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IHG One Rewards is one of the world's biggest hotel loyalty programs with more than 5,600 hotels and 14 brands participating in the rewards program. While IHG Rewards members may not get some of the high-value perks and benefits offered by other programs, IHG points are easy to earn with plenty of redemption options, and the co-brand credit cards issued by Chase are some of the better co-brand cards on the market.
This guide will provide an overview of the IHG One Rewards — covering how to earn points, the best ways to redeem points, plus a rundown on the pros and cons of the elite program.
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Signup-Offer on IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card
The IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card is currently promoting a solid offer of 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Besides offering a massive number of points, the card earns 10x IHG Rewards points on IHG purchases, a free night every cardmember anniversary, automatic Platinum Elite status, and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit. The IHG Rewards Premier Card also charges no foreign transaction fees, making it a good choice for international travel.
My favorite benefit by far, however, is the 4th night free on award stays of 4 or more nights. This perk effectively lets you save up to 25% on award stays of four or more nights! Overall, the IHG Rewards Premier Card is one of the most solid hotel cards on the market.
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier card member
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Earn 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® Rewards Premier Credit Card member
- Earn 6X points from IHG® with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn 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)
How to Join IHG Rewards
IHG One Rewards is free to join. Head to ihg.com and click the “Join” button in the upper-right section of the top header bar. You'll be taken to a page asking for your full name, email, new account password, and address. You must be 18+ to join IHG Rewards. Jot down your IHG Rewards login information and consider adding it to your AwardWallet account (covered below).
Logging into your IHG account will let you manage your upcoming reservations, edit your account information, view your member benefits, and make bookings with any free night awards you've earned from an IHG Rewards credit card or other promotions.
How to Track IHG Rewards with AwardWallet
To track your IHG points and other account information, just add your IHG Rewards login using this link. AwardWallet is the best tool for keeping track of all your account balances, expiration dates, and many other aspects of hotel and airline loyalty programs.
You can now track over 700 loyalty programs with AwardWallet. To add a different program, log in to AwardWallet through a web browser or the AwardWallet app (iOS, Android). Then click the “Add Award Program to Track” button and type in the name of the program.
You'll then be asked to input your email or member number, last name, and password/PIN for your account. You'll need to give AwardWallet permission to log into your account to retrieve and routinely update your loyalty info.
IHG Rewards Hotels: Brands and Properties
IHG One Rewards has a total of 14 different brands within its portfolio. Brands range from luxury InterContinental and Regent properties to 3-star Holiday Inn Express locations that are ubiquitous across the United States.
The portfolio also includes lifestyle brands such as EVEN and Voco, boutique Hotel Indigo locations in select cities, and the iconic Kimpton brand. IHG also includes a couple of extended-stay brands: Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.
IHG has over 5,600 properties in almost 100 countries around the globe, offering fairly good coverage for wherever you're traveling. IHG rewards can book a huge number of properties in the United States and Canada, and there are plenty of properties in Europe and Asia as well. The sparsest coverage is in Africa, where there are only around two dozen locations.
The hotel group is heavily weighted toward mid-scale Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands, with these two brands comprising approximately 70% of the total portfolio.
| Brand | Hotels | Rooms |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Express | 3,091 | 326,902 |
| Holiday Inn | 1,198 | 215,559 |
| Crowne Plaza | 403 | 110,419 |
| Candlewood Suites | 368 | 32,753 |
| Staybridge Suites | 314 | 33,961 |
| InterContinental | 207 | 69,806 |
| Hotel Indigo | 143 | 18,454 |
| Kimpton | 76 | 13,308 |
| Six Senses | 19 | 1,366 |
| EVEN Hotels | 22 | 3,180 |
| voco | 45 | 10,424 |
| HUALUXE | 21 | 5,983 |
| avid hotels | 59 | 5,353 |
| Regent | 9 | 3,028 |
| Vignette | 5 | 958 |
| Iberostar | 33 | 12,402 |
| Atwell Suites | 2 | 186 |
| Holiday Inn Club Vacations | 28 | 8,822 |
| Total | 6,164 | 911,627 |
This isn't to say there aren't some great luxury properties. IHG has some wonderful luxury hotels and resorts in great locations. And IHG's partnership with Mr. & Mrs. Smith promises to add over 400 luxury and boutique hotel locations to IHG Rewards sometime in 2020.
