Up to 100% Bonus on Buying IHG Points Means $29 Hotels

MileValue is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer be available. You can view current offers here.

Until August 31, 2015, you can buy IHG Rewards Club points and get up to a 100% bonus on the points purchased.

Head to this page and enter your IHG Rewards Club number to what bonus between 50% and 100% you get. I got a 100% bonus.

IHG is the loyalty program of these brands, including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn.

IHG points normally cost 1.15 to 1.35 cent each.

• 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

With the 100% bonus, the price drops to 0.575 to 0.675 cents per point. If you buy 26,000 IHG points before August 31–the smallest number that gets the lowest price–you’ll receive 52,000 points for $299 or 0.575 cents each.

The maximum number of points you can purchase is 60,000 plus bonus points, meaning 90,000 to 120,000 total points depending on your bonus.

IHG has nine categories of hotels that cost 10,000 to 50,000 points per night. There are some OK deals on this chart, but the best use of IHG Rewards points is always to book PointBreaks hotels for 5,000 points per night.

Buying points for 0.575 cents each and redeeming free nights at the 5,000 point PointBreaks price means hotels cost $28.75 per night.

When to Buy (Math)

If you have a 50% or 60% bonus, do not buy. Points are more than 0.7 cents each, and you can always buy points for 0.7 cents each with this method. If you have a 70%+ bonus, points are less than 0.7 cents each, and you can consider buying.

Is buying IHG points for 0.575 to 0.677 cents each a good deal?

I would not buy IHG points speculatively for 0.575 cents each because I value them at 0.5 cents each. But if you have an immediate high value redemption in mind or if you are preparing your account for future PointBreaks, buying points can be a good deal.

For instance, with a 100% bonus, PointBreaks hotels are $28.75 per night. Category 1 properties would be $57.50 per night. Top tier Category 9 properties would be $287.50 per night. For all these categories, you can get a big discount off the retail nightly rate if you travel at a peak time.

Search your dream hotel to see how many points you’d need to book the hotel you want for a night. Search the dates you’d like to stay to see the paid price. If buying the points makes sense, there is award space on your dates, and you are ready to redeem now, buy the points.

For instance, this summer The InterContinental Resort and Spa Moorea Hotelin French Polynesia costs 40,000 points (Category 7) per night or about $313 after taxes.

For $690, you can but 120,000 IHG Rewards points and redeem them for three free nights at the hotel, saving $249 off of retail.

Buy IHG Points with These Credit Cards

IHG points purchases are processed by points.com, so the purchases will not code as a bonus “travel” or “hotel” purchase on any credit card. You will not earn category bonuses from the purchase of IHG points.

That means you should make the purchase with whatever card you need to meet a minimum spending requirement on.

Bottom Line

You can buy IHG Points for as little as 0.575 cents each if you are targeted for the 100% bonus. That’s too high to buy speculatively, but there are a lot of immediate awards you can book where that price offers great value.

The best use of IHG Rewards points is always to book PointBreaks hotels for 5,000 points per night.