Indigo Club VIP Membership: Is It Worth the Upgrade?

Most people join Indigo Club for the same handful of reasons: somewhere to go that isn't a packed bar, people worth talking to, and a reason to leave the house on a Thursday. VIP sits above that. It costs more, it sounds better, and it comes with a list of entitlements that can look either genuinely useful or faintly padded depending on how you actually use the club. This is a straightforward look at what the upgrade involves, where the value sits, and the sort of member who should probably keep the money in their pocket.

What the VIP tier actually covers

VIP membership at a social club is rarely about one big perk. It's a bundle of small advantages that add up — or don't. Across clubs of this kind, the usual inclusions look something like this:

• Priority booking for dinners, speaker nights, tastings and ticketed events, often with a window before standard members can reserve.
• An extended guest allowance — more visitors per visit, or the ability to sign in guests without a fee or a wait.
• Access to members-only spaces, such as a quieter lounge, a private room, or a section reserved on busy evenings.
• Reduced or complimentary entry to certain club nights and partner events.
• A named contact for bookings and requests, rather than a general inbox.
• Occasional extras — early notice of seasonal events, a table held for you, reciprocal access with a sister club.

What VIP does not usually do is change the character of the club. If you don't enjoy the standard membership, paying more won't fix that.

Reading the cost properly

The headline figure is the least useful number on the page. What matters is the cost per visit, and that only becomes clear once you're honest about how often you turn up.

Work out your realistic attendance first — not your ideal attendance. If you're there twice a month, divide the annual VIP price by twenty-four. If that figure looks reasonable next to what you'd spend on a decent evening out anyway, the maths works. If you're a once-a-quarter member, dividing by four will usually make the decision for you.

Watch for the costs outside the fee

Joining fees, minimum spends, guest charges and renewal terms all sit around the membership price itself. A tier with a lower annual fee but a monthly minimum spend can cost more than the expensive-looking option. Ask for the full schedule in writing before you commit, and check what happens if you want to step back down at renewal.

Access is the perk people undervalue

Standard members often focus on discounts. Experienced ones focus on access, because that's the part you can't buy elsewhere.

Being able to book a table on a Friday when the club is full, or to bring three friends along without an awkward conversation at the door, is worth more than a modest percentage off a drink you were going to order regardless. Priority booking also matters most in the months when the programme is strong. If the club brings in good speakers, hosts proper dinners or runs popular seasonal events, VIP booking rights quietly become the best thing about the tier.

Ask yourself one question: in the last year, how many times were you unable to get into something you wanted to attend? If the answer is "several", the access argument is real. If it's "never", you're paying for a problem you don't have.

Which extras hold their value

Worth paying for

• Guest flexibility, especially if you regularly introduce new people to the club.
• Priority and guaranteed booking for a programme you genuinely attend.
• Quieter space on peak evenings, if that's why you joined in the first place.
• A direct contact who actually answers, if you book often or host clients.

Usually padding

• Branded merchandise and welcome gifts — pleasant, rarely worth the difference in fee.
• Small discounts on things you'd buy anyway.
• Perks at partner venues you'll never visit.

If most of your tier's value sits in the second list, that's a signal. A good VIP package should be doing work for you most weeks, not sitting in a drawer with a lapel pin.

Who genuinely benefits from upgrading

VIP tends to suit a fairly specific kind of member:

1. Frequent visitors. If you're in two or three times a month, the per-visit cost falls quickly and the extras get used.
2. Hosts. Anyone who brings guests, organises birthday dinners or entertains clients will feel the guest allowance and booking priority immediately.
3. Event regulars. Members who attend most of the programme get the most from early booking windows.
4. People who value the quiet room. If you joined for calm conversation, reserved space is a genuine upgrade rather than a status symbol.
5. Those who dislike friction. Some members simply prefer not to negotiate doors, waiting lists or guest rules. That convenience has a price, and it's fair to pay it if it matters to you.

Who should stay on standard membership

Plenty of members, and there's no shame in it. If you visit a few times a year, rarely bring guests, and have never missed out on an event you wanted, VIP is an expensive badge. The same goes if you're joining for the first time. Give the standard tier six months, see how often you actually use the club and what you find yourself wishing you could do, then decide with real information rather than a brochure.

One more thing worth saying plainly: don't stretch for it. If the extra fee would make you feel obliged to attend — turning a pleasure into a monthly obligation — it's the wrong purchase, whatever the perks say.

How to decide before you pay

Do three things. First, attend as a guest or on standard membership for a season and note how many times you'd have used a VIP benefit. Second, ask the membership team for the current entitlements and renewal terms in writing, including guest limits and any minimum spend. Third, do the per-visit sum with your honest attendance figure, not your best-case one.

If the number still looks sensible and you can name at least three perks you'd have used in the past two months, the upgrade earns its place. If you're justifying it with "it might be useful one day", wait a year. The club will still be there, and you'll know a great deal more about how you use it.

Photo: ClickerHappy / Pixabay