AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. 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.
IHG's new Unlock Your Dream Honeymoon promotion could get you both hitched and enriched depending on how much you spend on a wedding — or wedding-related event — at an IHG property. We'll break down what the promotion entails and whether or not the spend required makes sense to earn the massive haul of IHG points.
Earn up to 300k IHG One Rewards Points for Your Honeymoon
What if you extended your wedding's “something blue” to enjoying a delicious macaron at your honeymoon destination, paid for with 300,000 IHG points?
While $40,000 in wedding spend nets you the 300,000 IHG points, you can spend less and still earn IHG points, depending on this sliding scale:
You'll need to have your wedding at a participating property in the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean. However, the points earned can be used anywhere within IHG's portfolio.
We would be remiss without mentioning the IHG co-branded credit cards, too, which could multiply your point earnings even further.
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees), the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees) are all offering solid sign-up bonuses:
- Earn up to 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 One Rewards Traveler Credit Cardmember
- Earn up to 2X points from IHG® with Silver Elite Status, a benefit of this Card
- Earn up to 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)
$99Rates & Fees
- 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)
$99Rates & Fees
- Earn up to 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 charging your stay to your IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- Earn up to 6X bonus points for having IHG®Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn up to 10X base points for being an IHG® One Rewards Member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
The Value of 300k IHG Points
Considering that AwardWallet users redeem IHG points for an average of 0.68¢ each, that makes this offer worth over $2,000.
However, there are some important caveats. As noted in the terms and conditions, qualifying spend does not include “tax, gratuities, service charges, guest, room revenue, and third-party vendor charges.” And, you'll need to book your wedding-related event by December 31, 2026. However, the actual event can be held up until December 31, 2027.
The points take a minimum of four to six weeks to hit your IHG account as well.
Should You Take Advantage of this IHG Promotion?
Maggie Daniels teaches wedding planning at George Mason University. She could sum up the IHG offer in one word: “Meh.”
That's because a $40,000 wedding — on the surface — could end up costing at least $55,000 because of the qualifying spend exclusions.
“In the grand scheme of things, $2,000 toward a honeymoon is a drop in the bucket in comparison to the overall cost of the wedding that is required to earn this perk,” Daniels tells AwardWallet.
Moreover, in terms of overall wedding costs, Daniels stresses that accumulating points and miles really depends on your finances.
“A couple can win this game if they have made their budget in advance, stick to their budget, and have the cash on hand to pay all costs in full,” Daniels said. “At that point only, the points and perks become a bonus that they can use at their discretion.”
Wanderlust Redemptions with 300k+ IHG points
Still, for those who take advantage of the full offer, there is ample opportunity for a dream honeymoon redemption.
For example, let's say you wanted to visit the City of Love (Paris) in September. First, IHG cardholders get their fourth night free on award stays. Factoring that in, we found a four-night stay at the InterContinental Paris-Champs-Elysées Etoile for 338,250 IHG points.
The cash price? A staggering $650 per night for a total cost of $2,600.
Since the fourth night free perk applies to every fourth night, let's also try an eight-night September stay in Taipei.
The Regent Taipei costs 43,875 points a night, but with two free nights, you'll only pay 263,250 points! And, the cash price for those eight nights? $2,016.
You'll still have almost 37,000 IHG points remaining for an airport hotel the night before you embark on your honeymoon!
Related: The Top IHG Hotel and Resort Redemptions for Luxury Stays
Bottom Line
If an IHG property fits in with your wedding plans, this 300,000-point IHG offer can prove to be fruitful — like a blueberry macaron. But take a closer look at the terms and conditions, making sure you're being fiscally responsible beforehand and understanding the total costs of a wedding. Only then could something blue bring you and your life partner love and happiness.
For couples who are currently planning their wedding, will you take advantage of this offer?
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees), IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
