Guide: KrisFlyer x Shangri-La Infinite Journeys status match and points conversions

Back in 2016, Singapore Airlines launched a partnership with Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts called Infinite Journeys, which offers two-way points conversions and status matching, including a fast-track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold or Shangri-La Circle Jade.

Infinite Journeys

The points conversion rates are pretty abysmal — even with the occasional transfer bonus — so you’re better off ignoring this feature altogether.

However, the status matching could potentially be useful, as it offers KrisFlyer Elite Gold with just 1-3 flights, or Shangri-La Circle Jade with just one stay — a big reduction from the usual requirements. In fact, the Elite Gold fast-track is even more generous than the one Singapore Airlines has with Marriott Bonvoy, which requires Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador members to complete four flights.

In this article, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the Infinite Journeys partnership.

Status match: From Shangri-La Circle to KrisFlyer

Shangri-La Circle Tier	Instant Match	Accelerated Status
Jade	KrisFlyer Elite Silver	KrisFlyer Elite Gold (3x flights within 4 months)
Diamond		KrisFlyer Elite Gold (1x flight within 4 months)

Shangri-La Circle Jade or Diamond members receive instant KrisFlyer Elite Silver membership upon registration, and will be upgraded to KrisFlyer Elite Gold when they complete:

• Jade: Three qualifying flights within four months of registration
• Diamond: One qualifying flight within four months of registration

Qualifying flights include any commercial booking on Singapore Airlines in any booking class, excluding the following: 

• Award tickets
• Codeshare flights
• Group fares in the ‘G’ booking class

For the avoidance of doubt: 

• There is no need to book your tickets directly with Singapore Airlines; tickets booked through OTAs and travel agents will qualify provided they’re not codeshares or ‘G’ booking class
• Commercial tickets which are paid for with a mix of miles and cash will qualify
• Scoot flights do not count as qualifying flights
• Only flights booked in your name will count as qualifying flights

Here’s a table that illustrates how qualifying flights are counted.

You can broadly think of it as “one flight number = one flight”, though as stated in the footnote, if you travel on one flight number over two separate days, then it counts as two flights.

How long will status upgrades take?

KrisFlyer Elite Silver	KrisFlyer Elite Gold
Upgrade will take place within 6-8 weeks of registration	Upgrade will take place within 6-8 weeks of completing the last qualifying flight

In practice though, there are real-world data points which suggest that the upgrade is much, much faster, taking as little as one day!

How long is status valid for?

KrisFlyer Elite Silver or Gold status granted under this programme will expire at the end of the 12th month from the date of upgrade.

For example, if I’m a Shangri-La Circle Jade member who registers on 15 April 2026:

• I will receive KrisFlyer Elite Silver until 30 April 2027
• If I subsequently complete three qualifying flights and my account is upgraded to KrisFlyer Elite Gold on 12 June 2026, I will hold KrisFlyer Elite Gold until 30 June 2027

What if I’m already a KrisFlyer Elite Silver or Gold?

If you’re already a KrisFlyer Elite Silver, registration for Infinite Journeys will extend your existing membership’s expiry date by a further 12 months.

If you’re already a KrisFlyer Elite Gold, registration for Infinite Journeys will not grant any further extension of your membership. Therefore, this is not a way of reducing your requalification requirement. You will need to accrue 50,000 Elite miles, just like usual.

If you’re a KrisFlyer Elite Gold who is unable to requalify, you’ll need to let your status drop to KrisFlyer/KrisFlyer Elite Silver first, then register for Infinite Journeys so you can do the status accelerator and get back to Elite Gold. 

Status match: From KrisFlyer to Shangri-La Circle

KrisFlyer Tier	Instant Match	Accelerated Status
Solitaire PPS & PPS Club	N/A	Shangri-La Circle Jade (1x stay)
KrisFlyer Elite Gold

Solitaire PPS Club, PPS Club or KrisFlyer Elite Gold members do not receive any instant Shangri-La Circle status upon registration.

That said, they will be upgraded to Shangri-La Circle Jade after completing at least one qualifying stay (of any duration) at any Shangri-La Hotel and Resort, Kerry Hotel, JEN Hotel and Traders Hotel worldwide. The T&Cs do not mention a specific period in which you need to complete this stay, but a spokesperson confirmed there was no time limit.

Qualifying stays are defined as those booked through Shangri-La’s official hotel room reservation channels, and exclude third-party bookings such as Booking.com or Hotels.com. Also excluded are stays booked through official room channels where you use Shangri-La Circle points to pay for your room in part or full.

How long will status upgrades take?

Shangri-La Circle does not provide an official timeline for how long it will take for your account to be upgraded to Jade, but a spokesperson confirmed that accounts will usually be upgraded within seven days.

How long is status valid for?

