IHG One Rewards is an underdog of the resort 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 increased 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 focus on methods to maximize IHG One Rewards redemptions.
Calculate your redemption charge
IHG started utilizing dynamic award pricing in 2020. Now, all IHG award stays are priced dynamically, that means the variety of factors you may must redeem for a keep varies primarily based in your reserving date, the property you select, your keep dates and different elements.
That mentioned, getting good worth out of your IHG One Rewards factors remains to be doable. TPG’s valuations peg the worth of IHG factors at 0.5 cents every, however you possibly can usually get a better redemption charge when redeeming IHG factors.
For instance, let’s assume you wish to e-book an ordinary room with two queen beds on the Lodge 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. Should you redeem IHG factors, you’d get a redemption charge of 0.677 cents per level.
That mentioned, you will not all the time get redemption worth. So, all the time evaluate 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 on your keep and saving your factors for a higher-value redemption.
Associated: The 19 greatest IHG resorts on the earth
Be versatile
One other strategy to maximize your IHG factors is to be as versatile as doable. For instance, you possibly can save factors (or cash) within the above instance by shifting your keep to different dates. Particularly, you possibly can 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.
Join our each day e-newsletter
Likewise, if you’re versatile as to the place you keep in a metropolis — and even town you go to — you could possibly 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 via Sunday keep mentioned within the earlier part. By doing so, you possibly can redeem 77,000 factors or pay $561.41 on your three-night keep, supplying you with a redemption charge of 0.729 cents per level when you redeem factors.
Briefly, being versatile will help you redeem fewer factors on your stays and maximize your factors.
Associated: What bank card do you have to use for IHG stays?
Examine Factors and Money redemptions
It is also price checking Factors and Money charges. Because the title 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 choosing “Factors + Money” as soon as you choose a resort from the search outcomes.
Like all redemptions, run the numbers to see if a Factors and Money reserving is smart. Within the above three-night keep instance, you possibly can e-book a room that may price $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, you might be higher off redeeming factors or money for the whole thing of the keep. That mentioned, it might typically make sense to make use of Factors and Money redemptions when you’re working low on factors. And in some instances, you need to use Factors and Money bookings to successfully purchase IHG factors at charge.
Simply notice that once you make a Factors and Money reservation, you are successfully shopping for factors utilizing the money portion of the reserving. Ought to it’s essential cancel, your refund will come totally in factors slightly than the mix of money and factors you initially used.
Associated: Must you purchase IHG Rewards factors or switch factors from Chase?
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 possibly can 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 evening on an award keep of 4 nights or longer to price 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 choose to redeem IHG factors. You may see the discounted charges in your search outcomes.
There isn’t any cap on what number of occasions you need to use this perk yearly. And you may even get multiple fourth evening 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.
Associated: The extremely straightforward approach of redeeming IHG’s 4th-night reward
Examine for worth drops
You too can maximize your IHG factors by periodically checking for drops in award pricing on 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 you probably have sufficient factors in your account to take action, e-book the brand new keep after which cancel the higher-priced keep).
Associated: How rebooking resort stays will help you save on award nights
Know when to purchase IHG factors
You should buy IHG factors for as little as one cent per level once you buy 26,000 IHG factors or extra. Shopping for IHG factors at this charge is normally not a good suggestion, although.
In any case, IHG limits the factors you should buy every calendar yr. And IHG often 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 possibly can usually get when redeeming IHG factors. So, when you 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 presents a 100% bonus.
Associated: 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. Incomes IHG elite standing might provide you with extra perks in your stays, making your award stays extra useful.
The most effective perks — like the choice to decide on breakfast as a welcome amenity at full-service and select-service manufacturers — are solely out there 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 possibly can 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 strategy 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 may possible discover snagging IHG elite standing worthwhile. Plus, when you join InterContinental Ambassador, you may get further perks at InterContinental and Six Senses properties taking part in IHG One Rewards (even once you redeem IHG factors on your keep).
Associated: IHG meals and beverage rewards at the moment are redeemable at choose properties
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 may get strong worth out of your IHG factors.
In fact, you may must resolve what a adequate redemption charge is. I normally resolve whether or not to e-book a paid charge or redeem factors primarily based on what number of factors are in my account, whether or not there are any present IHG resort promotions for paid stays and whether or not I will be getting a number of fourth-night rewards if I redeem IHG factors.
Further reporting by Andrew Kunesh.