IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status: How To Earn It, Benefits, & Is It Worth It?

IHG One Rewards is the loyalty program of IHG Hotels & Resorts, which includes over 20 hotel brands, ranging from Six Senses and Regent, to Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express. The brand’s loyalty program is arguably more interesting than ever before, given all the new ways there are to earn elite status, including elite night credits, with credit cards. In this post, I’d like to take a closer look at the benefits of IHG One Rewards Diamond status, which is the program’s top-tier status. How do you earn IHG Diamond status, what are the benefits of this elite tier, and is it worth it? How to earn IHG One Rewards Diamond statusEarning IHG Diamond status with hotel staysEarning IHG Diamond status with credit cardsIHG One Rewards Diamond status benefitsComplimentary breakfast100% IHG bonus pointsRoom upgrades (subject to availability)Reward night discountsEarly check-in & late check-out (subject to availability)Dedicated customer supportGuaranteed room availabilityAccess to Milestone Rewards programIs IHG One Rewards Diamond status worth it?Bottom line There are several ways to earn IHG One Rewards Diamond status — you can earn it based on the number of nights you stay, you can earn it based on how much qualifying spending you have at IHG properties, or you can earn it by spending on a co-branded credit card. Earning IHG Diamond status with hotel stays IHG One Rewards Diamond status can be earned either based on the number of nights you stay or the number of qualifying points you earn, as follows: Stay 70 qualifying nights in a calendar year; even award nights count toward that total Earn 120,000 qualifying points in a calendar year; you ordinarily earn 10x base points per dollar spent, so you’d earn that after spending $12,000 at most IHG brands These are pretty steep requirements, as this requires more nights than you’d need to earn Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, or World of Hyatt Globalist. IHG One Rewards elite requirements Earning IHG Diamond status with credit cards There are several ways to earn IHG One Rewards Diamond status with credit cards, and they all tie into IHG’s co-branded partnership with Chase: The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card (learn more) offers IHG Diamond status if you spend $25,000 on the card per calendar year The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card (learn more) offers IHG Diamond status if you spend $25,000 on the card per calendar year The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (learn more) offers IHG Diamond status if you spend $75,000 on the card per calendar year The Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (learn more) offers IHG Diamond status if you spend $120,000 on the card per calendar year In each situation, you’d earn Diamond status for the current calendar year, plus the entire following calendar year. Note that these pathways to Diamond status only offer the status as such, and not the corresponding elite nights for the status. Separately, it’s worth noting that all four co-branded IHG cards offer elite night credits (ENC) just for being a cardmember, with the ability to potentially earn more with spending. That can be useful when it comes to qualifying for Milestone Rewards perks. Earn IHG Diamond status with Chase credit cards IHG One Rewards Diamond status benefits With the requirements to earn status out of the way, what are the benefits of IHG One Rewards Diamond status? Below are the benefits and perks, roughly in the order in which I value them (I’m putting Milestone Rewards at the end, because the value is so dependent on how much you stay and how you earn your status). Complimentary breakfast IHG Diamond members are entitled to a welcome amenity at check-in. What’s exciting is that you can select complimentary full breakfast as an option, which is going to provide the most value. This is valid for the member and one registered guest for each night of the stay, and includes one main menu item with unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, or a full buffet with unlimited non-alcoholic beverages. The value of this can add up quickly. IHG actually has a really robust breakfast benefit, given the lack of property exclusions, unlike most other brands. 100% IHG bonus points IHG Diamond status offers a 100% points bonus on all eligible stays. Since you ordinarily earn 10x IHG points per dollar spent at most IHG brands, you’d earn an extra 10x points per dollar spent, which will make your points add up quickly. This is in addition to any points earned through IHG One Rewards promotions. Room upgrades (subject to availability) IHG Diamond members are entitled to room upgrades, subject to availability at check-in: Upgrades are offered up to standard suites, though this is at the hotel’s discretion; that’s to say that a hotel doesn’t have to make a suite available for an upgrade, even if it’s empty Unfortunately many IHG properties aren’t great about proactive upgrades; however, hotels are coached to confirm upgrades up to 48 hours before arrival, though that doesn’t mean it always happens On paper the upgrade benefit is the same for Platinum and Diamond members, though in practice Diamond members should receive preferential upgrades, and are more likely to get suite upgrades. If you do have Diamond status and aren’t proactively offered an upgrade, I’d definitely recommend asking about it at check-in. Reward night discounts IHG Diamond members get access to award night discount promotions several times per year. There’s no specific timeline with which this happens, though a few times per year we see brief periods where you can get a 15-20% discount on awards. Since IHG has dynamic award pricing, there’s definitely value to redeeming during these promotions. Early check-in & late check-out (subject to availability) IHG Diamond members receive early check-in (no exact cutoff specified) and late check-out (as late as 2PM). The catch is that this is subject to availability, so it isn’t guaranteed as it is with some other hotel groups. Don’t count on this being granted, though