According to the T&Cs, Shangri-La Circle Jade status granted under this programme will be valid for one year. 

However, in practice Shangri-La Circle Jade status is valid from the date of the membership upgrade until the end of the next calendar year. It would be more accurate to say that your status is valid for “at least a year”.

For example, if you complete your qualifying stay and your account is upgraded to Shangri-La Circle Jade on 12 June 2026, you will hold that status till 31 December 2027. In other words, you can enjoy a longer status validity by registering and completing your qualifying stay as early in the year as possible. 

What if I’m already a Shangri-La Circle Jade?

If you’re already a Shangri-La Circle Jade, registration for Infinite Journeys will not grant any further extension of your membership. Therefore, this is not a way of reducing your requalification requirement. You will need to accrue 20 nights or 6,000 tier points to requalify, just like usual.

If you’re a Shangri-La Circle Jade who is unable to requalify, you’ll need to let your status drop to Shangri-La Circle Gold first, then register for Infinite Journeys so you can do the status accelerator and get back to Jade.

One-time use only!

The Infinite Journeys status match can only be used once per member, and that’s once in total, not once in each direction. 

For example, if you use your KrisFlyer account to fast-track to Shangri-La Circle Jade, you can’t later use your linked Shangri-La Circle account to fast-track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold.

It also means you cannot use this for requalification. If you take the fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold in Year 1, and fail to requalify in Year 2, you can’t register again to get Elite Gold back. The same applies to Shangri-La Circle Jade.

So time your registration carefully. Only link your accounts when you’re certain you’ll have a period of travel that lets you complete the qualifying flights or stays.

Points transfers: From Shangri-La Circle to KrisFlyer

Shangri-La Circle members can transfer points to KrisFlyer miles at a rate of 1 point = 1.25 miles, with a minimum conversion of 1,000 points. 

Shangri-La Circle	KrisFlyer
1 point	1.25 miles

There is no cap on the maximum number of points that can be transferred. 

However, transfers are very poor value, because 15 Shangri-La points = US$1, and I value a KrisFlyer mile at 1.5 cents. You’re effectively giving up 8.5 cents in value and getting 1.88 cents in return. There is absolutely no reason why you should consider doing this.

Points transfers: From KrisFlyer to Shangri-La Circle

KrisFlyer members can transfer miles to Shangri-La Circle Points at a rate of 12 miles = 1 point, with a minimum conversion of 20,000 miles. 

KrisFlyer	Shangri-La Circle
12 miles	1 point

A maximum of 180,000 KrisFlyer miles can be converted to Shangri-La Circle Points per calendar year. 

Just like transfers from Shangri-La to KrisFlyer, transfers from KrisFlyer to Shangri-La are terrible value. 1 Shangri-La Circle Point is worth 8.55 cents, so this trade values 1 mile at 0.70 cents.

You should be aiming for a redemption value of at least 1 cent per KrisFlyer mile, as that’s the rate offered for purchasing Singapore Airlines or Scoot tickets, or spending at Kris+ merchants. 

Transfer bonuses

Infinite Journeys has offered several transfer bonuses throughout its history, usually during its anniversary month in September.

The first bonus in 2018 was actually quite compelling, especially since Shangri-La Golden Circle Points (the programme’s former name) were a lot more valuable at the time. You were basically getting 2.3 cents per mile!

Unfortunately, the general trend is that these transfer bonuses have been getting less and less lucrative over the years. The most recent bonus offered a 30% bonus in both directions, which boosted the value to just 0.92 cents per mile, still below the 1 cent benchmark. 

How to link KrisFlyer and Shangri-La Circle accounts

To register for a status match or transfer points between programmes, you’ll need to link your KrisFlyer account to your Shangri-La Circle account. 

• Log in to your KrisFlyer account, click on ‘Profile’, then ‘Partner Programmes’
• Under ‘Add partner’, select ‘Non-airline partner’ for the category and ‘Shangri-La Circle’ for the partner from the drop-down list
• Key in your Shangri-La Circle membership number and click ‘Add’
• To link your accounts together, select ‘Link’

Once done, you can visit this page to do conversions (but seriously, don’t). Select Non-air partner > Shangri-La Circle, and watch your hard-earned miles disappear into dust.

To transfer points in the opposite direction, visit this page and log in to your Shangri-La Circle account. Select Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and kiss your points goodbye.

Conclusion

The Infinite Journeys partnership has just marked its 10th anniversary, and while points transfers remain close to useless, the status match is more compelling, offering a shortcut to KrisFlyer Elite Gold with just 1-3 flights, or Shangri-La Circle Jade with a single stay.

Whichever direction applies to you, don’t waste your chance. Register only when you have enough travel lined up to complete the qualifying flights or stays. 

Did you get your status matched via Infinite Journeys?