Who doesn’t love a good sale? For a limited time, you can get buy IHG points and get up to a 75% bonus.
Extra points for free? Uh, yes, please!
This offer isn’t as great as their previous promotion of up to an 80% bonus but a bonus is a bonus. And if you need IHG points, now’s a good time to think about buying IHG points.
Buying points can make sense when you combine it with PointBreaks offers, stay at expensive hotels, or travel during school breaks and over the holidays.
Should you buy IHG points for the 75% bonus?
Let’s take a look.
Buy IHG Points: Up to 75% Bonus
IHG Rewards Club latest promotion lets you buy IHG points and get up to a 75% bonus through February 28, 2018.
It’s a pretty straightforward offer. As with all points purchases, there’s a 1,000 point minimum.
Your exact bonus depending on the number of points you purchase:
- 5,000 to 14,000 points = 50% bonus
- 15,000 to 100,000 points = 75% bonus
The most points you can buy or receive each year is 100,000 points.
Pro-tip: Bonus points don’t count towards your yearly limit.
It takes about 72 hours for points to post to your account. So you should buy IHG points at least 3 days before you plan to redeem them.
How to Buy IHG Points
1. Use the IHG buy points link.
2. Enter your information.
3. Select how many points you want to buy.
4. Pay with your credit card.
When you buy IHG points it doesn’t count as a travel purchase. So you won’t get the bonus points when you pay with cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Use a card that you have to meet the minimum spend.
Pro-tip: You could earn 3x points when you buy IHG points with your Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories.
Should You Buy IHG Points?
Should you buy points because there’s a sale?
Normally, IHG points cost 1.15 cents to 1.35 cents per point. With this promotion, the price drops to 0.56 cents per point.
- Buy 1,000 to 4,000 points: pay 1.35 cents per point and get no bonus
- Buy 5,000 to 14,000 points: pay 0.76 to 0.90 cents per point and get a 50% bonus
- Buy 15,000 to 100,000 points: pay 0.57 to 0.66 cents per point and get a 75% bonus
Purchasing points during a promo isn’t always a good deal. I’ve posted about the only time you should buy hotel points.
Sometimes buying IHG points is worth it.
You could save a lot of money buying points. Purchasing points gives you the most value if you take advantage of PointsBreaks offers, travel during school breaks, holidays, and summer, or stay in expensive hotels.
InterContinental Paris – Le Grand
Buy IHG points and live it in luxury at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand
Photo courtesy of the InterContinental Paris Le Grand
One night at the InterContinental Paris – Le Grand during Thanksgiving costs $468. Or you can pay 70,000 points.
You could buy 40,000 points and get a 75% bonus of 30,000 points for $400. You’d save $68.
Check rates, read reviews, or make a reservation: IHG.com | Booking.com | TripAdvisor
InterContinental Hotels: Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa
Stay in an overwater villa in Bora Bora.
Photo courtesy: Intercontinental Bora Bora Thalasso Resort & Spa
One night in an Emerald Overwater Villa at the InterContinental Hotels: Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa costs $884. Or you can pay 70,000 points.
If you bought 40,000 points, you’d get 30,000 bonus points for $400. You’d save $484!
Check rates, read reviews, or make a reservation: IHG | Expedia | TripAdvisor
Holiday Inn: Austin-Town Lake
It’s cheaper to buy and use points to stay at the Candlewood Suites San Antonio Downtown than pay cash.
Photo courtesy: Candlewood Suites San Antonio Downtown
Friday night at the Holiday Inn: Austin-Town Lake during South by Southwest (SXSW) costs $292. Or 30,000 points.
Buying 18,000 points gets you 13,500 bonus points for $207. You’d save $85 buying points instead of paying cash.
Check rates, read reviews, or make a reservation: IHG | Expedia | TripAdvisor
Read The Only Time You Should Buy Airline Miles
Conclusion
You can buy IHG points and get up to a 75% bonus through February 28, 2019.
The exact bonus depends on how many points you purchase. You get a 50% bonus when you buy 5,000 to 14,000 points. You get a 75% bonus buying 50,000 to 100,000 points.
Point purchases don’t count as a travel bonus category on cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred. But you can get 3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories when you pay for IHG points with your Ink Preferred.
You could save a lot of money when you buy IHG points and redeem them for hotel nights instead of paying cash during peak season and at expensive hotels.
Where’s your favorite IHG hotel to use points?
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Featured image courtesy: Ishan @seefromthesky via Unsplash
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