As the tip of the 12 months approaches, you might marvel how you may earn your required stage of elite standing with IHG One Rewards. This information will focus on methods for incomes IHG elite standing earlier than the tip of the 12 months, together with strategies to build up extra qualifying nights or factors.
IHG elite standing overview
Listed here are the present IHG One Rewards elite tiers and the necessities for every:
- Silver Elite: 10 qualifying nights
 - Gold Elite: 20 qualifying nights or 40,000 qualifying factors
 - Platinum Elite: 40 qualifying nights or 60,000 qualifying factors
 - Diamond Elite: 70 qualifying nights or 120,000 qualifying factors
 
As you’ll be able to see, you’ll be able to earn most IHG elite standing tiers by way of qualifying nights or qualifying factors. IHG makes use of a calendar 12 months as its qualification interval, so you might have from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 every year to accrue sufficient nights or factors on your desired elite tier. Then, you may hold your standing by means of the tip of the next calendar 12 months.
Moreover, you’ll be able to earn IHG Milestone Rewards based mostly in your qualifying nights every calendar 12 months. Beginning at simply 20 qualifying nights per calendar 12 months, you may earn Milestone Rewards for each 10 qualifying nights you keep (as much as 100 qualifying nights per calendar 12 months).
Associated: IHG elite standing: What it’s and easy methods to earn it
Methods for incomes extra qualifying nights
Sadly, there is not a shortcut to accruing qualifying nights with IHG One Rewards. You will earn one elite qualifying evening for each evening of a qualifying keep, together with reward stays.
The IHG phrases and situations explicitly word that you just will not earn any qualifying nights for a keep in case you no-show or cancel after the resort cancellation time (even in case you’ve paid for the room in full and it is nonrefundable). Due to this fact, you may have to verify in to the resort and keep on a qualifying paid fee or award keep to earn qualifying nights.
Moreover, in case you e book two rooms for a similar calendar day, just one evening will depend as a qualifying evening. As such, in case you want extra qualifying nights than the quantity left within the calendar 12 months, you will not be capable to qualify on your desired standing based mostly on nights. Additionally word that elite qualifying nights depend towards the calendar 12 months during which the checkout day happens, so you will not need to take a look at in 2026 if you would like the elite qualifying nights to depend towards 2025.
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In the event you want further qualifying nights, assessment your plans for the rest of the 12 months and establish alternatives to remain at an IHG resort. Even when an IHG resort is costlier than your different choices, it might be worthwhile if it helps you earn a better elite tier or a further milestone reward.
If you cannot get the qualifying nights you want on journeys you intend to take, contemplate doing a staycation or mattress run close to your own home. Or plan a getaway to a vacation spot with cheap IHG lodges or resorts.
Associated: One of the best IHG lodges on the planet
Methods for incomes extra qualifying factors
Based mostly on IHG’s phrases and situations, solely the next actions earn elite qualifying factors:
- Paying qualifying charges for resort stays
 - Spending on Hertz automotive leases, OpenTable reservations and Viator experiences
 - Buying an IHG One Rewards bonus factors bundle
 - Qualifying spending by means of IHG Enterprise Rewards
 - Purchases on IHG One Rewards bank cards issued in the UK and Higher China
 
Incomes by means of IHG companions like Hertz, OpenTable and Viator might assist in case you solely have to earn a small variety of further qualifying factors to succeed in your required elite standing. And in case you occur to be eligible for an IHG card issued within the U.Okay. or Higher China, you might use it to earn extra qualifying factors in your purchases.
However for many U.S.-based IHG loyalists, the easiest way to earn extra qualifying factors is so as to add bonus factors packages to imminent paid stays. For instance, this is a proposal I noticed for a two-night keep on the Staybridge Suites Savannah Historic District:

In the event you add 3,000 factors for $21 per evening, you may purchase factors for 0.7 cents every. This buy fee is larger than TPG’s October 2025 valuation of IHG factors (0.5 cents every) however nonetheless decrease than I can usually get when redeeming IHG factors.
Associated: The way to earn IHG factors by way of stays, bank cards and extra
Different methods for incomes IHG elite standing shortly
As you may need seen, there aren’t many shortcuts to incomes extra IHG qualifying nights or factors. However that does not imply there are not any shortcuts for incomes IHG elite standing. Listed here are some methods to shortly earn IHG elite standing.
Get an IHG bank card

You may also enroll in complimentary IHG Platinum Elite standing with the United Membership℠ Card (see charges and charges). And when you’ve got the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and charges) or Chase Sapphire Reserve for Enterprise℠ (see charges and charges), you’ll be able to enroll in IHG Platinum Elite standing by means of Dec. 31, 2027.
Plus, after spending $75,000 on purchases on the Chase Sapphire Reserve throughout a calendar 12 months, you’ll be able to activate IHG Diamond Elite standing for the rest of the calendar 12 months during which you qualify and the next calendar 12 months. And after spending $125,000 on purchases on the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Enterprise throughout a calendar 12 months, you’ll be able to activate Diamond Elite standing for the rest of the calendar 12 months during which you qualify and the next calendar 12 months.
Associated: Why it is best to get (and hold) the IHG One Rewards Premier card
Pay for InterContinental Ambassador membership
One other technique to shortly earn IHG Platinum Elite standing is to buy an InterContinental Ambassador membership. A 12-month Ambassador membership prices $225 or 45,000 factors. Membership supplies Platinum Elite standing within the IHG One Rewards program and the next perks when staying at InterContinental properties:
- Assured one-category room improve
 - Assured 4 p.m. late checkout
 - Complimentary weekend evening
 - Eating places and bars credit score of as much as $20 per keep
 - Complimentary mineral water
 - Complimentary web
 - Devoted check-in space
 - Single room fee for double occupancy
 

If you’d like IHG Platinum Elite standing and do not have a bank card that gives this standing, sustaining an InterContinental Ambassador membership could also be a sensible choice, even in case you solely sometimes keep at InterContinental properties.
Associated: How a lot worth does the IHG One Rewards program present once you e book instantly?
Make the most of a focused provide
It is also price checking your electronic mail and the provides part in your IHG account to see whether or not you might have any focused provides.
In spite of everything, some IHG members have acquired focused provides to earn Platinum Elite standing after staying 5 qualifying nights by Dec. 31 and Diamond Elite standing after staying 10 qualifying nights by Dec. 31. And different IHG members have acquired focused provides for one bonus elite evening credit score for each evening stayed (as much as 10 nights) by means of Dec. 31, 2025.

Associated: Earn as much as triple factors by means of the tip of 2025 with IHG’s new promotion
Backside line
You’ll be able to earn IHG elite qualifying factors faster by including bonus factors to imminent paid IHG stays. However except you are focused for a particular provide, there is no shortcut to incomes IHG elite qualifying nights.
Incomes IHG elite standing is not troublesome, although. You’ll be able to get pleasure from Platinum Elite standing as a perk of InterContinental Ambassador membership, and a number of other playing cards provide Platinum Elite standing as a cardmember perk. Plus, you’ll be able to earn top-tier Diamond Elite standing by means of the tip of the next 12 months by spending massive quantities on choose playing cards inside a calendar 12 months.