rmontelbon

I earned fewer than 10,000 qualifying points this year. I presume those with more in their account need to buy proportionately less.

They want $1500 for 120,000 Qualifying Points.

I value those points at $700, so a net cost of $800.

Having gotten excellent value from breakfasts and upgrades last year, it's worth it for me, though I could see how it may not be for everyone.

CalItalian

Have we seen anything like this in recent years? Got the email in the last hour.

120K EQP on my offer is $1440 w/ an IHG Premier MC with this offer (reflecting 20% off $1800).

Buy points to secure Diamond Elite through 2024
You’re in luck, xxxxx. For just a short time, you can extend your top-tier status by buying Elite Qualifying Points. These points lock in your Diamond Elite status through 2024 and can also be redeemed for Reward Nights, experiences, catalog items, and much more.*

Buy 120,000 Elite Qualifying Points by December 31, 2023, to extend your Diamond Elite status and all the benefits that come with it through 2024.*

Remember, as an IHG One Rewards Cardmember, you’ll save 20% on your purchase.*

*This Offer is available to IHG One Rewards members for qualifying purchases of IHG One Rewards Elite Qualifying Points made during the period from 12:00 AM ET November 16, 2023 and 11:59 PM ET December 31, 2023 inclusive. A member may only purchase Elite Qualifying Points once under this promotion. Purchased Elite Qualifying Points will count toward a Member’s Year-To-Date status qualifying points balance (for example, towards Diamond Elite tier status for 2024).The Member must purchase enough to either meet or exceed the Diamond Elite Qualifying Points threshold to maintain Diamond Elite status through all of the 2024 calendar year. This offer does not apply to the yearly points purchase cap that is set at 150,000 points during a calendar year. Elite Qualifying Points will be awarded upon completion of the transaction, and new Elite status will be reflected within 5-10 business days. Renewed Diamond Elite status gained from the purchase of Elite Qualifying Points will be valid for the remainder of 2023 and all of the 2024 calendar year. Elite Qualifying Points and resulting status will be awarded to the recipient of the Elite Qualifying Points purchase only. Price includes all applicable fees. Elite Qualifying Points are non-refundable and are applicable toward all IHG One Rewards awards. Elite Qualifying Nights are not part of this offer and cannot be purchased. This is an exclusive, non-transferable offer for intended recipients only and may not be forwarded. Offer is subject to change.

If fraudulent activity is suspected, IHG reserves the right to withhold Diamond Elite status level pending further investigation. Final determination of a member’s eligibility to receive the status level is at the sole discretion of IHG based on the findings of the investigation. Please allow up to 72 hours for Elite Qualifying Points to post and appear in the recipient's account. All other IHG One Rewards Membership Terms and Conditions apply

Elite Qualifying Points balance correct as of November 9, 2023. For purposes of the Offer, the Member will only be offered the required amount of Elite Qualifying Points that are required to maintain Diamond Elite status. The Offer may not be contested by a member. If you have any questions about this offer or feel your points balance is incorrect, please contact Reservations & Customer Care via [email protected]

Save 20% On Points Purchases: Save at least 20% on points purchases when you pay for those points with your IHG One Rewards Premier, Premier Business or Traveler Credit Cards. Point purchase amounts are subject to change by IHG One Rewards. Upon completion of the points purchase, you agree that the total dollar price of the points, minus the discount, will be immediately charged to your credit card. The cost for the points purchased is non-refundable. The 20% discount cannot be combined with any other points purchase offer. Point purchase transactions managed by Points.com

Some properties are subject to resort fees. IHG hotel prices are not static and fluctuate day-to-day. As a result the number of IHG One Rewards points that must be redeemed for a Reward Night will also vary from day-to-day and will be different at different hotels.

Mastercard, the silver circles design and World Elite Mastercard are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.

This one-time email was sent by Points.com Inc. on behalf of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) as a result of your recent interest in the IHG One Rewards Elite Qualifying Points promotion. The IHG One Rewards Elite Qualifying Points promotionis powered by Points, located at 111 Richmond Street W., Suite 700, Toronto, ON, M5H2G4, Canada.

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rmontelbon

Yes I posted this an hour ago.

beachfan

That’s a lot of breakfasts. Ambassador seems more fairly priced for upgrades.

uastarflyer

This is a different promo than simply getting bonus points on a points purchase. It is similar to airlines offering a cash option to keep status.

In my case I would need to buy 100k points for $1200, so I will pass and move paid premium bookings to HH/Bonvoy, where I keep status simply by holding a credit card.

rmontelbon

Not really, 2x$25 (average value for my stays) = 16 nights to break even. I'm Ambassador as well but ofc that's only good at IC. I expect 30 nights in 2024 so a no brainer for me.

pretzlaff

I also got the email at the 120k/ $1440 rate.

I missed getting my Diamond extended using the Ambassador renewal by only a day, and I don't really know what to do about it.

I have had Spire/ Diamond for a number of years and do not know life without it. I will only have 41 stays by the end of the year and so will not organically requalify.

I figure that the 120K miles are really worth $600 using the 100% bonus promo. So, the Diamond extension is really the 1440 minus the 600, so $840 to maintain Diamond for a year.

So, this would include free breakfast at full service hotels, a few more points bonus on stays, the occasional upgrade, and what else? that might make it worth that?

ftakak

My offer is $1500 for 100,000 points. I can get those points at $500 so it’s like paying $1000 to extend Diamond status. Do not think I will get the value out of it though.

rmontelbon

HH Diamond status is near worthless these days (for North American stays... for a while now actually) IMO, and the points devaluation has been horrific.

Can't speak for Bonvoy, though at least there's enough value in that $650 AMEX card to soften the blow a bit

rmontelbon

An additional 40% point bonus over Platinum and breakfast as a welcome amenity is about it.

jvasiles

P2 got this offer as well. Not sure if it’s worth it, since it might make more sense to put all IHG stays next year on my account since I’ll have lounge access. Tempting though…

Ian Z

I was 4k spend short (40,000 points) and was going to let it lapse. But now the $600 cost to keep is very tempting. Someone talk me out of it. I have platinum with the card. Breakfast and extra points seems to be all I really get. I have to fight to get a "real upgrade" everytime anyway.

rmontelbon

I've got this.

If you value 40,000 points @ $200 your net cost is $400.

That's a better deal than you deserve and therefore a hard pass, lol.

Ian Z

Thats a good way to put it regarding the 40,000 points in usable value. Will I get $400 in value by staying Diamond. Probably not. Though the breakfast at IC Barclay was $50 a day and I do stay there usually 12-16 days a year. So maybe...

rmontelbon

Im not great at math but 12x$50 is $600.

In all seriousness if you have anything like the same $8000 spend at IHG next year I don't see how you can lose.

Consider with the Ambassador and Amazon code leak Diamonds dropping off on Jan 1 by what must be a huge number I suspect upgrades will become much easier to obtain.

The extra 40% in bonus points effectively reduces the cost by another couple of hundred dollars.