Generally, offers to purchase elite status are not mandatory. For example, offers to buy American Airlines AAdvantage elite status are usually laughably bad. However, IHG One Rewards offers to select members — first reported by Loyalty lobby – It is inevitable.
If IHG targeted you for this offer to purchase status, you likely received an email. The title of this email is likely the same as “Don’t lose your Diamond Elite status, Christine” to TPG Senior Editor Christine Galipeau or “Upgrade to Diamond Elite Status, Matthew” to TPG Managing Editor Matt Moffitt. “
The email clearly states how many elite qualifying points you need to purchase by December 31, 2024 to secure certain status until 2025. However, the elite qualifying points listed in your email are based on your account status as of December. 6, so the number may not be exact if you have earned elite qualifying points since then.
Related: IHG Elite Status: What It Is and How to Earn It
Target members will also see a tile when they log into their IHG account, click their name in the top right corner and scroll down.
If you click on a link in an email, tile or hereYou will land on a page where you can purchase the required points. However, only targeted members will see the offer after logging in to that page. Unfortunately, I’m not targeted, so I can’t take advantage of this offer.
As a reminder, you will need 40,000 Elite Qualifying Points for Gold Elite, 60,000 for Platinum Elite and 120,000 points for Diamond Elite. When you consider that the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card offer complimentary Platinum Elite status to cardholders — and members who aren’t eligible for either card can earn Platinum Elite status as a paid Intercontinental benefit. Ambassador Membership – The primary status you may be interested in purchasing elite qualifying points to claim is Diamond Elite status.
Generally, when you buy IHG points, the points are not elite qualifying points. However, during this offer, select members may purchase Elite Qualifying Points which are both redeemable and count towards Elite Status qualification. The terms for this offer state, “EQP points are non-refundable and apply to all IHG One Rewards redemptions,” where the terms previously defined EQP as elite qualifying points. The terms also state that you can only purchase one elite qualifying point during this offer, so be sure to purchase what you need at once.
Related: When Does It Make Sense to Buy Points and Miles?
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Kristin said she is currently at 20 elite qualifying nights and 69,470 elite qualifying points, but plans to stay four more nights with IHG in 2024, which should net her an additional 37,822 elite qualifying points. As such, she told me, “After this stay, I plan to buy the remaining 15,000 points I need to maintain my status. I have a two-night mattress run stay planned for the end of the month, but the cost of the purchase points offer is Will be less than the investment, so I’m thinking of canceling it now to buy the remaining points.”
Meanwhile, Matt currently holds Platinum Elite status through the credit card and has earned 13 Elite Qualifying Nights and 12,597 Elite Qualifying Points so far in 2024. Matt said he doesn’t currently have any additional stays booked with IHG until the end of 2024 but is. Strongly considering purchasing elite qualifying points through this offer, noted, “Given I’ll be traveling full-time for at least Q1 and Q2 next year (probably the second half of the year), I’m sure I’ll get the value of the points and status.” I can.”
My husband JT is also a target for this offer. He earned 61 elite qualifying nights and 17,265 elite qualifying points as of Dec. 16, but he enrolled in a targeted offer to earn Diamond Elite status after making 10 paid stays between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. We just checked in for the stay. Sunday 10th night, so we will have no use for his offer.
Select IHG cardholders also enjoy a 20% discount when purchasing points, making this offer particularly attractive. If Matt has an eligible IHG card that offers a 20% discount, he can purchase 110,000 elite qualifying points for an effective value of $616 after the 20% discount – a value of $770. That’s 0.56 cents per redeemable point, just 0.06 cents per point higher than TPG’s December 2024 valuation of IHG points.
Related: Last-minute strategies to earn IHG One Rewards elite status
The bottom line
If IHG targeted you for this offer, it’s worth serious consideration. Through this offer, Target members can purchase elite qualifying points at – if not less than – the rate at which they can redeem them.
Although my husband will re-qualify for Diamond Elite status, I would purchase 120,000 Elite Qualifying Points during this offer if IHG had targeted me for this offer. After all, 120,000 elite qualifying points cost $800 — effectively $640 after the 20% discount — and I usually get at least 0.7 cents per point when To redeem IHG points and use the fourth-award-night-free benefit. So, regardless of the value of Diamond Elite status, I value the points more than the costs I have to pay.
IHG Diamond Elite status continues to offer my husband and I tons of value, including the choice of complimentary breakfast for two as a welcome amenity at any IHG hotel or resort that doesn’t offer free breakfast for all. We’ve found that we often get an upgraded room or suite upon request at check-in if the property is still selling that room type for our dates. Plus, earning 100% bonus points on paid stays is a valuable Diamond Elite benefit.
Related: How Much Value Is IHG One Rewards Status When You Book Direct?
For IHG Diamond Elite members who have earned (or plan to earn) 120,000 Elite Qualifying Points through 70 Elite Qualifying Nights or stays, this offer may seem like a slap in the face. But some reassurance to these members is that IHG Milestone Rewards is based on Elite Qualifying Nights, not points. So, even if you buy up to status through the purchase of elite qualifying points, you won’t get access to valuable milestone rewards like annual lounge memberships.
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