The Complete Guide to IHG Elite Status

You may know the InterContinental Hotels Group from its popular hotel brands like Holiday Inn, Kimpton and Crowne Plaza. If you stay at IHG properties frequently or have the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, you may be interested in their elite status benefits, which can be earned through the hotel company's IHG One Rewards loyalty program.

Here, we break down how the IHG elite status program works, how to earn the four different elite status tiers and how this program compares to other hotel elite programs. IHG’s program is fairly simple compared to some others, but there’s still plenty to cover.

» Learn more: IHG Rewards Club Premier review — free nights on a silver platter

You can earn IHG elite status in one of three ways:

1. Complete enough elite qualifying nights within a calendar year.

2. Accumulate enough elite qualifying points within a calendar year.

3. Have the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, which comes with IHG Platinum Elite status, or the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, which comes with Silver elite status.

4. Purchase InterContinental Ambassador membership ($200 annually), which comes with automatic IHG Platinum Elite status.

In general, option 1 is the best route for those who spend a lot of nights in low-cost rooms, and option 2 applies to those who stay at high-end properties. If you mostly stay at InterContinental hotels, option 4 — while pricey — could even turn out to be a major money-maker.

And if you're in the market for a new credit card anyway, then the relatively-low annual fee of $99 on the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card might be a small price to pay to automatically get Platinum Elite status.

That said, if you're planning to earn IHG elite status through qualifying nights or points, here's how much you need to get to each status tier:

What are IHG elite qualifying nights?

Elite qualifying nights are generally non-discounted or corporate rates booked directly through IHG. Award nights (booked with points), nights booked through a third party like Hotels.com and other promotional nights do not count toward elite status.

What are IHG elite qualifying points?

Elite qualifying points are a little more complicated. They include:

• Points earned through qualifying nights (per the criteria above).

• Spend on select partner activity (such as Hertz, OpenTable Grubhub and Viator).

• Bonus point packages.

• Spending through IHG Business Rewards.

• Points earned through spending on IHG-branded credit cards but only in the UK and China.

Examples of activity that doesn’t earn elite qualifying points include the following:

• Elite status bonus points (explained below).

• Co-branded credit card welcome bonuses.

• Points that were purchased or transferred.

• Points earned through IHG promotions.

How does IHG credit card holder elite status work?

Becoming an IHG credit card holder is generally the simplest (and lowest-cost) method of obtaining IHG elite status. The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card comes with Silver elite status, while the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers Platinum elite status. That’s all there is to it.

Unfortunately, status earned in this way does not get you any closer to the higher tier levels. That is, if you want to get to Diamond Elite status from the Platinum status earned through the Premier card, you have to start from the bottom.

Considering the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has an annual fee of $99, that's a cheaper route versus paying $200 annually for InterContinental Ambassador membership, which is another straightforward route to getting status (though Ambassador benefits like free room night certificates might actually make it a better route to elite status.

Does IHG offer a status match program?

IHG occasionally runs promotions where you can earn IHG One Rewards elite status through a status match from another hotel or airline elite program.

Typically these programs have strict criteria, like staying at an IHG hotel within a limited time period. And often, only qualifying stays count, which can mean stays paid for with IHG points or through special rates (like employee discounts) are excluded.

To find out if there are any status match offers available, visit the IHG member offers page or contact customer service.

Each tier offers its own benefits, with Platinum offering all the benefits of Gold, plus more, and Diamond offering all the benefits of Platinum, plus more. Here are the most important benefits from each status level:

Silver Elite

• 20% bonus on base points.

• Points don’t expire.

• Late checkout of 2 p.m., when available.

Gold Elite

• 40% bonus on base points.

• Rollover nights for next year's status

Platinum Elite

• 60% bonus on base points.

• Reward night discounts.

• Guaranteed room availability (up to 72 hours in advance).

• Free room upgrades when available.

• Welcome amenity (either bonus points or a drink/snack).

Diamond Elite

• 100% bonus on base points.

• Dedicated Diamond support.

• Free breakfast.

IHG offers a unique membership level for those who stay frequently at InterContinental properties, called the InterContinental Ambassador program. It’s really more of a paid membership program with elite status perks. Membership costs $200, and benefits of the InterContinental Ambassador program include:

• Guaranteed room upgrade.

