IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status is the penultimate level of elite status within the IHG One Rewards loyalty program.

While it isn’t as difficult to obtain as top-tier Diamond status, it comes packed with key benefits that can help you optimize your travel and make it one of the best mid-tier hotel statuses available. This includes a generous room upgrade policy, late check-out and early check-in benefits, bonus points, and more.

Introduced as part of the recently revamped IHG One Rewards program, there are multiple paths to earning Platinum elite status including by simply holding the right credit card. IHG Platinum members also get access to IHG’s Milestone Rewards program where great benefits including lounge membership and confirmed suite upgrade awards can be earned.

Here’s our complete guide to IHG Platinum status including details on various strategies for earning it and maximizing benefits.

Earning IHG One Rewards Platinum Status

IHG Platinum status might be close to the top of loyalty recognition within the IHG One Rewards program but it’s significantly easier to earn than top-tier IHG Diamond status. To earn the status, you’ll need to qualify based on points earned or qualifying nights over the course of a calendar year or, for an accelerated route, using one of IHG’s credit cards.

Earning IHG Platinum with Hotel Stays

The traditional way of earning status with hotel chains is with hotel nights. At IHG, members can upgrade their status through both hotel nights or qualifying points.

To earn IHG One Rewards Platinum status, you’ll need to earn 40 qualifying nights or 60,000 qualifying points in a calendar year.

A qualifying night is any night at an IHG property that counts towards elite status. This includes paid stays, free night stays, and award nights. Each night spent in the IHG portfolio, from Six Senses all the way down to Holiday Inn Express, that was booked directly with IHG counts towards this requirement, making this an achievable goal for anyone who frequently stays at IHG hotels.

Qualifying points are base points earned through spending at IHG properties. This includes room charges, dining, and other eligible expenses. By accruing 60,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, you can attain Platinum status.

IHG One Rewards generally awards 10 base points per dollar spent at properties. That means 60,000 qualifying points is the equivalent of spending $6,000 at IHG in a calendar year.

Points earned through room charges, dining, and other eligible expenses at IHG properties all contribute to this total.

Earning Platinum Status With Credit Cards

At least for Americans, the easiest way to earn IHG Platinum elite status is through IHG’s co-branded credit cards.

Both the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card come with automatic Platinum status for cardholders. That makes them an attractive option for anyone looking to automatically get the benefits of Platinum status at IHG properties without necessarily 40 nights a year or $6,000 a year with the chain.

By spending $40,000 on the cards within a calendar year, the Platinum status automatically gets bumped up all the way up to top-tier IHG Diamond status. The cards also come packed with additional benefits including an anniversary free night and bonus credits at stays that more than offset its $99 annual fee. Terms apply.

Earning Platinum Status with InterContinental Ambassador

Another easy way to earn IHG Platinum status is by signing up for the InterContinental Ambassador Program. InterContinental Ambassador is a paid guest recognition program designed exclusively for the InterContinental brand within IHG’s portfolio.

In addition to automatic Platinum status, the program includes additional benefits such as a complimentary weekend night (the second night of a paid stay), a $20 restaurant and bar credit per stay, a dedicated check-in area, and a single room rate for double occupancy at InterContinental.

Can You Earn Lifetime IHG Platinum Status?

Unfortunately, unlike some of its competitors, IHG One Rewards does not offer lifetime elite status for any tier. That includes IHG Platinum elite. To maintain your IHG One Rewards elite status, you’ll need to earn it each year based on your eligible stays, credit card benefits, or spending on your IHG credit card.

Benefits of IHG One Rewards Platinum Status

Despite being much easier to obtain than top-tier Diamond status, Platinum packs a fairly big punch in terms of the benefits available. At least on paper, Platinums enjoy many of the key benefits that Diamond elites at IHG hotels enjoy. This includes the exact same room upgrade benefit as well as early check-in and late check-out policies.

Given how easily Platinum can be obtained with a credit card, the benefits are pretty impressive.

60% Bonus Points

Platinum members receive a 60% points bonus on eligible stays, allowing points to accumulate quickly. This translates to an extra 6x points per dollar spent at most IHG brands.

Room Upgrades

Subject to availability at check-in, Platinum elite members can receive room upgrades at check-in. Upgrades extend up to standard suites but are based on the hotel’s discretion.

