IHG Rewards: New Year, New Rewards
Loyalty programme is changing in March 2022
I received today an email from IHG Rewards that their current loyalty programme is getting soon fresh, effective March 2022.
It is a programme that I was fond of in the past when it was still called Priority Club. Those were the days when you could find great points redemptions, called PointBreaks, at 5000 points a night. They were changing them each quarter and they were available at selected hotels across their brands. So, you could potentially get Holiday Inn Express, Indigo or InterContinental all at the same price. Some of my favourite redemptions were PointBreaks at InterContinental Kiev and InterContinental Mendoza among others.
In the past loyalty recognition also included free breakfast even for Platinum members, which used to be the highest tier. Lounge access and free laundry credits were frequent as well. During my years as IHG Royal Ambassador, suite upgrades, free minibar and very flexible check-in/check-out policies made stays very enjoyable. But then things started to go downhill. Royal Ambassador benefits were downgraded to just 2-category upgrades (which at certain properties would mean just a normal room on a higher floor), reduced minibar perks and other “enhancements”. Besides Platinum, Spire was born. A level that had higher qualification criteria, but reduced perks compared to the past.
This has made the IHG Rewards programme quite weak, when compared to other competitors, such as Accor ALL Limitless, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy or World of Hyatt.
The only exception is when you are staying in the Greater China region (of Mainland China, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan), where there are some F&B credits available for elite members as well as lounge access in Crowne Plazas.
So, what will be changing in 2022?
New names for statuses and new qualification criteria as described in this webpage of IHG.
Silver Elite, requiring 10 qualification nights
Gold Elite, requiring 20 qualification nights or 40k qualification points (4000 USD base-rate spend)
Platinum Elite, requiring 40 qualification nights or 60k qualification points (6000 USD base-rate spend)
Diamond Elite, requiring 70 qualification nights or 120k qualification points (12000 USD base-rate spend)
So, instead of previous Gold, Platinum and Spire levels, we are going to have Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond elite levels.
In the past 2 years (2020/2021) the qualification criteria were slightly lower:
Gold Elite required 7 qualifying nights or 7,000 qualifying points
Platinum Elite required 30 qualifying nights or 30,000 qualifying points
Spire Elite required 55 qualifying nights or 55,000 qualifying points
In 2019, before the COVID19 pandemic, the criteria were as follows:
Gold Elite required 10 qualifying nights or 10,000 qualifying points (1000 USD base-rate spend)
Platinum Elite required 40 qualifying nights or 40,000 qualifying points (4000 USD base-rate spend)
Spire Elite required 75 qualifying nights or 75,000 qualifying points (7500 USD base-rate spend)
Thus, the new programme is certainly with higher qualification criteria, when you are going to use the spend-based route. Instead of getting Spire for 7500 USD base-rate spend, now you have to fork out 12000 USD. However, if you go via the nights-based route, you need to spend 5 nights less than before.
The current elite benefits are as follows:
Benefits in Greater China:
In the new programme, it seems like Platinum Elite will be getting 10% more bonus points (increase from 50% to 60%) and Gold Elite will be earning 30% more bonus points (increase from 10% to 40%). The only benefit for Spire/Diamond seems reduced night-based benefit of 5 nights.
Will there be new benefits?
One would think that with the new Diamond tier that requires 12000 USD base-rate spend (or 70 nights) there will be perhaps some tangible loyalty benefits as well. At other loyalty programmes (Accor, Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Radisson) at that spend level, one would get complimentary upgrades up to standard suites, free lounge access and free breakfast. Currently, IHG Rewards offers none of those out of China.
In the new IHG Rewards FAQ, there is a question regarding this topic.
Are there new benefits associated with the new tiers and will I still receive all the current benefits associated with my tier?
We can’t reveal all the details just yet, but stay tuned for the official launch of the new IHG Rewards programme later this year. You’ll hear more about our new benefits and all the updated ways to earn and redeem.
So, there is a promise to reveal some new benefits, but I would not hold hopes high, at least until March.
If you have options for choosing your places of stay, until IHG Rewards provides tangible benefits for top-tier Diamond members, you can opt for staying at Accor, Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and Radisson instead, where loyalty benefits at the same spend levels are more meaningful and rewarding.