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Big let down: IHG moves elite status goal posts after showing reduced requirements for weeks
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
January 19, 2022 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
IHG Rewards is restructuring its elite status tiers and qualification requirements starting March 2022, returning to pre-pandemic night thresholds and increasing point requirements.
Members can still qualify for elite status under the current, lower requirements if they meet them before the new program launches in March.
After the change, qualifying for higher tiers will require significantly more points or nights, making status harder to achieve for many travelers.
IHG has not yet detailed new perks for the top Diamond Elite tier, leaving some uncertainty for members planning their loyalty strategy.
What to consider
Only stays and points earned before the March 2022 program change count toward the lower qualification thresholds.
Qualifying points must be earned through eligible rates or certain activities; not all points count toward elite status.
Members who qualify for a tier before the change will retain their status until expiration, but new requirements apply thereafter.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of elite status requirements over recent years and how these changes may impact your hotel loyalty planning.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
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During the first week of each year, I log into all my hotel loyalty accounts. I do this to check whether I have any rollover nights and confirm the program's elite status requirements for the year. Then, once I've done so for all of the programs I care about, I make an elite status plan for the year.
When I logged into my IHG Rewards account this year, I saw the following:
(Screenshot courtesy of ihg.com)
The "2022 Track to Elite Status" clearly notes that I can reach Spire Elite status with 55,000 qualifying points or 55 qualifying nights in 2022.
So, I assumed IHG Rewards planned to keep the reduced elite status requirements it had used in 2020 and 2021. An IHG spokesperson even confirmed my hunch for a story I wrote about how IHG Rewards would continue offering reduced elite status requirements in 2022. Even as I write this article on Jan. 19, 2022, IHG still shows these reduced elite qualification requirements in my account.
These new requirements will begin in March 2022, although IHG hasn't announced the exact date. But IHG has told TPG that only members who qualify for their desired tier before the new requirements begin in March 2022 can qualify using the decreased requirements currently showing in members' accounts. Otherwise, members will need to meet the new elite status requirements.
Frankly, this is frustrating. At this point, members have already begun completing stays based on striving to earn a particular status under the requirements visible in their accounts. So it's poor practice to tell members now that the requirements they've seen in their accounts since the beginning of the year won't be honored once the new program launches in March 2022.
Although the current Gold Elite status is most comparable to the new Silver Elite status, an IHG spokesperson told TPG that members who currently have Gold Elite or Platinum Elite status (or who earn these statuses in 2022 before the program change in March) will maintain status with the same name until their status expiration date. Meanwhile, if you have Spire Elite status, you'll see your status change to Diamond Elite in March.
Here's how the elite status requirements stack up across the last few years:
2019
2020, 2021 and 2022 (until the changes in March)
2022 (after the changes in March)
Qualifying nights required
Gold Elite: 10
Platinum Elite: 40
Spire Elite: 75
Gold Elite: 7
Platinum Elite: 30
Spire Elite: 55
Silver Elite: 10
Gold Elite: 20
Platinum Elite: 40
Diamond Elite: 70
Qualifying points required
Gold Elite: 10,000
Platinum Elite: 40,000
Spire Elite: 75,000
Gold Elite: 7,000
Platinum Elite: 30,000
Spire Elite: 55,000
Silver Elite: n/a
Gold Elite: 40,000
Platinum Elite: 60,000
Diamond Elite: 120,000
When you look at the elite requirements side-by-side, you'll notice that IHG has essentially returned the qualifying night requirements to pre-pandemic levels — even decreasing the night requirement by five for top-tier status. But, IHG has simultaneously increased the qualifying points significantly. As such, if you typically qualify for IHG Rewards status on points, qualification will soon become much more expensive.
Only some IHG points are elite-qualifying. In particular, while qualifying rates paid for hotel stays are elite-qualifying, elite status bonuses aren't elite-qualifying. So, since you'll earn 10 elite-qualifying points per dollar spent at most IHG brands, here's a comparison of what you'd need to spend to qualify for high-tier IHG status based on qualifying points from stays:
Platinum Elite: $4,000 under the 2019 requirements, $3,000 under the current requirements and $6,000 under the new requirements
Diamond Elite: $7,500 under the 2019 requirements, $5,500 under the current requirements and $12,000 under the new requirements
Of course, you can also earn elite-qualifying points through other activities, such as buying bonus points packages when you book paid stays, spending on IHG Rewards Club credit cards and transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to IHG Rewards. But, it's shocking for IHG members who'd planned to qualify for Spire Elite this year with 55,000 qualifying points to now need 120,000 points for Diamond Elite if they aren't able to reach the 55,000-point threshold before the new program launches in March.
After an excellent stay at IHG's Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives, I'm still excited to try out another Six Senses property. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
But with IHG setting the requirements for Diamond Elite at 70 nights or 120,000 points, we'd now need to spend more nights with IHG (or significantly more cash, if we were to qualify based on points). And trying to fit in these extra nights doesn't seem worthwhile for us without knowing whether IHG will introduce any impressive perks for Diamond Elite later this year.
Instead, I'd rather make sure we qualify for the statuses we want with Marriott and Hyatt — and use the Hilton Diamond status we have as a perk of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. As it currently stands, IHG hasn't said whether Diamond Elite will offer any of the perks I love about high-tier status with other programs, including guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, breakfast and lounge access.
The information for the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
We'll still keep IHG Rewards elite status, though. An IHG spokesperson confirmed to TPG that the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card would continue to offer Platinum Elite status as a cardholder perk even once the new elite tiers begin in March. And we'll still stay with IHG when we can get good value redeeming IHG points. Of course, if IHG subsequently announces competitive benefits for Diamond Elite status, we'll reconsider our elite status plans again.
I'm surprised that IHG has decided to change the elite status goal posts weeks into 2022, especially after showing decreased elite status requirements since the beginning of 2022. This isn't a member-friendly move, but IHG has confirmed to TPG that the lower status requirements will only be honored until the new program launches in March.
IHG has said that it will announce additional program enhancements in the coming months. But, it's difficult to commit to earning high-level IHG elite status this year without knowing what these enhancements might entail.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
