Why IHG Rewards ‘bonus points packages’ are an easy way to earn elite status quickly

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• Prins Polo says:

  29 Mar29 March 04:22

  I’ve been Spire for over two years and find this to be the most useless status out there.

  • Nick says:

    29 Mar29 March 06:12

    Agreed! I’ve had Spire since inception and we were promised so much when it started. However, apart from the, frankly, unexciting, Hertz Five Star Upgrade, there is little else to entice you to use IHG properties, when comparing with the likes of HH.

    • Alex W says:

      29 Mar29 March 20:52

      Hertz status is just as useless as IHG status.

• ChrisC says:

  29 Mar29 March 04:26

  I would check the T&Cs when looking for these bonus package offers.

  Most are per night and clearly state that but yes there are some which are per stay and can switch from one to the other depending on how many bonus points you select.

  And if you select the ‘non member rate’ there can be further options.

  I was looking at the IC Times Square on Saturday for a hopeful stay later this year and clicking on the non member rate for the “1000 points package” it’s offering me an additional 4,000 bonus points for £29 extra a night. (But the IC in San Francisco was offering me an extra 4K points for £18 a night on a different stay) These extra 4K points aren’t offered to me as an existing member.

  Looking at the IC NYC the BNPL rate is £ 194 per night, the 1k package is £ 202. So in that case the bonus points will cost me £8 so they may not always be worth it on a strict penny paid per point basis but could in terms of status and the extra (though non qualifying) points you get from that.

  But for the dates I was looking at it was only offered on a king bed superior room and not the more expensive ones such as the King Bed Skyview rooms.

  YMMV when you do the calculations.

  • Phillip says:

    29 Mar29 March 06:29

    You can see a similar variety even with the example Rob used. If you go for the non member rate at the HI Windsor Slough on certain dates you can see the 5000 bonus points offer is per night.

    • kitten says:

      29 Mar29 March 10:39

      so silly question…do those nonmember offerings still show up if you then log in and book?

• Lynn Ayling says:

  29 Mar29 March 06:43

  I am Spire Elite and stayed at Cardiff North last night. I was refused an upgrade even though they had availability, stating they wanted to keep longer between stays because of Covid is this acceptable. The upgrade at this hotel makes a huge difference as there two rooms joined by a corridor, a bath and a fridge.

  • Matty says:

    29 Mar29 March 08:26

    Spire Elite too. I booked the CP Gatwick last December. I’d booked a Club room. The Club Lounge was closed because of the pandemic but the bar was open. I was refused a drinks voucher by the manager, in lieu of access to the lounge, because I’d booked “a cheap rate”. I’d booked ‘Best Available’ – £89 for the night.

    • Anna says:

      29 Mar29 March 09:20

      I might be staying there this summer if my Plan B is enacted! I’ll remember not to expect much. It does seem to vary between hotels though, we had some very nice freebies and upgrades on most of our IHG stays last year.

      • Mark Peterborough says:

        29 Mar29 March 10:30

        I am a spire and have stayed at the CP Gatwick about a dozen times. I think I have managed to get the Lounge twice in total.

        Much more luck at the CP London City and CP Nottingham.

        • kitten says:

          29 Mar29 March 10:46

          Why would anyone bother staying, ever, at the IHG Crowne Plaza Gatwick now that we know about this?

          Also a bit worried as there is a handful of Crowne Plaza properties in Europe/UK that I stay in, in preference to other properties whose overall standards are about the same. But the Crowne Plaza has a lounge so I stay there. Seen on here some CP’s appear to be closing their lounges? removing my reason to choose CP within IHG, and quite likely taking my regular stays away from CP.

        • Anna says:

          29 Mar29 March 12:13

          kitten – 1 night stay and 15 nights’ parking for £111 in August, that’s why!

        • Lady London says:

          29 Mar29 March 16:22

          Aaaahhh @Anna yes I can see the point of that.

        • Chrisasaurus says:

          29 Mar29 March 20:30

          Flip side – suite once and lounge every time here and never even a slightly less shitty room at cp Nottingham (great bar area lousy everything else)

    • Jason says:

      29 Mar29 March 22:40

      Same thing happened to me at CP Plymouth last summer. I booked a club room and Lounge was closed. When I asked for a voucher or something else I was just simply told the club room rate was discounted already……..typical cheap IHG…..very poor rewards program and customer service.

• Tom says:

  29 Mar29 March 06:52

  Am Spire Elite. Totally pointless.

  Doesn’t inspire me to stay with them.

  Only have 100k points but I doubt that I will hold status beyond the end of this year (I assume status goes until 31st December?)

• Dev says:

  29 Mar29 March 06:57

  All good and well but why spend extra on getting points for Elite status that is considered useless?

  (I understand that in the article, you are spending £17 for £20 value, but is it really worth it?)

  • John says:

    29 Mar29 March 07:06

    If you would really spend £18 instead of 5000 points earned elsewhere, then yes

    Look at all the fuss every time there is an opportunity to earn 500 avios

  • TGLoyalty says:

    29 Mar29 March 08:46

    If it’s November 21 and you need 3000 points to hit 55k

    Then spending a bit more on your stay nets you a 25k bonus!

  • Rob says:

    29 Mar29 March 09:54

    ‘Useless’ is unfair, especially if you love Jacob’s Club biscuits or Kit-Kats 🙂

    Club access at Crowne Plaza hotels in Europe is now fairly common, for instance. It’s just ‘useless’ compared to guaranteed 4pm check-outs, eligibility for suite upgrades, free breakfast etc.

  • Lady London says:

    29 Mar29 March 10:50

    one use may be potentially to match it. statusmatcher dot com. please contribute there if you make a match yourself, so they can have as many data points as possible for us to look to.

    It covers airlines and hotels.

• Andrew says:

  29 Mar29 March 09:56

  I presume those of us who were rolled over to Spire from last year as an extension due to covid, and recently got the 25k gifted to us, if we hit the 55k threshold this year, we won’t get another 25k will we? Or was that 25k from last year, just paying now?

  • Anna says:

    29 Mar29 March 12:16

    I qualified for Spire last year, just got the “extra” 25k points this morning, won’t hit Spire for this year till next month so who knows?

  • Lyn says:

    29 Mar29 March 19:42

    It was “that 25K from last year, just paying now” – for those with the covid status extension anyway.

    So you should get another 25K if you requalify this year via the 55K threshold.

• Diydegsy says:

  29 Mar29 March 10:30

  Anyone have a number for ambassador customer services?

  • The real John says:

    29 Mar29 March 12:30

    Email them

    • Prins Polo says:

      29 Mar29 March 20:31

      What is the best email to reach them?

      • DJ says:

        29 Mar29 March 21:16

        ambassador@ihg.com

• GERRY says:

  29 Mar29 March 12:54

  I find IHG decent for earning nights, Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv beach is normally 30k points with cash rate at times 200+

  • Mr. AC says:

    29 Mar29 March 23:04

    CP Tel Aviv is one of the gems in the program I’d say… Do they still give access to the lounge if you have status?

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