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IHG Rewards has a fantastic promotion called Into the Nights in which you can turn a few cheap stays into free stays at top tier hotels worldwide.
Everyone is given several tasks to complete that vary in difficulty. Each task has an associated amount of bonus points. Complete a set number, and you also earn another set of bonus points or the two Free Nights.
This promotion began two weeks ago, but I avoided writing about it until I knew what “Free Nights” meant.
The word has come back to Gary Leff that these Free Nights are identical to the Free Nights earned by the credit card and can be used at any IHG Rewards property whenever there is award night availability with points.
- What is my targeted offer?
- What is yours?
- Am I participating?
- How should you calculate whether participating is a good deal for you?
My Offer
Here are my six tasks, which add up to 37,200 points.
- 8,800: Stay 6 night(s) at any of IHG’s 4,700 hotels worldwide Terms
- 5,600: Stay 3 Saturdays at any of our IHG hotel brands Terms
- 8,000: Stay at 2 Holiday Inn hotel(s) Terms
- 4,800: Download and sign in to the IHG App and book a stay. The IHG App allows you to get mobile-exclusive rates, access your virtual membership card and more. Terms
- 2,000: Apply here for the IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card and earn 2,000 points. Plus, you can earn an additional 60,000 points if you’re approved for the credit card. Terms
- 8,000: Travel 1 time(s) internationally Terms
If I complete five out of six by 12/31/14, I get 14,000 bonus points or two Free Nights. The latter is much more valuable, so I’ll select the two Free Nights. (Not sure how yet, but I’m sure it will be apparent.)
Let’s throw applying for the IHG card out immediately. There are other Chase cards I’d rather get.
That means I’d have to complete the other five tasks. The quickest way to do that would be:
- 6 nights on 3 stays
- Including 3 Saturdays
- 2 of which are at Holiday Inn, the brand of the 3rd stay doesn’t matter
- 1 of which is international, the country of the other 2 stays doesn’t matter
- 1 of which is booked on the IHG app
Assuming I can find hotels for about $70 all in per night, that would be $420 spent to earn 37,000 bonus points, two Free Nights, as well as the normal points from $420 worth of stays. You earn 10 points per dollar at some properties and 5 points per dollars at others.
Let’s assume the stays earn me 3,500 more points because of the normal earning rate.
That’s 40,500 points and Two Free Nights for $420. I value each point at 0.5 cents and each Free Night at $200. That means I’d get over $600 worth of points and nights for spending $420.
It looks like I’d come out ahead if I can find cheap hotels for the stays and as long as this doesn’t take too much of my valuable time. Note that I’m also assigning zero value to my stays because I don’t have any upcoming hotel needs yet. If I actually get more than zero value from my stays, then this becomes an even better value.
Your Offer
Find your offer by signing into the Into the Nights promotion. Share it in the comments. I think less active members tend to get better offers.
Should you participate? It’s a math problem.
Add up the costs:
- the cost of the hotel room
- if you are only getting the hotel for this promo, the cost of your transportation to the hotel
- if you are only getting the hotel for this promo, the cost of your time checking in
Add up the benefits:
- the points earned on the hotel
- the bonus points earned for tasks
- the two Free Nights
- the value of the stays
Convert the time costs to dollars. Convert the points and nights earned to dollars.
If benefits exceed costs, go all in. The costs exceed benefits, don’t participate in the promo.
You’ll be much more likely to see benefits exceed costs if you have a need for the hotel room for an already planned pleasure or business trip.
Who’s going all in with Into the Nights? Where will you use the Free Nights?
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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Here is my offer, does this mean that I can stay at any of the IHG properties to qualify? Also, if I book a hotel and not show up, would that count?
-Stay twice and get a free night or 25,000 points or 10,000 miles (1,250 AIR MILES or 160 Airpoints). Book your stay on our ihg.com web/mobile sites or IHG App. Terms
-Stay twice again and get a 2nd free night or 25000 bonus points or 10,000 miles. Book your stay on our ihg.com web/mobile sites or IHG App. Terms
Everyone doesn’t have 6 tasks, nor do they need to complete 5. The numbers of tasks and number you need to complete vary wildly. I have to complete 4 out of 5. My wife needs to compete 3 out of 3. Looks like you just posted this. Might wanna edit it before more people read it. Also, feel free to delete this comment afterwards.
Scott,
Do you know if you can use the 2 free nights at any hotel, or is it limited to a certain category or sans Intercon? I mean 2 nights in Bora Bora has some serious value.
