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IHG Rewards is the quiet underdog of hotel rewards programs, with more than 5,000 properties spread across the globe covering every taste and budget. Free nights start as low as 10,000 IHG Rewards points, and redemptions top out at 70,000 points per night for IHG’s top-of-the-range InterContinental properties.
With the signup bonus on the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offering 140,000 bonus points , we want to highlight IHG Rewards' best value redemptions and outline a few program sweet spots to ensure you’re getting maximum value from your points.
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points
- 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, 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 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 One 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 One 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)
Maximize IHG Credit Card Award Night Certificates
There are currently three rewards cards that provide an anniversary free night each year you renew the card membership and pay the annual fee:
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
- IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- IHG® Rewards Select Credit Card (no longer open to applications)
While no longer the unrestricted free night of old, IHG Reward Night certificates can provide a ton of value, allowing you to stay in any IHG hotel worth up to 40,000 points per night.
Following IHG's move to dynamic award pricing, it's not always possible to redeem your 40K Award Night Certificate at properties that historically have fit into the correct award category; however, IHG now allows you to top off the anniversary free nights provided on the two Premier cards with points from your account so you can use it towards stays that are higher than the 40K certificate limit.
If the hotel you want to redeem your certificate at is a bit higher than the 40K redemption limit, you can add some points from your account to ensure you are not paying cash or burning all your points for the room.
Below are a few of our favorite IHG properties to redeem IHG Award Night Certificates.
InterContinental Bangkok
Located in the heart of Southeast Asia's most vibrant city, Intercontinental Bangkok is a stylish hub from which to explore some of the world's best street food. Just a few blocks from Lumphini Park and with easy access to some of the city's main transit lines, this is one of our top recommendations to redeem the new IHG free night certificate.
Kimpton Hotel Eventi New York
An eclectic oasis in the heart of New York, the Kimpton Hotel Eventi is a stylish, modern hotel located in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The hotel features spacious guest rooms with sleek, contemporary designs, luxurious on-site dining at the hotel's Mediterranean restaurant, and a rooftop terrace with breathtaking views of the city. The hotel is conveniently located near many of New York's top attractions, including the High Line, the Chelsea Market, and the Empire State Building.
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
Nestled on the edge of the stunning Natadola Bay on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, Intercontinental Fiji is home to 35 acres of luxury dining, spa experiences, an 18-hole championship golf course, and direct access to pristine reefs and beaches.
InterContinental Wellington
Never an easy destination to travel on points and miles, New Zealand is nonetheless a bucket list destination for almost every award traveler. The Intercontinental Wellington is situated right on the harbor near the famous Te Papa Museum and within walking distance of the capital's best food, music, and culture. A perfect destination to use the award night certificate offered by IHG.
Redeem IHG Rewards Points for Maximum Value
Based on recent redemptions by AwardWallet members, IHG properties will land an average value of 0.69¢ per point redemption value, a far cry from the 2 or 3 cents per point you’ll receive redeeming World of Hyatt points for accommodation. But considering how easy IHG points are to accumulate, that can present excellent value.
Below we’ve compiled a sample of our favorite IHG properties to redeem for free nights. They may not offer the loftiest cent per point values, but on the whole, they provide a quality mix of value, good food, facilities, or simply; location, location, location.
The prevailing wisdom that you need to squeeze every fraction of a cent from your points is often overruled in this list by the idea that we would rather pay points than cash for any hotel stay—provided we are getting a half-decent return on time invested collecting the points.
Hotel Indigo Anaheim
At roughly 30K points per night, and within walking distance to California Disneyland, the Hotel Indigo Anaheim is the perfect base to explore the best that Disney has to offer, and then provide a quiet and comfortable space to retreat to when you’ve had enough of the crowds.
InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort
The InterContinental Danang is not one of IHG’s cheapest locations at ~50,000 points per night. It is, however, one of the most sublime destinations they offer. A half-hour drive from Danang airport and just 45 minutes from the seafood paradise that is Hoi An, the Sun Peninsula Resort would typically set you back in the order of $470, returning a value of 0.94 cents per point.
InterContinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort
One of my favorite afternoons at Intercontinental Koh Samui was spent poolside drinking cocktails while our son had his first Muay Thai lesson at the gym over the hill. It doesn’t present the same value as Danang, with a standard room fetching up to 50K points or roughly $360, but still, it pulls a respectable 0.72 cents per point. When the sun starts to set, talk a walk down the beach, and you can catch the local farmers taking their water buffalo for a swim.
Hotel Indigo Del Mar
The Indigo Del Mar is a boutique hotel in the seaside haven of Del Mar, just north of San Diego, California. It is the kind of property that reminds you why it’s good to take a sneaky weekend away to a quiet location without having to cross an ocean to get there.
This is only a tiny fraction of the 5,000+ hotels available to IHG members, with many more gems spread around the globe and an almost endless array of options for members both inside and outside the US.
Buy IHG Rewards Points at Top Value Rates
We covered this strategy in some detail in a recent post; however, we don’t recommend abusing this process, or you risk closer scrutiny of your account and redemption activities than you may wish. The process is simple and leverages IHG Rewards T&C’s for Cash & Points Nights.
Simply book a room using a mix of cash and your existing points, cancel the stay, and your stay will be refunded completely in points, effectively allowing you to purchase points for as little as $0.46 per point. See the referenced post for details.
IHG also runs regular promos where you can pick up points with a 100% bonus, dropping the cost of points to roughly 0.5 cents per point.
Participate in IHG Promos for Extra Points
You can earn extra IHG points by participating in regular IHG promos. With past events netting members in excess of 100K points over a quarter, the promos are a lucrative way of adding points to your account. Previous IHG’s promos have featured everything from bonus points to free nights for reaching milestones such as a number of nights, staying at different IHG brands, or using alternative booking channels.
Final Thoughts
IHG Rewards is a solid rewards program offering a host of options, from ultra-budget redemptions through to ultra-luxury stays like the overwater bungalows in Bora Bora. Have a favorite IHG redemption? Let us know in the comments!
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points
- 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, 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 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 One 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 One 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)
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I didn’t realize IHG having so many hotels in different places.