Mastercard offering instant I Prefer Titanium hotel elite status

You might not have heard of The Preferred Hotels Group, but it has more than 650 hotels and resorts over 80 countries, including familiar names like The Fullerton Hotel, The Fullerton Bay Hotel, Artyzen Singapore and Royal Plaza on Scotts.

The Group runs a loyalty programme called I Prefer, which has just undergone a revamp of its tier names and benefits. 

Mastercard cardholders can enjoy an instant fast-track up to Titanium, the highest published tier in the programme, with World Elite Mastercard cardholders also enjoying 25,000 bonus points on their first stay- enough for a free night at hotels like The Landmark Bangkok or Lancaster Bangkok. 

New I Prefer tier names

Let’s first cover the I Prefer programme changes, which took effect from 18 January 2023.

I Prefer has given its Insider/Explorer/Elite tiers more traditional Silver/Gold/Titanium labels, though its invite-only Authority status retains the same name as before.

In terms of benefits, here’s the old I Prefer benefits table:

And here’s the new benefits table (which no longer shows Authority perks):

It looks to me like both perks and qualification requirements have more or less remained the same.

Mastercard fast-track offer

I Prefer Offer

From now till 30 June 2024, anyone with a Mastercard issued in Asia Pacific can enjoy an instant fast-track to I Prefer elite status:

Really, the only I Prefer tier you should be looking at is Titanium, since there’s no reason why anyone in Singapore should be holding anything less than a World Mastercard. Even your basic debit cards, and credit cards with a S$30,000 income requirement belong to the World tier. 

The question then is whether you have a World Elite Mastercard, which gets you an extra 25,000 points after completing your first booking made on iprefer.com, preferredhotels.com or the I Prefer app.

I Prefer award nights start from 15,000 points, or you can redeem them for cash certificates at a value of 1 point = 0.2 US cents (so 25,000 points would be US$50).

To get your match, use the sign-up links below. No card verification is required, so make of that what you will. 

• World Elite Mastercard
• World Mastercard

Status is valid for 12 months, and to retain your status beyond that period, you’ll need to requalify according to I Prefer’s usual requirements:

• Titanium: Spend US$5,000 in 12-month period
• Gold: Spend US$2,500 in 12-month period

No more Authority match

When I last wrote about this offer in 2022, World Elite cardholders were instantly matched to Authority, an invite-only tier with perks like breakfast and lounge access. That’s no longer possible, sadly, but I imagine the 25,000 bonus points might ease some of the pain. 

Interestingly enough, there doesn’t see to be any renewal requirement for Authority status. Despite not staying at any I Prefer hotel throughout 2022 and 2023, my status is still intact. I suppose that’ll come in useful when I eventually decide to check out Artyzen…

Does I Prefer status actually matter?

Or will it? 

The key thing to understand about The Preferred Hotels Group is that it’s not so much a chain as it is a marketing alliance. Consequently, there isn’t a lot of consistency or enforcement of I Prefer elite benefits. 

In my experiences so far (at the Fullerton Hotel Sydney, Hotel Munchen Palace and Hotel Maximilian) I got nothing more than a drinks voucher- no upgrades, no late check-out, no welcome amenity. The check-in staff seemed altogether unfamiliar with the programme.

Perhaps things have changed in the years since, and those with I Prefer Authority can at least point to concrete guaranteed benefits like breakfast and lounge access. If you’ve had better experiences as an I Prefer elite member, I’d love to hear them.

According to the I Prefer terms and conditions, you’ll need to book through the following channels to enjoy points and benefits: 

• IPrefer.com, PreferredHotels.com, PreferredGolf.com, StayBeyondGreen.com
• Preferred Hotel Group call centers
• Travel agent bookings (other than online travel agents including, but not limited to Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, and Hotels.com)
• Hotel website
• Hotel direct bookings, e.g. phone bookings

However, I’ve been told by hotels that you need to book through I Prefer to receive benefits, so there seems to be some inconsistency there. 

Conclusion

Mastercard cardholders can now enjoy an instant match to I Prefer Titanium status, the highest published tier in the programme. If you hold a World Elite Mastercard, an extra 25,000 points are yours after completing your first stay.

If nothing else, it means some extra dining credits on your next stay, as well as a shot at a room upgrade or late check-out. You have until 30 June 2024 to register and status is valid for 12 months, so time your registration accordingly.