IHG Rewards Club has an offer for elite members for purchases from August 12 to August 26 giving double points. The offer allows the purchase of 60,000 points at $11.50 per 1,000 points, $690 all-in, with an additional 60,000 bonus points for 120,000 points in all.
$690 buys 120,000 IHG Rewards Club points.
Rate = $5.75 per 1,000 points.
This offer allows the purchase of any amount of points from 1,000 to 60,000 and your points are doubled.
There are three price points for IHG points:
You may purchase points in 1,000 increments:
- 1,000 – 10,000 points for $13.50 per 1,000 points
- 11,000 – 25,000 points for $12.50 per 1,000 points
- 26,000 – 60,000 points for $11.50 per 1,000 points
Since points are doubled during this special offer, the rate is halved:
- 1,000 – 10,000 points for $6.75 per 1,000 points
- 11,000 – 25,000 points for $6.25 per 1,000 points
- 26,000 – 60,000 points for $5.75 per 1,000 points
Considering there was an opportunity to buy points through U.S. Travel Association Daily Getaways at $6.00 per 1,000 points and those packages did not sell out, this offer is probably not too appealing to most readers.
I ended up not buying IHG points during the Daily Getaways sale.
So why do I want to buy IHG points now?
My IHG Rewards Club account balance is 2,724 points.
In 2013 I have redeemed points for hotel nights at
- Crowne Plaza Beverly Hills, California (3 nights for 45,000 points saved $700).
- Holiday Inn Berlin Alexanderplatz (3 nights for 30,000 points saved $700).
- InterContinental Toronto Yorkville (2 nights for 30,000 points Saved $500).
- InterContinental Toronto Centre (3 nights for 45,000 points saved $600).
- Holiday Inn Express Carson City (1 night for 5,000 points saved $125).
- Holiday Inn Express Tooele, Utah (1 night for 5,000 points saved $100).
- Candlewood Suites, Craig Colorado (1 night for 5,000 points saved $100).
14 nights for 165,000 points and room rate savings approximately $2,825.
Redemption value = $17.12 per 1,000 points.
The August promotional offer allows the purchase of points for $5.75 per 1,000 points.
Reasons I want IHG points
PointBreaks at 5,000 points per night.
I stayed three consecutive nights at IHG PointBreaks hotels in July for 5,000 points per night. These hotel stays saved $325.
16,000 points is $108 during this sale.
The next round of PointBreaks hotels should be released about the same time this promotion ends on August 26.
*****
You never know when a good opportunity will arise to spend hotel points. My IHG reward nights for 2013 were such a great value because I had over 100,000 points in January 2013 when there were mistake rates during the days before IHG changed its reward categories worldwide.
Crowne Plaza Beverly Hills and the two Toronto InterContinental hotels were mistake rates available for two or three days. I booked award nights for 15,000 points per night at these three hotels and saved about 150,000 points on these eight award nights.
I cleaned out my account last month when my parents suddenly needed points to book PointBreaks hotels for their summer travel. I had my mother buy IHG points through Daily Getaways at $150 for 25,000 points. One of the hotels on the PointBreaks list she wanted to reserve was dropped off the list before her Daily Getaways points posted. By not having 5,000 points in my account at the time, I let my parents down. I could have booked the PointBreaks room for them if I had not let my account balance drop below 5,000 points. I had too few points to even do “The Trick”.
IHG Daily Getaway points, PointBreaks and the Trick in Pictures – See more at: http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2013/06/28/ihg-daily-getaway-points-pointbreaks-and-the-trick-in-pictures/#sthash.5wyZau9O.dpuf
Based on the value I have received from IHG points so far in 2013, my plan is to buy 52,000 points for $299.
Here is my rationale in a table:
- 5,000 points (PointBreaks) = $28.75 per hotel night.
- 10,000 points (category 1) = $57.50
- 15,000 points (category 2) = $86.25
- 20,000 points (category 3) = $115.00
- 25,000 points (category 4) = $143.75
- 30,000 points (category 5) = $172.50
- 35,000 points (category 6) = $201.25
- 40,000 points (category 7) = $230.00
- 45,000 points (category 8) = $258.75
- 50,000 points (category 9) = $287.50
Any room costing more after tax than these amounts is a room that can be booked for less money using points.
IHG Reward Club as of July 1, 2013 counts reward nights for elite status. Just remember award nights do not earn points or count for promotions.
Personally, I am unlikely to redeem points for any IHG hotel above category 4. My past redemptions of 25,000 points have generally been for hotels with lowest available rates over $300 in a city where all the other chains were charging over $300. That was easier to find when award nights were fixed and any Crowne Plaza was 25,000 points.
The hotel reward night changes to IHG in January 2013 significantly reduced the value of IHG points for hundreds of hotels in the high rate market segment by allowing any IHG brand to increase their cost for reward nights in urban centers and resort areas with high rates.
The real value I see for IHG points is for hotels in Category 1, 2 and 3 where the published rates often exceed the rate to buy points through this deal.
And, of course, PointBreaks are always a great value.
Bottom line is I am an IHG Rewards Club Gold elite and I have the opportunity to buy 52,000 points over the next two weeks at a 50% discount for $299.
I know I will save far more than $299 in future reward nights at IHG brand hotels with 52,000 points in my account.
Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests.
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