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Courtesy of Willard InterContinental
- IHG Rewards is the loyalty program of InterContinental Hotels Group, which includes brands like Kimpton, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and Staybridge Suites.
- You'll earn IHG points when you stay at IHG hotels or spend with partners, but it's even easier if you have an IHG Rewards credit card or a card that earns points you can transfer to IHG.
- You can redeem IHG points for stays at over 6,000 hotels worldwide, use IHG's Points & Cash feature to stretch their overall value, convert points to gift cards or merchandise, donate them to charities, or share them with a friend.
- Read Insider's guide to the best hotel credit cards.
Whether you enjoy staying at luxury and boutique hotels, or prefer family-friendly brands, joining IHG Rewards Club is a no-brainer. As a member (it's free to join), you'll get perks like complimentary Wi-Fi, no blackout dates, award nights that count toward elite status, a dedicated concierge, and special rates just for members.
With more than 6,000 properties worldwide including brands like InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, Holiday Inn, and Staybridge Suites, it's well worth being a part of this loyalty program.
IHG Rewards points are a valuable travel rewards currency if you know how to use them, as you can redeem points for hotel stays, flights, activities, and a host of other travel-related purchases. Here's everything you'll need to know to start earning, redeeming, and maximizing your IHG points.
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
How to earn IHG points
IHG has two main categories of points: non-elite-qualifying bonus points, which help you earn rewards via special promotions, and elite-qualifying base points, which you can redeem for rewards, upgrades, and maintaining elite status.
You can generally earn base points by staying at IHG properties and by booking through IHG's various travel, dining, and shopping partners. Here's a look at some of the best ways to earn IHG points.
Use Chase IHG co-branded credit cards
If you're just getting started, the quickest way to accrue IHG points is by signing up for one of its three co-branded credit cards.
IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Product Name Only
You can earn
The annual fee is
Staying at IHG properties earns you up to 26x points, you'll earn 5x points on eligible travel, dining, and gas stations purchases, and 3x points on all other purchases. The card comes with automatic Platinum elite status, and offers a free anniversary night certificate each year, valid for use at any IHG hotel worldwide that costs up to 40,000 points per night — with the option to top up the certificate with points for more expensive hotels.
With the card, you'll also get the fourth reward night free when you redeem three or more nights, a credit of up to $100 toward the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee, up to $50 per year in United Travel Bank cash, 10,000 bonus IHG points and a $100 statement credit each account anniversary year you spend $20,000 on purchases (and make one additional purchase at least one day after you spend $20,000), and solid travel and purchase protections.
Here's our IHG One Rewards Premier credit card review with all the details.
IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card
The
This card doesn't come with the bells and whistles of the
Cardholders earn up to 17x points when they stay at IHG properties, plus 3x points on utilities, internet, cable, phone, select streaming services, dining, and gas, and 2x points on all other purchases. You'll also get a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for stays of at least three nights, Automatic IHG Silver elite status with an upgrade to Gold elite status after spending $20,000 on purchases in a calendar year and making one additional purchase, and 10,000 bonus points when you spend at least $10,000 and make one additional purchase with the card.
You can check out our IHG One Rewards Club Travel card review for a closer look at what this card has to offer.
IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card - Product Name Only
The
Cardholders earn up to 26x points at IHG hotels, 5x points on travel and at gas stations, dining, social media and search engine advertising, and at office supply stores, and 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
The card comes with similar benefits to the personal
Transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG Rewards Club
If you prefer flexible rewards, cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points could be a better choice. IHG is one of over a dozen Chase Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel transfer partners, and you can move points to the program at a 1:1 ratio in 1,000-point increments.
You can earn transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points with the following cards:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — Earn60,000 points , plus 2x points on dining and travel. Here's our Chase Sapphire Preferred card review.Chase Sapphire Reserve® — This premium credit card offers50,000 points and comes with valuable travel perks. Find out more in our Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card review.Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card — Small-business owners can earn100,000 points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening , plus get handy benefits like cell phone protection. Read our Chase Ink Business Preferred review for more details.
