IHG One Rewards program: Methods to maximize award redemptions

IHG One Rewards typically is not as nicely beloved within the factors and miles neighborhood as applications like Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt. However IHG accommodations and resorts can be found in lots of locations, and it is easy to get good worth when redeeming IHG factors.

Incomes IHG factors can also be comparatively straightforward. For instance, new candidates for the $99-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card can earn 140,000 bonus factors after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. And new candidates for the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card can earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

So, let’s focus on methods to maximize IHG One Rewards redemptions.

IHG started utilizing dynamic award pricing in 2020. Now, IHG costs all of its award stays dynamically, which means the variety of factors you will have to redeem for a keep varies primarily based in your reserving date, the property you select, your keep dates and different components.

However even with dynamic pricing, getting good worth out of your IHG One Rewards factors remains to be attainable. TPG’s November 2024 valuations peg the worth of IHG factors at 0.5 cents every, however you possibly can typically get a better redemption fee when redeeming IHG factors.

For instance, let’s assume you wish to ebook a normal room with one king mattress on the Vacation Inn Savannah Historic District for the night time of Aug. 15. You possibly can ebook a fee with free cancellation till a number of days earlier than your keep for $418 or 69,000 factors. When you redeem IHG factors for this night time, you will get a redemption fee of 0.61 cents per level.

That stated, you will not at all times get a superb redemption worth. So, at all times examine the money fee to the factors fee and calculate your redemption fee. In case your redemption fee is low, contemplate reserving a paid fee in your keep and saving your factors for a higher-value redemption.

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Maximize IHG factors by being versatile

One other strategy to maximize your IHG factors is to be as versatile as attainable. For instance, you might save factors (or cash) within the above state of affairs by shifting your keep to different dates. Particularly, you might redeem 58,000 factors or pay $353 should you shifted your one-night keep every week earlier.

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Likewise, in case you are versatile as to the place you keep in a metropolis — and even town you go to — you might be able to redeem fewer factors. For instance, you would possibly determine to save lots of by staying out close to the Savannah airport for the one-night keep mentioned within the earlier part. By doing so, you might redeem 33,000 factors or pay $212 in your keep.

Briefly, being versatile may help you redeem fewer factors in your stays and maximize your factors.

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Examine Factors & Money redemptions

It is also value checking Factors & Money charges. Because the identify suggests, Factors & Money charges allow you to mix IHG factors and cash to stretch your factors additional. You possibly can see these redemption choices by deciding on “Factors & Money” as soon as you choose a lodge from the search outcomes.

As with all redemptions, run the numbers to see if a Factors & Money reserving is smart. Within the above instance, you might ebook an evening that will value $212 or 33,000 factors for:

• 33,000 factors and $0 (redemption fee of 0.64 cents per level)
• 28,000 factors and $36 (redemption fee of 0.63 cents per level)
• 23,000 factors and $69 (redemption fee of 0.62 cents per level)
• 18,000 factors and $99 (redemption fee of 0.63 cents per level)
• 13,000 factors and $126 (redemption fee of 0.66 cents per level)
• 8,000 factors and $149 (redemption fee of 0.79 cents per level)

While you make a Factors & Money reservation, you are shopping for factors utilizing the money portion of the reserving. Ought to it’s essential to cancel, your refund will come fully in factors somewhat than the mixture of money and factors you initially used.

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When you have the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card, IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card, you possibly can profit out of your card’s fourth-night-reward perk on stays of 4 nights or extra whenever you ebook your keep fully with IHG factors. This perk successfully drops the price of each fourth night time on award stays of 4 nights or longer to zero factors.

To make use of this perk, log in to an account related to an eligible IHG bank card, seek for a keep of 4 nights or longer and decide to redeem IHG factors. You will see the discounted charges in your search outcomes.

There is no cap on what number of occasions you should utilize this perk yearly. And you’ll even get multiple fourth-night reward on a single keep. For instance, you’d get two fourth-night rewards on a keep of eight to 11 nights and three on a keep of 12 to fifteen nights.

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It’s also possible to maximize your IHG factors by periodically checking for drops in award pricing in your upcoming stays.

To take action, do a brand new award seek for your dates and see if the charges are decrease. If they’re, cancel your keep and rebook (or, in case you have sufficient factors in your account, ebook the brand new keep after which cancel the higher-priced keep). Sadly, I have not discovered a strategy to reprice IHG award stays with out making a brand new reserving.

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Incomes IHG elite standing might offer you extra perks in your stays. The very best perks — like the choice to decide on breakfast as a welcome amenity at full-service and select-service manufacturers — are solely obtainable for top-tier Diamond Elite members. You possibly can earn Diamond Elite standing by staying 70 qualifying nights, incomes 120,000 qualifying factors or spending $40,000 in your IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card in a calendar yr.

Even when Diamond Elite standing is out of attain, it is nonetheless straightforward to earn Platinum Elite standing. This standing usually requires 40 qualifying nights or 60,000 qualifying factors in a calendar yr. Nevertheless, you will get Platinum Elite standing as an automated perk by the InterContinental Ambassador program or by holding both the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card or the IHG One Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card.

If you wish to get extra advantages when redeeming IHG factors for stays, you will probably discover snagging IHG elite standing worthwhile. Plus, should you join InterContinental Ambassador, you will get further perks at InterContinental and Six Senses properties taking part in IHG One Rewards.

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It is comparatively straightforward to maximise redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program. By checking redemption charges earlier than reserving and opting to redeem factors when the redemption fee is excessive, you will get stable worth out of your IHG factors. And should you do not have already got an IHG bank card, contemplate including the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card, IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card to your pockets.