HeyMax is a miles rewards app that issues miles called Max Miles. Max Miles is typically earned through the HeyMax platform, the use of various cards like Chocolate Visa Debit Card or the latest Trust Freedom Card welcome rewards. Once you have collected them, they are stored in your HeyMax account under “Available Miles” upon log in.
Your Max Miles stay valid as long as your account is active. HeyMax deletes an account, along with its Max Miles, after 12 months in a row with no activity. Opening the app and browsing, shopping or redeeming counts as activity, but card spending that earns miles in the background does not.
Once you have enough, HeyMax allows you to:
- exchange them for vouchers via Redeem Vouchers
- use them to get money back on a flight you have paid for (via FlyAnywhere), or
- convert them into an airline or hotel programme’s points (via Loyalty Programmes).
These three options do not give you the same value. On FlyAnywhere, 1,000 Max Miles gets you S$18 back on a flight, while the same 1,000 Max Miles buys a S$10 voucher. The table below compares all three.
Three Ways to Use Max Miles, and What Each Is Worth
| Option | What you get | Value per Max Mile | Who it suits | Function located at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vouchers | Voucher to spend with that merchant | 1 cent: S$20 for 2,000 Max Miles | Spending you already need and will use before expiry | Redeem > Redeem vouchers |
| FlyAnywhere | Money back through PayNow after buying a flight | 1.8 cents, fixed | A normal economy class paid flight (can be budget airline). Must have enough Max Miles to cover the whole receipt. | Redeem > Flyanywhere |
| Loyalty Programme transfers | Airline miles to book an available award flight, with fees paid in cash | Varies with the cash fare: about 6 cents against a S$2,777 ANA fare, 1.5 cents against a S$977 ZIPAIR fare, in the EVA example below. Aim for above 1.8 cents | Business class, or an expensive economy flight | Redeem > Transfer miles from 1:1 ratio |
What Is Value Per Max Mile? 1.8 Cents Is the Number to Beat
The Value per Max Mile column in the table above shows how much cash each Max Mile saves you. FlyAnywhere is the easiest to measure: you buy any flight yourself, and HeyMax pays you back 1.8 cents for every Max Mile you use. Since that rate is fixed and works on any flight, 1.8 cents is the number to beat.
When you compare an award flight with a cash ticket, count each Max Mile at 1.8 cents and add the cash you still pay:
Miles value + cash = Max Miles used × S$0.018 + cash you still pay
The option with the lowest total gives you the most for your miles. You can also work out the cents per mile you get from an award:
(Cash ticket price − award taxes and fees) ÷ Max Miles used × 100
Anything above 1.8 cents beats FlyAnywhere. The cash ticket price should be for a flight you would actually buy, because a pricey fare you would never pay makes the award look better than it is.
Below, I go through the three options from the lowest value to the highest, then show you step by step how to redeem.
Redeem Vouchers: Only As A Last Resort
Vouchers give you the least for your miles. A S$20 Grab or IKEA voucher uses 2,000 Max Miles. Those same miles could cover S$36 of an eligible flight through FlyAnywhere. That is the general rate. Flash deals sometimes take a little off, but vouchers still give you less than FlyAnywhere. Vouchers make sense when you have expiring orphan miles that cannot be used by FlyAnywhere redemption. If you have enough Max Miles to cover a whole flight receipt, FlyAnywhere gives you more.
FlyAnywhere: Get Money Back For Flights Is Our Benchmark
FlyAnywhere lets you buy a flight from any airline or travel website, such as Trip.com, then claim the cost back from HeyMax. It is the simplest way to use your Max Miles, so it is the benchmark this guide uses to decide whether a transfer is worthwhile. If a transfer gives you less than FlyAnywhere’s 1.8 cents per mile, FlyAnywhere is the better choice.