Keep in mind you can transfer points to any of the Chase cards mentioned above from no-annual-fee Chase cards like the
Transfer points from Bilt Rewards to IHG
The Bilt Rewards program partners with over a dozen airline and hotel loyalty programs, including IHG. You can transfer Bilt points to IHG at a 1:1 ratio, and occasionally there are transfer bonuses.
The easiest way to earn Bilt points is with the
Here's our Bilt Mastercard card review with more information.
Maximize your stays at IHG hotels and resorts
As an IHG Rewards Club member, you'll earn 10x points for paid stays at most IHG brands (except Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, which earn 5x points).
You'll also earn 10x points at Mr & Mrs Smith properties, and 2,000 points per stay when you book InterContinental Alliance Resorts like the Venetian Resort Las Vegas and the Palazzo at the Venetian Resort, or 10 points per dollar at the Venetian Macao, the Londoner Macao, and the Parisian Macao.
Staying at IHG Residence properties will earn you 2.5 points per dollar, while stays at IHG Army Hotels will earn you 3 points per dollar. If you have one of the Chase IHG Rewards credit cards, you'll earn an extra 10 points per dollar with the
There are also ways to earn bonus points during your stay. You'll get 1,000 elite-qualifying bonus points per night just for being an IHG Rewards Club member and can earn up to 5,000 extra points with bonus points packages when booking stays at participating InterContinental properties.
Depending on your hotel and elite status level, you might also be able to earn points as a welcome gift. Be sure to book directly with your desired IHG property — not an online travel agency or third-party travel site — to earn points and receive other status-related benefits.
Earn IHG points through your elite status
Earning elite status with IHG can lead to even more benefits if you travel frequently. As an IHG Rewards Club Member, you'll get complimentary Wi-Fi, members-only rates, a dedicated concierge, no blackout dates, and award nights that count toward elite status.
Silver Elite Status, which comes automatically with the
Gold Elite status, which normally requires you to stay 20 qualifying nights or earn 40,000 qualifying points in a year, adds 40% more points per stay and rollover status nights.
Diamond Elite status takes all that plus lets you earn 100% more points per stay, and adds upgrades to Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status and a dedicated Diamond support line. Diamond status normally requires 70 qualifying nights or 120,000 qualifying points in a year.
InterContinental lovers can also pay $200 to become part of the InterContinental Ambassador program, which offers instant Platinum Elite status and benefits like late 4 p.m. check-out, complimentary weekend nights, guaranteed room upgrades, premium Wi-Fi, free mineral water, and a $20 bar and restaurant credit per stay.
If you're lucky enough to be invited, Kimpton Inner Circle gives you all the perks of IHG Diamond Elite status so you can earn 100% more points for your stay, and adds unique benefits like a free night at the newest Kimpton hotel and a special treat from the chef at Kimpton restaurants. Amenity fees are waived, an upgrade to the next category is guaranteed, and there's a VIP customer service hotline just in case.
Buy IHG Rewards points
IHG cardholders save 20% when buying IHG points through the website. Points must be purchased in increments of 1,000 and start at $10.80 per 1,000 points for IHG cardholders, and $13.50 per 1,000 points for everyone else. Note that you're only allowed to buy 150,000 points per calendar year.
Use IHG's shopping, dining, and travel partnerships
You can even earn IHG points for making dinner reservations through OpenTable (500 points), visiting local attractions or taking guided tours (1,000 points), and booking transportation (1,000 points).
You'll earn 500 points for having your first meal delivered to a participating IHG hotel via Grubhub and 250 points on future hotel food deliveries. Renting a car through Hertz can earn you 1,500 points, while Diamond Elite members enjoy a complimentary upgrade to Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status. Fans of Apple products can earn 4x points on eligible purchases made through this IHG partner link.
Join IHG Rewards Club Dine & Earn
IHG Rewards Club Dine & Earn is IHG's dining program, which lets new members earn 1,000 bonus points after spending more than $30 and completing an online review during their first month. After dining at participating restaurants, cafés, and bars 11 times before the end of the year, you'll receive VIP status that carries through the following year, giving you access to a VIP Member Services hotline, and letting you earn eight points per dollar on dining.
