six weeks of cancellation.
As soon as you change your flight you are into a whole new world. We applied for a refund in May and received it six months later.
When we called the contact center they were very confused so my tip is to make sure you keep the documentation for the ticket. At the bottom of the ticket you will see how payment was made. In this example it was exchanged for another ticket.
How Do I Contact Singapore Airlines
The best way to contact Singapore Airlines is by calling their Singapore contact center on +65 6223 8888. I was calling them every 3 to 4 weeks checking on the status of the payment.
Summary
While it was a pain waiting 6 months for the refund and points at the end of the day I had no other use for the points. Singapore Airlines assured me I was in the system but made no effort to hurry it up despite my regular calling.
If given the choice again I would still pay the lower change fee rather than redepositing the points.
