Come On IHG, It’s Like You’re Not Even Trying With Accelerate Offers Anymore

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I don’t know what to think about IHG’s Accelerate promotion anymore. When it was first launched, it was one of the most novel promotions out there. With multiple offers and a kicker bonus for completing some or all of the tasks, you were encouraged to game the system. There was a time where I earned 25,000 extra points when I met four out of five of my requirements.

Oh, what I’d do to have those old offers back. Now getting a new Accelerate offer from IHG is like getting news of a new promotion from Starbucks. I’ll look at it, but I’m not holding my breath that it’ll be anything worthwhile,

IHG has managed to underwhelm me so much with their current offer that I think they’re not really even trying anymore.

I was curious when I saw IHG’s email to Sharon about her new offer:

Spend more time doing the little things you love with the people you love—catching up with a friend over dinner, relaxing by the pool, or just wandering around a new city. Sign up for Accelerate and stay at IHG® hotels around the world to enjoy more of those big little moments that matter most.

It’s easy:

•  Sign up for Accelerate by October 18
•  Get up to 40,000 bonus points with personalized offers from September 1 to December 31
•  Redeem rewards for the moments that matter

When you sign up for Accelerate, your next favorite moment is right around the corner.

40,000 points with a personalized offer. What could it be?

• Double Your Stay – Earn double points on every stay, starting with your second stay,  up to 40,000 bonus points.

I guess this is her punishment for fulfilling one of the tasks on the last promotion where she earned an extra 4,000 points for making one stay of four nights or more.

What about my offer? I haven’t credited any stays to my account for over a year. Shouldn’t they be trying to lure me back?

Not really.

• Stay at two brands and get 12,000 bonus points
• Stay 2 weekend(s), including a Saturday night and another night, and earn 8,000 bonus points
• Book one stay(s) using Points & Cash and earn 4,500 bonus points
• Earn 12,000 bonus points when you book 2 stay(s) of 4 or more nights
• Book one stay at any IHG hotel using your IHG Rewards Club Credit Card and earn 1,500 bonus points.

Well, at least this is a decent offer. If I make two stays of four nights which include a Saturday at different brands and if I book one stay with Points & Cash and pay for the other with the IHG card I could fulfill all the requirements.

Still, that only gets me 38,000 points. I could purchase that many points for $190 or less with any of the points sales IHG runs on a regular basis. That’s not worth me moving 8 nights to IHG hotels and booking a Points & Cash stay.

Final Thoughts

IHG has been running these Accelerate offers for a while and one thing I’ve noticed is if I earn any points from one promotion, the next one I receive is really bad. The only people rewarded with good offers are those who don’t stay at IHG hotels.

The current promotion starts on September 1, 2019 and runs through December 31st. You have to register by October 18, 2019 and stays made before you register do not count so you might as well register now. You can find the sign-up page on IHG’s website.

While part of me is disappointed in the recent Accelerate offers we’ve received from IHG, I realize that when hotels are mostly full there’s no need for hotels to give great incentives to put heads in beds. I’ll keep checking out the Accelerate offers, unlike IHG’s Pointsbreak promotion, which I’ve stopped looking at all together.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary