Ever since American Express discontinued the Shangri-La Circle Jade benefit in April 2021, Iโve been counting down the days till my status gets downgraded. There was a brief respite in 2021 when Shangri-La decided to extend all elite status till 31 December 2022 regardless of qualifying activity, but I wasnโt expecting anything beyond that.
And then yesterday, I received the following email in my inbox:
As it turns out, Shangri-La Circle is in a more generous mood regarding status extensions than I thoughtโฆ
Shangri-La Circle status extension offer
I totally missed this email, but back in October 2022, Shangri-La Circle sent out the following offer to Jade members (some Diamond members received it too):
โWe loved having you as a Jade member, which is why weโre presenting you with an easy way to retain your status. Stay one qualifying night or spend on one qualifying experience โ whether itโs a cup of coffee or a feast at any of our restaurants and bars โ before 15 December 2022 to renew your Jade status for another yearโ
Basically, Jade members could renew their current elite tier by doing any of the following by 15 December 2022:
- Staying one qualifying night at a hotel
- Dining at one of Shangri-Laโs restaurants or bars
- Making one qualifying purchase at the Shangri-La Online Boutique
Naturally, everyone bought a single cup of coffee or spent US$1 online and called it a day. Having missed the email, I didnโt even bother to do that, but I had some points unexpectedly credited to my account which proved enough to get the renewal.
Thereโs also reports in the Telegram Group of people getting renewed without any sort of activity at all, so make of that what you will.
My extended Jade status is now valid till 31 December 2023.
What are the benefits of Shangri-La Circle Jade?
Jade status qualification normally requires 20 nights or US$6,000 spending per year. Itโs best to assume that Shangri-La will not be offering any more freebies in 2023, so if you want to enjoy status in 2024 and beyond, this is what youโll need to hit.
| ๐ก Shangri-La Circle Elite Qualification | |||
| Gold | Jade | Diamond | |
| Qualification (Nights) | N/A | 20 | 50 |
| Qualification (Tier Points) |
N/A | 6,000 (US$6,000 spend) |
15,000 (US$15,000 spend) |
The full list of Shangri-La Circle benefits can be found below.
The main perks to highlight for Jade members are complimentary breakfast for two adults, as well as 11 a.m check-in and 4 p.m check-out, where available. Jade members can also enjoy instant KrisFlyer Elite Silver membership via the Infinite Journeys partnership, with a fast-track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold after three eligible flights of any duration.
| ๐ก Shangri-La Circle Effective Rebate | |||
| Gold | Jade | Diamond | |
| Points per US$1 | 1 | 1.25 | 1.5 |
| Redeem points | 15 points per US$1 |
||
| Effective rebate | 6.7% | 8.3% | 10% |
| All points are valid for 3 years | |||
Jade members earn 1.25 points per US$1 spent at Shangri-La hotels, and redeem points at a rate of 15 points per US$1. This works out to an effective rebate of 8.3%.
Unfortunately, Shangri-La Circle underwent a massive devaluation in April 2022, which saw the award chart removed in favour of dynamic pricing and fixed value points. This has killed off any hope of aspirational redemptions, and turns the loyalty programme into a glorified cashback scheme.
Conclusion
Shangri-La Circle Jade members who fulfilled the criteria for fast-track renewals last year (and even some who didnโt!) should be seeing their extended status posting now, valid till 31 December 2023.
I personally donโt stay at Shangri-La properties a whole lot, but if your travel plans bring you to one then free breakfast is always a welcome perk.
I didnโt stay by 15 December and lost the Jade status in January. Bye bye
I found out about the promo only after 15 Dec and gave them a call to ask about it (because I didnโt receive any notification either)โฆ and was told that actually as long as you had activity (during the year? or during that period only?) you would be extended for another year (โโฆas a surprise for our loyal customersโ); the email/notification was only for inactive members.
Which might explain why you didnโt get any notification?
Just received an email two days ago informing me of my Jade extension for another year, which quite surprised me!
I donโt recall getting an email regarding the fast-track re-qualification criteria (or I just missed it).
In 2022, I only redeemed points for a 2-night stay at Shangri-La Jakarta (just checked, that was in January 2022), no other activity beyond this redemption stay.
11am early check in is not guaranteed โฆ during peak periods which is pretty often these days, you might not be able to check in till 3pm
Huh, I didnโt know about this, had one stay at Shangri La Cebu Mactan last May and just checked, Jade until 12/2023. Nice result, although not sure if Iโll make use of it.
Itโs not really true that Jade requires 20nights / US$6000 spend per year. Itโs more like clocking the required nights/ spend within the current year. For example, if you stayed 15 nights in December aloneโฆ Itโll reset to zero once the new calendar year begins. So anyone planning to hit Jade should plan to start their stay asap.
Till date, itโs still a stupid policy to me.