IHG had an experiment in November last year, selling elite-qualifying points to those who didn’t manage to re-qualify for 2024. The pricing was ridiculous, as they were expecting people to pay 1.5c per point, and I couldn’t imagine many people were convinced.
The offer has now returned, this time more much sensible:
- Offer window: December 16 – 31
- Might be targeted
- Buy elite qualifying points to attain status through 2025
- Chase IHG cardholders get 20% off
I have already re-qualified for Diamond so got an ineligible message when opening the page. It’s unclear how targeted this offer is, but it appears that at least some Platinum members have also received the invitation and they could buy up to Diamond.
Note that it’s a different offer page than the normal buy points one. The points you buy are elite qualifying redeemable points – they can be spent on award nights as usual.
You can buy from 5,000 to 120,000 points, and here’s an example:
The more you buy, the better unit price you get. It appears that the pricing has variations too – at the very top end, people are seeing $800 / $1,000 / $1,200 for 120,000 points.
As IHG frequently sells points at 0.5c, you are basically paying extra for the one-year Diamond status. If you need (all) 120,000 elite-qualifying points and pay $800 for example, you would be “buying” Diamond for $200, as the points would otherwise cost $600 under normal circumstances.
If you have the Chase IHG card which reduces the total price to $640, then it’s almost a no-brainer as long as you do need those IHG points. Diamond’s benefits may be dubious besides the guaranteed free breakfast, but it surely is worth more than $40.
Recent Comments