For several years Priority Club has been the easiest elite status to earn. Points earned from promotions counted towards the 60,000 needed to earn their top tier, as well as points earned by staying and on their credit cards.

Last week, the Chinese web site was updated to indicate that from 1 January 2013 it would be harder to earn points that helped towards qualification for elite status.

The main terms and conditions have been updated overnight to read:

• Points for Elite Status – For purposes of determining Elite Status, Priority
  Club points are classified as either Elite Qualifying Points or Non-Elite
  Qualifying Points. Base points earned from Qualifying Rates paid for hotel
  stays, points collected from partner transactions, PCR Bonus Points Packages and
  Meeting Rewards are considered Elite Qualifying Points and counted towards
  membership elite status. A Qualifying Rate includes the following:
  non-discounted rate, standard corporate rate, worldwide sales negotiated rate,
  national/regional/local government rate and specified leisure rates as confirmed
  by the IHG HOLIDEX^® Plus reservation system. All other point earning
  transactions, including promotional points, points vouchers, points purchase,
  points transfers, and points deposits, will be considered Non-Elite Qualifying
  Points and will not be counted towards elite status.

In truth, unless Priority Club ramps up its offerings for elites, then Platinum will remain worthless as each hotel makes up what it does for Platinum members. I’ve had everything from a suite upgrade to nothing, depending on property.

I won’t be renewing my Platinum status when it expires in the summer of 2013. Why chase it when it has no value?