IHG One is back with its points purchase promotion for 2024, offering an up to 100% bonus on  IHG One Rewards points purchased through Friday, November 17, 2024. In this round of points sale, you get your bonus if you buy at least 5,000 points. Points can be purchased in multiples of 1,000 IHG Rewards points, and you can buy a maximum of 300,000 points in this promotion (with another 300,000 points coming in as a bonus).

IHG Rewards has over 100 million members and over 6,000 hotels in over 100 countries. The group currently has close to 50 hotels in India, mostly boutique or mid-scale, though there is a reasonable footprint across Asia and the rest of the world.

If you bought the maximum allowable 3,00,000 IHG One Rewards points and targetted for an 100% bonus, you will earn 600,000 points for 3,000 US Dollars, a rate of 0.5 US cents per IHG point.

You can either buy the points for yourself or gift them. The points credit will take up to 3 days to reflect in your account.

IHG has some aspirational properties in its portfolio and some hotels where you could gain value from redemptions, such as the Intercontinental ANA, Tokyo.  A room night in the Cherry Blossom season was priced at USD 500. However, if you choose to redeem points, a night’s stay will only cost you about USD 245 for 49,000 One Rewards points. That reduces the cost of each night’s stay by 51%.

Here are a few IHG of the recent hotels we have stayed at:

• InterContinental Dublin
• Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre
• Holiday Inn Resort Goa
• Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport
• Holiday Inn London Heathrow Terminal 5
• Holiday Inn Amritsar Ranjit Avenue

IHG has recently propped up their IHG One Rewards programme for customers’ benefit, so I see value in returning to them. For instance, Diamond members can get complimentary breakfast at hotels across the system. A 100% bonus is an excellent bonus to buy the points if you intend to stay somewhere this summer and are struggling with the high prices. With the points purchased and redemption, you will usually come out ahead, although do your maths with respect to the hotel/resort you are targeting.

Which credit card should you buy IHG One Rewards Points with?

Typically, these point purchases are processed through Points.com and not directly by the hotel or airline. However, you will almost always pay in USD/EUR/GBP, not INR. So, the best cards to earn a bonus are Axis Olympus, Axis Reserve or American Express Platinum Charge Card, as these cards offer an international spending bonus. Beyond these, look at any card that provides a reduced foreign exchange spend conversion or one where you want to meet minimum spend requirements.

Bottomline

Like always, buying points without redemption in mind is not a good idea. But travel is picking up again, and cash rates are currently strong. If you are planning a break, it may be a good idea to top up your account now. IHG is offering a 100% bonus through December 13, 2024, and with an additional higher limit on the points that can be purchased.

Are you buying IHG bonus points during this purchase promotion? We’d love to hear how you plan to use them.

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