Best Ways to Earn IHG Points
The most straightforward way to earn IHG points is by staying at an IHG property as a member with your IHG Rewards number entered into the reservation. You earn 10 IHG Rewards points per dollar spent (before taxes) at most brands. IHG's extended stay brands are an exception, with travelers only offering 5 IHG Rewards points per dollar (before taxes) on paid nights. If you have elite status with IHG, you will receive a bonus on the number of points earned. Top-tier Spire Elite members earn a 100% bonus on the base earning rate.
You can also book meetings with IHG and receive Rewards points as an IHG Business Rewards member.
Beyond hotel stays, there are several other ways to earn points with IHG One Rewards. This guide is meant to be an overview, so I won't delve deep into each, but we'll cover all the various ways to earn IHG points.
Use an IHG Rewards Credit Card
One of the fastest and easiest ways to accumulate IHG Rewards points is to use an IHG credit card for your everyday purchases. IHG has four co-brand credit cards issued by Chase:
- IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card
- IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card
- IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- IHG® Rewards Select Credit Card (no longer available to new applicants)
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier card member
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Earn 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® Rewards Premier Credit Card member
- Earn 6X points from IHG® with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn 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)
The benefits of the IHG Rewards Premier Card include:
- Fourth-night free benefit on award stays
- Automatic Platinum Elite status
- Anniversary free night (good for award nights valued at up to 40,000 points)
- 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after making $20,000 in purchases (and then making one additional purchase) each calendar year
- $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- $99 annual fee
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening
- No Annual Fee
- Earn up to 17 points total per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on purchases on monthly bills, gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Redeem 3 Nights, Get the 4th Night Free
- IHG Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- 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® Rewards Traveler Credit Cardmember
- Earn 2X points from IHG® with Silver Elite Status, a benefit of this Card
- Earn 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)
The benefits of the IHG Rewards Traveler Card include:
- Fourth-night free benefit on award stays
- Automatic Silver Elite status
- Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $10,000 on purchases (and then making one additional purchase) each calendar year.
- No foreign transaction fees
- No annual fee
In my opinion, the IHG Rewards Premier Card offers the most long-term value of the two personal cards that are open to new applicants. It has a lucrative earning rate at IHG properties, offers Platinum Elite status, and comes with an anniversary free night which is easily worth more than the annual fee.
However, if you're only looking for a no-annual-fee credit card, the IHG Rewards Traveler Card offers compelling benefits like a fourth night free on awards and no foreign transaction fees.
- Earn 165,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Enjoy a Reward Night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. Plus, enjoy a reward night 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 an IHG hotel
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, select advertising, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier Business card member
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG Rewards bonus points are redeemable at hotels such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Earn 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 being a IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card member
- Earn 6X points from IHG® with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn 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)
If you're a small business owner, the IHG Rewards Business Card is worth a closer look. Benefits include:
- Fourth-night free benefit on award stays
- Automatic Platinum Elite status
- Anniversary free night (good for award nights valued at up to 40,000 points)
- Earn an additional Free Night certificate (worth up to 40K points) after spending $60,000 on purchases (and then making one additional purchase) each calendar year.
