HeyMax wants to challenge the miles game with ‘fly now, earn later’ model
It plans to expand the network into Japan, Australia, Europe and the US
[SINGAPORE] Fly first, earn the miles later – that is the proposition behind a new programme from local startup HeyMax that aims to challenge the traditional model of accumulating travel miles before redeeming them.
Called HeyMax First, the miles-upfront membership programme will allow consumers to access miles to redeem flights or book accommodation first, before “paying” for them later through everyday spending.
The model could address common pain points in miles redemption, said Joe Lu, CEO and co-founder of HeyMax. These include shortening the time required to redeem miles, reducing the risk of points expiry or devaluation and improving their chances of securing their preferred award seats before availability runs out.
“Instead of having to wait for years to accumulate miles before vying for a limited number of redeemable seats within any specific airline frequent flyer programme, HeyMax First is the outcome of this aspiration (to fly comfortably, cheaper and faster),” Lu said.
Since its soft launch in Singapore in July 2026, more than 50,000 users have registered for the programme, with five million miles advanced. HeyMax said the launch comes as the Asia-Pacific loyalty market is likely to double to US$60 billion by 2029.
How it works
HeyMax’s rewards currency, called Max Miles, can be redeemed across its partners, which include more than 70 airlines and over 20,000 properties.
Members can access up to one million Max Miles upfront, depending on the membership tier. The miles can be earned back – with no repayment deadline – through transactions done either through its partner cards or on its HeyMax shopping portal.
The programme also allows “double dipping” on eligible transactions, where miles can be earned from both their payment card and the HeyMax portal.
For example, consumers can earn from using Trust’s Freedom Card – which offers 1.3 miles per dollar spent – to book a hotel on HeyMax’s app, which may offer four miles per dollar spent.
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To date, more than 700 million Max Miles have been earned through the HeyMax shopping portal, with over 100 million Max Miles redeemed.
For users to access the upfront miles, they would need to pay a fully refundable access fee, which starts from S$0.023 per mile.
For example, a trip requiring 25,000 miles at S$0.023 per mile will result in an access fee of S$575. Access fees can be reclaimed back every 10,000 miles.
Lu said users will have a “strong incentive” to earn the miles back as they will likely want to collect back the access fee, although he also emphasised that the platform was not in the business of selling miles.
Meeting demands
Despite describing the programme as the first of its kind globally, Lu does not see itself competing directly with banks’ existing miles programmes.
“I think we’re very much fulfilling a lot of the needs,” he said. “For the banks, they also want to offer as many options for the customer as possible.”
He cited the company’s partnership with Trust Bank, where its credit card earns Trust Miles at a rate of 1.3 miles for every dollar, which can then be converted to Max Miles on a one-for-one basis.
“We see quite strong interest already from the banks because they are warming up to this idea about travel reward offerings out there,” he said.
As for its airline and hotel partners, Lu said the platform increases their exposure and expands their customer base as consumers will no longer be bound to the respective loyalty credits of individual airlines or hotels.
The HeyMax platform first launched in Singapore three years ago, with most of its customers from the region. It is also seeing a fast-growing pool of users from Hong Kong, having launched there last year.
Lu said he is increasingly seeing global users given that the platform is launching “quite a number of” global experiences that is not restricted by country or region, such as its partnership with Japan Railways that allows users to earn Max Miles from topping up their Suica railway cards.
“Singapore and Hong Kong, for example, are very heavy on outbound travel, so we build out our traveller base in places where there are a lot of outbound,” he said.
“Japan is super dominant on inbound travel, so we see a very strong opportunity to help Japanese merchants create a way to communicate with customers, especially frequent travellers who are coming in.”
Looking ahead, HeyMax plans to expand the HeyMax network into Japan, Australia, Europe and the US.
“The wider the network, the greater the possibility for travellers to earn and redeem their Max Miles so they can fly sooner, better and smarter,” he said.
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