How to unlock unlimited free Wi-Fi with Singapore Airlines in Economy

Singapore Airlines is one of a few major carriers that offers fast and free Wi-Fi on most of its flights, from Economy to Suites. Passengers flying in premium cabins can access satellite internet without a membership. Even if your ticket is in Economy or Premium Economy, unlimited Wi-Fi is yours if your KrisFlyer membership is on the ticket.

But what if you want to credit your flight miles to another program or use the status benefits from that partner, such as Velocity Frequent Flyer? Don’t worry – there’s a simple trick you can use to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Who gets free Wi-Fi with Singapore Airlines?

The requirements for free access to Singapore Airlines’ inflight connectivity are fairly simple:

• Business and First Class/Suites passengers: Unlimited Wi-Fi, regardless of membership
• Premium Economy and Economy passengers: Unlimited Wi-Fi for KrisFlyer and PPS Club members

Only passengers who don’t put a KrisFlyer membership number on an Economy or Premium Economy ticket miss out on complimentary access. Instead, they can pay up to US$15.99 per flight.

However, Singapore Airlines allows passengers to add two frequent flyer numbers to a booking—one for crediting miles (e.g., to Velocity), and the other for travel benefits, such as unlocking free Wi-Fi onboard.

How can you add two frequent flyer numbers for free Wi-Fi?

You can use two different methods to achieve this, but you must still be a KrisFlyer member first. Your boarding pass will display both programs—one for earning and KrisFlyer for perks.

Method 1: contact SQ before the flight

1. Contact Singapore Airlines via Live Chat and ask to ‘speak to an agent’.
2. Ask them to put the program you want to earn points/miles in (such as Velocity) in the FQTV field. (Alternatively, you can complete this by attaching your partner membership number to the booking as usual).
3. Ask them to put your KrisFlyer member number in the FQTS field. This will now unlock free Wi-Fi onboard, as the system will recognise you as a KrisFlyer member.
4. At the airport, confirm your boarding pass mentions both programs (for example, it may say ‘VA KFLY’ if you have Velocity and KrisFlyer on the ticket).

Method 2: do it yourself during online check-in

This method might be easier if your booking allows online check-in via the Singapore Airlines website (if your first flight is with a different carrier, you should follow Method 1 instead).

1. Start the online check-in process with Singapore Airlines.
2. When you reach the section about frequent flyer details, add your KrisFlyer number first.
3. Tick the box ‘I want to earn miles on another frequent flyer program’ and enter the details of that program.
4. You should now be able to earn points in one program and enjoy free Wi-Fi as a KrisFlyer member.

If you have already used the first method to ask Singapore Airlines to add both numbers, they should be automatically populated during this online check-in step.

What are Singapore Airlines’ Wi-Fi speeds like?

On two recent flights, we found the Wi-Fi quite usable, especially for a free service. From Perth to Singapore, we recorded download speeds of 15.0 Mbps down and 0.93 Mbps up. On the next Singapore-London flight, the speeds were 22.6 Mbps down and 1.99 Mbps up. Ping is high at above 1,000 ms, as expected.

What does that tell us?

• Download speeds are relatively quick for a satellite service. You should be able to view webpages, download small files or browse social media easily.
• Upload speeds are much slower, so you’ll struggle to upload larger videos or files. It should still be enough to send emails, messages and pictures to stay in touch.
• The high ping is normal for a satellite service, so the connection will lag slightly. That mainly affects uses such as video calls and online gaming, which you shouldn’t be doing mid-flight anyway.

Wi-Fi speeds can vary greatly depending on connectivity and the number of users, so take these speeds as a guide only. Due to local regulations, there is no connection when flying over India or Türkiye.

Summing up

Singapore Airlines has a strong competitive edge thanks to its unlimited onboard Wi-Fi that most passengers can access, one way or another. We also like how accessing the service for free is possible, even if you’re not crediting your miles to the KrisFlyer program.