- 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after making $20,000 in purchases (and then making one additional purchase) each calendar year
- $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- $99 annual fee
Get IHG Points by Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards
IHG One Rewards is one of the many Chase transfer partners. You can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to IHG at a 1,000:1,000 ratio, but you must have a premium Ultimate Rewards-earning card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to be able to transfer points.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
- 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 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
In general, transferring Ultimate Rewards points to IHG Rewards is not a good deal. There are many other more valuable Chase travel partners to which you can transfer points. However, there may be situations — such as topping off your account for a specific award — where transferring UR points to IHG makes sense.
IHG One Rewards Promotions
IHG promotions have long been a staple of the loyalty program, and they are often some of the best hotel promotions available.
IHG used to run a quarterly(ish) “Accelerate” promotion with pseudo-individualized offers, but this has yet to be launched so far in 2020. My guess is that it will make a comeback. The IHG Accelerate promotions typically offer points for completing specific tasks, with an additional bonus for completing a certain number of tasks. Here is a sample Accelerate promotion:
In addition to Accelerate, IHG Rewards often runs other promotions. The current 4X More promotion offers double points on your first two stays, triple points on your third, and 4X points on each subsequent stay. This promotion runs through September 8, 2020, and is only open to U.S. residents. Always read the terms to make sure you qualify.
Note that you nearly always need to register for IHG promotions. Make sure to do this to not miss out on any points!
Another ongoing promotion is the Member Rate Bonus Points Packages. These can range in value, as the cost varies. You will often be presented with bonus points per stay, but there are offers per night as well. The per stay packages offer up to 5,000 bonus points. The best part of these packages is that the bonus points count toward elite status!
IHG Rewards Travel and Dining Partners
If you need a rental car, IHG One Rewards has a partnership with Hertz. When you rent with Hertz through IHG, you can receive up to 35% off your rental and 1,500+ IHG points. Spire Elite members also receive complimentary Hertz Five Star status.
The IHG Rewards dining program lets you earn extra points for eating out. To earn points this way, you need to sign up, register at least one credit card, and then use that card to pay at a participating restaurant. Basic members earn 1 points per dollar, while Select members earn 5 IHG points per dollar. VIP members earn 8 points per dollar. To become a Select member, all you need to do is opt into marketing emails from IHG One Rewards Dining. You become a VIP member after 11 qualified dining transactions in a calendar year. Here's our beginner's guide to dining programs, featuring a roundup of other airline and hotel dining programs.
IHG also partners with Grubhub. You can earn 500 IHG points for food delivery through the service. IHG used to partner with Open Table, but that appears to have ended.
Purchasing and Transferring IHG Points
IHG One Rewards members can buy IHG points directly. The rate starts at $13.50 per 1,000 points, but the rate drops to $10 per 1,000 points on purchases over 25,000 points. IHG Rewards often runs buy points promotions offering up to 100% bonus points.
In addition to buying points directly, there is a “backdoor” method to buying points through making a Points & Cash booking. If you make a Points & Cash booking and subsequently cancel, you'll receive the full amount of points back into your IHG account. Typical rates using this method are $30-35 per 5,000 points.
You can also buy points during a once-a-year sale called Daily Getaways, which typically runs in April and May of each year. Daily Getaways didn't happen in the spring of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But, during 2019, you could buy IHG points for as low as 0.5 cents per point (100,000-point package for $500).
You can transfer IHG points to other members; however, there is a cost of $5 per 1,000 for this. Typically, this isn't worth the trouble, as you can book IHG stays for others using your points. The only need would be to combine points for a particular award night.
Earn IHG Rewards with Paid Stays
While credit cards are an easy way to earn IHG points, hotel stays are how I earn a significant number of points. One of the best parts of holding the IHG Rewards Premier Card is the “stacking” that happens when it comes to the earning rate. Earlier this year, I stayed one night at the Holiday Inn Express in Brentwood, California. The rate was $129.45 before taxes. The points earned broke down as follows:
- 10x base points per $1 as an IHG Rewards member*
- 5x bonus points as a Platinum Elite member (50% base points) (The Platinum Elite bonus was increased to 60% base points in March 2022)
- Double base points from an IHG promotion
- 10x points from using my IHG Rewards Premier Card for the full $142.40 after taxes
- 500 Welcome Amenity bonus points
Total earnings from the one-night stay: 5,160 points. Not a bad haul considering that award nights start at just 10,000 points per night.
