This article may be outdated
Terms, offers, links, or instructions in this article may no longer be valid. Please verify with official sources before taking action.

【2019.11 Update 2】IHG is really partnering with everyone these days, and now Huawei has joined in too. Huawei does not have its own membership program. You only need to own an eligible Huawei phone to be upgraded directly to IHG Gold and receive an IHG Platinum challenge, with the same challenge rules and requirements as the Alipay offer. IHG Platinum is going to become much more common in China; benefits were already limited, and they will probably become even harder to get in practice.

  • Limited to Huawei Mate and P series phones

【2019.11 Update】IHG recently launched a mini program inside the Alipay app, along with a fast-track upgrade/challenge for Alipay members to IHG status. Alipay Gold members and above can be matched directly to IHG Gold and can also join an IHG Platinum challenge, needing only 6 nights in Greater China within 90 days to complete it, or even just 3 nights in some cases.

For most US readers, simply applying for the excellent-value Chase IHG Primmer credit card is enough to get IHG Platinum status. But through this promotion, you can also help parents or your significant other back in China do the same, since anyone who uses Alipay regularly is usually at least a Gold member. Combined with the 20% to 30% off Greater China weekend “Extraordinary Treats” promotion and IHG’s recent hotel promos, this can help them earn back quite a lot of points. The “potential benefits” of IHG Platinum in China are far better than in the US.

Overview of the Alipay membership program

In simple terms, Alipay membership mainly includes Basic, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond tiers. If someone in China uses Alipay frequently, there is a very good chance they are already a Gold member.

It is not hard to move up the tiers. Everyday spending and bill payments all earn points, so reaching Gold should be quite easy. Eligible activities include shopping, utility and living expenses, and financial products.

Match promotion details

  • Where to find it: Alipay app → Me → the second menu item on the Alipay Membership page
  • Registration deadline: December 31, 2019
  • Offer details: Alipay Gold members and above are matched directly to IHG Gold; then, by completing 6 paid nights within 90 days, they can upgrade to IHG Platinum
  • If you are an Alipay Diamond member, you only need 3 paid nights in 30 days to complete the challenge. Of course, Alipay Diamond is fairly hard to reach, though it is possible that someone in your family is already a Diamond member.
  • For other details, please read the official terms. You can even open your family member’s Alipay account while in the US~ (you may need SMS verification)
  • Note that only stays at IHG hotels in Greater China count toward the challenge, including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau

Stackable promotions

If you combine these offers, you can recover quite a lot of value.

New member offer

  • If you need to register a new IHG account temporarily, IHG has long offered the new member Promotion: Earn more points faster
  • Offer link

Accelerate promotion

4X points promotion

  • Promotion registration link; you can also register through IHG WeChat
  • Promotion period: 2019.10.21-2019.12.15, with stays to be completed by 2020.1.31
  • After registering, the first stay earns 1,000 points
  • The second stay earns 2X points
  • The third stay earns 3X points
  • Starting with the fourth stay, you earn 4X points

Greater China weekend “Extraordinary Treats”

We have mentioned this promotion many times. It gives 20% to 30% off on weekends, plus breakfast for two and one child’s breakfast, so it is a very solid deal.

InterContinental hotel promotion

  • Stays at InterContinental hotels earn 3,000 points per stay, and joining the Ambassador program can earn 10,000 points plus an extra 3,000 points per stay
  • The promotion runs from September 26, 2019 to November 30, 2019. In addition, if you join the InterContinental Ambassador program during the promotion period, you receive 10,000 points upon enrollment and an extra 3,000 points for each stay.
  • IHG link for 3,000 points per stay plus extra points for new enrollment

Other notes

Q: What is the benefit of helping family members in China get IHG Gold or above?

A: Some IHG promotions in China require Gold status or above to participate, such as the weekend “Extraordinary Treats” promotion. If your family has hotel stays they already need, this can save some money and also help accumulate more points tied to elite status. You can also have them stay using an authorized user card on your credit card account and “incidentally” help you meet some spending bonus requirements. As long as you hold IHG Gold or higher, IHG points do not expire, though of course they will probably keep being devalued.

Q: Can you book using a family member’s account while linking your own credit card or an authorized user card for them?

A: Yes, but in practice, if the card is not physically present at check-in, some hotels in mainland China cannot process remote charges. You can either bring the authorized user card over or mail it to your family member.

Q: Can you use points from your own account to book IHG hotels for family members in China?

A: I asked China customer service about this, and officially it is allowed, but there will be no SNP and no elite benefits. You may consider using your points to book HIX (Holiday Inn Express) stays for your parents, where they can at least enjoy breakfast for two. At check-in, they can simply give your name. If you are worried, you can call China customer service and have them add a note to the reservation.

Q: How can you quickly help build points in a family member’s IHG account?

A: You can transfer points from Chase UR; adding an authorized user card is enough, and I do not recommend doing that. You can also buy points for your family member when there is a points sale and then later use those points for an award stay. Of course, note that this challenge only counts paid stays.

You can also consider having your family member in China apply for an IHG UnionPay co-branded credit card. One of the better values is the CITIC Bank IHG co-branded Gold card, which itself comes with IHG Gold. The earn rate on IHG points is only average, but it is still better than nothing.

Q: Is a reverse match possible? Could IHG Spire match to higher-tier Alipay members?

A: So far IHG has not officially said anything. In fact, neither company’s official social media account has published details of this promotion yet. My guess is that after the last China Southern incident, there probably will not be a reverse match this time.

Some China-specific promotions

In recent years, as China’s economy has grown significantly and living standards have become increasingly “developed-country-like,” the frequent traveler space there has also become much more active. Some promotions are even almost Too good to be ture. We have covered a few of them before; if you are interested, here are some older posts worth revisiting:

Status Match and challenges

Hotel booking promotions

WeChat or app promotions

These promotions require participation through WeChat linking or mainland China apps, and can also be stacked with other official hotel promotions:

  • Hyatt: link through the WeChat mini program to receive 100 point, and earn extra booking points through the mini program; Hyatt House/Place gets 500 points each time
  • Hilton: paid bookings through the WeChat mini program or the Chinese app earn 2,000 points each time

We have not covered these two in detail on this site, but since both support payment with US credit cards, I wanted to mention them here in passing. You can explore them directly through WeChat or the Chinese app.