Before you claim, these rules apply:
| Rule | What it means for your claim |
|---|---|
| Whole receipt | Your Max Miles must cover the full amount, including taxes and surcharges. Part-claims are not allowed. |
| Several tickets on one receipt | You cannot claim just one ticket. HeyMax recommends separate bookings if you only want to claim your own. |
| Credits or gift cards used | Only the portion paid in cash qualifies. |
| Minimum and fee | 1,000 Max Miles minimum; no redemption fee |
| Deadline | Within 31 days of paying for the flight, even if the flight is months away |
| PayNow timing | HeyMax processes claims within about 3 business days; the PayNow transfer can take 3–5 business days |
For example, a one-way ZIPAIR economy flight from Singapore to Tokyo on 20 January 2027 cost S$317 on Google Flights (28 October 2026). You pay the S$317 with your card first, then submit the receipt to FlyAnywhere within 31 days. To claim it, you need about 17,612 Max Miles (S$317 ÷ S$0.018), and HeyMax pays the S$317 back to you by PayNow. If you only had 15,000 Max Miles, you could not claim any of it, because FlyAnywhere has to cover the whole receipt.
I’ve put the step-by-step guide to claiming further down, after the transfer examples.
Transfer To Loyalty Programmes Gets Potentially The Best Value But Has Multiple Steps
Transfers can give you several times more than FlyAnywhere, but only for the right flight. This section explains how they work, how to find a flight and how to check it is worth it.
You Can Transfer to 26 Airline, Hotel and Travel Partners
An award flight is a flight you book with airline miles. You can transfer to the following transfer partners:
| Airlines | Airlines | Hotels and others |
|---|---|---|
| Air Arabia | Malaysia Airlines | Accor |
| Air Astana | Philippine Airlines | IHG |
| AirAsia | Qatar Airways | Radisson Hotels |
| Air France/KLM | SAS | Shangri-La |
| Air India | Turkish Airlines | Wyndham Hotels |
| Cathay | Vietjet Air | Luxury Escapes (travel deals) |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Vietnam Airlines | Plaza Premium Group (airport lounges) |
| EVA Air | Xiamen Airlines | |
| Garuda Indonesia | yuu (indirectly to KrisFlyer) | |
| Japan Airlines |
The miles are only part of what an award flight costs you. You still pay taxes and fees in cash, such as airport charges or a fuel surcharge. There is no rush to transfer, though, so you can keep collecting Max Miles until you have enough for the flight you want.
Even though you can transfer to KrisFlyer, you lose about 17% of your miles on the way (explained below). So it is worth using the method below to look for a redemption through the other frequent flyer programmes before going through KrisFlyer.
Use HeyMax Flight Search to Find Your Flight Before You Transfer
To see which programmes can actually get you to your destination, HeyMax has a Flight Search that shows which award flights your miles can book, across its airline partners, before you transfer anything.
Step 1: Open Flight Search Under the Travel Tab
Tap Travel at the bottom of the HeyMax app, then tap the search bar that says “Find the best flights to book with miles”.
Step 2: Key In Your Search Criteria
Enter where you are flying from and to, your date, the cabin class and the number of travellers, then tap Search flights. The ±3 days option widens the search to nearby dates.
Step 3: Compare the Results
I have around 50,000 Max Miles, so I can see which of these routes my balance covers. Each result shows the airline, the programme you would book through (its logo), the miles needed plus taxes and fees, and how many seats are left. Seats can get booked up fast, so book as soon as your transfer arrives.
Example: Tokyo in Business Class for 40,000 Max Miles + S$364.70
The second result above is a Singapore Airlines and ANA business-class trip to Tokyo, connecting in Jakarta, for 40,000 EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles. EVA is a 1:1 HeyMax partner, so that is 40,000 Max Miles. I wanted to check if the HeyMax data was correct, so I searched the same flights as a Star Alliance award on EVA’s website (my account already had enough miles to book). It matched: 40,000 miles, with both flights showing Status: Confirm, which means the seats are available to redeem right away.