*Note that extended-stay properties like Staybridge and Candlewood Suites earn only 5x base points.
Best Ways to Redeem IHG Points
While IHG One Rewards redemption value has been devalued over the last few years, there is still a lot of potential within the program. Award redemption rates start at 10,000 points per night at the lowest tier properties and reach as high as 70,000 points per night at top locations.
The value you can get per IHG point depends on the going rate of the property compared to the award cost. In general, I try not to burn IHG points for less than 0.6 cents each. This is around the cost at which you can easily purchase them, if needed. Preferably, I like to get over 1.0 cent per point for award stays, but more often you'll see values in the 0.4 to 0.6 cent range.
Redeeming IHG points directly for hotel stays is solidly the best way to use them. There are other redemption options, but you'll get the best value for hotel stays, even if it's not amazing in terms of cents per point. Check out this list of sweet spot properties that make for great award stays.
One in particular, the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, is one that I'd love to visit. With dynamic award pricing — as we will discuss below — award nights now are as cheap as 40,000 points per night. Before dynamic award pricing, every night priced at 70,000 points.
Maximizing Free Night Certificates with IHG Rewards
The annual IHG free night certificate that comes with the IHG Rewards Premier Card and the legacy IHG Select Card is one of the best perks of holding a co-branded credit card. These free nights are usable at any IHG hotel that has rooms going for an award value of up to 40,000 points. Obviously, it's best to burn your certificate where the value is highest. Check out this post for some ideas on excellent places to burn your free nights, as well as find good value for your IHG points.
Additionally, we may see a good number of properties become available (at times) for free night certificate usage under the new dynamic pricing!
IHG Rewards Hotels Now Use Dynamic Pricing
This is a fairly recent change and the roll-out itself has been…dynamic. For a while, pretty much all IHG Rewards hotels in the U.S. were available with new dynamic pricing. Now I can't always tell from the results presented from a given search. In general, the move to dynamic pricing has been positive — at least so far.
The upside of dynamic pricing is that award rates for many properties are substantially lower when cash rates were low. The converse is that you're less able to get outsized value for your points when cash rates are high. However, there are many cases where award night prices appear to be capped, including the insanely popular New Year's Eve at Times Square in New York City. You can check out our rundown on IHG's new dynamic pricing.
Read more: How to Use the IHG Calendar Search to Find the Best Award, Cash Rates
Dynamic pricing also results in different nights requiring different amounts of IHG points. When you go to make an award booking, you'll be presented with the breakdown by night. The cool part is that the fourth-night free perk of the IHG Rewards co-brand cards is applied to the cost of the 4th night rather than an average cost per night. This means that if the fourth night is the most expensive, you enjoy the most savings.
For example, here is an example cost breakdown for the Kimpton Muse Hotel in NYC.
IHG PointBreaks
IHG used to have one of the very best redemption promotions that ran every few months. For years, the PointBreaks promotion discounted the award cost to 5,000 IHG points per night at up to 200 hotels. A limited number of rooms at each property would be made available for these awards, after which prices would return to normal. Still, it was solidly the best way to use IHG points.
In January 2018, PointBreaks was relaunched with three pricing tiers: 5,000 points, 10,000 points, and 15,000 points. Then, in January 2020, the promotion abruptly ended without a new version being launched. Communication from IHG has left everyone wondering if/when this amazing promotion will return. If it does, we'll be sure to cover the best IHG Rewards hotels available!
