HeyMax, the Singapore-born loyalty platform, has launched HeyMax First — the world’s first “miles-upfront” membership. Live from July 6, it flips the traditional model on its head: instead of saving miles for years before booking a dream flight, members get access to up to 1,000,000 Max Miles upfront, then earn them back over time.
1. You fly first, earn later
The core mechanic is a genuine reversal of how loyalty programmes work. Join free (first-year fees are waived during launch), unlock up to 1,000,000 Max Miles through a fully reclaimable access fee, and redeem straight away. There’s no waiting years to hit a redemption threshold.
2. Your miles actually go somewhere
Max Miles transfer 1:1 to more than 20 airline and hotel programmes, covering 70+ airlines — so the upfront balance isn’t a gimmick locked inside one app, it’s usable where you’d actually want to fly.
3. Repayment has no teeth
You earn back the advance through everyday spending on the app, with no deadline and no penalty for taking your time. As you earn, your access fee gets refunded — so the cost structure rewards use rather than punishing delay. However, do note that while there’s no deadline and penalty for taking your time to repay, it may not justify its worth if you have your funds locked in the HeyMax First app for long.
4. Nothing else in Singapore does this
Local travellers already have plenty of ways to earn miles from daily spend: Kris+ lets users pay at partner merchants and route KrisFlyer miles instantly, plus convert points from banks like Citibank, DBS, and UOB. Cashback-first apps like ShopBack and yuu reward purchases too, though usually in cashback or points rather than transferable miles. Cards like Citi PremierMiles or DBS Altitude build non-expiring miles, but still take years of spending before a business-class seat is realistic.
None of these solve the actual bottleneck which is the wait. HeyMax First is built on the existing HeyMax ecosystem, where users already earn Max Miles from 400+ partner brands, but adds an upfront advance no local competitor currently offers.
5. No sunk cost, no status cliff
There’s no expiry on the miles, no status tiers to fall off, and the fee itself is reclaimable rather than a sunk annual cost — a meaningfully different risk profile from a typical premium travel card or membership.
Getting Started
Download the HeyMax app, sign up during the launch window for the waived first-year fee, check your available Max Miles, transfer to your preferred airline or hotel programme, and keep spending as usual to earn the miles — and your fee — back.
Check out the FAQ’s on HeyMax First here. Do read up before you sign up!