You can currently buy IHG Rewards Points with a 100% bonus! You will receive those extra points once you buy at least 5,000 points (meaning that you’d get 10,000 points). The promotion runs until April 11, 2023 06:59 CEST.
The best price can be achieved by purchasing at least 52,000 points (after calculating the bonus). You then effectively pay €4.66 per 1000 points. It’s not always worth it, but it can mean significant savings.
The purchase of otherwise very expensive hotel stays, e.g. in New York, London, etc. can be very lucrative. Sadly, however, IHG has switched to dynamic pricing recently, meaning that some hotels now cost more than before.
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Buy Points With an 100% Bonus
Until April 11, 2023 06:59 CEST, if you buy at least 5,000 points (before bonus), you’ll get twice as many points credited. That would bring the price per 1,000 points down to US$5 (~€5) if you purchase at least 26,000 points.
The exact price depends on the number of points that you purchase. The following prices are for the total number of points, including the bonus:
- 1,000 to 10,000 points: €12.58 per 1,000 points
- 11,000 to 25,000 points: €7.22 per 1,000 points
- 26,000 to 250,000 points: €4.66 per 1,000 points
The maximum that you can currently buy is 300,000 points (150,000 + 150,000 bonus). However, all points purchased from earlier sales this year will be deducted from that total.
Redeem Points Effectively
IHG Rewards Points can be redeemed starting from 10,000 points in one of the 6,000 hotels and resorts of the InterContinental Group.
Sadly, however, IHG introduced Dynamic Pricing in 2020, meaning that the price in points is based on the actual price of a room. This makes it quite tough to find good deals. However, booking with points has one big upside: Reward nights are refundable. So while you wouldn’t be saving much compared to the cheapest available rate, you would, indeed, save money compared to the flexible rate.
Here are some examples of hotels where you can save money by paying with points:
- 38% savings at InterContinental New York Times Square
- Regular rate: €491
- Award night: 66,000 points (= €303)
- 31% savings at Crowne Plaza Singapore Airport
- Regular rate: €257
- Award night: 38,000 points (= €175)
- 28% savings at Holiday Inn Austin – Town Lake (via ihg.com)
- Regular rate: €208
- Award night: 32,000 points (= €147)
IHG Reward Points do not expire as long as you have one activity per 12 months: A special feature of IHG Rewards is that the points never expire! You only have to collect or redeem at least one point every 12 months. This makes it much easier to deal with a large stash of points without having to worry about expiry dates.
IHG runs promotions like this regularly. Here is a list of past promotions like this:
| Time | Offer | Best price per 1,000 points |
|---|---|---|
| April 2023 | Up to 100% Bonus | $5.00 |
| February-March 2023 | Up to 100% Bonus | $5.00 |
| November 2022 | Up to 100% Bonus | $5.00 |
| October 2022 | Up to 100% Bonus | $5.00 |
| August 2022 | Up to 100% Bonus | $5.00 |
| July 2022 | Up to 100% Bonus | $5.00 |
| May 2022 | Up to 80% Bonus | $5.56 |
| April 2022 | Up to 100% Bonus | $5.00 |
Bottom Line
Booking hotels with points bought used to be a good measure in many cities to keep the price of hotel stays within limits, e.g. during trade fairs or other large events that tend to drive up rates. Now, because of the dynamic pricing, that advantage has faded away. Currently, the upside of booking with points is that those bookings can be cancelled.
However, you should never buy miles or points without a redemption plan. These sales take place regularly and at the same time, the points can be devalued at any time by the program e.g. if a new more expensive hotel category is introduced again.
Comments (7)
I only get 90% bonus
Yeah, it happens that some members will (sadly) get less.
How long does it normal take for the points to appear on your account after purchase?
It depends. On my account, I have usually received them within minutes. But others have reported wait times of 2 or 3 days.
Thanks for the reply.
Still waiting after 2 days. Fingers crossed it appears soon.
my personal bonus starts at 15.000 points (+15.000 on top)
Thanks Pierre!
So the promotion might be targeted. I added a note.