While not guaranteed, proactive upgrades have been emphasized since the IHG One Rewards program was born from the ashes of the IHG Rewards Club. If you’re a Platinum elite and don’t proactively receive an upgrade, it’s definitely worth asking about while checking in.

Welcome Amenity at Check-In

A welcome amenity of either bonus points or a drink/snack is offered to Platinum members upon arrival at IHG hotels.

The details of this benefit vary dramatically by brand and region, and even individual hotel. Unfortunately, the breakfast benefit offered to Diamond members as a welcome amenity is not available to Platinums.

Reward Night Discounts

Platinum members may have access to award night discount promotions throughout the year. No specifics are provided for this benefit. Just that they “may receive exclusive access to promotional discounts on Reward Nights at participating hotels”.

Late Check-Out

IHG One Rewards offers late checkout to elite members including Platinum elites. The benefit allows for checking out as late as 2 pm based on availability.

Unfortunately, there is no incremental benefit for reaching higher tiers of IHG elite status, at least in the terms and conditions, for this benefit. The benefit offered to Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond members is all the same, although it’s likely that higher-level elites may be prioritized.

If guaranteed late checkout is important to you, it may be worth considering signing up for the Intercontinental Ambassador program which offers a guaranteed 4 pm checkout at Intercontinental and, at participating Six Senses properties, based on availability.

Early Check-In

IHG Platinum members are eligible for early check-in, although the exact time is not specified. Like the late check-out benefit, it’s based on availability and is not guaranteed.

Guaranteed Room Availability

Platinums booking at least 72 hours in advance are assured room availability. Be aware that this benefit is subject to blackout dates including special events resulting in high room demand.

IHG Milestone Rewards Program

Although the benefits of Platinum status as listed are a great start, they’re not the only ways to gain value in the IHG One Rewards Program.

If you earn Platinum status through qualifying nights, you’ll be able to unlock some real value for your next IHG hotel stay through the IHG One Rewards Milestone Rewards program. The Milestone Rewards program was introduced along with the new IHG One Rewards.

It allows you to tailor the additional perks you get as you hit milestones in the number of elite nights you earn within the calendar year, ranging from 20 to 100 nights. Eligible nights include award nights.

For every 10 nights, you’ll secure a Milestone Reward, with extra options available at 40 and 70 nights.

Note that you’ll be able to select rewards at each milestone only if you’ve earned status through qualifying nights in a calendar year. You won’t automatically get access to the milestone rewards if you earn your status using a credit card.

Let’s explore the Milestone Rewards available at each threshold:

• At 20 nights, you’ll be able to choose one of the following:
  • 5,000 bonus points
  • 2 food & beverage rewards worth $20 each
  • a confirmable suite upgrade
• At 30 nights, you’ll be able to choose one of the following:
  • 5,000 bonus points
  • 2 food & beverage rewards worth $20 each
• At 40 nights, you’ll be able to choose two of the following:
  • 10,000 bonus points
  • 5 food & beverage rewards worth $20 each
  • a confirmable suite upgrade
  • an annual lounge membership
• At 50 and 60 nights, you’ll be able to choose one of the following:
  • 10,000 bonus points
  • 5 food & beverage rewards worth $20 each
• At 70 nights, you’ll be able to choose two of the following:
  • 10,000 bonus points
  • 5 food & beverage rewards worth $20 each
  • a confirmable suite upgrade
  • annual lounge membership
• At 80, 90, and 100 nights, you’ll have qualified for IHG Diamond status, and you’ll be able to choose one of the following:
  • 10,000 bonus points
  • 5 food & beverage rewards worth $20 each

When you reach a new milestone, IHG will send you an email notification. You then have 90 days to select your reward. If you earn 40 elite nights in a year to earn IHG Platinum status, you could choose a confirmable suite upgrade and an annual lounge membership (or two confirmable suite upgrades) from Milestone Rewards. That represents some fantastic value for a mid-tier status!

IHG One Rewards Elite Benefits By Tier

Bottom Line

IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status offers a robust set of benefits as a mid-tier within the IHG One Rewards loyalty program. It offers a range of benefits including room upgrades, late check-out, early check-in, bonus points, and more while being easier to attain than the top-tier Diamond status. The IHG One Rewards Platinum status also provides access to the Milestone Rewards program, offering additional benefits like lounge membership and confirmed suite upgrades, which is where you can realize the biggest value from the program.