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 greater than TPG’s valuation — and the speed at which you should purchase IHG factors throughout 100% bonus purchase factors gross sales — when redeeming IHG factors. So on this information, we’ll focus on 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 need 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. When you redeem IHG factors, you’d get a redemption charge of 0.677 cents per level.
That stated, you will not all the time get an excellent 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, think about reserving a paid charge to your keep and saving your factors for a higher-value redemption.
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Be versatile
One other method to maximize your IHG factors is to be as versatile as doable. For instance, you can save factors (or cash) within the above instance by shifting your keep to different dates. Particularly, you can redeem 105,000 factors or pay $790.92 for a three-night keep in the event you shifted your keep to test in on Sunday. Doing so would offer you a redemption charge of 0.753 cents per level in the event you redeemed factors.
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Likewise, if you’re 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 determine to avoid wasting by staying out close to the Savannah airport for the Thursday by means of Sunday keep mentioned within the earlier part. By doing so, you can redeem 77,000 factors or pay $561.41 to your three-night keep, supplying you with a redemption charge of 0.729 cents per level in the event you redeem factors.
Briefly, being versatile may help you redeem fewer factors to your stays and maximize your factors.
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Test Factors and Money redemptions
It is also value 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 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 sensible. Within the above three-night keep instance, you can e-book a room that might 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 circumstances, it’s possible you’ll be higher off redeeming factors or money for the whole lot of the keep. That stated, it could typically make sense to make use of Factors and Money redemptions in the event you’re operating low on factors. And in some circumstances, you need to use Factors and Money bookings to successfully purchase IHG factors at an excellent charge.
Simply be aware that while you make a Factors and Money reservation, you are successfully shopping for factors utilizing the money portion of the reserving. Ought to it’s good to cancel, your refund will come completely in factors fairly than the mixture of money and factors you initially used.
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Use the fourth-night reward perk
You probably 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 completely 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 is not any cap on what number of instances you need to use this perk yearly. And you may even get a couple of 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.
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Test for value drops
You too can maximize your IHG factors by periodically checking for drops in award pricing to 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 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 may help you save on award nights
Know when to purchase IHG factors
In any case, IHG limits the factors you should purchase 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, in the event you often get greater than 0.5 cents per IHG level in your redemptions and discover your steadiness getting low, think about shopping for factors subsequent time IHG affords a 100% bonus.
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Snag IHG elite standing
As talked about above, IHG elite standing is extra priceless than ever. Incomes IHG elite standing may offer you extra perks in your stays, making your award stays extra priceless.
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 depend as qualifying nights. However, if Diamond Elite standing is out of attain, you 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 purchase your method 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, in the event you join InterContinental Ambassador, you may get further perks at InterContinental and Six Senses properties collaborating in IHG One Rewards (even while you redeem IHG factors to your keep).
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Backside line
It is comparatively simple 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.
After all, you may need to determine what a ok redemption charge is. I often determine 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 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.
