Saral

Could you elaborate? Are you saying if you cancel a points and cash booking the full amount of points gets refunded as elite qualifying?

Points Scrounger

No, you misunderstand.The money spent on buying those points is elite-qualifying. It's a way of fulfilling status if you need a few points more.

Saral

You mean the amount put to your credit card is elite qualifying?

CalItalian

Yes with an IHG Credit card. It posts as 5X the amount ($92 = 460 EQP's, for example).

vsevolod4

So it sounds like this story has a happy ending.
You'll shift your $5K in spend for a couple months and hit Spire. If some of that $5K is a IHG properties, you may need even less, since it's 5x the EQPs.

Having said that, once you're Spire, it's not like you get phenomenal benefits. IHG is trying hard to make Spire worth something, but at many properties there is not much in terms of upgrades and other perks. At CPs with Executive Floors, you'll typically get access as Spire, but those lounges aren't usually that great. You probably won't get top treatment at IC hotels, where Royal Ambassador trumps Spire by miles. If you stay often at ICs, suggest you buy the Ambassador membership.

leland

Great thread. I happened to look at my IHG status and noticed that somehow I'm just 9500 points away from Spire elite. Same exact scenario as OP. Got the credit card for the free night and suddenly started to stay at ICs and Indigos a lot this year. I have some IHG vacation stays coming up next year so the transfers here could maybe make sense, although perhaps not since I'll be using points.

I guess for me the tradeoff is 9500 MR/UR vs. min of 35000 IHG (25k bonus, the transfer and then whatever my spread is in 2018). But since I somehow have 300k+ of these points already I have to find a way to spend them!

DaveH

No one has mentioned that until Nov 30, Amex MR points have a 30% bonus when transferred to VA. So, 1,000 MR points -> 1,300 VA points -> 1,300 IHG points that are elite qualifying. (The catch is that VA must be transferred to IHG in 5K increments.)

I was 15K short of Spire this year. I happily traded 13,000 MR points to get 16,900 VA points, 15,000 of which became EQ IHG points, which resulted in 40,000 IHG points after harvesting the Spire bonus.

leland

@DaveH - thanks, just sealed it for me. The other catch with VA is that the minimum is 10,000 points. Not a big deal as I was right at that number anyway, but it works. 8000 MR and looking forward to that early check in - I have one specific flight where I need it so that will save me an extra hotel night.

FleyeSkyHigh

Anyone know if transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (UR) to IHG still count as elite qualifying? I am at 74,000 points...while I know keeping Spire status isn't worth much these days, I am interested in the Spire Choice Benefit which allows me to get 25,000 bonus points...

I won't have any more IHG hotel spend (or IHG CC spend) in 2017 so I figure transferring 1,000 UR points to essentially get 26,000 IHG points is a good deal.

But before I waste 1,000 UR can anyone confirm that UR transfers are still elite qualifying?

Thanks!

Michael El

I qualified for Spire this year, and last, by hitting 75,000 points. I would not have achieved 75K with just the room rates so I did as many room charges at the hotel restaurants and bars as I could stomach. My firm allows room charges for meals etc. For personal bar bills, I simply stop at the front desk upon check-out and pay for them with a different CC. So with 66 nights and 75,382 points I'm Spire again.

vsevolod4

I hope the personal card you use is an IHG Rewards card!!! Just the free night alone makes it a no-brainer, plus 5x points for your bar bill.

leland

I'm not sure but my Amex MR did a few weeks back. And everyone else in this thread says they did a few months back. Based on that I'd give it a try for just 1K points (if there's no minimum). I've made far worse bets

fhind

​​​​​​May I ask why you pay for F & B with a different card?

GeraldHouse

I calculate I will be 250 points short of 75,000 by year-end. I had a few stays post to the incidental card I gave to them at check-in, which wasn't an IHG card, rather than the IHG card I booked online with Better off not even giving them a card at the desk Also ate at the hotel recently and didn't see the value post as rewards eligible. Being so close to year-end, and not wanting to pay for a hotel night for 250 points, I wonder if I pay my IHG card in advance if points will post sooner. It seems points post 4 days after my scheduled payment date. So if I pay off the card today, will the points post Dec 22nd? I guess I could bite the bullet and transfer 1,000 = $20.00 Chase Ultimate rewards as a last resort. Anyone know how long those take to post?

Thanks!!

scubaccr

Some companies are more strict regards submission of expenses, whether payment method or what is allowed to be claimed for

Yep a real pain if work for a company where all claimed expenses, flights, car hire, gasoline, hotel, per diem f+b must be on a corporate CC/Amex/Diners and a couple of jobs, if not charged to company card then expense was not paid. Had to check diners accepted before ordering as outside USA many years agodiners card was often not accepted.

For me flights never an issue, nor hotel room, nor cars/gasoline, issue was always the ancilliary hotel/restaurant per diem expenses, eg one companies rules was f+b evening in hotel or restaurant I was allowed 1/2 bottle wine with meal but not beer, so where fully itemised bills listed each item in full as beer I had to get beers not billed/removed and pay separately.