How to maximize award redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

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 140,000 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 from account opening.

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

Calculate your IHG redemption rate to maximize points

IHG began using dynamic award pricing in 2020. Now, IHG prices all of its award stays 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.

Holiday Inn Johannesburg Airport in South Africa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

But even with dynamic pricing, getting good value from your IHG One Rewards points is still possible. TPG’s November 2024 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 Aug. 15. You could book a rate with free cancellation until a few days before your stay for $418 or 69,000 points. If you redeem IHG points for this night, you’ll get a redemption rate of 0.61 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.

Maximize IHG points by being 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 scenario by shifting your stay to other dates. Specifically, you could redeem 58,000 points or pay $353 if you shifted your one-night stay a week earlier.

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 33,000 points or pay $212 for your stay.

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

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 $212 or 33,000 points for:

33,000 points and $0 (redemption rate of 0.64 cents per point)
28,000 points and $36 (redemption rate of 0.63 cents per point)
23,000 points and $69 (redemption rate of 0.62 cents per point)
18,000 points and $99 (redemption rate of 0.63 cents per point)
13,000 points and $126 (redemption rate of 0.66 cents per point)
8,000 points and $149 (redemption rate of 0.79 cents per point)

When you make a Points & Cash reservation, you’re 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.

Use the IHG fourth-night-reward perk

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. This perk effectively 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.

Check for IHG price drops

You can also maximize your IHG points by periodically checking for drops in award pricing for your upcoming stays.

Woman using her laptop outdoors — OSCAR WONG/GETTY IMAGES

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, book the new stay and then cancel the higher-priced stay). Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way to reprice IHG award stays without making a new booking.

Earn IHG elite status

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.

Ocean view villa with beach access at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives — Beach villa at the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

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. However, you can get Platinum Elite status as an automatic perk through the InterContinental Ambassador program or by holding either the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.

If you want to get more benefits when redeeming IHG points for stays, 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.

Bottom line

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, IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card to your wallet.