How to Use Points on Budget Airline Subsidiaries Like Scoot

By Bryce Casson, Founder · Cardocrat · Updated June 2026

The short answer: Many major airlines run a low-cost sub-brand, Singapore Airlines has Scoot, Qantas has Jetstar, Air France KLM has Transavia, and Japan Airlines has ZIPAIR. These budget arms almost never have their own bank-transfer points program, so you do not transfer points to Scoot directly. Instead you book the subsidiary using the parent airline miles, often a cheap way to use a small balance. Just check the value first, since budget cash fares are sometimes lower than the miles are worth.

Budget sub-brands usually have no program of their own

A lot of big airlines operate a separate low-cost carrier underneath the main brand, Singapore Airlines and Scoot, Qantas and Jetstar, Air France and KLM with Transavia, Japan Airlines with ZIPAIR and Spring Japan, and the British Airways and Iberia group with Vueling. The thing to understand is that these subsidiaries typically do not run their own transferable loyalty program. There is no bank that transfers points to Scoot. So the question is not how to transfer to the subsidiary, but how to book it with the points you already have.

Book the subsidiary through its parent program

The answer is to redeem the parent airline miles for the subsidiary flights. Scoot is bookable with Singapore KrisFlyer miles: you log in on the Scoot site with your KrisFlyer credentials, choose the redeem-flights option, and economy awards start from as little as 1,500 KrisFlyer miles, with Saver and Advantage rates and the taxes payable in cash. The same pattern holds elsewhere: Jetstar flights can be booked with Qantas Points, Transavia with Air France KLM Flying Blue miles, ZIPAIR and Spring Japan through Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, and Vueling with Avios. Because KrisFlyer, Flying Blue, Avios, and the others are major bank transfer partners, your credit card points can reach these budget flights through the parent. See the KrisFlyer, Flying Blue, and Avios programs.

The upside: cheap short-haul and small-balance burns

Used well, this is a genuine sweet spot. Subsidiary awards are often very cheap in miles for short routes, Scoot economy from around 1,500 KrisFlyer miles is a good example, which makes them an excellent way to spend a small leftover balance that could never reach a premium-cabin award. They also reach leisure destinations the mainline airline does not fly, and since the parent currency takes bank transfers, you can top up from your card points when you are a little short. For draining an orphaned balance or covering a short hop, a subsidiary redemption can be the best use of otherwise stranded miles. See finding award space.

Check the value before you redeem

Here is the catch. Budget airlines are cheap in cash, which is the whole point of them, so spending valuable miles on a low fare can be poor value. Always compare the cash price to the miles plus the cash taxes, and work out the cents per mile, before you book. Some subsidiaries price awards badly: redeeming Japan Airlines miles on ZIPAIR is a known trap, because the conversion leaves each mile worth a fraction of a cent. And many independent ultra-low-cost carriers, like Ryanair or Spirit, have no award option at all and are revenue-only. So use the parent miles on a subsidiary when the cash fare is high relative to the miles, and simply pay cash when the fare is already cheap. See the JAL to ZIPAIR trap, when to use cash instead of points, and what your points are worth.

Frequently asked questions

Can you transfer points to Scoot?

No. Scoot has no points program of its own, so no bank transfers to it directly. You book Scoot flights by redeeming Singapore KrisFlyer miles, which you can reach from credit card points, with economy awards starting around 1,500 KrisFlyer miles.

How do you book a budget subsidiary airline with points?

Through the parent airline program. You redeem the parent miles for the subsidiary flights, for example Scoot with Singapore KrisFlyer, Jetstar with Qantas Points, Transavia with Flying Blue, ZIPAIR with Japan Airlines miles, and Vueling with Avios.

Which airlines have budget subsidiaries you can book with points?

Common ones include Singapore Airlines with Scoot, Qantas with Jetstar, Air France KLM with Transavia, Japan Airlines with ZIPAIR and Spring Japan, and the British Airways and Iberia group with Vueling. Each is booked with the parent program miles rather than its own currency.

Is it worth using miles on a budget airline?

Only when the cash fare is high relative to the miles required. Budget fares are often cheap, so paying cash and saving the miles is frequently better. Compute the cents per mile first, and watch poor-value cases like redeeming Japan Airlines miles on ZIPAIR.

Do budget airlines have their own points programs?

Most subsidiary budget airlines do not; you use the parent program instead. And many independent ultra-low-cost carriers, such as Ryanair or Spirit, are revenue-only with no award chart, so you generally cannot book them with points at all.