Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
Part of Shangri-La Circle hub · Hilton Honors hub
GUIDE
How to earn airline miles from hotel stays
Earning airline miles from hotel stays means taking an airline frequent flyer currency instead of the hotel's own points for a paid stay. At Shangri-La Circle, the frequent guest programme of Shangri-La Group, members choose between Points and Airline Miles at check-in on eligible rates, cannot earn both for the same stay, and must credit the miles to a single Airline Partner Programme. [4]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Shangri-La Circle members can take Airline Miles instead of Points on Flexible Rates, Book Early and Save, Members Online Exclusive Rate, Members Online Saver Rate and corporate rates that fall within Qualifying Room Rate, booked through the programme's own reservation channels. [4]
- No selection before check-out means Points are credited by default, and the final selection cannot be amended afterwards. [4]
- Miles may take four to six weeks to process, and only the room the member physically occupies earns them. [4]
- Where Hilton Honors refers to promotional miles, it treats them as one of the "other bonuses" awarded on one room only. [5]
How the check-in choice works
Shangri-La Circle sets out an explicit election: members may choose to earn Points or Airline Miles in one Airline Partner Programme upon check-in at a Participating Hotel when paying the eligible rates. [4] Participating Hotels are Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Kerry Hotels, JEN Hotels and Traders hotels, plus any other hotels published on the Shangri-La Circle website. [4] Airline Partners are the carriers published on the same website, and "Airline Miles" covers any currency, credits, kilometres or points issued by those partners. [4]
The choice is binary for a given stay. Members cannot earn both Points and Airline Miles for the same stay, and miles can be credited to only one Airline Partner Programme per stay. [4] A member who has not selected between Points and Airline Miles before check-out earns Points by default. [4] The election is made before check-out and, once final, cannot be amended. [4]
Which stays and rates qualify for airline miles?
Only stays booked through Qualifying Room Reservation Channels are eligible. [4] Those channels are Shangri-La's official website, the Shangri-La Circle mobile app, the Shangri-La WeChat Mini Programme, official telephone reservation hotlines, the hotels directly and other approved channels; third-party platforms such as Expedia.com, Booking.com, TripAdvisor.com, Ctrip.com and Fliggy.com are not Qualifying Room Reservation Channels unless Shangri-La specifies otherwise. [4] Stays reserved through other channels earn no Airline Miles at all. [4]
The eligible rates are Flexible Rates, Book Early and Save, Members Online Exclusive Rate, Members Online Saver Rate and corporate rates within the meaning of Qualifying Room Rate. [4] Back-to-back stays do not qualify even when a member is paying one of those rates, and a "stay" means the total number of consecutive nights at one hotel or resort whether or not the member checks out and checks back in. [4]
Only one room earns. [4] Where members share a room, only one of them is eligible for Airline Miles, and where a member reserves several rooms only the room that member physically occupies is eligible. [4] Promotions and bonus offers for Airline Miles may be run at certain times, with their own conditions on the Shangri-La Circle website; registration in advance may be required, and failing to register forfeits the offer even if every other requirement is met. [4]
Check-in, crediting and claims
To receive miles, the member presents a valid Airline Partner Programme membership card for verification at check-in, and the name on the reservation must match the name on that card. [4] Processing may take between four and six weeks. [4]
| Item | Points | Airline Miles |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | Credited if selected before check-out; the default when no choice is made [4] | Selected before check-out; no default applies [4] |
| Rooms credited | Up to three rooms, provided the member physically occupies one of them [4] | Only the room the member physically occupies [4] |
| Typical crediting time | Two weeks after the qualifying stay or after charges are paid in full [4] | Processing may take four to six weeks [4] |
| Both at once | A member cannot earn Points and Airline Miles for the same stay [4] | |
If the miles do not arrive, the claim rules are narrow. Requests for missing Airline Miles are accepted only where the member's Airline Partner Programme membership number was properly quoted at reservation and the card was presented at check-in, and claims for eligible stays are accepted only when the Airline Miles preference was selected before check-out. [4] Claims are made on the "Claim Missing Points/Miles request form" on the Shangri-La Circle website or through Member Services, and members should allow four to six weeks for miles to appear before raising one. [4] Miles from a successful claim are credited within a further four to six weeks. [4] The step-by-step process is set out in claiming missing miles.
