Confirmed: IHG Rewards will continue offering reduced elite status requirements in 2022
Editor's Note
Back in December, I began making elite status plans for 2022 for both my husband and myself, including a strategy for reaching our hotel status goals.
We're on track to retain high-tier status for another year with both Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt based on stays we've booked for later this year. However, although we've made reservations for 34 nights at IHG hotels in 2022 so far, I worried about whether we'd requalify for IHG Spire Elite status. After all, this status normally requires staying 75 nights or earning 75,000 qualifying points.
So, I was thrilled when Loyalty Lobby reported seeing decreased IHG Rewards elite qualification requirements for qualifying in 2022. I logged into my IHG Rewards account and noticed that my 2022 elite status tracker indeed shows I only need 55 nights or 55,000 qualifying points to earn Spire Elite status in 2022:
Likewise, when I click on "View Earning Summary," I also see indications that I'll only need 55 nights or 55,000 elite-qualifying points to earn Spire Elite status:
But, I also see conflicting information in the above screenshot. On the one hand, this IHG webpage says I can "reach Spire Elite status with 55,000 more qualifying points or 55 more qualifying nights." Right below this statement, however, the requirements for Spire Elite status are still listed as 75 qualified nights or 75,000 qualifying points.
I'm sure many readers share my uncertainty and IHG has not issued an official statement for 2022. So, I reached out to an IHG spokesperson yesterday for clarity. Tonight, the spokesperson confirmed that IHG will offer the same reduced elite qualification requirements in 2022 as it did in 2020 and 2021. Seemingly, IHG simply has yet to update some of the text on its webpages.
For reference, here are the decreased qualification thresholds used in 2020 and 2021 (and that we've now confirmed will be used in 2022):
| Gold Elite | Platinum Elite | Spire Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying points during the calendar year | 7,000 (typically 10,000) | 30,000 (typically 40,000) | 55,000 (typically 75,000) |
| Qualifying nights during the calendar year | 7 (typically 10) | 30 (typically 40) | 55 (typically 75) |
Now, IHG joins Hilton Honors in offering reduced requirements for earning hotel elite status in 2022. Meanwhile, Marriott and Hyatt loyalists should currently plan to meet pre-pandemic stay or qualifying points levels if they wish to earn or retain status this year.
Of course, if you want to hop off the elite status hamster wheel, some hotel credit cards offer automatic elite status as a cardmember perk. For example, the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card provides IHG Platinum Elite status and other valuable perks, including a fourth-night reward each time you redeem IHG points for a stay of three nights or longer and an anniversary free night worth up to 40,000 points each year.