IHG Rewards Club offering 50%-100% ‘buy points’ bonus
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IHG Rewards Club – the InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza etc reward scheme – has been emailing members with a personalised offer to buy points with a 50%, 75% or 100% bonus.
To be honest, this deal is not worth it at the 50% or 75% bonus level unless you are topping off an existing account to reach a particular target.
If you were offered a 100% bonus, it is worth considering. You have until December 23rd to decide.
Here are the standard purchase rates:
- 1,000 – 10,000 points for $13.50 per 1,000 points
- 11,000 – 25,000 points for $12.50 per 1,000 points
- 26,000 – 60,000 points for $11.50 per 1,000 points
What makes this deal more attractive than earlier ‘100% bonus’ deals is that there is no minimum purchase required. You receive the bonus even if you are only buying 1,000 points.
The page to buy points is here. If you did not receive an email, you can use this link to see what – if anything – you are offered.
At the top end of the IHG Rewards Club portfolio, you have InterContinental properties which top out at 50,000 points per night. That’s what you would need for InterContinental Le Grand in Paris or another of their top properties.
If you got a 100% bonus, IHG is effectively selling you a night at these properties for £183 all-in. There is no doubt that this could be a great deal.
In peak season, you would expect to pay twice this to get through the door of these hotels on a cash booking.
It is worth noting that a 100% bonus is cheaper than the infamous ‘cash and points and cancel’ trick which I summarise at the bottom of this post. You are paying $7 per 1,000 via that method compared to $5.75 per 1,000 with the 100% bonus.
You are running the risk of IHG changing their reward scheme before you spend the points. If you are concerned about a possible devaluation, think twice before opening your wallet.
This ‘buy points’ offer runs until December 23rd. You can buy via this link.
NB. The ‘cash and points and cancel’ trick requires you to have 5,000 IHG points in your account. Find a 15,000 point property and book a reward night. You will be forced to use ‘cash and points’ which is 5,000 points plus $70. Once you have booked, cancel. Your $70 is not returned to you – instead, you get 15,000 points back in your account. You have therefore effectively bought 10,000 points for $70. Repeat as required.
IHG One Rewards update – May 2022:
Get bonus points: IHG One Rewards is offering bonus base points on all cash stays between 18th May and 31st August. You earn double points on your 2nd to 5th nights, triple points on your 6th to 14th nights and quadruple base points from your 15th night. Our full article is here. Click here to register.
New to IHG One Rewards? Read our overview of IHG One Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG One Rewards points worth?’ is here.
Buy points: If you need additional IHG One Rewards points, you can buy them here.
You will receive an 80% bonus when you buy IHG One Rewards points by 10th June 2022.
Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.
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