it’s something you can definitely ask for. Dedicated customer support IHG Diamond members get access to special customer service support, which other elite tiers don’t receive. That might not sound too exciting, but I find that IHG customer service in general can be lackluster when it comes to resolving problems, so I can see this coming in handy. Guaranteed room availability IHG Diamond members get guaranteed room night availability when booking at least 72 hours in advance. This could come in handy if you’re trying to book at a sold out hotel, but expect that you’ll pay a very high rate for this privilege. The main issue is that this benefit doesn’t apply “during special events that result in extraordinary room demand, as determined solely by the hotel.” That would typically be the time when something like this would be most valuable. Access to Milestone Rewards program Arguably the most exciting aspect of the IHG One Rewards program is Milestone Rewards, which is only somewhat tied to elite status. With Milestone Rewards, members can be rewarded for every 10 elite nights they earn in a calendar year, starting at 20 elite nights and all the way up to 100 elite nights. Potential rewards include confirmed suite upgrades, club lounge passes, food & beverage vouchers, and more. At 20 elite nights, IHG members can choose one of the following: 5,000 bonus IHG points Two food & beverage rewards worth $20 each A confirmable suite upgrade At 30 elite nights, IHG members can choose one of the following: 5,000 bonus IHG points Two food & beverage rewards worth $20 each At 40 elite nights, IHG members can choose two of the following: 10,000 bonus IHG points Five food & beverage rewards worth $20 each A confirmable suite upgrade (limit one) An annual lounge membership (limit one) At both 50 and 60 elite nights, IHG members can choose one of the following: 10,000 bonus IHG points Five food & beverage rewards worth $20 each At 60 elite nights, IHG members can choose one of the following: 10,000 bonus IHG points Five food & beverage rewards worth $20 each At 70 elite nights, IHG members can choose two of the following: 10,000 bonus IHG points Five food & beverage rewards worth $20 each A confirmable suite upgrade (limit one) An annual lounge membership (limit one) At 80, 90, and 100 elite nights, IHG members can choose one of the following: 10,000 bonus IHG points Five food & beverage rewards worth $20 each These are almost without a doubt the most valuable elite perks offered by IHG One Rewards. For example, if you’re a Diamond member who earns 70 elite nights in a year, you could potentially earn three confirmable suite upgrades (each valid for a stay of up to five nights) plus an annual lounge membership (which gets you lounge access for an entire year). There’s a ton of value to be had there. So if you do earn IHG Diamond status through a credit card, there’s still a ton of value to earning at least 40 elite night credits in a year, so you can unlock the annual lounge membership. Get club lounge access with Milestone Rewards Is IHG One Rewards Diamond status worth it? IHG One Rewards Diamond status is actually pretty lucrative, if you ask me, with a few caveats. On the most basic level, IHG Diamond members receive free breakfast, a 100% points bonus, and room upgrades up to standard suites (at the hotel’s discretion). But the area where the status really offers value is with Milestone Rewards. If you do earn 70 elite nights in a year you can select an annual club lounge pass, plus multiple confirmed suite upgrades. That’s where the value of the program really shines, and competes with the best of them. If you stay at IHG properties somewhat often, I could definitely see value in spending $25,000 on the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card or $75,000 on the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, to earn Diamond status. However, you’ll then also want to unlock some Milestone Rewards, so you can get club lounge access and more. Fortunately credit cards can now help with that as well. One other thing worth mentioning is that if you frequently stay at InterContinental and Six Senses properties, there’s separately the InterContinental Ambassador program. This is a paid membership program that offers additional perks at these properties, somewhat separate from the IHG One Rewards program. It’s hard to directly compare IHG Diamond status to other major top tier hotel statuses, because the value is so much tied to the Milestone Rewards program. On the surface I’d say IHG One Rewards Diamond is most comparable to Hilton Diamond elite, in terms of the upgrade benefits, lack of guaranteed late check-out, etc. (though IHG has the benefit of offering a more substantial breakfast benefit). The difference is that you can get Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status just for having the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (learn more), with no spending requirement. Then again, Hilton doesn’t have a Milestone Rewards program that’s as lucrative. I think the one thing I struggle with when it comes to the IHG program is the hotel portfolio. It’s not that IHG doesn’t have some good hotels, but I’d say that overall, the portfolio isn’t nearly as interesting as with Hilton, Marriott, etc. That’s especially true when you consider that not all Six Senses properties participate in IHG One Rewards, for example. Status becomes really valuable with Milestone Rewards Bottom line IHG One Rewards is a pretty compelling program, and Diamond status is IHG’s top-tier status. You need to stay 70 nights or earn 120,000 qualifying points for the status, or alternatively it can be earned by spending $25,000 on the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card, $50,000 on the IHG One Rewards Business Card, or $75,000 on the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, just to give a few examples. IHG Diamond status offers solid benefits, including free breakfast, a 100% points bonus, room upgrades, and more. The value of the program increases with Milestone Rewards, where you can earn confirmed suite upgrades and club lounge access. What do you make of IHG One Rewards’ Diamond status tier?