Originally Posted by
MegatopLover
Anyone have a sense for what the IC spend threshold will be for RA qualifying? Or are we just going to have to wait and see from our data points at the end of this year?
I'm going to have about 34 IC nights, mostly in expensive markets like San Francisco, Doha, and Singapore, just a few in Miami and New Orleans. I'm guessing my IC spend will be around $6000. Wondering if I am even in the ballpark. Might affect what I decide to do for the rest of the year.
It is Intercontiental Brand only before-tax rates (vat, local taxes) earned $$$'s that we are being told count (ie IC posted as EQP equivalents). I'd look to spend $10,000++ at IC hotels to keep/earn RA status.
Whilst probably worthwhile chasing $10k if at $9k plus with a few manufactured non-needed IC nights, at your mentioned $6k one is so far off, it is not worth chasing, unless by late December you'd expect to be in us$9k ballpark.
I personally don't see us$6000 (30 x $200++ IC nights) being enough, or even that close. Some of us given/renewed RA status on 3rd Jan 2017 for period Jan7 - Dec17 listed our counts in this threads wiki, and us$10,000 seemed needed by us all.
nb
Because the switch was kind of mid year 2016 (as July2016 RAs were getting extended to just Dec2016) when IHG reviewed Jan-Dec2016 RA spend, some much reduced allowance was given to non-IC IHG hotel spend, so a few renewed RAs who failed on IC 10k count qualified when IHG counted some %age of other IHG spend. However we are informed thast in 2017 that will not happen.
eg
TravelTheWorld66 147/33/11 EQP=27.972 ($8500 IC Spend)