If you’re an IHG One Diamond member who is falling short of the requalification requirement, IHG is selling Elite Qualifying Pointsย (EQPs) from now till 31 December 2023.
This allows members to purchase up to 120,000 EQPs, requalifying for Diamond status for another year.ย It’s not the cheapest way of going about things, but could be worth considering if you’re just shy of requalification.
IHG Elite Qualifying Points Sale
Targeted IHG One Diamond members can now purchase EQPs at the following rates till 31 December 2023. Do note that offers will differ from person to person. Here’s what mine looks like:
| EQP | Price | Cost per EQP |
| 10,000 | US$250 | 2.50 cents |
| 20,000 | US$475 | 2.38 cents |
| 30,000 | US$550 | 1.83 cents |
| 40,000 | US$625 | 1.56 cents |
| 50,000 | US$700 | 1.40 cents |
| 60,000 | US$800 | 1.33 cents |
| 70,000 | US$875 | 1.25 cents |
| 80,000 | US$1,000 | 1.25 cents |
| 90,000 | US$1,125 | 1.25 cents |
| 100,000 | US$1,250 | 1.25 cents |
| 110,000 | US$1,375 | 1.25 cents |
| 120,000 | US$1,500 | 1.25 cents |
As a reminder, requalification for Diamond status requires:
- 70 elite qualifying nights, or
- 120,000 elite qualifying points
In other words, you could buy all the way up to Diamond status, even if you currently have zero EQPs.
Per the eDM, the EQPs you buy can also be used for reward nights, which offsets the cost in a sense.
These points lock in your Diamond Elite status through 2024 and can also be redeemed for Reward Nights, experiences, catalogue items, and much more.
I value 1 IHG One Rewards point at 0.5 US cents, so if we adjust for that, the picture becomes a bit more favourable.ย
| EQP | Price (Less value of points)* |
Cost per EQP |
| 10,000 | US$200 | 2 cents |
| 20,000 | US$375 | 1.88 cents |
| 30,000 | US$400 | 1.33 cents |
| 40,000 | US$425 | 1.06 cents |
| 50,000 | US$450 | 0.90 cents |
| 60,000 | US$500 | 0.83 cents |
| 70,000 | US$525 | 0.75 cents |
| 80,000 | US$600 | 0.75 cents |
| 90,000 | US$675 | 0.75 cents |
| 100,000 | US$750 | 0.75 cents |
| 110,000 | US$825 | 0.75 cents |
| 120,000 | US$900 | 0.75 cents |
| *Valued at 0.5 US cents per point | ||
Points purchases made under this offer will not count towards the yearly 150,000 points purchase cap.
EQPs may only be purchased once under this promotion, so you need to decide upfront how many you think you’ll need. If you requalify for Diamond status via EQP purchases, you’ll hold that status for the entire 2024 calendar year.
EQPs will be awarded upon completion of the transaction, and new Elite status will be reflected within 5-10 business days.
Is it worth it?
Whether buying EQPs makes sense reallyย boils down to how far short you fall of requalification.ย
If you’re starting from zero, I think it’s difficult to argue that US$900 is worth it for Diamond status (because the very fact you’re starting from zero means you haven’t been doing a lot of IHG stays in the first place!).
However, if you’re just shy of requalification and don’t have plans to travel, then buying the remaining EQPs could be tempting.ย Of course, the problem is the cost per EQP is significantly higher for small purchases.ย
It used to be that members could extend IHG Diamond status for another year by buying a US$200 InterContinental Ambassador membership (itself a good deal because it comes with additional perks and a complimentary weekend night), but this is no longer possible.ย
By the way, if all you want to do is buy redeemable points (and not EQPs), you should be aware that IHG is running a concurrent promotion that sells them with up to a 100% bonus, or 0.5 US cents each.
IHG One Diamond benefits
As an IHG Diamond member, you’ll enjoy benefits such as:
- Complimentary breakfast
- 100% IHG bonus points
- Room upgrades up to standard suites (subject to availability)
- Early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability)
- Dedicated customer support
The detailed list of benefits can be found below.
IHG Diamond members enjoy a hot breakfast for two guests.ย Alcoholic beverages or speciality coffees may be excluded by hotels (even if they’re offered to all other breakfast-paying guests), but at least the wording means we shouldn’t see any continental breakfast shenanigans.ย
Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, InterContinental Alliance properties (in Las Vegas and Macau) and Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties are excluded from the breakfast benefit.ย
Do note that club lounge access is not an automatic benefit of IHG Diamond status. Instead, this needs to be earned through the Milestone Rewards programme.ย As a reminder, here’s the current list of Milestone Rewards; you’ll need at least 40 elite nights to earn a lounge pass.
| Milestone | Rewards |
| 20 nights |
(Pick one) |
| 30 nights |
(Pick one) |
| 40 nights |
(Pick two) |
| 50 nights |
(Pick one) |
| 60 nights |
(Pick one) |
| 70 nights |
(Pick two) |
| 80 nights |
(Pick one) |
| 90 nights |
(Pick one) |
| 100 nights |
(Pick one) |
Conclusion
IHG One Rewards is now selling EQPs to Diamond members falling short of the requalification threshold. If you’d like to retain your status for 2024 but lack the requisite nights/EQPs, it might be worth considering depending on your travel plans for the upcoming year.
Remember that this is a targeted offer, so check your emails and see whether you received anything.
I have been diligently clocking the IHG status towards diamond (since i am gonna lose my Accor Platinum) this year since the company moved their contract from Accor to IHG (but IHG properties in Japan are terrible especially those ANA Crowne Plazas).
Buying EQP towards diamond seems not a good deal for me…
Aaron what do you know about the Annual Lounge Membership available at 40 nights? Is this for 1 person or for all room guests? And can this be purchased / gained other ways?
can’t be purchased. it’s for 2 guests per room
What are you going to do Aaron? Renew by purchasing or not?