Sign up for IHG Rewards Club promotions
Check your inbox for exclusive promotions and offers to earn more points per stay. For example, we've seen offers to earn 2,000 bonus points for every two nights, or an extra 10,000 points for IHG Rewards Club cardholders on their first stay when using their card.
Earn more with IHG Business Rewards
If you're constantly booking meetings, conferences, weddings, business trips, and other events for someone else, IHG Business Rewards lets you earn 3 points per dollar on accommodations, meetings, and events. Points count toward your own personal elite status and can be used to redeem reward nights for business or personal use, or for office supplies, vouchers, and other business needs.
Refer friends to IHG Rewards Club credit cards
When you refer a friend to apply for one of the IHG Rewards Club credit cards, you can earn 10,000 points for each referral, or up to 50,000 points per year.
Best ways to use IHG points
IHG doesn't have an award chart — instead, the number of points required for a free night varies by property, season, and date. You can expect to pay 10,000 to 70,000 points per night at most hotels, although a few high-end resorts charge up to 100,000 points per night.
If you choose to use IHG points for other redemptions, like merchandise or events, you'll usually get a lower value than if you redeemed points for an award stay.
Redeem IHG points for dream vacations
You can use your IHG points to stay at some of the most luxurious hotels and resorts in the world, whether you're in search of a romantic getaway, family vacation, solo travel escape, or dream honeymoon. Here are a few examples:
- InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora (70,000 points per night)
- Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa (70,000 points per night)
- Kimpton Dewitt Amsterdam (58,000 points per night)
- Hotel Indigo Hong Kong Island (32,000 points per night)
Stretch your savings with Points & Cash
If you'd rather make your points last, you can make the most of your redemption by using Points & Cash to pay for your award nights. This benefit lets you book stays for as low as 5,000 points per night plus the cash difference as determined by IHG's dynamic pricing.
Use the fourth reward night benefit
IHG cardholders get four reward nights for the price of three when redeeming points for stays of three or more nights, giving you yet another reason to choose that redemption property wisely.
Redeem your IHG Premier anniversary night
If you have the
While this certainly narrows down your options, IHG has added the ability to "top off" a free night certificate with an unlimited number of points from your account. So, for instance, if you wanted to book a hotel that costs 50,000 points per night, you could redeem a free night certificate plus 10,000 points for the room.
Other ways to redeem IHG points
Opt for airline miles instead of IHG Rewards points
If you'd rather receive airline miles for your stays instead of IHG Rewards points, that's an option, though redemption rates vary by airline. IHG has dozens of airline partners, including American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, and United Airlines.
Donate IHG points to charity
You can donate IHG points in increments of 2,500, 5,000, or 10,000 to the American Red Cross, Goodwill, CARE International, No Kid Hungry, or the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) to make a difference.
Transfer IHG points to a friend
There's also an option to transfer IHG points to a friend or family member at a cost of $5 per 1,000 points, or buying them through IHG's website. To avoid the fee, you can use your points to book an award night for others, but you'll have to add the person's name to the reservation when you book online or by phone.
Redeem IHG points for gift cards, digital rewards, merchandise, and magazines
IHG allows you to turn your points into gift cards from dozens of brands — it's 13,000 points for a $25 gift card and 25,000 points for a $50 gift card — or you can put them toward eBooks, eNewspapers, eMagazines, games, movies, and computer software via IHG's digital rewards catalog.
You can also shop for jewelry, sports equipment, technology, and health and wellness products through IHG's online catalog. And if you're looking for something to read on the plane, you can redeem IHG points for subscriptions to magazines and newspapers.
Some of these redemptions are as low as 100 IHG points, so if you haven't had any activity in your account recently, this is a good way to keep your IHG points from expiring.
Use IHG points to attend special events
Through IHG Auctions, you can redeem IHG points for concerts, sports, special events, or other experiences.