IHG One Rewards often sells points with a bonus or discount, giving members the chance to scoop up extra points to top up their account or redeem for hotel stays.
This time, IHG One Rewards has launched a flash sale on points that could get you up to a 100% bonus on purchased points.
Buy IHG One Rewards Points with a 100% Bonus
Until December 13, 2024, IHG One Rewards is offering a bonus of up to 100% on purchased points.
While you can purchase IHG One Rewards points any time of the year for 1–1.35 cents per point (USD), this current promotion’s 100% bonus drops your acquisition cost to 0.5 cents per point (USD).
It’s worth noting that you may have a different offer available on your account; however, the best-available offer appears to be a 100% bonus this time around.
With this current sale, you need to purchase a minimum of 5,000 points to qualify for the best-available 100% bonus in a single transaction.
IHG One Rewards points sales typically range between a 80–100% bonus, so this event is in line with the historical best offer.
The program usually allows members to purchase a maximum of 150,000 IHG points in a year; however, with this deal the limit has been doubled.
That means with this deal you could buy 300,000 points and get a bonus 300,000 points for a total of 600,000 IHG points for $3,000 (USD).
Something else to keep in mind when a bonus sale like this happens is the fact InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is one of the world’s biggest hotel chains, with a portfolio of over 6,000 properties.
That gives IHG One Rewards program members a huge selection of hotels to choose from when it comes to earning and redeeming points in more than 100 countries.
Which Credit Card Should You Use to Buy IHG One Rewards Points?
While there’s no longer an IHG One Rewards credit card in Canada, you can still earn points by staying at one of the IHG Group’s hotels or by buying IHG One Rewards points during a bonus sale (like the one happening right now).
Plus, in the United States, there are IHG One Rewards co-branded credit cards issued by Chase, which offer great ways to pad your points balance through welcome bonuses and daily spending.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to purchasing IHG points.
IHG One Rewards points sales are handled by Points.com which won’t code as a travel purchase on credit cards, and you’ll also be charged in US dollars.
Given this, we recommend using a US-issued credit card with a high baseline earning rate, such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card which gives you 2 Capital One Miles per US dollar spent, and using a US address when filling in the purchase information.
This is because Canadian residents are subject to Canadian sales tax on their points purchases since Points.com is registered in Canada. By using a US-issued credit card and US mailing address, you can avoid having your value eroded by the additional sales tax that will be imposed.
Alternatively, if you don’t have access to a US credit card, we would suggest you pay with a Canadian credit card that doesn’t levy foreign transaction fees or at least one that has a minimum spending requirement that you’re currently working to meet.
Who Should Buy IHG One Rewards Points?
If you’re looking to top up your account for specific redemption, this flash sale is certainly worth taking a look at.
If you haven’t bought any IHG One Rewards points so far this year, you can take full advantage of the program’s doubled purchase cap, which when combined with the 100% bonus, would give you 600,000 IHG One Rewards points.
It’s worth noting that IHG One Rewards doesn’t publish an award chart; instead, the program adopts a fully dynamic pricing scheme. This means that the cost of a stay in points fluctuates based on a number of factors, such as dates, demand, and the cash price of a room.
Typically, you can find award nights for under 10,000 points per night in less expensive cities, and as high as 80,000–100,000 points (or more) per night in more expensive hotels under IHG’s portfolio, such as InterContinental, Kimpton, and Six Senses.
Given the dynamic nature of IHG points, there is a limited ability to access outsized value, so you generally only want to buy points with a specific redemption in mind.
Since points programs can change their pricing and their value at any moment, speculatively buying points is considered fairly risky.
However, there’s still the opportunity to get good value out of sales like this. As long as the cost of acquisition is lower than what you’d otherwise pay for cash stays, you can come out ahead.
The best way to redeem IHG One Rewards points is in conjunction with a co-branded credit card issued by Chase, which offer a Fourth Night Free on redemptions.
For example, a good deal on a one-night stay at the InterContinental Bora Bora might cost around 70,000 IHG One Rewards points.
The cash rate for the same night might price out at $536 (USD).
Buying 70,000 points during this sale comes at a cost of $350 (USD), which is a nice discount compared to the cash rate.
However, if you also happen to have an IHG One Rewards co-branded credit card, remember that you’ll get a Fourth Night Free on redemptions.
For a total cost of 210,000 points – which would cost $1,050 (USD) to purchase during this promotion – you could score a four-night stay which would have otherwise cost $1,700 (USD) or more.
There are plenty more iterations of leveraging buying points and redeeming them with a Fourth Night Free. If you find yourself in this situation, be sure to have a look around to see if you can make it work in your favour.
Conclusion
IHG One Rewards has launched a flash sale on points through which you can get up to a 100% bonus on your points purchase.
While IHG One Rewards rolls out promos like this throughout the year, this current offer of a 100% percent bonus is in line with their record high offer and is a great way to help bump up your points balance if you’re planning a future stay at one of IHG’s 6,000+ properties.
If you’re looking to take advantage of this latest deal, make sure to do so by December 13, 2024 when this limited time offer expires.