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Milestone Rewards start at 20 qualifying nights in a calendar year, with additional rewards available every 10 nights through 100 nights. At each milestone, you can choose from a selection of benefits, allowing you to pick the rewards that best fit your travel plans. And thanks to benefits offered by select IHG
Here's how IHG Milestone Rewards work, what you can earn at each threshold, and which rewards offer the best value.
What Are IHG Milestone Rewards?
IHG introduced Milestone Rewards to its IHG One
Currently, these are the four types of Milestone Rewards you can choose from:
- Bonus points: You'll get between 5,000 and 10,000 bonus IHG points, depending on the milestone level.
- Food & Beverage Rewards: Get either two or five Food & Beverage Rewards, depending on the milestone level.
- Confirmable Suite Upgrades: Receive either 1 or 2 confirmable suite upgrades, depending on the milestone level.
- Annual lounge membership: Get the choice of a lounge membership when you reach the 40- and 70-night milestones.
The options of each IHG Milestone Reward depend on which milestone you hit. The 40-night or 70-night milestones are the most unique, as they are the only levels where you can select a club lounge membership. Here are the options for all IHG Milestone Rewards from 20 nights through 100 nights stayed in a year.
| Milestone | Choices | Bonus Points | Food & Beverage Rewards | Confirmable Suite Upgrades | Annual Lounge Membership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 nights | 1 | 5k | 2 | 1 | |
| 30 nights | 1 | 5k | 2 | ||
| 40 nights | 2 | 10k | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 50 nights | 1 | 10k | 5 | ||
| 60 nights | 1 | 10k | 5 | ||
| 70 nights | 2 | 10k | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 80 nights | 1 | 10k | 5 | ||
| 90 nights | 1 | 10k | 5 | ||
| 100 nights | 1 | 10k | 5 |
Shortcut your way with an IHG credit card
IHG offers a lineup of credit cards that all offer a number of elite qualifying nights, which can help you accelerate your way to hitting these thresholds. Based on the card you have, you can earn the following:
- IHG One Rewards Credit Card: 5 annual elite qualifying nights.
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: 15 annual elite qualifying nights, plus 2 additional elite qualifying nights for every $5,000 spent, plus another 5 elite qualifying nights after spending $15,000 on the card.
- IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card: 15 annual elite qualifying nights, plus 2 additional elite qualifying nights for every $5,000 spent, plus another 5 elite qualifying nights after spending $25,000 on the card.
- IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card: 20 annual elite qualifying nights, plus 2 additional elite qualifying nights for every $5,000 spent, plus another 5 elite qualifying nights after spending $15,000 on the card.
In particular, the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card gets you 20 elite qualifying nights every year, which is enough to already hit the first threshold of IHG's Milestone Rewards. In other words, this card alone gets you the first Milestone Reward: a choice between 5,000 bonus points, two food and beverage credits, and a suite upgrade.
- Limited Time Launch Offer! Earn 200,000 Bonus Points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy up to $300 in Food & Beverage Rewards annually at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
- This card offers over $1,000 in value your first year!
- Get an Anniversary Free Night each year. Plus, redeem 3 nights, get 4th night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
- Earn up to 28X total points on stays at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 6X points on dining and all other travel, including rideshare. Earn 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain an IHG One Rewards Premier Select cardmember. Plus, get 20 Elite Night Credits each year.
- Earn 2 Elite Night Credits for every $5,000 you spend on your card.
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Kimpton®, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza®, EVEN® Hotels, & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Earn up to 28 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 6X points per $1 spent on dining and all other travel, including rideshare
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 12X points for being an IHG One Rewards Premier Select 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)
Further, all cards but the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Card allow you to earn additional elite qualifying nights once you meet certain spending thresholds. If you regularly spend on any of these cards, this is a solid way to hit Milestone Reward thresholds in addition to your nights spent at IHG properties. There is no cap for these spend-based elite qualifying nights you'd earn.
Note that having multiple IHG credit cards does not let you stack their annual elite qualifying night credit allotments. For example, if you have both the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card and the IHG One Rewards Premier Card, you will still receive 20 elite qualifying nights.
