Ascott Star Rewards (ASR) is the loyalty program of the Ascott Group, which brands include Ascott, Somerset, Citadines and lyf.
ASR launched back in 2019 and has been aggressively acquiring members, offering promotions like a 100% bonus on points, complimentary Platinum status with the AMEX Platinum Charge, and even a status match.
Now, there’s an opportunity for Mastercard cardholders to get instant ASR Platinum status, valid for 12 months.ย
Get ASR Platinum status with Mastercard
From now till 30 June 2022, Mastercard members can register to enjoy an ASR status upgrade and a one-time discount. By right, the ASR tier and discount you receive depends on your Mastercard tier:
| ย | ASR status | One-time ASR discount |
| World Elite | Platinum | 35% |
| World | Gold | 25% |
| Platinum, Titanium, Standard, Gold | Silver | 15% |
In reality though, ASR isn’t doing any kind of verification. The different links simply populate the referral code field with a different value, and there’s nothing stopping a someone with a World card from using the World Elite link.ย
- World Elite: mcweplat
- World: mcwgold
- Platinum, Titanium, Standard, Gold: mcallsilver
I wonder if this is accident or design, but anyway,ย here’s a brief run down of common Mastercards in Singapore and the tier they map to:
- World Elite: Citi Prestige, UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card
- World: BOC Elite Miles, Citi PremierMiles, Citi Rewards,ย DBS Woman’s World Card, OCBC 90N
- Platinum, Titanium, Standard, Gold: DBS Woman’s Card, most debit cards
Apart from complimentary status, ASR is also giving Mastercard members a one-time 15/25/35% off voucher, which will appear in the “My Vouchers” section after activating your account.
It’s of questionable usefulness, given that the discount only applies to the relatively expensive best flexible daily rate. A search for a July weekday stay at Ascott Orchard yielded a rate of S$201.50++ (S$237 nett) for a Studio Executive Suite, the lead-in category at this property.
Head over to Klook, and you can find the same thing for S$207 nett. So I really don’t think this is anything great.ย
The T&C of the status upgrade can be found here, and the T&C the vouchers can be found here.
What are the perks of ASR membership?
The graphic below summarizes the benefits you can expect as an ASR elite member:
ASR Platinum status makes you eligible for room upgrades, and if nothing else, you’ll have higher priority for early check-in and late check-out. To be honest I’ve not read a whole lot of stay reviews from people with ASR status, so I can’t speak to how good properties are with recognizing status and extending benefits.ย
Status earned through this Mastercard offer is valid for one year, after which you’ll need to requalify by spending S$1,000/ 3,000/ 10,000 for Silver/ Gold/ Platinum respectively. Since you have until 30 June 2022 to sign up, I’d advise you to wait until you actually have a stay in order to maximize the validity period.ย
Conclusion
ASR isn’t the most exciting of programs. Points are worth a fixed 0.25 cents each when redeemed against stays, so it’s more akin to a cashback scheme than a true hotel rewards program.ย
That said,ย I suppose having some status is better than none at all, especially when it’s basically free.
SCB Bonus$aver debit card is a World MasterCard too. Pity I don’t have anything Elite World MC. So goin to give ASR a miss
My goldfish ate a lot this morning, going to give it less pellets later in the afternoon. Afraid it might get too bloated.
Stayed a few nights in the different Ascott properties here in Singapore (Somerset Bencoolen, Ascott Raffles, Ascott Orchard and Lyf @ Funan). Not a single stay in any of these properties got me any form of elite benefit(s), despite being a platinum member. The staff at Somerset Bencoolen was shock to even hear about the existence of Ascott Star Rewards membership. I wouldn’t bother or pay much attention to this loyalty program
thanks for sharing- a bit depressing to hear though.
That’s quite sad, was thinking to utilise this to get a Plat status and possibly do a stay in a Citadines hotel in Kyoto around EOY, if international leisure travel is possible (with no QO when returning to SG for vaccinated people).
Reminds me of my Fraserโs Diamond membership – I tried to use it in KL before COVID and the counter staff was shocked to hear of its existence. After explaining the tiers to the counter staff and what I should be entitled to, they gladly upgraded my family to the two bedroom suite (probably the largest suite in the property) which was fantastic for what I was paying (<SGD100).
actually my stay at Ascott Orchard was given early check in and out, plus some snacks and drinks as welcome amenity.