New IHG Rewards Elite Status: “Spire”
IHG Rewards has finally released its newest and highest elite status called Spire (does this mean: “stand out amongst the others”?) Personally, the name sounds a little bizarre, but I think I’ll get used to it. We have previously already discussed the different elite statuses with IHG Rewards, so today, we will put more emphasis on the Spire status.
Even though IHG Rewards changed its expiry policy, they remain one of my favourite loyalty programs because of the Pointsbreak promotion offered several times a year. Though if you have any elite status, you will never have to worry about your points expiring anyway. Otherwise you need to keep your account active once every 12 months.
Below is a chart of some of the significant benefits of each status and how to qualify for each status:
| All Your Benefits | Club | Gold Elite | Platinum Elite | Spire Elite |
| Extended Check-Out |  |
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| No Blackout Dates for Reward Nights | |
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| Priority Check-In | |
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| Bonus Earnings on Top of Base Points | 10% | 50% | 100% | |
| Elite Rollover Nights | |
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| Complimentary Room Upgrades | |
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| Guaranteed Room Availability | |
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| Exclusive Choice Benefit upon receiving status | |
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| Ways to Qualify | ||||
| Qualified Nights (per calendar year) | 10 | 40 | 75 | |
| Elite Qualifying Points | 10,000 | 40,000 | 75,000 | |
For Spire, you will need to have 75 qualified nights or earn 75,000 elite qualifying points. That may seem quite steep to some, but easy enough for others. Either way, I am glad that they implemented a higher requirement for its highest elite status. IHG Rewards has been known to have a watered down elite program, so hopefully this helps with that reputation. Now, with higher requirements, we expect to see better benefits and perks.
First of all, being able to earn 100% bonus points on top of your base points is an amazing deal. Earning points twice as fast is always great to see. The only other perk is an “Exclusive Choice Benefit” upon receiving status, which is such a wildcard. That could be hit or miss.
Hopefully we will eventually see some additional benefits, like free breakfast at some of the higher end hotels.
Either way, now that they have an additional elite status, they have some room to get creative over time.
Hi Matthew,
as far as I know the exclusive choice benefit is either 25.000 points for yourself or giving Platinum Status to someone else. As I am spire elite now, I have to see where i can redem this benefit…
Thanks Peter. That’s good to know. That’s actually two great choices!
To select and redeem your exclusive spire membership benefit is rather simple. After logging into your ihg rewards account, from the main account status page, you will find the option to select your benefit along the (several) options along the left a of the screen. Click through the prompts presented as your options are presented, and the points will post immediately. If the shared platinum status option is preferred, that selection can be readily made but may take up to two weeks for the ihg rewards club member receiving the benefit to see the status change on their designated account! Hope this helps!
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