• Guaranteed late checkout.

• IHG Platinum elite status.

• $20 restaurant and bar credit per stay.

• Complimentary weekend night when booking a paid weekend night.

The InterContinental Ambassador program is especially worth it for stays at Six Senses properties. Additional Ambassador benefits exclusive to stays at those properties include:

• Complimentary breakfast for two in the main restaurant each day.

• Signature amenity of either a complimentary 50-minute Six Senses Spa massage for two or a local experience, redeemable once per stay.

• Early check-in of 10 a.m., though this benefit is subject to availability for Ambassador members.

This status tier is unique because it's something you pay for, rather than something you can earn through extreme loyalty. If you really want elite status, but don't want to spend the many nights and hundreds of dollars to get there, joining the InterContinental Ambassador program is an intriguing option to quickly buy your way into VIP status.

If you have IHG elite status, then it's likely you're frequently staying in IHG hotels. And happily for frequent hotel guests, there are even more rewards on the table. IHG in April 2022 launched a milestone bonuses program where — for every 10 nights you stay (starting at 20 qualified nights) — you'll get to choose from one of the available milestone rewards. When you hit the 40 and 70-night milestones, you get to choose two milestone rewards (one of which is the potentially, highly-lucrative IHG Executive Club Lounge membership).

The IHG One Rewards milestone bonuses are:

• 20 nights: Choice of 5,000 bonus points, two food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each) or a confirmable suite upgrade.

• 30 nights: Choice of 5,000 bonus points or two food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each).

• 40 nights: Choice of two of the following: 10,000 bonus points, five food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each), a confirmable suite upgrade or an annual lounge membership.

• 50 nights: Choice of 10,000 bonus points or five food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each).

• 60 nights: Choice of 10,000 bonus points or five food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each).

• 70 nights: Choice of two of the following: 10,000 bonus points, five food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each), two confirmable suite upgrades or an annual lounge membership.

• 80 nights: Choice of 10,000 bonus points or five food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each).

• 90 nights: Choice of 10,000 bonus points or five food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each).

• 100 nights: Choice of 10,000 bonus points or five food and beverage rewards (worth $20 each).

You have 90 days from the time you reach the milestone to make your bonus selection. Typically, your reward is valid for one year from the point of selection (so you can save your room upgrade for a fancy hotel), except lounge membership, which is valid through the end of the year it was earned, plus another full year.

As far as the food and beverage rewards go, they cannot be used in partial increments, so if you spend $18 at an IHG restaurant, you sacrifice $2 of value. If you spend $22 at an IHG restaurant, you'll owe $2 of your own dollars.

To determine the estimates below, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the aspects of hotel elite status that offer fairly quantifiable benefits.

By our estimates:

• IHG Silver status is worth $14.

• IHG Gold status is worth $152.

• IHG Platinum status is worth $1,710.

• IHG Diamond status is worth $3,807.

By dividing the benefits by the cost, you can determine the elite earning rate for each level and determine what that status is really worth to you.

» Learn more: NerdWallet's 2023 Best-Of Awards

Are you a low-frills traveler?

IHG generally isn’t known for high-end properties aside from InterContinental, and its elite status program certainly isn’t the most luxurious out there.

How often do you stay at IHG properties?

The highest tier, Diamond, can be super valuable in terms of benefits like club access and free breakfast, but you'll need to stay often to actually earn it.

Are you open to adding an IHG credit card to your wallet?

Luckily for most IHG loyalists, the Platinum status provided by the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers enough perks without the hassle of tracking elite qualifying nights and stays.

Or, if you anticipate staying mostly at InterContinental hotels, you'll likely find that joining the InterContinental Ambassador program is worth the cost given not just the automatic Platinum status, but additional perks like that free weekend night certificate.

Do you value the lower-level perks?

If you even occasionally stay at IHG hotels (after all, both the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express can be pretty affordable, while Kimpton is far away the best hotel brand for pets), then don't overlook at least trying to earn elite status. IHG elite status can afford you even more bonus points so you can book more free rooms faster, plus other delightful benefits like late checkout and space-available room upgrades.