The miles are only part of the cost. This award also charges S$364.70 in cash, mostly a S$285.50 fuel surcharge, plus S$65.20 in Singapore airport and government charges, a S$10 insurance surcharge and a S$4 Sustainable Aviation Fuel Levy (the business-class rate when the first stop is in Southeast Asia).
Counting the miles at 1.8 cents, this one-way trip uses about S$1,085 in miles value and cash (S$720 + S$364.70).
Is It Worth It? Compare Against the Cheapest Flight You Could Buy
To know whether S$1,085 is a good use of your miles, compare it with the cheapest flight you could actually buy for the same trip. Google Flights makes this easy: search the same route, date and cabin, and look at the cheapest fares.
For this trip, a full-service one-way nonstop business-class seat on ANA (operated by Air Japan) costs S$2,777 on Google Flights.
Against that fare, the award is a great deal: you save S$2,412.30 after the S$364.70 in charges, which works out to about 6 cents per Max Mile, more than three times what FlyAnywhere gives you.
However, there is another nonstop business-class flight on ZIPAIR that costs just S$977.
If you are able to accept the quality of a ZIPAIR flight, paying S$977 in cash for it is a better deal than the HeyMax award at about S$1,085 in value. It is also nonstop, while the award connects overnight in Jakarta.
This is why it is easier to find good value for your miles on routes with no low-cost alternative. On a fixed award chart like EVA’s, the miles price stays the same whatever the cash fare is, so the value of your miles depends on the cheapest ticket you could buy instead. When a low-cost airline flies the route, that cheapest ticket can be very cheap.
What About Economy Redemption: A Cheap Fare Usually Beats an Award Flight
So is economy ever worth it? Miles go further when the cash fare is high, such as on peak dates, one-way trips and last-minute bookings. When a cheap fare is available, such as on low-cost airlines like ZIPAIR, paying for it is usually better value.
For the same one-way trip on 20 January 2027, here is how economy compares (prices on Google Flights and JAL as of 28 October 2026, at about S$1.28 to US$1):
| Economy option | Max Miles used | Cash you pay | Miles value + cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZIPAIR one-way, paid in cash | 0 | S$317 | S$317 |
| JAL award, one-way | 20,000 | US$217.45 (about S$278.75) | S$638.75 |
At 1.8 cents each, the 20,000 Max Miles are worth S$360. Add the US$217.45 in taxes and fees, about S$278.75, and the JAL award really costs S$638.75, about twice the ZIPAIR fare. In this case, it would be more worthwhile to pay for economy class in cash on ZIPAIR.
Some Tips:
Only Transfer What You Need
Because the value depends so much on the route and the date, the flight should come first. Moving your miles into an airline programme in the hope of flying one day often leaves them stuck there. Each programme suits different destinations, and once the miles are moved they can only be used there. Find the flight first, check the date, then transfer only what it needs. If the flight needs 40,000 miles, transfer 40,000.
Why Business Class Gets More From Your Miles
How to Claim a Flight With FlyAnywhere (Step by Step)
Now that you know which option suits your trip, the two guides below show exactly what to tap. FlyAnywhere comes first because it has the fewest steps.
To claim your flight back:
- Book and pay for your flight. Save the receipt showing the traveller’s name and the amount paid.
- Open Redeem → FlyAnywhere in HeyMax.
- Enter your name and the phone number registered with PayNow.
- Upload the receipt, enter the eligible amount and submit the claim.
- Check the claim under Profile → Redemption status. Submitted means it is awaiting review, Pending Payment means it is approved and your miles have been deducted, and Completed means the PayNow transfer is done.
If you buy a Singapore Airlines ticket through Trip.com, add your KrisFlyer number to the booking so the flight still earns miles.
How to Transfer Max Miles to an Airline (Step by Step)
If a transfer gives you more than FlyAnywhere, these are the steps. Each airline programme needs an account in your own name before you transfer. A transfer is final and cannot be reversed.
