IHG Lodges and Resorts launched a brand new loyalty program named IHG One Rewards in mid-2022. One interesting side of this program is Milestone Rewards, which you can begin incomes after simply 20 nights at IHG properties in a calendar 12 months.
You possibly can select meals and beverage rewards at each Milestone Rewards tier if you want. IHG initially solely rolled out meals and beverage rewards redemptions at choose manufacturers within the U.S. and Canada. However now, you may redeem meals and beverage rewards at IHG resorts and resorts worldwide.
Here is the whole lot you should learn about IHG meals and beverage rewards.
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What are meals and beverage rewards?
Nevertheless, purchases at merchandising machines and present retailers, third-party exterior meals deliveries, eating places that do not permit expenses to a visitor room invoice and taxes related to minibar expenses aren’t eligible for meals and beverage rewards.
Purchases by Vacation Inn Categorical, avid Lodges, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites company at on-site markets, pantries and cabinets are additionally at present excluded. Nevertheless, IHG plans to permit company at these manufacturers to redeem meals and beverage rewards for choose market, pantry and cabinet purchases quickly.
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earn meals and beverage rewards
You possibly can earn meals and beverage rewards via the IHG One Rewards program’s Milestone Rewards. You earn Milestone Rewards each 10 elite qualifying nights every calendar 12 months, starting at 20 nights and persevering with via 100 nights.
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The Milestone Rewards selections fluctuate as follows:
- 20 nights: 5,000 bonus factors, two $20 meals and beverage rewards or one confirmable suite improve.
- 30 nights: 5,000 bonus factors or two $20 meals and beverage rewards.
- 40 nights (select two): 10,000 bonus factors, 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards, one confirmable suite improve (restrict one) or one annual lounge membership (restrict one).
- 50 nights: 10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards.
- 60 nights: 10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards.
- 70 nights (select two): 10,000 bonus factors, 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards, two confirmable suite upgrades (restrict one) or one annual lounge membership (restrict one).
- 80 nights: 10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards.
- 90 nights:10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards.
- 100 nights: 10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards.
As you may see, you might select meals and beverage rewards at every milestone. Meals and beverage rewards usually expire 12 months from when chosen as a Milestone Reward, though IHG prolonged all meals and beverage rewards chosen in 2022 via the tip of 2023.
IHG points meals and beverage rewards in six currencies based mostly in your nation of residence. United States residents get $20, however IHG additionally points meals and beverage rewards in euros, kilos sterling, Chinese language yuan, Japanese yen and Saudi riyals. In case your nation would not use certainly one of these currencies, IHG will concern your meals and beverage rewards in U.S. {dollars}.
TPG’s valuations peg the worth of IHG factors at 0.5 cents every. In the event you agree with this valuation, it is best to get extra worth from meals and beverage rewards than bonus factors at every milestone. Nevertheless, you could need to choose a confirmable suite improve or an annual lounge membership at choose milestones when you imagine these would offer extra worth.
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use meals and beverage rewards
Now that you know the way to earn meals and beverage rewards, here is learn how to use them.
Now you can redeem meals and beverage rewards when checked in to most IHG manufacturers. The first exclusions are Vacation Inn Membership Holidays, Mr. & Mrs. Smith properties and InterContinental Alliance Resorts. However, you may not have the chance to make use of meals and beverage rewards at most Vacation Inn Categorical, avid Lodges, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites properties till IHG lets company redeem meals and beverage rewards to cowl choose purchases at on-site markets, pantries and cabinets.
Suppose you redeem meals and beverage rewards at a property that makes use of a special forex than what IHG issued your rewards in. In that case, your reward quantity might be transformed to the resort’s native forex while you redeem. And when you redeem a meals and beverage reward for lower than its face worth — reminiscent of redeeming a $20 reward while you solely have $15 of eligible meals and beverage expenses in your room invoice — you may forfeit the remaining worth.
My expertise redeeming meals and beverage rewards
Earlier than redemptions formally launched, my husband and I received a preview of learn how to redeem meals and beverage rewards from the IHG workforce throughout a keep on the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia.
After watching a demo from IHG’s head of loyalty, Kristin Klebanov, the IHG workforce gifted us a meals and beverage reward certificates (and enabled the function for our keep) so we may strive redeeming it on our personal.
After getting a couple of drinks from the bar that evening, we redeemed a meals and beverage reward via the IHG One Rewards app the following morning throughout breakfast. It was a really simple expertise, although it would differ barely from what you may see now that redemptions are dwell for all members.
We began by opening the IHG app and tapping “Account” on the navigation bar on the backside of the app. From right here, we scrolled right down to faucet on “Rewards Pockets.”
Then, we may see the meals and beverage rewards IHG gave us underneath the “Rewards to reinforce your keep” part. We tapped “Redeem” on certainly one of these meals and beverage rewards to start out the redemption course of.
The following display confirmed a warning message that IHG is “at present testing Meals & Beverage Rewards so it is not out there to be used at resorts fairly but.” However underneath this message is presumably the textual content you may see now.
Our keep on the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia in Room 501 was on the checklist. We chosen it and tapped “Proceed to redeem.”
The following web page allowed us to evaluate our meals and beverage reward credit score, relevant expenses and remaining expenses after the credit score. We tapped, “Sure, apply this credit score to my invoice.”
Subsequent, we noticed a web page reminding us that we would solely be capable to use every meals and beverage reward as soon as. The web page additionally linked to the meals and beverage rewards phrases and circumstances. We tapped “Sure, redeem this credit score” to make use of our meals and beverage reward.
On the following web page, we noticed affirmation that IHG had utilized our meals and beverage reward to our invoice.
At checkout, we had only a $0.16 stability on our room since we would redeemed IHG factors for our keep and our meals and beverage rewards lined most of our room expenses. Simply notice that you will have to redeem meals and beverage rewards earlier than trying out if you wish to use any on your keep.
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Backside line
It is nice that IHG One Rewards members can now redeem meals and beverage rewards worldwide. Now, I will be extra more likely to choose meals and beverage rewards after I select my Milestone Rewards since I will be assured I am going to use them earlier than they expire.
I discovered the redemption course of simple, though we needed to affirm that we wished to redeem meals and beverage credit a number of occasions. Nevertheless, I might relatively IHG have additional affirmation steps (particularly whereas meals and beverage rewards are new to company) than have company by chance redeem their rewards.