IHG Points and Cash Bookings
IHG offers points and cash as a booking option in most cases. You are able to book an award stay for fewer IHG points than the going award rate, essentially purchasing the remaining points at the time of booking. The cash price varies by how many points you are covering and by property. Here is the Kimpton Muse in NYC, for which IHG charges $36 per 5,000 points off the award rate. Points and Cash bookings are a good way to stretch your points if you don't mind ponying up a little cash.
IHG Cancellation Policy
The IHG cancellation policy for award stays varies by hotel, but many properties offer free cancellation on award stays up until just 24 hours before scheduled arrival. This offers a high level of flexibility. In the cases of popular luxury resorts, more advance notice may be required to receive your points back.
IHG Best Rate Guarantee
The IHG Best Rate Guarantee promises you'll receive the lowest available price booking online with them. If you find a lower total price through a third-party booking channel, you can book with IHG directly (at the higher price) and then file a best rate guarantee claim within 24 hours. This will be reviewed, and if found to be eligible, IHG will match the lower rate and provide you with 5x the IHG One Rewards points for the stay, up to 40,000 points. Make sure to review the best rate guarantee terms and conditions.
How to Achieve IHG Elite Status
IHG elite status is, unfortunately, weaker than some other competitor programs as there are fewer guaranteed benefits in general. IHG offers three elite status levels:
- Gold Elite Member — 10 qualifying nights or 10,000 qualifying points in a calendar year
- Platinum Elite Member — 40 qualifying nights or 40,000 qualifying points in a calendar year
- Spire Elite Member — 75 qualifying nights or 75,000 qualifying points in a calendar year
Qualified nights include most cash rates as well as award nights. Qualifying points include base points earned on hotel stays, points from bonus point packages, and points earned from co-branded credit card spend. You need one or the other to qualify for status, not both. Status earned in a given year is valid through the end of the following year.
You can also enjoy Platinum Elite status just by holding the IHG Rewards Premier Card.
Elite Status Benefits
As an IHG elite member, you'll enjoy various perks depending on your status level. These range from bonus IHG points to room upgrades. Here are the benefits of IHG elite status at each level:
- Gold Elite
- 10% Bonus Earnings on Top of Base Points
- Priority Check-In
- Extended Check-Out (no guaranteed time)
- Welcome Amenity / Raid the Bar at Kimpton hotels
- Platinum Elite
- 50% Bonus Earnings on Top of Base Points
- Priority Check-In
- Extended Check-Out (no guaranteed time)
- Elite Rollover Nights (nights in excess of qualification count for next year)
- Complimentary Room Upgrades/Guaranteed One Category Room Upgrade at Kimpton hotels
- Welcome Amenity / Raid the Bar at Kimpton hotels
- Guaranteed Room Availability
- Spire Elite
- 100% Bonus Earnings on Top of Base Points
- Priority Check-In
- Extended Check-Out (no guaranteed time)
- Elite Rollover Nights (nights in excess of qualification count for next year)
- Early 10 a.m. check-in
- Exclusive Choice Benefit upon earning status
- Exclusive Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® Five Star® Upgrade Upon Receiving Status
- Complimentary Room Upgrades/Guaranteed One Category Room Upgrade at Kimpton hotels
- Welcome Amenity / Raid the Bar at Kimpton hotels
- Guaranteed Room Availability
Check out the IHG elite status terms and conditions for more details. IHG still offers invitation-only Kimpton Inner Circle membership to frequent Kimpton guests.
Overall, I find IHG elite benefits to be sub-par compared to other programs like World of Hyatt, Hilton Honors, or Marriott Bonvoy. Without a free breakfast benefit or guaranteed suite upgrades at times, there isn't a whole lot to entice you to attain top-tier status. Platinum Elite status is easily obtainable through the IHG Rewards Premier Card. IHG One Rewards does not offer lifetime status.
The Ambassador Program
IHG oddly has two different elite programs, of sorts. The typical IHG elite program is discussed above. But in addition to these elite levels, IHG offers the InterContinental Ambassador program. Rather than providing perks at all IHG properties, IHG InterContinental Ambassadors receive benefits only at luxury InterContinental locations.
