IHG One Rewards is an underdog of the lodge factors world. But IHG lodges and resorts can be found in lots of locations. And IHG One Rewards considerably improved its elite advantages in 2022.
It’s potential to get larger than TPG’s valuation — and the speed at which you should purchase IHG factors throughout 100% bonus purchase factors gross sales — when redeeming IHG factors. So on this information, we’ll focus on the best way to maximize IHG One Rewards redemptions.
Calculate your redemption price
IHG started utilizing dynamic award pricing in 2020. Now, all IHG award stays are priced dynamically, that means the variety of factors you may have to redeem for a keep varies primarily based in your reserving date, the property you select, your keep dates and different components.
That stated, getting good worth out of your IHG One Rewards factors remains to be potential. TPG’s valuations peg the worth of IHG factors at 0.5 cents every, however you possibly can typically get a better redemption price when redeeming IHG factors.
For instance, let’s assume you need to guide an ordinary room with two queen beds on the Hotel Indigo Savannah Historic District from Oct. 19 to 22. You might guide a price with free cancellation till two days earlier than your keep for $1,151.62 or 170,000 factors. If you redeem IHG factors, you’d get a redemption price of 0.677 cents per level.
That stated, you will not at all times get a great redemption worth. So, at all times evaluate the money price to the factors price and calculate your redemption price. If your redemption price is low, take into account reserving a paid price on your keep and saving your factors for a higher-value redemption.
Related: The 19 finest IHG lodges on the earth
Be versatile
Another solution to maximize your IHG factors is to be as versatile as potential. For instance, you would save factors (or cash) within the above instance by shifting your keep to different dates. Specifically, you would redeem 105,000 factors or pay $790.92 for a three-night keep for those who shifted your keep to test in on Sunday. Doing so would offer you a redemption price of 0.753 cents per level for those who redeemed factors.
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Likewise, in case you are versatile as to the place you keep in a metropolis — and even the town you go to — you might be able to redeem fewer factors and get a better redemption price.
For instance, you may resolve to save lots of by staying out close to the Savannah airport for the Thursday by way of Sunday keep mentioned within the earlier part. By doing so, you would redeem 77,000 factors or pay $561.41 on your three-night keep, supplying you with a redemption price of 0.729 cents per level for those who redeem factors.
In brief, being versatile might help you redeem fewer factors on your stays and maximize your factors.
Related: What bank card do you have to use for IHG stays?
Check Points and Cash redemptions
It’s additionally price checking Points and Cash charges. As the identify suggests, Points and Cash charges allow you to mix IHG factors and cash to stretch your factors additional.
You can see these redemption choices by deciding on “Points + Cash” as soon as you choose a lodge from the search outcomes.
Like all redemptions, run the numbers to see if a Points and Cash reserving is sensible. In the above three-night keep instance, you would guide a room that may value $1,151.62 or 170,000 factors for:
- 154,998 factors and $90, supplying you with an efficient 0.685 cents per level.
- 139,998 factors and $180, supplying you with an efficient 0.694 cents per level.
- 124,998 factors and $270, supplying you with an efficient 0.705 cents per level.
- 109,998 factors and $345, supplying you with an efficient 0.733 cents per level.
- 94,998 factors and $420, supplying you with an efficient 0.770 cents per level.
In some instances, chances are you’ll be higher off redeeming factors or money for the whole thing of the keep. That stated, it might typically make sense to make use of Points and Cash redemptions for those who’re operating low on factors. And in some instances, you should use Points and Cash bookings to successfully purchase IHG factors at a great price.
Just be aware that while you make a Points and Cash reservation, you are successfully shopping for factors utilizing the money portion of the reserving. Should you could cancel, your refund will come completely in factors quite than the mix of money and factors you initially used.
Related: Should you purchase IHG Rewards factors or switch factors from Chase?
Use the fourth-night reward perk
If you will have the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card, IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card or IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, you possibly can profit out of your card’s fourth-night reward perk on stays of 4 nights or extra booked completely with IHG factors. This perk causes each fourth night time on an award keep of 4 nights or longer to value zero factors.
To use 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’ll see the discounted charges in your search outcomes.
There’s no cap on what number of instances you should use this perk yearly. And you possibly can even get multiple fourth night time reward on a single keep. For instance, you’d get two fourth-night rewards on a keep of eight to 11 nights and three of them on a keep of 12 to fifteen nights.
Related: The extremely straightforward approach of redeeming IHG’s 4th-night reward
Check for value drops
You can even maximize your IHG factors by periodically checking for drops in award pricing on your upcoming stays.
To achieve this, 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 if in case you have sufficient factors in your account to take action, guide the brand new keep after which cancel the higher-priced keep).
Related: How rebooking lodge stays might help you save on award nights
Know when to purchase IHG factors
You can purchase IHG factors for as little as one cent per level while you buy 26,000 IHG factors or extra. Buying IHG factors at this price is normally not a good suggestion, although.
After all, IHG limits the factors you should purchase every calendar 12 months. And IHG sometimes runs purchase factors promotions that allow you to purchase factors as little as 0.5 cents per level.
Buying factors at 0.5 cents every matches TPG’s valuation for IHG factors and is decrease than the redemption price you possibly can typically get when redeeming IHG factors. So, for those who normally get greater than 0.5 cents per IHG level in your redemptions and discover your steadiness getting low, take into account shopping for factors subsequent time IHG provides a 100% bonus.
Related: 7 methods to earn extra IHG One Rewards factors on your subsequent redemption
Snag IHG elite standing
As talked about above, IHG elite standing is extra useful than ever. Earning IHG elite standing might offer you extra perks in your stays, making your award stays extra useful.
The finest 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 can earn Diamond Elite standing by staying 70 qualifying nights, incomes 120,000 qualifying factors or spending $40,000 in your IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card or IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card in a calendar 12 months.
Award nights rely as qualifying nights. But, if Diamond Elite standing is out of attain, you would nonetheless simply snag Platinum Elite standing. This standing sometimes requires 40 qualifying nights or 60,000 qualifying factors in a calendar 12 months. Alternatively, you should purchase your solution to Platinum Elite standing by signing up for InterContinental Ambassador or getting the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card or IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
If you need to get probably the most worth out of your IHG factors, you may doubtless discover snagging IHG elite standing worthwhile. Plus, for those who join InterContinental Ambassador, you may get further perks at InterContinental and Six Senses properties taking part in IHG One Rewards (even while you redeem IHG factors on your keep).
Related: IHG meals and beverage rewards are actually redeemable at choose properties
Bottom line
It’s 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 price is excessive, you may get stable worth out of your IHG factors.
Of course, you may must resolve what a ok redemption price is. I normally resolve whether or not to guide a paid price or redeem factors primarily based on what number of factors are in my account, whether or not there are any present IHG lodge promotions for paid stays and whether or not I’ll be getting a number of fourth-night rewards if I redeem IHG factors.
Additional reporting by Andrew Kunesh.