AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Are you in the mood for some bonus IHG One Rewards points with little effort? You're in luck. For a limited time, IHG is offering 500 points to anyone who downloads and signs into the IHG One Rewards app.
Here's what you need to know about this easy promotion and how to register.
Download the IHG App, Get 500 Bonus Points
If you're an IHG One Rewards member and haven't already downloaded the IHG app, now is a good time to do so. However, don't head to the app store just yet. Before you do anything, you need to register for the promotion. If you download the app before registering, you won't earn any bonus points.
Once you are registered, download the IHG app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and log in before December 31, 2026. Assuming you meet the requirements, you'll earn 500 bonus points within six weeks. It's not a lot of points, but you barely have to do anything to get them.
If you're an IHG loyalist and you already have the app, unfortunately, you aren't eligible to take advantage of this promotion. This is only for members who have never downloaded the app.
Overall, installing the IHG app, regardless of bonus points, is a good idea. Even if you don't use it very often, it makes hotel bookings and stays easier, and sometimes offers app-exclusive IHG promotions.
Key features of the app include:
- Quickly rebook your favorite hotels
- Auto-connect to Wi-Fi
- Digital check-out
- Manage your trip
- Save hotels for future stays
- Track your rewards
- Book exclusive member-only rates
- Manage your IHG One Rewards credit cards
Terms and conditions
- Register for this promotion.
- Download the app and log in before December 31, 2026.
- Members can only claim the bonus points for this promotion once.
- Bonus points will be credited to your account within six weeks of download.
- Members are not required to book a stay or take other actions to earn bonus points.
Other Ways to Earn IHG One Rewards Points
Obviously, 500 points is certainly not enough for a free night at the InterContinental or Six Senses. If you need more points, the best thing you can do is hold the right credit card. Here are our favorite options.
Apply for an IHG credit card
IHG offers two personal credit cards and one business card. Applying for one of these cards could be a great way to earn extra points and enjoy additional perks like elite status or a free night award. Plus, you need to hold an IHG credit card to unlock the IHG fourth night free benefit, which can save you thousands of points every year.
Here are the three IHG co-branded credit cards and their current welcome offers:
- IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 80,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn up to 17X points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining, utilities, select streaming services, and at gas stations
- 2X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 5X points for being a IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Cardmember
- Earn up to 2X points from IHG® with Silver Elite Status, a benefit of this Card
- Earn up to 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® Rewards Club Member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
$99Rates & Fees
- Earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 5X points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 10X points for being a IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card member
- Earn up to 6X points from IHG® with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn up to 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® One Rewards member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
$99Rates & Fees
- Earn up to 26X total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 5X points per $1 spent on travel, dining, social media search engine advertising, and at office supply stores and gas stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 10X points for charging your stay to your IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- Earn up to 6X bonus points for having IHG®Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn up to 10X base points for being an IHG® One Rewards Member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
Transfer points from partner programs
You can transfer points from two transferable point currencies to IHG One Rewards at a 1:1 ratio — Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Points. That means that it can be advantageous to hold any credit card that earns these points.
Bilt offers three different credit cards in collaboration with Cardless. However, only the Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees) currently offers a welcome bonus that allows you to earn points. New cardholders can earn 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 3 months + $300 of Bilt Cash.
Chase offers several different cards that earn Ultimate Rewards, but you'll need to hold one of two personal cards to unlock access to transfer partners:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees): Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Chase occasionally launches transfer bonuses to IHG, which can help you reach your next award night even faster.
Plus, Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees) cardholders also enjoy complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum elite status through December 31, 2027. While this doesn't unlock the fourth night free benefit, it does come with a variety of perks, including bonus points, upgrades, and welcome amenities.
$495Rates & Fees
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
$95Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on gas and EV charging
- 3X points on vacation homes at top brands like Airbnb, Vrbo and more
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
$795Rates & Fees
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
Our Take
If you don't have the IHG app, you're in luck. You can earn 500 bonus points by registering for the promotion, downloading the app, and signing in by December 31, 2026. It really is that easy.
The rest of us who already have the app will need to earn points through credit card spending or stays at IHG properties worldwide.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (Rates & Fees), IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees), IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