To become an IHG InterContinental Ambassador, all you need to do is sign up and pay the membership fee. The annual fee is either $200 or 40,000 IHG Rewards points.
The perks of IHG InterContinental Ambassador include:
- Guaranteed one category room upgrade, based on room type purchased
- Guaranteed late check-out time of 4 p.m.
- Complimentary mineral water daily
- Complimentary Ambassador Weekend Night
- Complimentary highest internet access will be provided in the guest room only at select hotels, where available for purchase
- Single room rate for double occupancy.
- A restaurant and bar credit of up to $20, per stay, valid in select hotel restaurants, bars, and minibar (excluding in-room dining).
- Complimentary breakfast: One complimentary full breakfast per day for the member, valid only in the main restaurant. Not applicable to in-room dining. Valid in Mainland China only.
The weekend night perk alone may make IHG InterContinental Ambassador well worth it, depending on where you use it. You do need to book a minimum two-night weekend stay to receive the free night.
IHG also offers higher tier InterContinental Royal Ambassador membership. This is an invitation-only status to existing IHG InterContinental Ambassadors, and it offers even more benefits.
IHG Status Match Opportunities
IHG has occasionally offered the ability to match your elite status from another hotel loyalty group. There is no standing status match opportunity. Previously, the status match promotions that have run will allow you to match up to Spire Elite, IHG's top tier. This would require comparable top-tier status in another program.
FAQ
Do IHG Rewards points expire?
Yes, for non-elite members, IHG points expire. (Full details on IHG point expiration)
Can you book IHG stays for friends and family?
Yes, you can use your IHG points and free nights for friends, family, and others. You will need to call IHG at (888) 695-4678 to make the reservation in their name.
Do you still receive elite benefits when booking through a third party?
No, you typically do not receive any elite benefits when booking a stay at an IHG property through a 3rd party like Orbitz or Expedia.
How do I find my IHG One Rewards membership number?
Your membership number will be provided in the welcome email. You can also find your membership number by logging into your IHG account and heading to the account management page. Finally, you can view your IHG One Rewards membership number by logging into your account through the mobile app.
What is the IHG Rewards phone number?
Here's the IHG One Rewards phone number for each region:
- United States and Canada: 1-888-211-9874
- Mexico: 001 800-272-9273
- Central and South America: +1 801-975-3063 (English) +1 801-975-3013 (Spanish)
- Universal International Freephone Number: +800 2222 7172
- Middle East: +973 6 500 9 296
- All other Europe, Middle East and Africa countries/regions: +44 1950 499004
- Hong Kong: 800 965 222
- Macau: 0800 728
- Taiwan: 0801 863 366
- All other Asia Pacific Countries/Regions: +632 8857 8788
Conclusion
IHG One Rewards is a strong program when it comes to earning and redeeming points, and it offers an excellent co-brand credit card. While the elite status levels aren't as strong as some opposition programs, you can still get some worthwhile benefits from the Platinum Elite status received with the IHG Rewards Premier Card. Some of the program intricacies — such as the IHG Rewards Ambassador program — warrant further investigation. Check out some of the linked posts in the above sections for more details on the IHG One Rewards program.
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So glad my points won’t expire, but not crazy about one of my award nights’ being extended only until December this year, in the midst of the pandemic.
Will be interesting to see the award pricing for Mr & Mrs Smith properties
This is a really informative article, thank you!
Very useful and comprehensive guide
By far the best IHG guide I have ever seen, thank you
I’m eagerly waiting for the Mr and Mrs Smith integration.
Same here! Those are some incredible properties!
Thank you for the walk through of IHG. This is useful in determining whether to get a credit card with them.
Very good guidelines to know IHG rewards club! Thanks
Super comprehensive resource. Thanks for the info- will be sure to refer to it when I need to book anything related to IHG properties