What to do with 97,772 expiring points?

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Jan 13, 2020, 3:40 am

#31

seat38a

Join Date: Jan 2014

Location: Denver, Colorado

Programs: IHG Spire, Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Titanium, Mileage Plus Gold

Posts: 1,736

Quote:

Originally Posted by VegasGambler

How? Did you just call? Or was there a promo?

I'm only planning on staying once, and so I figure that having any status is better than no status.

They had a webpage up last year with a form which allowed me to send them screenshots to prove my Marriott Titanium status. Looks like that page has been taken down. https://www.ihg.com/trip-extras/us/en/statusmatch

Jan 13, 2020, 4:36 am

#32

parklife

Join Date: Jan 2014

Location: Sheffield, UK

Programs: BA, Emirates, IHG, Accor, Marriott, Hilton

Posts: 637

Quote:

Originally Posted by eponymous_coward

That requires spending $200 per year, and you don't get elite benefits on award stays- if you're not planning any paid stays and just want to burn the points or keep the points from expiring, this seems a rather inefficient way of keeping the account alive.

Generally I do get elite benefits on award stays - not that the benefits are great! More often than not I get upgrades, and have never been declined a late check out. IC stays have always had an in room gift.

I don't think this would justify the $200 spend for a single stay though!!

Jan 13, 2020, 4:11 pm

#33

CaveatEmpty

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: HYX

Programs: ~IHG(p)/BW~Nat'l.Exec~ ~NW(SE)~ ~Cessna~ NASM.do-07 ~AAAF.do-05/06/07/08/09

Posts: 1,529

Often forgotten apparently, for purposes of 'poking' a mile/points account .. the dining guys: http://ihgrewardsclubdining.rewardsnetwork.com/

once a year, or as needed, plug in your valid CC# and order a pizza or whatever.
In the between-time, an expired gift-card # makes a dandy place holder.

Jan 13, 2020, 11:38 pm

#34

eponymous_coward

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Aug 2007

Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot

Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite

Posts: 20,381

Quote:

Originally Posted by VegasGambler

How? Did you just call? Or was there a promo?

I'm only planning on staying once, and so I figure that having any status is better than no status.

Sure, but keep your expectations low. For instance, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express recently as a Platinum Ambassador, got told “your welcome amenity is 500 points”. Of course, since it was an award stay, no welcome amenity posted... 500 points is about two or two and a half bucks of points in my valuation.

Basically, if you’re in an award stay, you’ll get nothing and like it. IHG is an earn and burn for awards program, not one that gives warm fuzzies like Hyatt Globalist.

Jan 20, 2020, 2:30 am

#35

baroqen

Join Date: Apr 2015

Posts: 456

Frankly, IHG benefits aren't very exciting. However, there is one small trick that may or may not give you some value on your Fiji stay. This is HIGHLY YMMV, but you can sometimes get some benefits at the property when you sign up for Ambassador when you check in. Like I said, highly YMMV and seems to vary greatly by property and employee but upgrades or other perks have been known to happen. It doesn't hurt to ask at check in.

OR... if you have a weekend involved with your stay, you might want to see if there is a BOGO night available during your stay. If so, sign up now and get the status perks as well as saving some money on your second night by using the BOGO night.