Step 1: Open an Account With the Airline Partner
Once you have found a flight in Flight Search and checked that you have enough Max Miles, you will need an account with that airline’s programme. Tap the flight, then tap Sign up for EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (or the programme you picked). The account is free.
HeyMax marks some results as Estimated and asks you to check the seat on the airline’s own website before transferring.
Step 2: Confirm the Seat With the Airline
For EVA Air Infinity MileageLands, you can only complete an award booking on the website, and see the exact taxes, once your account holds enough miles. If you have not transferred yet, call EVA’s customer service hotline during working hours and ask them to check that the flight is available before you move your miles.
Step 3: Transfer Your Max Miles
In HeyMax, open Redeem → Transfer Miles and choose the programme. Enter your first name and last name exactly as they appear on your airline account, plus your membership number (for EVA, your Infinity MileageLands ID), then tap Confirm. Each HeyMax account can be linked to only one Infinity MileageLands account, so check the number carefully.
Next, enter the number of Max Miles to transfer and tap Review transfer. The minimum is 1,000 Max Miles, there is no fee, and the miles usually arrive instantly, within one business day at most.
Step 4: Book the Award
Once the miles arrive in your airline account, book the award on the airline’s website and pay the taxes and fees. The seat is not held for you while you wait for the transfer.
Transferring to KrisFlyer Costs You About 17% of Your Miles
For KrisFlyer, the miles go through yuu first, so you need a yuu account as well. You lose about 17% of your miles along the way: every Max Mile becomes about 0.83 KrisFlyer miles, so you need 1.2 Max Miles for every KrisFlyer mile.
| Account | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| HeyMax | Transfer 12,000 Max Miles to yuu at 3 yuu Points per Max Mile | 36,000 yuu Points |
| yuu | Convert to KrisFlyer at 3.6 yuu Points per KrisFlyer mile | 10,000 KrisFlyer miles |
| KrisFlyer | Book an available Singapore Airlines award | Pay the taxes and charges in cash |
If you already have some KrisFlyer miles, you only need to top up the difference. For the 13,000-mile Bangkok economy award with 5,000 KrisFlyer miles already in your account, you need 8,000 more, which is 9,600 Max Miles.
Spontaneous Escapes: 30% Off Singapore Airlines Awards
If your travel dates are flexible, you may also get better value from Spontaneous Escapes, even after the yuu conversion to KrisFlyer. Every month, KrisFlyer lists flights with spare seats for the following month at 30% off Saver miles in economy, premium economy and business class (15% off on Scoot). For flights in November 2026 (book by 31 October), a one-way economy seat from Singapore to Bangkok on Singapore Airlines’ Spontaneous Escapes page was 9,100 KrisFlyer miles instead of 13,000, which is 10,920 Max Miles through yuu. It suits people with flexible dates and destinations. These tickets cannot be changed or refunded.
Once converted, standard KrisFlyer miles expire after three years, so it is better to leave Max Miles in HeyMax until you have a booking in mind.
If you don’t have a yuu account yet, you can sign up here:
KWMLISBL
- Download the yuu app from the App Store or Google Play
- Enter the referral code KWMLISBL during sign-up
- Receive 2,000 yuu points after registration
And if you are new to HeyMax, you can start collecting Max Miles here:
43774BFE
- Download the HeyMax app from the App Store or Google Play
- Enter the referral code 43774BFE when prompted during sign-up
- Complete phone verification
- Make 1 confirmed transaction via HeyMax within 180 days of account creation
- Get 200 Max Miles as your sign-up reward
Conclusion: Match the Redemption to the Trip
Max Miles give you the most when you are able to use it for higher value transfers like Business Class redemptions with no low cost cash alternatives. For an ordinary economy ticket, especially on a budget airline, paying for the flight and claiming it back through FlyAnywhere is simple and hard to beat. Airline transfers are worth the extra steps for business class, but only after you have found the seat, checked it with the airline and worked out the cash you still pay. Vouchers are best kept for leftover miles that cannot cover a whole flight receipt.
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