IHG is currently running a flash sale offering a 100% bonus on the purchase of IHG One Rewards points. This is the highest bonus they offer, essentially giving you a 50% discount on points purchases.

From 12:00 AM ET on September 23, 2024, to 11:59 PM ET on October 5, 2024, you can earn double points when you buy at least 11,000 IHG One Rewards points in a single transaction. However, purchasing 26,000 points or more is where you’ll find the most value.

You can check your offer on the IHG’s Buy Points page.

Why Buy More?

When you hit the 26,000 points threshold, the cost per point decreases significantly. For instance, buying 28,000 points (+ 28,000 bonus points), and ends up being cheaper than buying 25,000 points with a corresponding 25,000 bonus.

So if you’re planning to make a purchase during this period and want to maximize your rewards, aim for that sweet spot of 26,000+ points.

Is it worth buying IHG points?

Even though buying points with a 100% bonus might seem like an obvious choice, it’s usually not advisable. Here are a few reasons why:

• Frequent Devaluation: Points tend to lose value more often than you might think. A hotel that costs 50,000 points per night today could require 65,000 points next week.
• Limited Promotions: Most ongoing IHG promotions are not applicable to reward bookings. You lose out on bonus points, discounts, bonus elite night credits etc. when you book with points.
• No Points: When you buy points, you are indirectly paying for your room in cash. However, in this case you won’t earn regular points for your stay as this would be considered a reward booking.
• Status Benefits: Even if the cost per night is similar, paying for points doesn’t contribute towards a higher elite status. Paying for your stay in cash earns you status points that count towards status upgrades.
• Room Upgrades: You have better chances of getting a room upgrade when you book with cash instead of points.

So unless you’re eyeing an exceptional deal on points that you’re ready to use immediately, we recommend against purchasing them.

Good to know.

• The number of points you can purchase during this offer is subject to annual limits.
• Members may typically purchase up to 150,000 points per calendar year.
• This limit also applies to gifting and receiving gifted points.
• Complimentary bonus points (100% in the case of this offer) are not included in the annual limit calculations.

For example: If you’ve already purchased 50,000 points earlier this year, you can only purchase an additional 100,000 during this offer period.

It’s crucial to note that these limits are cumulative across various activities (purchasing for yourself or as gifts). If you’ve hit your annual limit of 150,000 through any combination of these activities before this offer, you won’t be able to buy more until next year.

Bottom Line.

With a 50% discount, this flash sale is an excellent opportunity to buy IHG points, if you have a good use for them. Note that you need to purchase a minimum of 11,000 points to get the discount.

26,000 points and above offers the best value.