You may know IHG Hotels & Resorts from its popular hotel brands like Holiday Inn, Kimpton and Crowne Plaza. If you stay at IHG properties frequently or have one of the IHG credit cards, you may be interested in their elite status benefits, which can be earned through the hotel company's IHG One Rewards loyalty program.
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How to earn IHG elite status
You can earn IHG elite status in one of four ways:
- Complete enough elite qualifying nights within a calendar year.
- Accumulate enough elite qualifying points within a calendar year.
- Hold an IHG credit cards, which comes with automatic elite status (the level varies by card).
- Purchase InterContinental Ambassador membership ($225 annually), which comes with automatic IHG Platinum Elite status.
In general, option one is the best route for those who spend a lot of nights in low-cost rooms, and option two applies to those who stay at high-end properties. If you mostly stay at InterContinental hotels, option four, 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, maybe consider an IHG card. Each card now comes with automatic status, and no stays are required:
- Silver Elite: IHG One Rewards Credit Card.
- Gold Elite: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.
- Platinum Elite: IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card and IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card.
- Diamond Elite: Spend $25,000 with your IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card in purchases each calendar year.
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:
How to earn status | Points earned per stay | Some of the best perks | |
|---|---|---|---|
Club | Just sign up. | 10 base points per dollar spent on qualifying hotel rates at most IHG hotels (5 points at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites) | Complimentary internet, exclusive member rates, no blackout dates for reward nights. |
Silver Elite | 10 elite qualifying nights, or hold the IHG One Rewards Credit Card. | 20% bonus earnings on top of base points. | Points no longer expire for as long as status is held. |
Gold Elite | 20 elite qualifying nights or 40,000 elite qualifying points, per calendar year, or hold the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. | 40% bonus earnings on top of base points. | The above plus rollover nights for next year's status. |
Platinum Elite | 40 elite qualifying nights or 60,000 elite qualifying points, per calendar year, or hold the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card. | 60% bonus earnings on top of base points. | The above plus complimentary room upgrades and guaranteed room availability. |
Diamond Elite | 70 elite qualifying nights or 120,000 elite qualifying points, per calendar year, or spend $25,000 on the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card in a calendar year. | 100% bonus earnings on top of base points | The above plus dedicated Diamond support and free breakfast. |
What are IHG elite qualifying nights?
Elite qualifying nights are the metric used to determine progress towards elite status. They include each night that is booked directly through an IHG channel. These do not include nights reserved via a third party like Hotels.com. Complimentary rooms and certain discounted rates may not qualify.
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 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.
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How does IHG credit card holder elite status work?
Becoming an IHG credit card holder is generally the simplest (and lowest-cost) way to get IHG elite status, and the lineup now spans three tiers. The IHG One Rewards Credit Card ($0 annual fee) comes with Silver Elite status, and the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card ($150 annual fee) comes with Gold Elite. The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card ($350 annual fee) and IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card ($200 annual fee) come with Platinum Elite. That's all there is to it.
Does IHG offer a status match program?
IHG does not have a traditional status match program, but it does occasionally run promotions for earning elite status on an accelerated timeline.
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 are excluded.
To find out if there are any status match offers available, visit the IHG member offers page or contact customer service.
IHG status levels and benefits
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 (as a welcome amenity choice).
The InterContinental Ambassador program
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 $225 or 45,000 points, 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.
- 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.
Earning IHG One Rewards milestone bonuses
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. With IHG's milestone bonuses program, 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).
Cardholders get a head start: the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card's 20 annual elite night credits unlock the first milestone automatically.
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.
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.
Is IHG elite status worth it?
Are you a low-frills traveler?
IHG generally isn’t known for high-end properties, though Kimpton, Regent, Six Senses and InterContinental are options for travelers looking for this kind of stay. Still, 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 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?
For most IHG loyalists, the Platinum status that comes with the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card or IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card offers enough perks without the hassle of tracking elite qualifying nights and stays. If you'd rather pay less, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card gets you Gold status. 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 by far the best hotel brand for pets), then don't overlook 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.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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