You need to stay at hotels to make the nights count for promos. Even if  you do the points and cash transaction/booking, you pay for the points. You need to ask yourself if it is worth the money your spending for the status. You won't gain many upgrades but you receive 50% bonus points. If you play the promo game well you can achieve plat status with your first 12 nights next year.

You won't receive points when cancelling a stay.  You only receive the points after your stay.  I wouldn't recommend trying to 'skirt' the system.  You may be able to earn a few points here or there without a stay, but I still find that the best way to earn points is to actually stay at one of the IHG hotels.

You can purhcase points. 5K points cost $67.50 and seem to count for status.

Points & Cash reservations do not count for status (they don't increase the point counter).

You could also join Ambassador for $150. You get a voucher code for 5K points with your welcome kit (which can take several weeks to arrive, though).

No need to be sorry, but the Points & Cash points add points to the account without applying the points toward the status-earning total.

(Which is a good thing, in my opinion, because otherwise there'd be too many Platinum members).

My personal experience with buying points to gain the Plat status was not good!

I was 900 points short.  There were qualified purchases which would give me those points plus more but they would not post by 12/31 of that year.

I called the Plat line and was told yes,  purchasing  the points then and there would give me the total I needed.

So I did... DUH.. never, ever believe the first person you speak with.

I lost the plat status Jan 1st, called them and after much frustrating waiting, and e-mailing I was "given a special privilege" they allowed my 1,000 points to count!

As I stated earlier, and I cannot stress enough, call, call, call, get the name of the person you speak with and jot down the date and time.

What do you think JBa, have we beat this thread to death yet?   AND where are the moderators who KNOW this stuff?

JBa,

Ever think of retiring and using up those points for fun?

  I retired once on a Friday and went back to work on the following Monday!

So true. The "stay" counter provides you with the info on how many qualifying nights you stayed, while the "points" counter provides you with the information on how many points you received in the calender year. And now you will have points that count for status and points that don't count for. So how do you know when you made status by points? Easy game for PC now to screw you. I do achieve status by points way before I achieve status by nights stayed.

Hi,

You can try to get the points by using these offers: BUT you may have a delay in posting them and the timing may not work to your benefit.

Why not stay at a nice property for a couple of nights , relax and enjoy a few days away.  First be sure you are signed up for all the promos...

Put everything on your room and charge it all to your PCR Visa.. that is the best I can come up with for you.

The other places you can get points is buying online... through Priority Shopping..

  Again there is always a delay in the posting..

Be double sure if you choose to buy the points that they will count toward your Platinum status. I would call and verify and write down the name of the person you spoke with.

Here is the link to offers to earn points- see if any work for you.

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/pc/1/en/fo/05388

jmarshmap,

You're so close!!!  :  )

Amanda Kehoe

I was due to make a 12 day stay last sept and was 2000 points short of Platinum, so to make sure i got the 50% bonus i bought the 2000 points, they were credited to my account a few days later and my status changed to Platinum.

Since then following Mr Chadwick's advice of contacting the hotel prior to my stay, i have been upgraded on every UK stay since.

Even staying at CP Crawley on the 5000 points offer yesterday i booked two rooms to take my daughter to Gatwick on her honeymoon and was told at reception your rooms have been upgraded to Superior on the top floors, not a major upgrade but it was something and it was on the cheap points deals.

The desk clerk also offered to change my next stay in a fortnight to a club level room for £50 on top of the 5000 points, any thought's ?

HOW TO GET A PLATINUM STATUS?

Just Stay 50 qualifying nights in a calendar year or
Earn 60,000 points in a calendar year.Then you

will definitely qualify for the Platinum status!

Good luck!