As a frequent user of the IHG One Rewards program, I often redeem IHG points for stays. Luckily, IHG periodically offers buy points promotions that let me boost my account balance.
However, you don’t always want to buy IHG points during a buy points sale if you’re looking for the best deal. Instead, you’ll typically want to wait for a 100% bonus promotion, which usually appears once or twice each year. During 100% bonus promotions, you can buy IHG points for just 0.5 cents per point — significantly lower than the redemption rate I regularly get when redeeming IHG points.
IHG is running a buy points promotion through Nov. 16, although members will see different bonus rates when they log in. TPG staffers have seen between 60% and 100% bonus offers, so let’s take a closer look at this IHG buy points promotion and whether you should consider it.
IHG buy points sale details
IHG’s current buy points sale offers members up to a 100% bonus when they buy at least 5,000 points through Nov. 16. I’m only targeted for a 60% bonus, but TPG senior writer Ben Smithson is targeted for a 100% bonus.
You can only purchase 200,000 IHG points per calendar year. However, if you are targeted for the 100% bonus and purchase 200,000 points for $2,000 during this sale, you’ll get a total of 400,000 points.
There are certain points thresholds at which costs decrease with volume, so you’ll usually need to buy 26,000 IHG points or more at a time to get the best purchase rate. For example, it’s more expensive to buy 25,000 points ($287.50) than 26,000 points ($260).
Note that point purchases are nonrefundable, and it may take up to 72 hours for purchased points to appear in your account. You can buy IHG points by going to IHG’s buy points page and logging in.
Related: The 19 best IHG hotels in the world
Should I buy IHG points now?
If you are targeted for a 100% bonus and usually get more than 0.5 cents per point when redeeming IHG points, you should consider buying IHG points during this buy points promotion.
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My husband and I usually buy the maximum number of IHG points each year during 100% bonus buy points promotions. After all, IHG buy points promotions don’t get better than 0.5 cents per point, and we can easily get more than 0.5 cents per point when redeeming IHG points.
We frequently use the fourth-night-free reward perk — a benefit of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card — to get more value from our IHG points. This perk, which is also available to cardholders of the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card and the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, lets us pay zero points for every fourth night when redeeming IHG points for a stay of four nights or longer.
Plus, most IHG award bookings are flexible until shortly before your arrival date. So, you can buy IHG points now and snag low award rates for upcoming trips without much risk.
Remember, though, that IHG uses dynamic award pricing. So, although it’s currently easy to get more than 0.5 cents per point when redeeming IHG points, IHG could change its award pricing algorithm at any time.
Related: How to maximize award redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program
Frequently asked questions about buying IHG points
You may have other questions about buying IHG points. Here are some of the most common.
How else can I earn IHG points?
This buy points promotion isn’t the only way to earn IHG points.
For example, you could sign up for an IHG credit card. My personal favorite is the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card since it provides automatic Platinum Elite status, an anniversary night worth up to 40,000 points each year, up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash each calendar year and access to the previously mentioned fourth-night-free reward when I redeem IHG points for stays of four nights or longer.
You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to IHG One Rewards. However, I don’t recommend doing this since you’ll typically find more value when transferring Ultimate Rewards points to other programs.
Bilt Rewards Points also transfer to IHG One Rewards. Still, you’ll usually get a better value from your Bilt points when transferring to a higher-value partner like World of Hyatt.
Related: Current IHG promotions: Earn bonus points, fast-track to elite status, discounts and more
How much does it cost to buy IHG One Rewards points?
Targeted members can buy IHG points for as low as 0.5 cents per point through Nov. 16. This is much lower than the standard purchase rate of 1 to 1.35 cents per point that you’ll see when there isn’t a buy points promotion.
Related: When does it make sense to buy points and miles?
Which credit card should I use to buy IHG points?
When you buy IHG points, points.com processes the transaction instead of IHG. Your purchase won’t code as travel, and you won’t earn a travel category bonus if you use one of the best travel rewards cards.
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card and the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card give you a 20% discount when you buy IHG points. You can’t combine this discount with any other points purchase offer, so you won’t get the discount unless you buy IHG points at full price outside of a buy points promotion.
As such, you’ll usually want to buy IHG points with one of the best cards for everyday spending or a card for which you’re currently working to meet a minimum spending requirement.
Related: The best credit cards for buying points and miles
Bottom line
When IHG One Rewards offers a 100% buy points promotion, it’s time to consider whether you need more IHG points for upcoming trips. Since IHG uses dynamic pricing, buying points carries a small risk if you aren’t confident you’ll go on the award trip you book with the points you’ve purchased.
