How to redeem points with the IHG One Rewards program

4 weeks ago 22

I frequently stay at IHG properties, primarily because of the value I can get when redeeming IHG points. Although IHG moved to dynamic award pricing in 2020, I've continued getting solid value from my IHG points.

Here's what you need to know about redeeming IHG One Rewards points for stays, flights and more.

Redeem IHG points for hotel stays

You can redeem IHG points for most IHG stays through IHG's website, app or customer care. However, you may be unable to redeem IHG points at some InterContinental Residences, IHG Army Hotels and Six Senses properties.

You can usually only redeem IHG points for standard room types. Reward nights include taxes and fees — except at Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, where you'll need to pay local and conditional taxes or fees — but don't include resort fees, service charges, transportation, gratuities and incidentals.

Since IHG uses dynamic award pricing, the number of points you'll need to redeem for a reward night will vary. IHG's terms and conditions say reward night pricing "may vary according to several factors, including but not limited to brand, hotel, and day of week." Although there aren't any reward night blackout dates, you may not find award availability for some stays because "room inventory is limited and subject to prior sale," according to IHG's terms and conditions.

To check award night availability and pricing, start on IHG's website or app. Enter your destination, check-in date, checkout date and number of guests. Select "Reward Nights" from the drop-down menu under "Rate Preference."

The next page will show you the award night results for your search query. You can filter these results by amenities or brands. You can also sort by various metrics, including distance, price and rating.

Click on "Map" to see where the properties are located within your destination.

Once you click "Select Hotel" for one of the properties, you'll see the room options you can book with points for your stay. Some properties may only offer one room type, while others may offer a variety of room setups or views. Scroll through the options, and pick the best room type for your trip.

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It's also worth checking paid rates by clicking the "Money" button. For example, I could book a flexible rate with free cancellation until two days before check-in at this Hotel Indigo for either 31,000 IHG points or $202 on the sample date I picked. So, redeeming points for this stay would yield a redemption rate of 0.65 cents per point. (This is higher than TPG's October 2024 valuation of IHG points at 0.5 cents per point, so it's a redemption we'd recommend.)

Let's assume you toggled back to the "Points" tab, clicked on the 31,000 points per night option and clicked "Select." Doing so would take you to the last page before confirming your reservation. Be sure to check the cancellation policy on this final page. Most reward night stays are free to cancel until shortly before your stay, but cancellation policies vary.

IHG occasionally offers reward night discounts to eligible Platinum Elite, Diamond Elite and IHG One Rewards credit card holders. You'll usually get an email from IHG about these reward night discounts, but you often must book quickly to enjoy the discounted rates.

Finally, note that IHG's terms and conditions now allow a second guest listed on a reward night reservation to stay even if the member who booked the reward night isn't staying. So you can redeem your IHG points for a friend or family member's stay. However, there are additional requirements if your stay is within mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

Fourth-night-free reward

Perhaps the best way to get better value when redeeming IHG points is to get an IHG credit card with the fourth-night-free reward perk. This perk lets cardholders of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card and the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card pay zero points for every fourth night when redeeming points for stays of four nights or more.

Without this benefit, this four-night stay at the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives would cost 220,000 points.

Since I have the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, which offers the fourth-night-free reward perk to cardholders, I'd only need to redeem 125,000 points for this four-night stay. (Yes, the fourth night was 95,000 points on the dates I randomly selected.)

Even if you redeem IHG points only once or twice a year for stays of four nights or longer, this valuable perk alone makes it worth getting and keeping an IHG credit card.

Points and cash

As you might have noticed in some screenshots above, you can also book points and cash rates. Know, though, that you're effectively buying points when you book an IHG points and cash rate, so you'll be refunded solely in IHG points if you cancel your booking within the free cancellation period.

It's worth working through the math and checking the rate at which you can buy IHG points outright before you book a points and cash rate. For example, consider this one-night stay in New York City.

For a one-night stay in a standard room with a king-size bed and free cancellation until one day before your arrival, you could pay:

52,000 points
42,000 points and $69
32,000 points and $134
22,000 points and $194
17,000 points and $219
12,000 points and $239
$351

If you redeemed 52,000 points for this night that would otherwise cost $351, you'd get a redemption rate of 0.675 cents per point. Meanwhile, if you booked a points-and-cash rate, you'd effectively buy IHG points for between 0.598 and 0.69 cents per point.

Transfer IHG points to airline partners

Like many hotel rewards programs, you can transfer your IHG points to various airline partners. You can see all the airline options on IHG's earn miles page. However, most programs transfer at a rate of 10,000 IHG points to 2,000 airline miles. So, you're almost certain to lose value when you redeem your IHG points for airline miles.

Because of this, you should only consider transferring IHG points to an airline if you need to top up your account balance for a specific redemption. Otherwise, you'll almost certainly get better value when redeeming IHG points for hotel stays.

Other ways to redeem IHG points

You can also redeem IHG points for other types of rewards and experiences. Doing so will usually give you a relatively low redemption rate, and the exact options vary based on your region and country of residence. Here's a look at the options available to U.S. residents.

Digital rewards

You can redeem IHG points for movies, ebooks, electronic magazines, games, mobile top-offs and software through the program's digital rewards portal. Electronic magazines start at around 350 points, while movies start at around 1,800 points.

IHG One Rewards Access

Through IHG One Rewards Access, you can redeem IHG points for select experiences, including sports and exclusive events. Sometimes, you can secure an experience for a set number of points; other times, you'll need to enter a bid in an online auction for the chance to win.

Trip add-ons

You can also redeem IHG points for activities in select cities, including Las Vegas.

While this might seem appealing, check comparable paid rates before redeeming your IHG points to ensure you get a good redemption value.

IHG One Rewards catalog

You can redeem IHG points for merchandise, gift cards, donations and more through the IHG One Rewards catalog. For example, you can redeem between 1,000 and 2,500 IHG points for a yearlong magazine subscription.

You can also redeem IHG points for gift cards to various merchants. Here's how many points you'll need to redeem for physical gift cards of varying amounts:

$100 gift card: 49,000 points (redemption rate of 0.2 cents per point)
$50 gift card: 25,000 points (redemption rate of 0.2 cents per point)
$25 gift card: 13,000 points (redemption rate of 0.19 cents per point)
$15 gift card: 8,000 points (redemption rate of 0.19 cents per point)
$10 gift card: 5,500 points (redemption rate of 0.18 cents per point)

You can also redeem IHG points for merchandise, including headphones, backpacks and laptop computers. If you don't see what you want, you can request unique gadgets and big-ticket items through the rewards concierge.

Finally, you can donate your points to charity, with options starting at just 2,500 points.

Bottom line

There are many ways to redeem IHG One Rewards points. However, I almost always recommend redeeming your IHG points for hotel stays. This will give you the most value for your points and let you explore over 6,000 IHG properties worldwide.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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