IHG Rewards Club is running another one of their point sales. This one matches the best sale ever, offering a 100% bonus on purchased points. I’m not a big fan of buying points when I don’t have a need for them. However, if you’re going to buy points, it’s hard to go wrong when getting IHG points at half price.
IHG points are normally sold for 1 cent each. Each IHG Rewards Member is targeted with a specific offer but no matter which one you receive, you need to buy at least 26,000 points to take full advantage of this offer (purchases of 25,000 points or less are more expensive per point).
In a previous article, I’ve shown the math and how it’s possible to save on anything from the cheapest IHG hotels to ultra-luxury resorts by purchasing points. In fact, I redeemed IHG points for our stay at the Kimpton Gray in Chicago. Rooms cost 50,000 IHG Points a night, which would cost $250 to buy during this sale. If we wanted to pay for a room, they were going for over $400 per night. Even the most basic hotel in Chicago that weekend was going for over $300. In this case, it would make sense for me to buy the points and use them to pay for the stay instead of paying for the room directly.
Points purchases are run through Points.com so you don’t get any bonus for hotel purchases with your credit cards. IHG also limits points purchases to 100,000 points a year (not including the bonus points). Here’s the LINK to the promotion. You can purchase points with this promotion from anytime after signing up until November 30, 2018.
Here’s some examples of how you can use IHG points:
Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora
Rooms cost 70,000 Rewards Club points a night. That’s a $350 purchase if buying points. If paying for the room, I’m finding rates from $700 – $900 a night.
Candlewood Suites, New Braunfels, TX
Award nights here cost 20,000 points a night. During the summer, Friday and Saturday night rates at this hotel can go up to almost $200 a night. Since you can buy 20,000 points for $100, you’re saving 50% of the regular price. However, weekday prices can drop as low as $80 a night. Redeeming an award night you purchased for $100 to get an $80 room is a horrible deal. I booked our rooms for Wednesday and Thursday night with the AAA rate and used reward points for Friday and Saturday night, thereby getting the best value for both reservations.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few examples showing how you can find value from buying IHG Rewards Club points during one of their point sales. There are also examples of when it’s a HORRIBLE idea to use points to book a room. Before buying points, remember you are pre-paying for a hotel room. The money you’re saving is coming with some restrictions in the form of award room availability and limited room types available to book with awards. Don’t buy points and end up looking at your account in a year and wonder how are you going to use these points.
Just a final reminder that IHG points become more valuable if you have one of the IHG credit cards. If you still have the IHG Select card, you get 10% of your points back on every stay booked with points. If you have the new IHG Rewards Club Premier card, you get one night free for all reward stays four nights or longer.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
