Maximizing redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program

IHG One Rewards often isn’t as well loved in the points and miles community as programs like Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt. But IHG hotels and resorts are available in many destinations, and it’s easy to get good value when redeeming IHG points.

Earning IHG points is also relatively easy. For example, new applicants for the $99-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card can earn 165,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. And new applicants for the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months.

So, let’s discuss how to maximize IHG One Rewards redemptions.

IHG began using dynamic award pricing in 2020. Now, all IHG award stays are priced dynamically, meaning the number of points you’ll need to redeem for a stay varies based on your booking date, the property you choose, your stay dates and other factors.

But even with dynamic pricing, getting good value from your IHG One Rewards points is still possible. TPG’s valuations peg the value of IHG points at 0.5 cents each, but you can often get a higher redemption rate when redeeming IHG points.

For example, let’s assume you want to book a standard room with one king bed at the Holiday Inn Savannah Historic District for the night of Nov. 8. You could book a rate with no breakfast but free cancellation until two days before your stay for $357 or 47,000 points. If you redeem IHG points for this night, you’ll get a redemption rate of 0.76 cents per point.

That said, you won’t always get a good redemption value. So, always compare the cash rate to the points rate and calculate your redemption rate. If your redemption rate is low, consider booking a paid rate for your stay and saving your points for a higher-value redemption.

Related: The 19 best IHG hotels in the world

Be flexible

Another way to maximize your IHG points is to be as flexible as possible. For example, you could save points (or money) in the above example by shifting your stay to other dates. Specifically, you could redeem 43,000 points or pay $340 if you shifted your one-night stay a few weeks later.

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Likewise, if you are flexible as to where you stay in a city — or even the city you visit — you may be able to redeem fewer points. For example, you might decide to save by staying out near the Savannah airport for the one-night stay discussed in the previous section. By doing so, you could redeem 32,000 points or pay $247 for your stay.

In short, being flexible can help you redeem fewer points for your stays and maximize your points.

Related: What credit card should you use for IHG stays?

Check Points & Cash redemptions

It’s also worth checking Points & Cash rates. As the name suggests, Points & Cash rates let you combine IHG points and money to stretch your points further. You can see these redemption options by selecting “Points + Cash” once you select a hotel from the search results.

As with all redemptions, run the numbers to see if a Points & Cash booking makes sense. In the above example, you could book a night that would cost $357 or 47,000 points for:

• 47,000 points and $0 (redemption rate of 0.76 cents per point)
• 42,000 points and $33 (redemption rate of 0.77 cents per point)
• 37,000 points and $66 (redemption rate of 0.79 cents per point)
• 32,000 points and $99 (redemption rate of 0.81 cents per point)
• 27,000 points and $124 (redemption rate of 0.86 cents per point)
• 22,000 points and $149 (redemption rate of 0.95 cents per point)

When you make a Points & Cash reservation, you’re actually buying points using the cash portion of the booking. Should you need to cancel, your refund will come entirely in points rather than the combination of cash and points you initially used.

Related: Now you can transfer IHG points to others for free: Here’s how

If you have the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, you can benefit from your card’s fourth-night-reward perk on stays of four nights or more when you book your stay entirely with IHG points. In practice, this perk drops the cost of every fourth night on award stays of four nights or longer to zero points.

To use this perk, log in to an account associated with an eligible IHG credit card, search for a stay of four nights or longer and opt to redeem IHG points. You’ll see the discounted rates in your search results.

There’s no cap on how many times you can use this perk yearly. And you can even get more than one fourth-night reward on a single stay. For example, you’d get two fourth-night rewards on a stay of eight to 11 nights and three on a stay of 12 to 15 nights.

Related: Why you should get (and keep) the IHG One Rewards Premier card

You can also maximize your IHG points by periodically checking for drops in award pricing for your upcoming stays. To do so, do a new award search for your dates and see if the rates are lower. If they are, cancel your stay and rebook (or, if you have enough points in your account to do so, book the new stay and then cancel the higher-priced stay). Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way to re-price IHG stays without making a new booking.

Related: How rebooking hotel stays can help you save on award nights

You can buy IHG points for as low as 1 cent per point when you purchase 26,000 IHG points or more. Although you’ll sometimes get more than 1 cent per IHG point, I don’t recommend buying IHG points at this rate since IHG limits the points you can buy each calendar year. As such, each point you purchase at 1 cent is a point you can’t purchase during IHG’s periodic promotions that let you buy points for as little as 0.5 cents per point.

Buying points at 0.5 cents each matches TPG’s valuation for IHG points and is lower than the redemption rate I usually get when redeeming IHG points. So, if you usually get more than 0.5 cents per point on your IHG award stays and find your balance getting low, consider buying points next time IHG offers a 100% bonus.

Related: Should you buy IHG points or transfer rewards from Chase?

Earning IHG elite status could give you more perks on your stays. The best perks — like the option to choose breakfast as a welcome amenity at full-service and select-service brands — are only available for top-tier Diamond Elite members. You can earn Diamond Elite status by staying 70 qualifying nights, earning 120,000 qualifying points or spending $40,000 on your IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card in a calendar year.

Even if Diamond Elite status is out of reach, it’s still easy to earn Platinum Elite status. This status typically requires 40 qualifying nights or 60,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. But you can get Platinum Elite status as an automatic perk of InterContinental Ambassador, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.

If you want to get the most value from your IHG points, you’ll likely find snagging IHG elite status worthwhile. Plus, if you sign up for InterContinental Ambassador, you’ll get extra perks at InterContinental and Six Senses properties participating in IHG One Rewards.

Related: Confirmable suite upgrades, points and more: Your guide to IHG One Rewards’ Milestone Rewards

It’s relatively easy to maximize redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program. By checking redemption rates before booking and opting to redeem points when the redemption rate is high, you’ll get solid value from your IHG points. And if you don’t already have an IHG credit card, consider adding the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card to your wallet while they’re offering elevated sign-up bonuses.