How to Get Free Hilton Diamond Status With the IHG Card

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If you have the Chase IHG card, you can use your automatic Platinum Elite status to match to Hilton Diamond.

This means when you stay at Hilton hotels, you’ll get room upgrades, extra bonus points, executive lounge access, and more!

Submit your request to Hilton by June 30, 2016, to get matched through March 31, 2018.

How To Get Free Hilton Diamond Status With The IHG Card
Enjoy Executive Lounge Access With Hilton Diamond Status at Hotels Like the Conrad Beijing

I’ll explain how to get your status matched!

Hilton Diamond Status

Earning Hilton Diamond status usually requires 30 stays, 60 nights, or 120,000 base points ($12,000 in spending).  

How To Get Free Hilton Diamond Status With The IHG Card
Diamond Status Usually Requires 30 Stays or $12,000 in Spending

Or if you have the Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Card or the Hilton Honors™ Surpass® Card from American Express, you can earn Diamond status by spending $40,000 in a calendar year.  That’s big spending!

Diamond is Hilton’s top status.  With it you’ll get:

  • 50% elite bonus points on stays
  • 5th night free on award stays (same as Hilton Silver and Gold status)
  • Room upgrades at eligible hotels
  • 1,000 Hilton bonus points per stay at ConradEmbassy SuitesWaldorf Astoria  hotels
  • 750 Hilton bonus points per stay at Hilton Garden Inn hotels

Hilton hotels include Conrad, Canopy, Curio, DoubleTreeEmbassy SuitesHampton InnHiltonHilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Home2Suites, Homewood Suites, Tru, and Waldorf Astoria brand hotels.

Submit Your Status Match

There is no chart to see which status you’ll need to match to Hilton Diamond status.  The Hilton status match site lets you choose from several loyalty programs including Choice, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, or Starwood.

Many folks report you can use your IHG Platinum Elite status to earn Hilton Diamond status.

And because IHG Platinum Elite status is automatic with the Chase IHG card, this can be an easy way to earn status with another hotel brand!

If you don’t have the Chase IHG card yet, it can take a few weeks for your account to reflect Platinum status.  You can call IHG after you get the card to speed up the status change.

Simply go to the Hilton status match site and enter your personal information and select IHG Platinum Elite as the loyalty program you’d like Hilton to match.

How To Get Free Hilton Diamond Status With The IHG Card
Enter Your Personal Information and Select IHG Platinum Status

Then, upload proof of your IHG Platinum status.  I’d just use a screenshot of your IHG account.

How To Get Free Hilton Diamond Status With The IHG Card
Submit Screenshot of IHG Platinum Elite Status

Lastly, upload proof of an IHG stay within the last 12 months.  But if you have NOT visited in that timeframe, don’t worry!

Folks on Reddit have reported you can submit proof of an upcoming stay.  So you can book a night with a refundable rate and then cancel after you submit your status match.  There are no promises this will work though!

Remember, you’ll need to submit your request by June 30, 2016, to get matched through March 31, 2018.

Other Benefits of the IHG Card

For folks considering the Chase IHG card, you’ll get great perks for Big Travel in addition to the ability to match Hilton status.

The sign-up bonus on the Chase IHG Rewards Club card is currently 70,000 IHG points after you meet minimum spending requirements.

How To Get Free Hilton Diamond Status With The IHG Card
Use 40,000 IHG Points for a Night at the InterContinental Presidente Cozumel Resort Spa

With the Chase IHG card, you’ll get:

  • 5,000 bonus IHG points when you add an authorized user and make a purchase in the first 3 months of opening your account
  • Free Platinum Elite status (free upgrades, priority check-in, and elite rollover nights)
  • A free night at any IHG hotel worldwide on each card anniversary
  • 5 IHG points for every $1 you spend at IHG hotels
  • 2 IHG points per $1 you spend at restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations
  • 1 IHG point per $1 you spend on everything else
  • 10% rebate on redeemed points (up to 100,000 IHG points a year)
  • NO foreign transaction fees
  • Annual fee of $49, waived for the 1st year
IHG hotels include Candlewood SuitesCrowne Plaza, EVEN Hotels, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Resorts,Hotel IndigoInterContinental Hotels & Resorts, and Staybridge Suites brand hotels.

Bottom Line

With Hilton Diamond status you get room upgrades, extra bonus points, executive lounge access, and more.  To reach this level you’d normally have to have 30 stays.  Or spend $12,000.  But folks with the IHG card can match to Hilton Diamond!

Because the IHG card gives you IHG Platinum status automatically.

Submit your request by June 30, 2016.  And you’ll enjoy Hilton Diamond through March 31, 2018.

If you don’t have the IHG card yet, you can expect to see Platinum status on your account by the 1st billing statement.  Or contact IHG to ask them to apply it sooner.

Besides the status match, I like the the Chase IHG card for the 70,000 point sign-up bonus, free night on your card anniversary, and no foreign transaction fees.

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