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Get a good Australia and New Zealand business class flight deal on Singapore Airlines

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The best flight deals in Europe at the moment are out of Scandinavia.  I’m not sure who started it – potentially Qatar Airways – but other airlines have been forced to join in.

For example, Oslo to Cape Town on British Airways in Club World in May is the equivalent of £1,250 return.

If you look at IDENTICAL flights for just Heathrow to Cape Town, on the same dates, you will pay £701 in Economy ….

Anyway, back to Australia and New Zealand.  Whilst there are plenty of Australia deals out of Scandinavia, Singapore Airlines has an excellent reputation for food and service.  If you book by tomorrow night (23rd) there are some attractive fares available.  In May, for example, I found last night:

Stockholm to Sydney – SEK 23,372 return (£1,881)

Stockholm to Auckland – SEK 23,145 return (£1,863)

Stockholm to Perth – SEK 21,873 return (£1,760)

Stockholm to Brisbane – SEK 23,336 return (£1,877)

Stockholm to Canberra – SEK 22,396 return (£1,802)

Stockholm to Melbourne – SEK 23,201 return (£1,867)

Stockholm to Christchurch – SEK 23,122 return (£1,860)

There is a ‘7 day’ option for search results so you can easily find days with the best fares.

If you don’t have a credit card with 0% foreign exchange fees, your best option for paying is American Express Preferred Rewards Gold which offers triple points – 3 per £1 – when you book flight tickets in a foreign currency.  This is because the transaction triggers the ‘double points for airline spend’ and the ‘double points for foreign spend’ bonuses.  Our review of Amex Gold is here.

Singapore Airlines is in Star Alliance so you can’t earn Avios or BA tier points.  You can credit the flights to Singapore’s KrisFlyer scheme (learn more about KrisFlyer here) and top them up with American Express Membership Rewards points at 1:1, or to any other Star Alliance scheme such as Lufthansa Miles & More.

You can also credit Singapore Airlines flights to Virgin Flying Club – details are on the Virgin Atlantic site here.

You can book on the Singapore Airlines website here.

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How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards

How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

None of the Star Alliance airlines currently have a UK credit card.

There is, however, still a way to earn Star Alliance miles from a UK credit card. 

The route is via Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty points convert to over 40 airlines at the rate of 3:1.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via the official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It comes with 20,000 points for signing up and 2 points for every £1 you spend. At 2 Bonvoy points per £1, you are earning (at 3:1) 0.66 airline miles per £1 spent on the card.

There is a preferential conversion rate to United Airlines – which is a Star Alliance member – of 2 : 1 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.

The Star Alliance members which are Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners are: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

Category

General

Comments (198)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Secret Squirrel says:
    22 Jan22 January 10:36

    Always best to call up as well as cancel DD. I’ve been stung in the past.

  • Rui N. says:
    22 Jan22 January 11:01

    To be safe, send an email saying that you want to cancel effectively immediately, and that you’ll also cancel the direct debit. With this, if they come back to you about “missed payments” you can direct them to the email.

  • Heathrow Flyer says:
    22 Jan22 January 11:23

    OT: Much Better updating their T&Cs to add a 1% fee for card top-ups? Am I right in thinking this is illegal?

  • BJ says:
    22 Jan22 January 11:40

    That was supposed to be a reply to @Crafty re. Aviva

  • Adrian says:
    22 Jan22 January 11:47

    I took advantage of the OSL-CPT deal. I’ve never been to SA so this seemed a good time to give it a try.
    OSL-LHR-JNB-CPT and return. 440 tier points, 36k Avios and good metal. 2hr connections in SA both ways, 5hrs in LHR. Took the JNB service for the A380 and used a GUF2 to upgrade to F so that also means the 5hrs at LHR will be in the Concorde room. All for under £1300.
    Any hotel recommendations that I should try?

    • Keith says:
      22 Jan22 January 12:34

      I really liked the Hippo Boutique Hotel when I was there, it felt a bit more ‘in’ Cape Town. Many people prefer to be at The Waterfront though. The Silo Hotel is very nice, with a beautiful rooftop pool / bar. However, when ever I am in South Africa I always do Bonvoy redemptions with Marriott as South Africa is a bit of a sweet spot for them. Really nice hotels in Cape Town start at 10,000 Bonvoy Points (7,000 ish Membership Reward Points)

      • Keith says:
        22 Jan22 January 12:41

        Also, if you like wine, be sure to do the Francheok wine tram.

      • Aston100 says:
        22 Jan22 January 12:44

        Seems to be a lack of decent IHG options in Cape Town.
        Or am I doing it wrong?

        • Keith says:
          22 Jan22 January 12:47

          Think there are just a couple of Holiday Inn’s – but both pretty well located. Get your reservation in at La Colombe now!