What you give up when you take miles
Shangri-La Circle Points are earned at one Point per US dollar of spend at Qualifying Room Rate, Qualifying Incidental Charges and Qualifying Spend, with local currency converted to US dollars at a pre-determined rate that can be updated at any time. [4] Jade and Diamond members receive 25% and 50% bonus points respectively on Points earned on Qualifying Room Rates and Qualifying Incidental Charges during each hotel stay. [4] Because a member cannot earn both Points and Airline Miles for the same stay, a stay credited to an airline is a stay on which those hotel-side Points are not earned. [4]
Taking miles at check-out is separate from spending Points that are already in the account. Shangri-La Circle also lets members convert existing Points into Airline Miles with Airline Partners, which is a different decision made after the stay; the trade-offs there are covered in hotel points to airline miles: how to decide. [4]
How Hilton Honors treats promotional miles
Hilton Honors, the loyalty programme of Hilton, gives the terms cited here an effective date of 15 July 2026. [5] Those terms build earning around Base Points per US dollar of Eligible Spend: ten Base Points per dollar at most brands, and five at Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Spark by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Apartment Collection by Hilton and YOTEL. [5] Airline miles appear there as a kind of bonus rather than a check-in election: the terms provide that for other bonuses, including Hilton Honors Marketing Partner Bonus Points and other promotional bonuses such as promotional miles, Bonus Points are awarded on one room only. [5] By contrast, a member may earn Base Points for up to four rooms per stay where all Eligible Spend for those rooms is paid on one folio. [5]
Because the two programmes write their rules differently, treat each one on its own terms rather than assuming a single industry practice. [4] [5]
Exceptions and limits
- Third-party bookings. A stay booked through an online travel agent or other non-qualifying channel earns no Airline Miles, however the rate compares. [4]
- Back-to-back stays. Consecutive stays at the same property count as one stay, and back-to-back stays are excluded from Airline Miles earning even at eligible rates. [4]
- Multiple rooms and shared rooms. Only one member per shared room is eligible, and only the room the member occupies earns miles. [4]
- No second change. The Points-or-miles selection cannot be amended once final, so a default credit of Points cannot be switched to miles afterwards. [4]
- Promotion registration. Miles promotions may require registration in advance, and missing it means the offer is not extended. [4]
- Missing-mile claims. A claim is accepted only where the airline number was quoted at reservation, the card was shown at check-in and the miles preference was selected before check-out. [4]
- Hilton Honors corrections. A member who did not receive the correct Eligible Spend or Points for a stay must submit a request with a copy of the hotel folio within six months of the activity date. [5]
Frequently asked questions
Can I earn airline miles and hotel points on the same stay?
At Shangri-La Circle, no: members cannot earn both Points and Airline Miles for the same stay, and miles can be credited to only one Airline Partner Programme per stay. [4] If no choice is made before check-out, Points are credited by default. [4]
Which rates allow airline miles instead of Shangri-La Circle Points?
Flexible Rates, Book Early and Save, Members Online Exclusive Rate, Members Online Saver Rate and corporate rates within Qualifying Room Rate, provided the stay is booked through a Qualifying Room Reservation Channel. [4]
How long do airline miles from a hotel stay take to credit?
Processing may take four to six weeks, and members should allow that period before raising a claim for missing miles. [4] Miles from a successful claim take a further four to six weeks. [4]
What can I do if the miles never arrive?
Submit the "Claim Missing Points/Miles request form" on the Shangri-La Circle website or contact Member Services. [4] The claim is accepted only if the airline membership number was quoted at reservation, the card was presented at check-in and the Airline Miles preference was selected before check-out. [4]
Does a back-to-back stay earn miles twice?
No. Back-to-back stays are excluded from earning Airline Miles even when a member pays an eligible rate, and a stay is defined as the consecutive nights spent at one hotel or resort. [4]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Shangri-La Circle and Hilton Honors are the programmes covered here; other hotel programmes, including Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards and Accor ALL, are not covered on this page.
- Shangri-La Circle terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Hilton Honors terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Hilton Honors: earning and using points, checked 18 October 2026