- Limited Time Launch Offer! Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn up to 24X total points on stays at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 5X points on flights booked directly, car rental agencies, at gas stations, grocery stores (new!) and restaurants. Earn 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Get an Anniversary Free Night each year. Plus, redeem 3 nights, get 4th night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
- NEW! Enjoy up to $100 in Food & Beverage Rewards annually at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
- This card offers over $700 in value your first year!
- Automatic Gold Elite Status as long as you remain an IHG One Rewards Premier cardmember. Plus, get 15 Elite Night Credits each year (new!).
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Kimpton®, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza®, EVEN® Hotels, & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Earn up to 24X points total per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- 5X points per $1 spent on flights booked directly, car rental agencies, at gas stations, grocery stores, 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 Card member
- Earn up to 4X points from IHG® with Gold 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)
Next, let’s dig into the details of each IHG Milestone Rewards benefit.
Bonus points
Bonus points are the simplest IHG Milestone Rewards option. IHG One Rewards points have a value of 0.69¢ each based on AwardWallet user data and are best used when redeemed for free nights at IHG properties.
At that valuation, the 5,000 bonus points from the first two milestones are worth around $34, and the 10,000 bonus points option of all subsequent milestones is worth around $68.
Food and Beverage rewards
IHG Food and Beverage Rewards are exclusive to the Milestone Rewards program. Formerly only available at certain IHG brands within the U.S. and Canada, Food and Beverage rewards are now redeemable at the majority of IHG brands worldwide.
Each Food and Beverage Reward is issued as a $20 USD voucher. That amount will be converted into the local currency at places that don't use the U.S. dollar. Rewards are valid for 12 months from selection as a Milestone Reward. Note that Food and Beverage Rewards can only be used once, even if the charge is less than the value of the voucher. In other words, if your total when you use your voucher is less than $20 USD, you can't use the remaining amount during a different stay.
Food and Beverage Rewards are one of the more valuable options in the IHG Milestone Rewards program. For example, staying 10 nights at IHG properties earns you the Milestone Rewards options of either 5,000 bonus points or two Food and Beverage Rewards.
As we detailed above, the points are worth around $34 while the Food and Beverage Rewards are worth up to $40 USD. At the 50-night milestone, however, you're comparing 10,000 bonus points — worth around $68 — to five Food and Beverage Rewards, which are worth up to $100 USD. Here, the Food and Beverage Rewards seem the far better choice, assuming you can use them for their full value.
Confirmable Suite Upgrades
Another choice for IHG Milestone Rewards is Confirmable Suite Upgrades. With this reward, you'll get a one-time-use suite upgrade. It is valid for a stay of up to five nights, can only be used on one room per stay, and grants an upgrade from a standard room to an entry-level suite. You can confirm the upgrade by calling customer care up to 14 days before your stay.
In the event that an entry-level suite is not available, a premium room may be offered. However, if a property has no upgraded rooms available, then you won't be able to use this reward. Confirmable Suite Upgrades are valid for 12 months from when you make your Milestone Rewards selection.
This Milestone Reward benefit can definitely be one of the more valuable ones, but it greatly depends on whether you can maximize it. It's also made more valuable by only being an IHG Milestone Reward option at the 20-, 40-, and 70- night levels. For those travelers more interested in their hotel room than in other property amenities, like the club lounge or dining, this reward could be for you.
Note that you cannot use a Confirmable Suite Upgrade with an IHG Free Night award. You must use it on an eligible rate room, and some rate types (e.g., group rate, OTA, employee rate, etc.) are ineligible.
Example value of a Confirmable Suite Upgrade
Assume that you're able to use a Confirmable Suite Upgrade at the Kimpton Alton Fisherman's Wharf. I found rates of $251 after taxes for a three-night stay in late 2025 in a standard King room. If you're able to use a reward to confirm an upgrade into a King Premium Spa room — going for $523 per night over the same dates — then this is a potential value of over $800 off the going rate.
