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IHG brings back its generous ‘Accelerate’ promotion for the Summer

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UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly summary of the top hotel bonus point offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ menu above.

Click here for our article on IHG’s ‘2000 Bonus Points’ promotion which runs from 1st April to 31st May 2024. You can register for the offer by clicking here.

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IHG Rewards Club, the Holiday Inn, HI Express, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental etc loyalty scheme, has announced its Summer 2016 promotion – IHG Accelerate.  Yes, it is repeating the Autumn and Spring offer!

To be honest, IHG is the only major hotel chain offering a global promotion this Summer which offer genuine value.  Everyone has their own personal target but, for most of us, the challenge is pretty straightforward.

Here are the headline details:

IHG Accelerate (Version 3) covers stays from 1st June to 31st August

All hotels are participating

Your bonus is personalised – you need to log in here to discover yours 

This was my target for 55,000 points maximum, comprising:

  • 6,000 points on my next stay
  • 5,000 points for a stay in June
  • 10,000 points for staying five nights
  • 3,500 points for booking three stays via the IHG app
  • 6,400 points for booking 2 x 2-night weekend stays
  • 2,000 points for booking a Bonus Points Package
  • 1,000 points for purchasing IHG Rewards Club points
  • 21,100 points for completing five of the six targets above, excluding the June bonus

This isn’t bad.  Let’s ignore the ‘two weekend stays of two nights’ one as I doubt I will do that.

I will receive 48,600 bonus points – plus the base points – for completing five nights, as long as those nights involve at least three stays (booked on the app) and one is for a Bonus Points Package.  This is worth – assuming 0.4p per point of value – £200 of free future stays.

I could earn 13,000 bonus points from just one stay, as long as it is in June and is a Bonus Points Package.  I will do my best to hit that if nothing else.

My wife got an even easier one for 55,000 points:

  • 5,000 points on her next stay
  • 5,000 points for a stay in June
  • 10,000 points for staying five nights
  • 4,800 points for booking two stays via the IHG app
  • 3,000 points for booking a Bonus Points Package
  • 27,200 points for completing three of the four targets above excluding the June bonus

All she needs to do is book two one-night stays via the app as she can skip the ‘five nights’ one.  Job done, 45,000 points banked!  That is £180 of bonus points, plus base points, which should be possible fairly cheaply.

Note: if you have a target saying that you must spend $x on food and drink, be aware that this is EXCLUDING VAT.  Ensure you spend ‘x + 20%’ and then add on a bit more because IHG will probably use a duff exchange rate!

Conclusion

As long as your target is sensible, this is highly likely to be the most generous hotel promotion you are likely to see this Summer.

Log in to the Accelerate website here and see what your target is.


IHG One Rewards update – April 2024:

Get bonus points: IHG One Rewards is offering 2,000 bonus points for every two cash nights you stay (not necessarily consecutive) between 1st April and 31st May 2024. You can read our full article here and you can register here.

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.

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.

Comments (142)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • giggle says:

    I think will be giving this one a miss, only stayed 2 nights in the last promo for 10K points and now these targets are impossible, so unfair 40,800 targets are:
    5,000 June Bonus Offer
    Stay once in June and get 5,000 bonus points
    1,000 Stay Once Get 1,000
    10,800 Stay 7 nights
    3,000 Stay 3 More Nights
    3,000 Stay 3 More Nights
    3,000 Stay 3 More Nights
    15,000 Stay 3 More Nights

    • ap says:

      Why are they impossible? Very harsh to say these are unfair especially as you only need to stay once in June and get 11,000 points, very easy! Your targets are very similar to mine and to my mind they reflect the stays based on previous history as did the earlier Accelerate programme. Easily achievable if you travel for business and I suspect many would be more than happy with this as their targets. A target which needs a stay in a different country would be a bit stretching.

  • Wayne says:

    Great stuff. I just got mine.

    One question I have:

    If I book a stay through the app, will this contribute to multiple targets (ie. Stay Once, Travel with the App, Stay More) or just one of the targets?

  • Nick says:

    I love mine. In short, if I renew my Ambassador and stay one night at any non-UK IHG hotel, I pick up 45,000 points. That is on the back of a very easy target for the last promo, where I had to clock up 3 nights at different brands to get me something like 48,000 points; and the previous promo where I got 2 free nights for 2 different stays.

    These promos are great: I would have to have a very good reason to stay anywhere other than an IHG hotel now.

  • Brian says:

    If I booked before 1st June but stay after 1st June (and during promotional) period will this stay qualify? Thanks

  • Matt says:

    5,000 June Bonus Offer
    5,000 Stay Once Get 5,000
    30,000 Double Points – Earn double points starting with your second stay

    Ugh – I thought I’d hit the jackpot til I looked at the “double points” more closely. So 10k if I stay once in June which is alright but then the rest of the offering is just standard points doubled up to a max of 30k if I have read right? Boo!

  • Shelly says:

    I’m new to IHG points, please can you tell me if the accelerate bonus points count towards platinum status? Thanks

    • Rob says:

      No. Following changes last year, the only key things that count towards status are:

      a) base points from stays (not elite status bonuses, not Accelerate bonuses)
      b) points earned from the IHG credit card (but NOT the sign-up bonus)
      c) points you transfer in from Virgin Atlantic

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