Flying from Singapore to Japan (Return) in Business Class with Free Stopover in Taipei for Just 50,000 Miles - New Royal Laurel Product

EVA Air has a fantastic Business Class product on their 787-9/787-10 and 777-300ER fleet and they call it the Royal Laurel product - the 1-2-1 cabin layout ensures maximum privacy and it even serves the impeccable Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2006 (which retails for at least S$270 a bottle in Singapore) on most of these flights. Yesterday, American Express added EVA Air Infinity MileageLands into its list of transfer partners - this means that you can now convert your Membership Rewards points into EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles!

Click HERE to find out what your Membership Rewards Points convert into!

Photo Credit: EVA Air

While most of us are familiar with the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer programme, the EVA Air Infinity MileageLands frequent flyer programme can also offer plenty of value if you plan your trips carefully. Getting from Singapore to Japan on Singapore Airlines Business Class using KrisFlyer Miles will require 94,000 miles and approximately S$97.10 in applicable taxes (using NRT as a destination city). While EVA Air does not operate a direct flight between the aforementioned airports, getting from Singapore to Japan on EVA Air Business Class via Taipei requires only 50,000 EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles and S$387.10 in taxes.

Flying on BR versus SQ will save you 44,000 miles - now granted it is easier to earn KrisFlyer Miles than EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles in Singapore but the rate of conversion from points to miles is exactly the same using your American Express Membership Rewards Points (450 MR Points = 250 Miles) or Citi Miles (1 Citi Mile = 1 Mile) just to name a couple. In the example above, redeeming your EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles on BR will cost you an additional S$290 from a 'cash' point of view but you will get to save 44,000 miles. Using a conservative valuation of 2 cents per mile, 44,000 miles are worth S$880 so you are better off in this perspective.

What is perhaps more important to take note of however is that two complimentary stopovers are allowed on a round-trip award ticket using EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles (one in the outbound and one in inbound) and a maximum of six sectors are allowed for each round-trip award ticket. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer on the other hand, offers only one complimentary stopover on a round-trip award ticket. Without complicating it too much, what this means to say is that you can essentially stop by Taipei along the way (or on both ways) when you are traveling between Singapore and Japan - you will have to contact the ticketing office to add in a free stopover though as it is currently impossible to do online.

Photo Credit: EVA Air

EVA Air has a beautiful Business Class (or more specifically Royal Laurel) product on their 787-9 and 787-10. If you are planning to travel to Tokyo on EVA Air, some of the flights between Taipei and Tokyo are operated by these Dreamliners and this would be an excellent (and affordable) opportunity to check them out! Between Singapore and Taipei, opt for the 777-300ER planes to enjoy the older Royal Laurel product (which is still fantastic!).