Some hacks are easier than others, but there are hacks that I discover from pure luck. One of these is upgrading to IHG’s top loyalty tier, Diamond, from Platinum with a well-timed click of a button, then discovering a way to make this status permanent at a very affordable cost.
IHG and Me over the Years
But first, a little about IHG and my history with them. IHG is the UK-based hotel group that owns many brands of hotels you probably have heard of, from the low-end of Holiday Inn Express to the high-end of the Regent, InterContinental, and Kimpton brands. Of course, IHG also owns the Holiday Inn brand, a staple of many childhood road trips with my family up and down peninsula Malaysia.
Fast forward many years. I am a contracted psychologist-at-large, a job that takes me all over rural BC and sometimes Alberta in western Canada. The HI Express becomes a staple of these trips, not because it’s great but because it offers me a consistent experience, no surprises, and sometimes more than I ask.
My children, by the way, prefer the HI Express over other brands on road trips because of the automatic pancake maker, of all things. Every property has one. The said pancakes have a certain rubbery texture that they like. This isn’t trivial – it’s the little things that build brand awareness. They may not have these pancake makers forever, but the HI Express has already made an impression on them.
Fast-Tracking to Platinum Elite
Anyway, at some point, I open the IHG Premier card by Chase. As an American, though I live in Canada, I have access to US credit card products. My rationale is that it gives me instant Platinum status, better service (like upgrades) and a higher earn rate for my work stays. The untapped sign-up bonus from the card even came in handy during the pandemic as I used some of it to top up my Aadvantage account to score a JAL roundtrip in business class from Vancouver to Singapore.
The IHG Premier card remains the best way to fast track to Platinum status without having to stay the otherwise required 40 nights. You retain your status as long as you keep your card open, at the cost of the $99 (USD) annual fee, which obviously is a heck of a lot cheaper than earning Platinum status through stays.
But there is another fast-track method. A couple of times a year, IHG offers a limited fast-track offer of 5 nights to Platinum through stays at any IHG property completed within a certain period. I used one of these promotions to attain Platinum status through the end of 2023 (as by now I no longer hold the IHG card).
Hacking my way to Diamond Elite Status
Here’s the part where I got really lucky, thanks to a fella nicknamed Lucky. A few weeks ago, IHG offered an unpublicized instant upgrade to Diamond status that was targeted to corporate accounts. Among other benefits, Diamond tier comes with a 100% bonus on points earned, dedicated support and the option to select free breakfast as your welcome amenity at select brands including InterContinental, Regent, Kimpton, voco and Indigo.
The offer was very time-limited and I jumped on it when Ben Schlappig aka Lucky of One Mile at a Time posted a link to the offer (thanks Ben). This offer came with Diamond Status through the end of 2022 with an option to fast track to 2023 by staying 10 nights before the end of the year (the usual stay requirement is 70 nights for Diamond tier).
The link worked for me as apparently, IHG did not distinguish between corporate and personal accounts.
How I Made my Diamond Tier Status Permanent
One of the confusing things about IHG’s One Reward Program is that it has a separate paid loyalty program, the Ambassador Program, which is specific to its InterContinental properties. It costs $200 per year or 40k points, which easily pays for itself through the free weekend night (among other perks) at any InterContinental property. Joining Ambassador is another way to obtain instant Platinum status. Now, unofficially, it is known that those with Diamond tier get to extend their status to the end of the following calendar year upon joining the Ambassador program. Once I activated my Ambassador membership (with 40K points), my Diamond status was instantaneously extended from the end of 2022 to the end of 2023. I get to keep this tier as long as I am willing to pay the annual fee of $200 or 40k points, which is easily justified by the benefits, and is way more economical than staying 70 nights per year.
Conclusion
I was surprised by an unadvertised instant upgrade to Diamond Tier IHG status and jumped on it. For an affordable $200 (or 40K points) membership in the Ambassador program, as opposed to staying 70 nights a year, I get to hold on to Diamond tier potentially indefinitely. This was a helluva hack I attribute to regularly tuning into the blogosphere and a well-timed click of a button to take advantage of an ultra rare special.