IHG One Rewards is an underdog of the lodge factors world. However IHG resorts and resorts can be found in lots of locations. And IHG One Rewards considerably improved its elite advantages in 2022.
It is doable to get greater than TPG’s valuation — and the speed at which you should buy IHG factors throughout 100% bonus purchase factors gross sales — when redeeming IHG factors. So on this information, we’ll talk about how you can maximize IHG One Rewards redemptions.
Calculate your redemption charge
That stated, getting good worth out of your IHG One Rewards factors continues to be doable. TPG’s valuations peg the worth of IHG factors at 0.5 cents every, however you’ll be able to typically get a better redemption charge when redeeming IHG factors.
For instance, let’s assume you wish to e book a regular room with two queen beds on the Resort Indigo Savannah Historic District from Oct. 19 to 22. You may e book a charge with free cancellation till two days earlier than your keep for $1,151.62 or 170,000 factors. In case you redeem IHG factors, you’d get a redemption charge of 0.677 cents per level.
That stated, you will not at all times get a very good redemption worth. So, at all times examine the money charge to the factors charge and calculate your redemption charge. In case your redemption charge is low, take into account reserving a paid charge in your keep and saving your factors for a higher-value redemption.
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Be versatile
One other approach to maximize your IHG factors is to be as versatile as doable. For instance, you might save factors (or cash) within the above instance by shifting your keep to different dates. Particularly, you might redeem 105,000 factors or pay $790.92 for a three-night keep when you shifted your keep to test in on Sunday. Doing so would provide you with a redemption charge of 0.753 cents per level when you 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 charge.
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 might redeem 77,000 factors or pay $561.41 in your three-night keep, supplying you with a redemption charge of 0.729 cents per level when you redeem factors.
Briefly, being versatile can assist you redeem fewer factors in your stays and maximize your factors.
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Examine Factors and Money redemptions
It is also price checking Factors and Money charges. Because the identify suggests, Factors and Money charges allow you to mix IHG factors and cash to stretch your factors additional.
You’ll be able to see these redemption choices by deciding on “Factors + Money” as soon as you choose a lodge from the search outcomes.
Like all redemptions, run the numbers to see if a Factors and Money reserving is sensible. Within the above three-night keep instance, you might e book a room that will 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, it’s possible you’ll be higher off redeeming factors or money for the whole thing of the keep. That stated, it could actually generally make sense to make use of Factors and Money redemptions when you’re working low on factors. And in some instances, you should utilize Factors and Money bookings to successfully purchase IHG factors at a very good charge.
Simply notice that whenever you make a Factors and Money reservation, you are successfully shopping for factors utilizing the money portion of the reserving. Ought to you should cancel, your refund will come totally in factors slightly than the mixture of money and factors you initially used.
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Use the fourth-night reward perk
If in case you have the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit score Card, IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit score Card or IHG® Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card, you’ll be able to profit out of your card’s fourth-night reward perk on stays of 4 nights or extra booked totally with IHG factors. This perk causes each fourth night time on an award keep of 4 nights or longer to value 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 not any cap on what number of instances you should utilize this perk yearly. And you may even get a couple of 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.
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Examine for value drops
You can even 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 when you’ve got sufficient factors in your account to take action, e book the brand new keep after which cancel the higher-priced keep).
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Know when to purchase IHG factors
In any case, IHG limits the factors you should buy every calendar yr. And IHG sometimes runs purchase factors promotions that allow you to purchase factors as little as 0.5 cents per level.
Shopping for factors at 0.5 cents every matches TPG’s valuation for IHG factors and is decrease than the redemption charge you’ll be able to typically get when redeeming IHG factors. So, when you often get greater than 0.5 cents per IHG level in your redemptions and discover your stability getting low, take into account shopping for factors subsequent time IHG provides a 100% bonus.
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Snag IHG elite standing
As talked about above, IHG elite standing is extra useful than ever. Incomes IHG elite standing may provide you with extra perks in your stays, making your award stays extra useful.
The perfect perks — like the choice to decide on breakfast as a welcome amenity at full-service and select-service manufacturers — are solely accessible for top-tier Diamond Elite members. You’ll be able to earn Diamond Elite standing by staying 70 qualifying nights, incomes 120,000 qualifying factors or spending $40,000 in your IHG Rewards Premier Credit score Card or IHG Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card in a calendar yr.
Award nights rely as qualifying nights. However, if Diamond Elite standing is out of attain, you might nonetheless simply snag Platinum Elite standing. This standing usually requires 40 qualifying nights or 60,000 qualifying factors in a calendar yr. Alternatively, you should buy your approach to Platinum Elite standing by signing up for InterContinental Ambassador or getting the IHG Rewards Premier Credit score Card or IHG Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card.
If you wish to get probably the most worth out of your IHG factors, you will possible discover snagging IHG elite standing worthwhile. Plus, when you join InterContinental Ambassador, you will get further perks at InterContinental and Six Senses properties collaborating in IHG One Rewards (even whenever you redeem IHG factors in your keep).
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Backside line
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 charge is excessive, you will get stable worth out of your IHG factors.
In fact, you will need to resolve what a adequate redemption charge is. I often resolve whether or not to e book a paid charge or redeem factors based mostly 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 will be getting a number of fourth-night rewards if I redeem IHG factors.
Extra reporting by Andrew Kunesh.
