One of the most valuable benefits of the Amex Platinum Charge card (India) for frequent travellers has been the complimentary Shangri‑La Golden Circle Jade membership that accompanies the card.
Unfortunately, this benefit will be discontinued at the end of the month.
The final date to claim the membership is 31st March 2021. If you intend to apply, consider doing so at least a day earlier, as American Express operates across multiple time zones and that can sometimes cause issues when processing enrolments.
This is disappointing news for Platinum cardholders. The loss is not limited to the Shangri‑La Golden Circle Jade status itself but also affects other valuable linked memberships that come through account linking.
You lose more!
When you hold a Shangri‑La Golden Circle membership, you can link and receive additional memberships. Two notable linked benefits are:
- Taj InnerCircle Gold: Offers useful perks such as 20 upgrade vouchers and early check-in/late check-out privileges.
- KrisFlyer Silver: Valuable for frequent flyers since achieving KrisFlyer Silver makes it easier to reach KrisFlyer Gold after completing three flights on Singapore Airlines.
While I personally haven’t used Shangri‑La Jade and KrisFlyer benefits extensively, I find the Taj InnerCircle Gold membership particularly valuable. It has helped me secure a sea-facing room at the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai on one occasion.
That said, Taj’s execution of InnerCircle Gold benefits can be inconsistent. On several stays — including a recent stay at Vivanta, Guwahati — I had to remind staff about my Gold status and request an upgrade. So although TIC Gold has real value on paper, my experiences give me mixed feelings about how reliably Taj honours those benefits.
I hope Taj improves the consistency of its service; for comparison, Marriott Bonvoy routinely acknowledges Gold members during check-in, which creates a smoother and more reliable experience.
Bottomline
In short, the Shangri‑La Jade membership is being withdrawn, and with it go the linked benefits such as Taj InnerCircle Gold and KrisFlyer Silver. It would be welcome if another issuer or partner could offer similar memberships in future — especially the Taj InnerCircle Gold benefit.
A dedicated Taj InnerCircle credit card would be an attractive product; banks like SBI Card, which already issue co-branded cards with Tata, could be a natural issuer for such a proposition.
For now, this is one of the more disappointing changes of the year for frequent travellers who value these hotel and airline privileges. Hopefully American Express will add additional compelling benefits to the Platinum Charge card to better justify the premium price of the metal card.
Do you value these benefits? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.