How to understand IHG points’ value (and ways to save the most money on your next stay)

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There’s something to be said about IHG points value and flexibility. With 5,600+ hotels worldwide, there’s a good chance you can find a location for your next trip, no matter where you’re going.

Plus, IHG points are pretty easy to collect. With the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card, you can earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from opening the account.

That’s enough for a night at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa, where rooms can go for over $1,000 a night, or over a week at a less-fancy hotel, like the Holiday Inn Lodz, Poland, where rooms typically go for around $100 per night.

Let’s dive into what value you can expect to get from your IHG points.

What’s the value of IHG points?

You can book nights at IHG hotels for anywhere from 10,000 to 70,000 IHG points per night.  On average, you’ll find IHG points are worth ~0.5 cents per point, which will vary depending on your dates of travel and where you’ll be staying. But it’s possible to get a lot more than 0.5 cents per point in value. IHG’s award chart places hotels in 13 different categories, and generally speaking, higher-end hotels will get you a better value per point, depending on your travel dates.

As you’ll see below, there are fantastic options for both high-end hotels and more basic hotels for those who want to stretch their points.

Great ways to redeem IHG points

The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (1.5+ cents per point)

Bora Bora is an amazing romantic getaway for couples, and you can’t go wrong with the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa hotel.

Award nights here can be hard to find and will cost you 70,000 IHG points per night, but it’s well worth trying, because rooms otherwise tend to cost $1,000+ per night.

InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam (1.15 cents per point)

If you’re planning a trip to the Netherlands, the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam is a great hotel to consider. The restaurant inside the hotel, La Rive, has been recognized as a Michelin star restaurant in the past, and the hotel also overlooks the Amstel River. You’ll get incredible value here from your IHG points. I found rooms for around $687, or 60,000 IHG points — that’s over 1 cent per point in value.

Holiday Inn Lodz (0.93 cents per point)

Here’s a perfect example that shows good deals aren’t limited to expensive hotels.  You can get amazing value from a more budget-conscious hotel, too. Case in point, the Holiday Inn Lodz in Poland.

Rooms here typically go for around $100 per night, but I found award nights for 10,000 IHG points. Considering IHG points are typically only worth ~0.5 cents per point, the fact that you’d be getting nearly twice that with this hotel is pretty incredible.

Not-so-good redemption options

Holiday Inn Bangkok (0.38 cents per point)

Remember the value of your points will also vary depending on when you’ll be traveling and where you’ll be staying. The Holiday Inn Bangkok is one case where you might want to pay cash instead.  I found available award nights here for 25,000 IHG points, but these were for rooms that had a cash price of just $97.

That’s a pretty low value of just 0.38 cents per point. Unless you’re really trying to save on cash, it is probably worth looking at other options.

InterContinental Hotels: Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort (0.5 cents per point)

This more middle-of-the-road hotel shows that more expensive hotels don’t necessarily mean you’ll get more bang for your buck when it comes to squeezing value out of your IHG points.

I found that rooms going for around $124 per night could also be booked for 25,000 IHG points. At a value of just under 0.5 cents per point, you might want to pay cash for this room, too.

InterContinental Hotels: Hong Kong (0.33 cents per point) 

This is a pretty interesting case because this hotel has been known to offer some amazing deals. But it is also a good example of why you’ll always want to pay close attention to the cash price of the rooms which can vary based on travel dates.

Award nights at this hotel cost 70,000 IHG points per night, but at a cash price of $234 per night for the month of May, you’d be getting only 0.33 cents per point in value. 

More ways to boost the value of your points

Here are a few quick tips to ensure you’re getting more from your IHG points:

• Always check the cash price: The value of your points can vary drastically, regardless of the type of hotel you’re booking. Depending on the paid rate, you might want just pay cash and save your IHG points for a different hotel stay where you’ll receive more value.
• 4th award night reward: If you have the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card, you’ll get a 4th night reward for a standard room award stay of 3+ consecutive nights. This can save you a ton of points because you can use this perk for an unlimited number of stays.
• Points + Cash:  You can make award redemptions with points + cash, but if you decide to go this route, just make sure to look at the cash price so you can see if you’re getting a good deal.

Bottom line

There are 5,200+ IHG hotels worldwide, so there’s a good chance you can find one of their hotels for your next trip, even if you’re going to a more remote area or small town.

IHG points are typically worth around 0.5 cents each, but keep in mind that the value you get will depend on where you’ll be traveling and the hotel you’ll be staying at. You can assure you’re getting the most from your IHG points by always checking the cash price and utilizing perks like  4^th award night reward if you have the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card.

Let us know your thoughts and how you feel about the redemption value of IHG points.