IHG, also known as InterContinental Hotels Group, has recently launched a short-term points sale for its IHG One Rewards members. This sale allows members to purchase up to 300,000 points at a cost of just 0.5 cents per point. The sale runs for eight days, so if you need to top up your account, don’t wait too long and miss out on this opportunity.
Here are some key terms to note for this points sale:
– The offer is available for qualifying purchases made between January 26th, 2024, and February 2nd, 2024.
– Members will receive a 100% bonus on points purchased when they buy a minimum of 11,000 points in a single transaction.
– Members can purchase a maximum of 150,000 points in a calendar year, so the number of points you can buy during the sale period depends on how many points you’ve already purchased in the same year.
– Members can also gift or receive a maximum of 150,000 points from other members during the sale period, subject to any points already gifted or received in the same calendar year.
– Purchased points and bonus points do not count towards IHG One Rewards Elite status.
– Purchased points are non-refundable and can be used for all IHG One Rewards awards.
– It may take up to 72 hours for points to appear in the recipient’s account.
Now let’s take a closer look at the numbers. There are two variables in this sale: the bonus and the cost per point. It’s important to consider both factors when deciding how many points to purchase. Just because there’s a 100% bonus doesn’t mean you should overlook the cost per point.
For example, if you buy the minimum number of points required to trigger the 100% bonus (22,000 points), you would pay $126.50, resulting in a cost per point of 0.575 cents. On the other hand, if you purchase the maximum allowable points (300,000 points), you would pay $1,500 and get a cost per point of 0.500 cents. So, the number of points you choose to buy does matter, even though most purchases will trigger the 100% bonus.
It’s also worth noting an odd anomaly in IHG Rewards’ points sales. You can buy 26,000 points for less than it costs to buy 23,000 points, 27,000 points for less than 24,000 points, and 28,000 points for less than 25,000 points. This peculiarity arises because IHG sets a higher cost per point for purchases of 25,000 points or less. However, the 100% bonus remains independent of this cost per point. To get the best value, it’s recommended to buy at least 26,000 IHG Rewards points.
Now, should you buy points? As always, it’s essential to have a solid plan for how you’ll use the points before making a purchase. At 0.5 cents per point, this sale can offer great deals at some of IHG’s more expensive properties. For example, a room costing 65,000-75,000 points per night would effectively cost you $325-$375 per night (including taxes and fees) if you use points purchased in this sale. This can often be a significant saving compared to the cash rate.
Furthermore, despite recent devaluations, it’s still possible to book high-end properties with fewer points since IHG introduced dynamic pricing. However, make sure to check that the cash price for the same night isn’t very low, as this would make an award booking uneconomical.
If you have the right credit card, the deals can get even better. For example, the card_name offers cardholders a 4th night free on all award bookings. If you hold this card and buy enough points to book four nights, the value you’ll be getting will be even better. This can result in a significantly lower cash cost for a four-night stay at properties like the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.
It’s also worth considering that holders of the card_name receive an Anniversary Free Night Certificate as one of the card benefits. By purchasing cheap points in sales like this, certificate holders can add points to the value of their certificate and redeem it at more expensive properties.
In conclusion, it’s important to assess the cost of a night at the properties you want to visit and compare it to the cost of an award night paid for with points purchased in this sale. By doing this simple comparison, you can determine whether buying points in this sale is a good idea for you.