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Just had an interesting email through from IHG offering retention of my Diamond status if I purchase the shortfall of qualifying points I would need to meet the Diamond threshold (120k).
Crunching the numbers, I have not done many paid for stays this year, so have only 7k points, meaning I would need to buy 115k at $980 or c.£773 at today’s rates. If we assume a 4p valuation then those points are worth £460, so net cost of £313 for a year of status, for me equates to free breakfast.
How many stays would I need to make to justify that cost? For clarity, I’m usually travelling with the family (four of us in total) and whilst technically it’s limited to two people that’s never been an issue in the past.
I’ve just had the same offer and I am considering it. I have a few stays planned for 2025 so it may just be worth it for me.
Meant to write 0.4p not 4p
Interesting offer, so it works out at about 0.67p per point for 115000 points. Hopefully the lovely people at HfP towers will run an article on the value of this.
Having been Diamond/Spire for years, for no actual reason, I am dreading the downgrade in January.
That’s very interesting, hope I have it when I can get back into my emails. Each 70k purchase gets me a night at the Kimpton Seafire so I can usually justify buying. If it comes with Diamond, all the better!
*Maybe they’re speculating on how much business they might lose when so many of us lose our sparkle this year!
Likewise, although rather confusingly i’ve already renewed via stays rather than points this year already
Would probably go for it if i was 40-50k points short, the value of free breakfast adds up and along with the higher earning potential and marginally better upgrade chance
I got the same offer, however unlike the first poster, when I go to points.com I am see 120K for $800 (OP stated 115K points for $980, 115K points for me is $785). Specifically mentions that this purchase will count towards diamond elite status.
Are they varying the points cost to see who bites at what cost ?
If you value a point @ 0.4p, that means for me buying 120K points for diamond, the diamond element is costing £150 ?
Received same offer. Diamond cost works out about £300. Already qualifying for lounge benefit, so I’m not sure if there’s enough value here. Though I may still go for it.
Benefits being…
… breakfast where no lounge
… breakfast in main restaurant where lounge ??
… better upgrade ??
… have diamond for another year… which might bring future benefits in terms of extensions/matching/future offersDon’t think there’s much else. Better points accrual marginal.
Do we know is Diamonds have soft landing or not?
I got the same offer, however unlike the first poster, when I go to points.com I am see 120K for $800 (OP stated 115K points for $980, 115K points for me is $785). Specifically mentions that this purchase will count towards diamond elite status.
Are they varying the points cost to see who bites at what cost ?
If you value a point @ 0.4p, that means for me buying 120K points for diamond, the diamond element is costing £150 ?
Points difference is weird
I received the offer of 115,000 for $1180, considerably more than anyone elses despite having a fair number of stays this year so I’m not sure.
As with other posters here I’ve been Diamond, Sprire before for years and really will miss it, I have Platinum thanks to Ambassador but it’s not quite the same.
So many offers come and go and some are just no brainers, it’s when it’s 50/50 or thereabouts that the problem lies…I’m getting 115,000 for $785. Are these elite qualifying points the same as standard points? Ie can we still use these points towards redemptions?
Different pricing for different people doesn’t seem very smart to me. It’ll leave a sour taste in people’s mouths whether they go for this or not. Rob, not sure if you have any ears into which you can have a word.
I have 115k for $980, so seemingly in the middle of the other offers. I only had 20k of qualifying point already…but 14 nights
also wondering whether a book one night, renew diamond offer may come along before EOY so will wait for now
Different pricing for different people doesn’t seem very smart to me. It’ll leave a sour taste in people’s mouths whether they go for this or not. Rob, not sure if you have any ears into which you can have a word.
Very true, it’s one thing to have small discrepencies in offers, maybe some people have stayed more nights than I have but when an offer is more than double others it really does leave a sour taste. Maybe if I keep trying on a daily basis, I also have a few more stays this coming week so that may help [?]
Different pricing for different people doesn’t seem very smart to me. It’ll leave a sour taste in people’s mouths whether they go for this or not. Rob, not sure if you have any ears into which you can have a word.
This. Never do your A/B testing so transparently!
120,000 for $1,000 for me, or if I topped up the 30,000 I’d need to renew on points, it would be $555
Another data point – I am at the $980 level for 115k points too. Didn’t have many stays this year to date (5 nights only) but have renewed Ambassador as I have a weekend at the IC Park Lane in June that I wanted the ‘free’ night voucher for.
At this level, I’d effectively be buying Diamond renewal for £300, twice what @robkeane reported above, so don’t think I’ll bite…
I would need to buy 115k at $980
I am see 120K for $800 (115K points for me is $785).
I have a worse offer, 120k for $1200, 115k for $1180 and 50k for $810, which is what I need.
However I’ve already planned to obtain the 50k points with 8 nights at the 5000 bonus point rate which will see me with exactly 40 nights on 31 December. I am paying roughly 0.5 US cents per point for these but that doesn’t include the uplift of a flexible rate where I didn’t need one.
Of the 70k points I already have, 20k were earned normally and 50k were also from the 5000 bonus point rates.
If something goes wrong with my plan, there is now a way to salvage it, but it will cost $310 for 5000 points!!!
I’m getting the 115,000 at $1180 as well. Only got 9 nights in this year and 7k points.
Valuing the points at 0.04 it would cost me around £470 net to keep diamond. Not worth it in my viewMy wife (the only Diamond in the house) hasn’t even had the offer!
My wife (the only Diamond in the house) hasn’t even had the offer!
Ditto for Mrs Globetrotter @Rob – my missus hasn’t booked any nights at all with IHG this year so perhaps no surprise. Has Connie?
Looks like my $785 for 115,000 is better than most. Makes a change for once!
Interesting, as I’ve only done 7 nights this year at an average £100 per night.
I might actually go for it.
I have the same $785 offer for 115k as does my partner.
I assume this is only available to people who is already a diamond?
Ditto for Mrs Globetrotter @Rob – my missus hasn’t booked any nights at all with IHG this year so perhaps no surprise. Has Connie?
She’s got 4,999 qualifying points from, I think, 1 stay.
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