I don’t know about you, but I often confuse Singapore Airlines’ KrisShop with iShopChangi. They’re both duty-free shops, so I always assumed they were the same thing.
They’re not. And they’re actually quite different: As you can tell from the names, iShopChangi is at Changi Airport and KrisShop is at Singapore Airlines (“KrisFlyer shop”, get it?).
If you are interested in the former, we have already written a 101 guide to iShopChangi: Guide to iShopChangi and Duty Free Online Shopping in Singapore
This article is about duty-free shopping online and on board with KrisShop.
What is KrisShop?
KrisShop is a duty-free retailer that sells everything from cosmetics and perfumes to electronics and exclusive co-branded items.
KrisShop started as an in-flight shopping service – meaning you could only shop on board a Singapore Airlines / SilkAir flight – but the service has since expanded to include online shopping via KrisShop.com.
This means you can shop there even when you are not traveling. But don’t get too excited – in this case you will have to add the value added tax (GST) to the price and you will no longer be duty-free.
How to shop at KrisShop
There are two ways to shop at KrisShop: you can either 1) shop directly on your Singapore Airlines/SilkAir flight or 2) order from KrisShop.com.
The former is very straightforward. You can browse the KrisShop catalogue on your SQ flight and then decide whether you want to collect your items immediately or have them sent to you by courier.
At KrisShop.com you can 1) pre-order items for pickup on your SQ flight or 2) order items for delivery to your home address.
KrisShop Delivery Options
|
In-flight delivery |
Home delivery to an address in Singapore |
|
|
Product prices |
Duty free |
GST must be added |
|
Delivery costs |
Free |
Up to $12 per ride |
|
Process time |
Items to be collected on your flight |
Delivery takes up to 10 working days |
|
catalog |
Not all products can be delivered by plane and/or home. Please check the individual product page. |
|
Shopping on KrisShop.com only makes sense if you have an upcoming SQ flight to pick up your items, because then the “delivery” is free. Depending on your flight, the pre-order deadlines are as follows:
Pre-order deadlines for KrisShop deliveries by plane
|
Order possible from (earliest) |
Must be ordered by (at the latest) |
|
|
Singapore Airlines flights from Singapore (excluding flights to Malaysia and direct flights to San Francisco and Seattle) |
60 days before your flight |
24 hours before your flight |
|
SilkAir flights from Singapore (excluding flights to Kuala Lumpur and Penang) |
60 days before your flight |
48 hours before your flight |
|
Selected Singapore Airlines flights from China, Taiwan and Japan arriving in Singapore |
60 days before your flight |
72 hours before your flight |
To collect your belongings, all you need to do is show the e-invoice or your credit card (the one you used to make the purchase) to the cabin crew and they will assist you.
If you treat KrisShop.com like a regular online store and try to simply get the goods delivered to your home (without a valid SQ flight ticket), you will not get the benefit of the duty-free prices. You will have to add GST, which defeats the whole purpose of KrisShopping.
This is what it looks like when you try to check out:
In addition, you will not be able to purchase travel-exclusive products. However, you can continue to shop at KrisShop after you return from travel. In general, your flight must have taken place within the last 30 days.
But even if you don’t mind paying the retail price (including VAT), you’ll have to pay high delivery fees to get your purchases delivered to your door.
KrisShop home delivery fees
|
KrisShop Delivery Method |
Delivery costs |
Delivery time |
|
Standard delivery for the KrisShop Living catalogue |
Free |
7 to 10 working days |
|
Standard delivery (excluding KrisShop Living catalogue) |
$6 for purchases under $100; free for purchases over $100 |
3 to 5 working days |
|
Express shipping (all items except the KrisShop Living catalog) |
12 $ |
1 to 3 working days |
When you purchase furniture and other items from the KrisShop Living catalog, delivery is free. There is no minimum order, but that’s because pretty much everything is over $100.
For everything else, standard delivery is waived only for purchases over $100. Otherwise, the fee is $6 per trip. For express delivery within 1-3 days, the fee is $12, regardless of your bill.
KrisShop Return Policy
Unfortunately, KrisShop does not accept returns if you change your mind. You can only return your order if you received it in a defective or damaged condition. Also, not everything can be returned. Alcohol, for example, cannot be returned “due to government regulations”.
If you paid with KrisFlyer miles, your items are generally non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Items paid for with vouchers can only be exchanged.
Earn KrisFlyer Miles at KrisShop ($1 = 1.5 KrisFlyer Miles)
Another benefit of shopping at KrisShop for mile hunters is that you can earn KrisFlyer miles. For every dollar you spend, you get 1.5 KrisFlyer miles, which isn’t bad. When shopping, most partner retailers only allow you to earn miles in blocks of $5 and $10.
To earn KrisFlyer miles, you must log in to your KrisFlyer account on KrisShop.com. It will take up to 30 business days for the miles to be credited to your account.
Please note that you can only earn miles on the net purchase amount. This means that anything you offset with vouchers and KrisFlyer miles does not count. Discounts, delivery fees and other taxes are also excluded.
Redeem KrisFlyer Miles at KrisShop (125 KrisFlyer Miles = $1)
You can not only collect KrisFlyer miles at KrisShop, but also redeem them. If you are not really into collecting miles and have only collected a few miles from somewherethen you can try to pay off part of your bill with what you have.
However, keep in mind that even though the redemption rate is 125 KrisFlyer miles for $1, you must redeem at least 1,000 KrisFlyer miles per transaction. That’s quite a lot.
As with earning KrisFlyer miles, you’ll need to log into your account to redeem them, enter how many miles you’d like to use at checkout, and pay the remainder (if any) with your card.
Conclusion: Is KrisShop cheaper than iShopChangi?
Now that we have established that KrisShop is iShopChangi same-same-but-differentwe compare their duty-free prices to see which one is more worth shopping at.
|
Product / Category |
sabine_schoen |
iShopChangi |
|
SKII Facial Treatment Essence (250ml) |
$237 |
$241.30 |
|
Chloe Signature EDP (75ml) |
$111.30 (on sale, normally $159) |
$164.10 |
|
Apple AirPods with charging case |
$223.36 |
$223.36 |
|
Johnnie Walker Blue Label |
$237 for 0.75 l |
$247.50 for 1L (on sale, normally $275) |
|
SONY DSC-RX100M7 Camera |
$1,494 |
$1,494.40 (on sale, normally $1,541.10) |
Their catalogs overlap quite a bit, so I chose a handful of random items from the beauty and electronics categories for this comparison. From this sample, it’s clear that KrisShop is cheaper across the board.
(Prices are correct at the time of writing.)
Aside from the Apple AirPods, which are likely price controlled, KrisShop is cheaper for everything else. Even though I chose two items that iShopChangi had a special promotion on (the Johnnie Walker whiskey and a SONY digital camera), KrisShop still had better prices.
Bottom line: If you have an upcoming SQ flight and want to do some duty free shopping at the airport, check KrisShop.com first to see if they offer the same items for less.
Have you ever shopped at KrisShop.com? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
Related articles
KrisFlyer Miles Redeem Guide – How to Start Playing the Miles Game in Singapore
The 7 Best Air Miles Credit Cards in Singapore
OCBC finally has an Air Miles card! 5 facts about the OCBC 90°N card
The 8 best credit cards in Singapore for online shopping
How to claim tax refunds for purchases in Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia
The post “KrisShop Guide – How Cheap is Duty Free Shopping with Singapore Airlines?” first appeared on the MoneySmart blog.
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