How to earn and use IHG One Rewards free night certificates

The cobranded IHG One Rewards cards offer many valuable perks. But one of the most valuable on the IHG cards with annual fees that are available to U.S. residents is free night certificates.The anniversary free night certificate you get each year as a cardmember perk can often provide enough value to justify paying the card's annual fee. And, as an added bonus, you have the opportunity to earn an additional free night certificate on some IHG credit cards each calendar year when you meet specific spending requirements.So, here's what you should know about IHG free night certificates.How to earn IHG free night certificatesIHG One Rewards may occasionally offer promotional free night certificates, but, by far, the most common way to earn IHG free night certificates is through IHG credit cards. Here's a look at the free night certificates you can earn with select U.S.-issued IHG credit cards that are currently available:For cardholders of these cards, IHG deposits an anniversary free night certificate into your account on your card anniversary each year. IHG deposits certificates earned based on card spending within eight weeks of when you qualify. You can top off certificates that you...