AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. 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.
This promotion has ended; please review current/active promotions.
IHG is offering members a new promotion to sign up for or renew InterContinental Ambassador status by December 31, 2022 and receive 20,000 bonus points. In order to score the bonus points, this promotion also requires staying two nights with select IHG hotel brands. For those interested, here's a look at the details of this promotion.
What is IHG InterContinental Ambassador Status?
Most hotel points loyalty programs are free to join. That includes IHG One Rewards. However, there also is a paid annual membership within IHG Rewards: InterContinental Ambassador. To pay for this membership, you can pay $200 cash or 40,000 IHG points. In recent redemptions, AwardWallet users average around 0.69¢ per IHG point. At that rate, 40,000 IHG points are worth around $300.
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
- Free Ambassador Weekend Night certificate
- 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.
- IHG Platinum Elite status.
It's worth noting that most of these perks are valid only at InterContinental hotel locations. At other IHG hotel brands, you will receive the perks of Platinum Elite status. 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, and the eligible rate may be higher than the cheapest-available rate.
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.
Annual Renewal
InterContinental Ambassador membership requires renewal each year. You can renew your membership when you are within 92 days of your membership end date (previously 60 days, but recently expanded).
Upon joining or renewing, members have the option to pay either $200 USD or 40,000 IHG points. Those who pay in cash currently get 15,000 bonus points when renewing their membership.
Current Promotion to Join or Renew InterContinental Ambassador Status
IHG is running a promotion for current InterContinental Ambassador members to renew their membership or who sign up for a new InterContinental Ambassador membership.
Key terms:
- Enroll in or renew your InterContinental Ambassador membership by December 31, 2022.
- If you are renewing, it must be by your expiration date or December 31, 2022 (whichever comes first).
- Stay at least two nights by January 31, 2023.
- Stays must be at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels, or Regent Hotels & Resorts.
- Receive 20,000 bonus points.
- This is in addition to the 15,000 bonus points received if you pay your renewal fee in cash (not points).
- Qualifying stays require a spend of at least $30 USD (or local equivalent) per night.
- Only one room per member per Qualifying Stay will be eligible. If more than one member checks into the same room, only one member is eligible to claim the night for purposes of the Offer.
- No retroactive credit will be awarded for Stays prior to renewal of your membership or prior to this Offer.
The full terms can be found here.
Is It Worth It?
The terms state that you must spend at least $30 USD for a night to qualify under this promotion before taxes. Assuming you can find an InterContinental, Kimpton, or Regent room for around $30 base rate (unlikely) and spend two nights there, you will spend around $80 after taxes and fees. If paying cash for your renewal fee, the total you'll spend for all of this is $280.
You'll come away with 20,000 points from the promotion, 15,000 points for your renewal, plus 900 points from the hotel stays (based on earning rates in IHG Rewards plus Platinum Elite status bonus). That's a total of 35,900 points. If IHG points are worth 0.73¢ on average, then your 35,900 points are worth $262.07. You spent $280 to earn these points.
That's a slight loss. Doing this just for the bonus points clearly isn't worth it. However, it can make sense if you'd benefit from the rest of the perks the rest of the year. Do you value the perks enough? Are there other IHG promotions that are better suited to you?
Bottom Line
IHG has a promotion to sign up for or for members to renew their InterContinental Ambassador membership. If you stay 2 nights with certain brands, you can earn 20,000 bonus points. That's on top of earning 15,000 bonus points from paying your renewal fee in cash, if you're a renewing member.
The promotion itself likely isn't worth the work just for the points. However, if you were planning to sign up / renew anyway or see the ongoing benefits as worth it to you, then this promotion could be advantageous.
Make sure to consider the math and the ongoing benefits to determine whether it's worth it for your travel style and travel plans. You have until your membership expiry date or December 31, 2022 to make up your mind.
Are you an InterContinental Ambassador? If so, do you like this promotion?
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I would like to renew membership.
Hey John: Head to this IHG webpage and login to get started: https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/content/us/en/ambassador-anon
This blog was realy useful for My family trips. Thanks
The room upgrade guarantee isn’t as solid as it was a few years ago. Pre – pandemic, I expected an upgrade to the next level room as an Ambassador, but upon check-in it was not offered because the hotel sold the room for revenue with a weak excuse that the reservation system didn’t update. So, per the guarantee, they offered $50 or 10k points. Not what I wanted since I was traveling with family and wanted the larger room and in previous 3 years staying at the same hotel, the guarantee was really a guarantee – it was confirmed shortly after booking.
And if you were planning to stay at an Intercontinental hotel anyway, you still have the weekend night certificate, which makes the promotion quite good, isn’t it?
Does IHG now send those certificates faster than a few years ago? Any estimate of time they take now for the certificates and status update?
It looks like the free night cert can show up 2-8 weeks after you complete all of the requirements.
And how long do you have to use the free night certificate once it is issued? I seem to recall that it expires in 4-6 months after issuance.
Per the IHG terms: “The complimentary weekend night may be redeemed up to 12 months from the date on which the certificate is issued.”