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IHG just launched a new Points & Cash promotion. Through March 9, 2026, IHG One Rewards members can book a Points & Cash stay and receive a discount on the cash portion of the stay. Eligible stays are through March 23, 2026.
Since cancelled IHG Points & Cash bookings are refunded entirely in points, this opens a back-door way to effectively buy points for around 0.5 cents each. Is that a good deal? Let's take a look.
IHG Points & Cash Promotion Key Terms
- Members can receive a discount on the cash portion of an IHG Points & Cash stay.
- This promotion is valid for bookings made by March 9, 2026
- The offer is valid for stays through March 23, 2026.
- Members must log into their IHG One Rewards account when booking.
- Canceled bookings are refunded entirely in points.
- The number of points refunded is based on the total points price of the award.
Since this promotion doesn't seem to be targeted, you should see the original Points & Cash cash price struck through and a lower price below.
How This IHG Points & Cash Promotion Works
IHG's Points & Cash option is designed to let members who don't have enough points to book a stay still utilize their points. Rather than paying the full points price — or the full cash price — you get the option to pay a little of both. Even better, IHG periodically runs a sale to drop the cash price of Points & Cash bookings.
Here's where things get interesting: IHG treats these bookings as an award booking. If you were to cancel your reservation, you would receive a full refund in points. That means you're effectively buying IHG points for cheap.
Let's show you how this works with an example.
IHG Points & Cash example
For instance, booking March 14 at the InterContinental New York Times Square currently costs $459 if you book a cash rate or 88,000 points if you book a reward night. Or, you can use Points & Cash to book a night for:
- 18,000 points +
$439=> $386 - 28,000 points +
$389=> $342 - 48,000 points +
$289=> $254 - 68,000 points +
$149=> $131 - 78,000 points +
$79=> $70
In this example, this Points & Cash sale offers approximately a 12% discount on the standard cash price.
Say you opt to pay 18,000 points plus $386. If you cancel this booking, you'll receive 88,000 points back into your account. That's the 18,000 points you paid from your account plus the 70k points you effectively purchased for $386. Effectively, you would have purchased 70,000 points for $386. That's just 0.55 cents per point.
Related: Everything You Need To Know About IHG One Rewards
Maximizing Your Value With an IHG Card
You can score an even better deal by using an IHG card to book your IHG Points & Cash booking. Typically, IHG point purchases are processed by points.com, meaning you won't earn any credit card “travel” category bonuses. However, IHG Points & Cash purchases are processed by IHG directly. That opens up a host of earning opportunities.
If you charge the cash portion of the IHG Points & Cash purchase to your IHG One Rewards Premier Card, you will earn an additional 10 points per dollar spent at IHG.
In the example above, you'd earn 3,860 IHG points from booking the Points & Cash option. That means you'd get a total of 73,860 additional points for $386 — or 0.52 cents per point
Keep in mind that the IHG One Rewards Premier Card typically entitles you to a 20% discount on points purchases. However, in the small print, you'll see this offer does not stack with any other promotions or deals.
- Limited Time Offer! Earn 175,000 Bonus Points
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG® Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier cardmember
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Hotel Indigo® & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- 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)
Related: Which IHG One Rewards Credit Card Is Right for You?
Is It Worth Purchasing IHG Points This Way?
Generally speaking, buying IHG points with a bonus can be a great deal. AwardWallet users have redeemed IHG One Rewards points for an average of 0.68¢ per point. So, buying IHG points for around 0.5 cents each and redeeming them for a stay can be cheaper than simply paying the cash rate.
Depending on the deal you find, this promotion may or may not offer as cheap of a purchase rate as the best IHG buy points promotions (0.5 cents each).
It's also worth noting that those IHG buy points promotions are by no means rare. IHG frequently runs point-purchase promotions offering up to 100% bonus points — which nets a cost of 0.5 cents per point. If you do not need the points immediately, waiting a while is your best option. History shows us that an appealing promotion may be just around the corner.
Related: How Many IHG Rewards Points Can I Earn on Hotel Stays?
Our Take
This IHG Points & Cash promotion can be an excellent way to boost your IHG points balance if you are a few points short of a great redemption. While it's currently cheaper to buy IHG points with a bonus, this is a workaround if you are limited by the annual cap or are “purchasing” a smaller number of points. Or, of course, it can also present a good deal if you actually plan to stay at the hotel and want to save money on the cash portion.
If you plan to take advantage of this promotion, the booking window closes on March 9, 2026.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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