Redeeming Flights Early and 4 Money Habits to Avoid

💳 Card & Miles Hack of the Week

Redeeming flights on Singapore Airlines using your KrisFlyer miles can seem impossible. A lot of people complain about the lack of availability of redemption tickets and, therefore, bemoan the whole point of using credit cards give you KrisFlyer miles for your spending.

While lack of availability is always an issue (who doesn’t like nabbing free flights if they can get them?!), redeeming flights on one of the world’s best airlines also requires planning. That means booking as early as you can.

So, how far ahead of time can you actually redeem Singapore Airlines flights using your KrisFlyer miles? It’s actually nearly a year – 355 days.

Say you wanted to fly from Singapore to Tokyo (Haneda) in May 2026, if I searched on 25 May 2025, I’d be able to search a redemption one-way flight there for as far out as 15 May 2026.

If you know your dates and you know your destination, get moving on booking further out – especially for flights to Japan, Europe, or the US.

If you have kids and you know the dates of their school holidays for the next year, then booking/redeeming ahead should really be a habit you try to adopt.

For a more in-depth breakdown of what else you need to know about redeeming ahead of time, check out my TikTok post on it here.

🎯 Personal Finance Quick Action

There are many ways that we can grow our wealth, primarily through our income but also by investing. But we also have to acknowledge that our own behaviours and biases can also see limit us from progressing forward on our financial journey.

So, what are some of the key money habits that we’re all prone to that results in us standing still or even declining in terms of financial wellness? First off, not tracking expenses is can be a criminally-overlooked feature.

The amount that we can spend on impulse purchases each month adds up. The ease of using online shopping platforms, alongside the accessibility of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services, can result in more impulse spending that we might later regret. Understanding – and visualising on paper – how much we spend is important to ensure we’re being disciplined.

Second, taking on credit card debt or only paying the “minimum balance” due for credit card spending effectively means we take on high-interest debt. Banks’ whole business models for credit cards are based on people NOT paying their balance in full and on time.

Third, not making use of all the tax breaks and tax relief programmes that the local government offers you can mean paying more tax than you need to. And who wants that? Try to make use of additional tax benefits such as tops-ups to your CPF or Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) contributions. 

Finally, not having an emergency fund can really push back our progress on investing and growing our wealth. Remember, we should aim for an emergency fund of 6 to 12 months’ worth of expenses in a liquid, cash-like instrument that can be used in case we lose our job or there’s an unexpected expense we need to cover.

Having to sell your investments at the worst possible time (such as during a recession) can do significant damage to our wealth-building journey.

To learn more about the four money habits keeping you poor, check out my TikTok post here.

📈 Market Money Moves

PDD Holdings, the Chinese owner of discount retailer Temu, saw its net profit crater by nearly 50% in the first quarter of 2025 as the Trump-induced trade war starts to bite.

Shares of its Nasdaq-listed American Depository Receipts (ADRs) followed suit and plunged by 13%.

Tim’s Take: It was an ugly quarter for PDD Holdings, a company which has taken US consumers by storm with its Temu offering.

The big hit? The tax on “de minimis” deliveries into the US – those worth less than US$800. These used to receive an outright exemption from any tax or customs duties but President Trump has changed that.

It has wreaked havoc on US demand for goods being hawked by low-cost retailers from China, including PDD but also fast-fashion clothing firms like Shein. More uncertainty lies ahead.

While there has been a “pause” in the insane tariff rates between the US and China – in order to negotiate – there’s nothing saying that President Trump won’t reinstate them when the pause comes to an end.

That’s a problem for companies like PDD, which are relying on international markets for further growth as its home market of China slows. Temu’s sales hit an estimated US$70 billion for the whole of 2024, with a large chunk of that coming from the US.

Chinese companies that were relying on US consumers for growth are going to have to be inventive to figure out ways to grow that top line by selling into other countries.

The conundrum for these retailers is that no economy can really replace the scale, demand, and affluence of the US. But investors shouldn’t be surprised if they pivot and figure out a way to keep growing.

👋 How I Can Help

Introducing Miles Consulting from Tim Talks Money

I’m excited to announce the launch of my Miles Consulting service! Through this service, you’ll get:

• ✨ Exclusive 60-minute one-on-one consultation

• 📊 Comprehensive credit card spend audit

• 📝 Personalised miles report

• 💳 Maximise sign-up bonuses

• 🚫 Avoid the pitfalls

• ✈️ Expert Singapore Airlines insights

• 💡 Optimise for couples/families