Originally Posted by
TravelTheWorld66
Considering the data points provided here, I think it can definitively be decided that the criteria is $10k spend at ICs only, with other IHG stays or spend irrelevant.
Two data points from this observation.
1. I don't think it's exactly 10K because there are some people upthread with "around" 10K which didn't get renewed, but it
does seem that the magic number is around there somewhere.
2. (and this is somewhat unexpected for me, anyway) but it seems unchanged from last year. I thought that "most" RAs, knowing that the limit is "somewhere around 10K", would do their utmost to just hit like $15K to "be safe" -- and as a result, would drive up the average, with us once again ending up in the same craphole we were at last year, but at the 15K level. It appears that this did not happen: even if the "top 1%" average (per their opaque definition) did go up, they didn't change the qualification level. I know I panicked and spent a lot more than I needed to, so I thought others would, as well.
Of course, this means nothing for next year, they might just make it 20K because you know... potatoes.