IHG One Rewards has launched a generous new status match and challenge offer which is available even to base-level members of other hotel loyalty programs including Accor ALL, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, Wyndham Rewards, Best Western Rewards, Choice Privileges and Radisson Rewards.

Until 31 July 2022 (or until the offer is withdrawn), you can register on the IHG website for instant IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status. You’ll then get to enjoy IHG Platinum Elite status for 120 days at no cost.

If you then stay at least 5 nights at IHG hotels within your 120-day trial status period, you’ll get to keep your Platinum Elite status until 31 December 2023.

Plus, if you stay an additional 10 nights (15 nights in total) within the 120 days, you’ll be upgraded to Diamond Elite status until the end of 2023! This is the top status level in the new IHG One Rewards loyalty program.

Hotel brands that are part of the IHG One Rewards program include (but are not limited to) Holiday Inn, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo and Intercontinental.

IHG Hotels & Resorts recently refreshed its loyalty program, rebranding it as IHG One Rewards and introducing new elite status tiers. Benefits of IHG Platinum status, which is normally earned after staying at least 40 nights at IHG hotels during a calendar year, include:

• All Club member benefits (free internet & late checkout until 2pm, subject to availability)
• All Silver Elite benefits (points don’t expire)
• All Gold Elite benefits (rollover nights for next year’s status)
• 60% bonus points
• Choice of welcome amenity (drink or points)
• Reward night discounts
• Complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability)
• Guaranteed room availability
• Early check-in (subject to availability)

To earn Diamond Elite status, you would normally need to complete 70 nights within a year at IHG hotels. So, the status challenge requirement of 15 nights within 120 days is quite a shortcut! Diamond Elite benefits include:

• All Platinum Elite benefits
• 100% bonus points
• Option for free breakfast (instead of welcome points or drink) at most brands
• Dedicated Diamond support
• Complimentary Hertz Five Star status

After registering for this promotion on the IHG website, your IHG One Rewards account will be automatically upgraded to Platinum Elite status for 120 days. As registration for this promo closes on 31 July 2022, you may therefore want to time your status match to begin shortly before you plan to stay at an IHG hotel/s.

According to the offer terms & conditions, this offer is not available to residents of Greater China. The T&Cs also say this about what counts as a qualifying night for the purposes of this promotion:

To be a qualifying night under this Promotion, the room night must be part of a Qualifying Stay. Only those qualifying nights falling within the member’s Stay Period are counted for purposes of the Promotion. Room nights prior to registration or outside of a member’s Stay Period are not included. A “Qualifying Stay” is a minimum one (1)-night stay booked under a Qualifying Rate, with total spend exceeding US $30 (or local currency equivalent) for each night. Bookings made through on-line travel agencies or other reservation sites such as booking.com or expedia.com are not eligible for this Promotion. For additional details on Qualifying Rates, please see the full IHG One Rewards Membership Terms and Conditions. If more than one member checks into the same room, only one member is eligible to count the room nights towards the Promotion (for those nights that qualify). If a member books more than one room on the same night, the member will only receive credit for qualifying nights for one room.

This current IHG status match offer is more generous than the Platinum status fast-track offered earlier this year, which only let you upgrade to Platinum status after completing 5 stays within 90 days. That offer also did not include any fast-track challenge to get to IHG’s top-tier status.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: IHG One Rewards status match

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.