Here is mine (I am not very active):
500 – Stay more
Stay 3 night(s) at any of IHG’s 4,700 hotels worldwide
500 – Book with IHG
Book 2 stays directly on the ihg.com web/mobile sites or IHG App
500 Weekender
Stay 2 Saturdays at any of our IHG hotel brands
500 Change your view
Stay at 2 Holiday Inn hotel(s)
250 – Download the IHG App
Download and sign in to the IHG App
So, not a lot of points, but looks like one could get the 2 free nights for just 3 stays!
I need six nights in any property (plus a couple of other things that would be picked up while doing that). Unfortunately I have no planned trips that would logically be a time for those stays, and I don’t see doing six mattress runs for the bonus. That would end up costing me more than what I’d be willing to spend for two “free” nights. So I’m taking a pass on this promotion. Everyone should check what their offer is, but not everyone will get something exciting.
+1
With advent of Airbnb, a night became worth a lot less. Its now possible to find very good accomodations in even the most expensive cities for a fraction of the overpriced hotels….especially the US based chain hotels.
Not everything gary says is accurate. Im going to find out first hand and make sure its any property with free nights before i start
Sorry Scott, I’m not buying it yet…. not yet convinced. I WANT to believe you, to believe Gary Leff, Drew M., etc….. But you would have us believe “the WORD” sent down to Gary from his sources, never mind that they are very much in tension with miserably written Terms & Conditions that we’re all supposed to sign off on each and every time we check our offer status?
Why on earth can this incompetent company get its act together? Until I see it in writing, or even if I get a WRITTEN email from a NAMED customer service representative (not based in the Philippines), I just don’t trust this.
Why should we? Do you do business this way usually? Trusting an un-named “WORD” sent down to a blogger?
My offer has CHANGED. On the 1st or 2nd day to sign up I had the Minimum 3 stay offers. I Logged in later and my offer jumped to 7 nights! I logged in a day later and it dropped BACK Down to 3 stays! So I took a screen shot. Over a week later, today, I log in and I am back to the min 7 days (or 3 & CC). I looked at my screen shot and it doesn’t really give any info.. when you are logged in id doesn’t show your account info to show you are actually logged in. So I think I am probably at their mercy with the switching offers.
I was wondering if others have noticed this?
Scott
My offer is: 12,000 for 14 nights, 6.,400 for 4 Saturdays and 1,500 for book and pay with IHG card
My bonus is 30,100 or two free nights. For a total of 50k plus points earned
By juggling a few stays I booked as reward nights to paid nights I will have 16 nights, 4 Sat and all booked online and paid with IHG card.
I sorry I have a business trip the weekend of FTU Advanced.
Does anyone know how long the Free Stay vouchers will be good for? I’m assuming 12-months, just like the free anniversery stay for having the IHG card.
My page shows:
– zero available offers
– zero potential offer points
– 50000 potential bonus points (Two instances of “Stay twice and get a free night or 25,000 points…”)
J
@Zach I believe the nights need to be redeemed by Dec 31 2015
Can I make one stay and qualify for multiple activities? For example, I need to stay 3 nights at any hotel worldwide, then stay 2 nights at any Holiday Inn hotel, then 2 Saturdays at any IHG hotels. What if I stayed 3 Saturday nights at Holiday Inn, do I qualify for all 3?
I just signed up for IHG today, and got a very different offer, namely two of these:
25,000 points or 1 Free Night(s)
Stay twice and get a free night or 25,000 points or 10,000 miles (1,250 AIR MILES or 160 Airpoints). Book your stay on our ihg.com web/mobile sites or IHG App.
25,000 points or 1 Free Night(s)
Stay twice again and get a 2nd free night or 25000 bonus points or 10,000 miles. Book your stay on our ihg.com web/mobile sites or IHG App. Terms
That’s it. There’s an icon to unlock more things once I do those. Tempting, if I can get a night at the Intercontinental (etc) in NYC for two holiday inn stays…
I had to do 5 of the 5 offers and my first offer required 8 nights! =/ No thanks.
Does an award night count as a stay (for the purposes of this promotion)?
My offer was 6 steps for only 12,500 points. My husband got 2 offers, both were stay 2 nights and get one free or get 25,ooo pts for a total of 50,000 pts (like Kevin, the first poster). We were needing hotel stays for a short vacation anyway.
@Tom no award nights do not count
I have offer which includes staying at Holiday Inn hotel. Will this offer include stay at Holiday Inn Express as well?
NO. Those are separate brands.