Granted, this is only an example. But it illustrates how much value you can potentially get out of a Confirmable Suite Upgrade.
Annual lounge membership
You can select the annual lounge membership as a Milestone Reward only at the 40-night or 70-night level. This perk grants you access to lounges at IHG properties (for properties that have lounges) for yourself and one additional registered guest. Lounge access often costs upwards of $50 per night if booked as part of a stay, so this Milestone Reward could be a worthwhile choice. But its value will be highly dependent on your personal travel plans.
Club lounge membership offers perks like complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and snacks, and evening drinks and snacks in an exclusive space. Some may also have access to libraries and meeting rooms.
The only other way to access IHG lounges is by achieving IHG Royal Ambassador status, which is invitation-only. This applies only at InterContinental properties with a dedicated Club InterContinental lounge.
Which IHG Milestone Reward is Worth the Most?
So, you still might be wondering which IHG Milestone Reward is best. We've highlighted the value of the options, but the value of some of the rewards will be unique to each program member, as it is highly dependent on your travel plans. But in general, here's how we would rank them:
- Annual lounge membership
- Confirmable Suite Upgrades
- Food and Beverage Rewards
- Bonus points
If you rarely set foot in an InterContinental hotel like I do, the annual lounge membership benefit won't be of much use. But if you are often at hotels with a lounge, the annual lounge membership is a must. With an estimated value of at least $50 per night, it offers excellent value. The Confirmable Suite Upgrade has a substantial value depending on how you use it. If you know you can get $100-200 per night out of upgrade, that could be up to $1,000 in value for a five-night stay.
The Food and Beverage Rewards are worth $20 per voucher, which is up to $100 in value for the milestone levels that offer five of them. Finally, the bonus point options of 5,000 and 10,000 points are worth $34 and $68, respectively, at a value of 0.68¢ per point.
Bonus points or Food & Beverage Rewards?
As you only get to choose between the Bonus Points and Food and Beverage Rewards at many levels, it makes sense to compare these head-to-head. Looking at the total value per Milestone Reward, if you chose the points option every time up to the 100-night level, then you would have accrued 80,000 points, worth about $540. If you chose the Food and Beverage Reward option every time, you would have accrued 39 Food and Beverage Rewards, worth up to $780.
Ultimately, the best choice would be a mix of rewards that provide the best value for your personal travel plans. I'd personally shy away from the bonus points and lounge membership, going with Food and Beverage Rewards and Confirmable Suite Upgrades. But if I end up with more Food and Beverage rewards than I expect to use, I'd be fine selecting bonus points when I hit the next 10-night milestone.
How to Select IHG Milestone Rewards
As you reach each IHG Milestone Reward level, you'll be able to select your reward either through your account on the IHG website or through the IHG One Rewards app. IHG makes it simple to select these Milestone Rewards. Navigate to the My Account section of the website or app, and you'll see a link to claim your Milestone Reward.
Click “Choose Reward” to see the options and select a reward from the options offered at each specific tier. All IHG Milestone Reward selections are final, so choose wisely.
Final Thoughts
IHG Milestone Rewards are excellent perks for frequent guests of IHG hotels. It's nice to earn additional rewards as you accrue nights through the year and not just those offered by IHG elite status. Whether you choose the easily redeemable bonus points, the foodie benefit of the Food and Beverage Rewards, the valuable Confirmable Suite Upgrades, or the luxury of the club lounge access, IHG Milestone Rewards offers something for everyone.
Looking to level up your next IHG stay? Lock in IHG Gold Elite status and a solid sign-up bonus by getting the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, or IHG Platinum Elite status with the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card:
$150Rates & Fees
- Earn up to 24X points total per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- 5X points per $1 spent on flights booked directly, car rental agencies, at gas stations, grocery stores, 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 Card member
- Earn up to 4X points from IHG® with Gold 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)
$350Rates & Fees
- Earn up to 28 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 6X points per $1 spent on dining and all other travel, including rideshare
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 12X points for being an IHG One Rewards Premier Select 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)
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For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