          • Genghis says:
            22 Jan22 January 14:54

            La Colombe is excellent. In my top 5 of places globally and for the standard of food an absolute bargain. Shame we can’t go this time, no kids.

          • Kat says:
            22 Jan22 January 15:39

            2nd and 3rd La Colombe. We went 5 years ago and the meal was still one of the best and most memorable meals I’ve ever had in my life.

    • Radiata says:
      22 Jan22 January 14:49

      At the high end and at the Waterfront, Cape Grace usually raved about. For colonial era chic, if that desired, the Mount Nelson.

      The formerly SPG hotel attached to the International Convention Centre treated me well as an SPG Gold a couple of years ago. Lounge lovely and staff attentive. Breakfast food and views worthwhile.

      On the value but good end, beside the value found in the Protea chain (Marriott Bonvoy) redemptions, have a look at the Doubletree Hilton in Observatory. Close to the city, excellent value, free breakfast as Hilton Gold and parking for ZAR60 (just over £3) a day. The former SPG was ZAR100 so nil to complain about either.

      Cape Town well worth a car rental. Much to do in the region. I was there a couple of weeks ago and even as a non drinker found the so called wine country beautiful. Took a hike in the Jonkershoek nature reserve in Stellenbosch. If more adventurous, sky diving in the Citrusdal valley breathtaking.

      Not sure when visiting but remember a Mediterranean climate so winter (i.e. mid year as Southern Hemisphere) cold, windy and rainy. The tourist board calls it the “Secret Season”..

  • Shoestring says:
    22 Jan22 January 12:28

    Moneycorp still going strong; HIFX now part of XE – both still offer very safe easy transfer with excellent rates.

    But compare the rates to Transferwise and WorldRemit, which have been shaking up the market with low fees and even sharper rates.

    The money transfer bit of your question is easy…you just need a US bank a/c set up – not sure which ones offer best deal but google it.

    • Simon says:
      22 Jan22 January 21:55

      Many thanks for this, Shoestring 😉

    • Lady London says:
      23 Jan23 January 14:31

      Chase card is it Sapphire? has been getting some coverage recently as apparently it has retained some benefits no longer provided by other cards. I think Priority Pass dining credit is an example (no longer provided by Amex PP’s except for one that happens to be in the UK).

  • BJ says:
    22 Jan22 January 12:50

    OT: Speculation a week or two ago regarding the closure of Tesco Bank seems to be wrong. Just heard they are recruiting loads of new posts in Edinburgh.

    • Rob says:
      22 Jan22 January 13:22

      Probably to cover people who are quitting because they see no future in the business!

      • BJ says:
        22 Jan22 January 20:01

        The story was hundreds though. Not my area at all but if the story was true that sounds too much to be replacement to me.

  • Shoestring says:
    22 Jan22 January 13:05

    Check junk mail (Nectar)
    [Don’t forget to pack your points Mr Shoestring
    Not off just yet?
    Let us know your travel plans with this quick survey, and we’ll send a bunch of offers tailored to you, plus we’ll give 25 bonus points as a little thank you.]

    —> not so much the 25 points but I think there’ll be a string of other offers

    • EwanG says:
      22 Jan22 January 14:15

      Thanks, reminds me I’ll need to chase them up in a few days if the bonus Nectar points for my first Avanti West Coast booking haven’t been sorted out.

    • Secret Squirrel says:
      22 Jan22 January 14:19

      Did you get the bonus 300 nectar for jan promo?

    • MD says:
      22 Jan22 January 14:31

      Ah, Nectar, the points I literally can’t spend. I don’t use mainline trains and there never seems to be anything else of interest. Pointless points, if you will 😊

      • Sussex Bantam says:
        22 Jan22 January 15:00

        Ebay’s your friend….Nectar points paid for a significant chunk of Father Christmas’ shop this year…

        • Shoestring says:
          22 Jan22 January 15:05

          +1 discount on Ebay stuff @0.5p/ point

          plus you earn more points by buying (1 point/ £1) with regular promos

          might as well take free money

          • Secret Squirrel says:
            22 Jan22 January 16:26

            It’s what I use my nectar points for as no saibsbobs for miles round here..

        • MD says:
          22 Jan22 January 18:34

          Sadly I don’t buy much on eBay these days, but I take your suggestion, thanks. Mainly I’d like to spend them with arbitrage opportunities to maximise value rather than just taking the base rate, but they seem to do very few (no) useful 2x or 3x SPEND offers.

          • MD says:
            22 Jan22 January 20:15

            @Harry – many thanks, you are a mine of gold nuggets as ever 😉 That’s a bit more like it. Somehow missed that offer in previous years. I still even have the Nectar points from one of my first Amex churns a few years ago lol. I’ll keep more of an eye out this year.

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