Refund of second person fee?

[MollyJones]

I'm currently booking a trip for late 2023 early 2024 and have a number of IHG stays planned. Some quick calculations seem to suggest the Ambassador fee USD$200 would be well covered by the benefits we would receive but I am wondering about when to purchase it.
I have already booked one of the stays at a good prepaid member rate, but that means I have also prepaid the second person fee (approx AUD50), which is complementary with Ambassador.
If we join the program closer to departure, are IHG likely to refund the fee if it has already been paid?
I was thinking of joining up closer to departure, but that won't be worth it if the second person fee isn't refunded.
Any experience of thoughts with regard to this?
And another question too. If I use the Velocity Platinum to get IHG Platinum elite, and also pay the ambassador joining fee, would they upgrade the membership to Diamond? Or extend the platinum for a longer period?
TIA

 

[Gold Member]

If we join the program closer to departure, are IHG likely to refund the fee if it has already been paid?

Very unlikely IHG will. But if the additional fee was to be refunded, it will more likely come from the property than via IHG.

I was thinking of joining up closer to departure, but that won't be worth it if the second person fee isn't refunded.
Any experience of thoughts with regard to this?

Timing the commencement of Ambassador membership will not affect your ability to receive a refund. However, if the property is amenable to your circumstances, having Platinum/Ambassador status can’t hurt your chances of a partial refund.

And another question too. If I use the Velocity Platinum to get IHG Platinum elite, and also pay the ambassador joining fee, would they upgrade the membership to Diamond? Or extend the platinum for a longer period?

The IC Ambassador membership would not grant you IHG Diamond status, even with a Velocity Platinum status match. Both avenues yield IHG Platinum status only.

This doesn’t help you much, but by way of background - last year IHG inadvertently handed out Diamond status for a short period of time and many of us here took advantage of it. We then signed up for and/or renewed our IC Ambassador status which extended that Diamond status for at least 1 more year (not a published benefit of IC AMB). And regardless of whether we qualified for Diamond that following year, simply renewing your IC AMB membership extended the IHG Diamond for another year and so on.

But if you get to this level and want to play this game, just remember that renewing IC AMB to retain IHG Diamond every year is not a publicised benefit and may be closed ant any time.

 

[MollyJones]

Thankyou for your thoughts

 

[Lynda2475]

If you want Diamond status keep your eye out for Status match offers form IHG.

Last year they ran one from 1st August that granted you Platinum if you stayed 10 nights, and Diamond if you stayed 10 more, just by stating that you had gold or above with a competitor.