Every six months or so IHG gives members the ability to buy IHG hotel points. While we did not buy any points during lockdown, it’s now worth having another look. In December IHG are running a double points promotion which is well worth the investment.
I recently purchased 400,000 IHG points for USD2,000 which was around AUD3,000. I was able to save approx 30% off the refundable rack rate by using points. This gave me 10 nights at various hotels and I still have 25,000 points left to play with!
| Refundable Rack Rate | Points Needed | Total cost | Nights Stayed | Total Savings | % savings | |
| Crowne Plaza Milan City | $366.00 | 36,000 | $268.27 | 3 | $293.18 | 27% |
| Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay | $305.00 | 28,000 | $208.66 | 2 | $192.69 | 32% |
| Hotel Indigo London Kensington | $483.00 | 48,000 | $357.70 | 3 | $375.91 | 26% |
| Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong | $382.00 | 33,500 | $249.64 | 2 | $264.72 | 35% |
| $1,126.50 | 29% |
In this post:
Pros Of Buying Hotel Points From IHG
- You can save approx 30% off the fully flexible rack rate and over 10% of the prepaid rate,
- Bookings are fully flexible which means you can cancel at any time. Read our story on why you should never prepay hotels to learn why this is important,
- No expiry on points, which means if you do cancel you can rebook later,
- Points are posted to your IHG account immediately which means you can quickly book the room you need,
- Access over 6,000 hotels and around the world,
- IHG has a broad variety of brands with great facilities. The IHG website allows you to search for features such as pools, gym etc, and
- Breakfast is included with Holiday Inn Express Hotels!
Cons Of Buying Hotel Points from IHG
- Only the base rooms are available and you cannot access more comfortable or club rooms,
- You are locked into the IHG brand hotels for your holiday,
- Not every hotel offers Reward Rooms so you need to check before purchasing your points,
- IHG have demand based pricing on reward rooms which means that some nights are more expensive than others,
- Stays don’t contribute towards status and you don’t receive points for your stay.
How Do I Find Reward Nights On IHG?
The IHG site is very well designed and easy to use. When looking for a hotel choose the Reward Nights option in the Rate Preference List Box. The average rate per night is then displayed.
Should I Pay Full Price For IHG Points
The short answer is no. Based on my worked example you will be paying significantly more for each room. The great thing about IHG is they allow points and pay so you will always be able to make the difference if needed.
What Card Should I Use For Buying Points in USD
Before purchasing make sure your points do not charge a fee for a FX transaction. I use the Commbank Bank Ultimate Awards Credit Card as it has a good FX rate and does not charge an international fee.
