Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, IHG One Rewards is a go-to program for many. They’ve got something for every traveler with a wide range of properties from boutique Kimpton’s to your run-of-the-mill Holiday Inn Express, and everything in between.
Although award rates can be quite high at some locations, IHG points are incredibly easy to earn. With several big welcome bonus offers on the revamped IHG credit cards, you’ll be well on your way to booking free stays in no time.
You can even transfer points from credit cards like the *chase sapphire preferred* or a Bilt credit card straight to IHG to book an award night – though in many cases, this won’t be your best option. So even if you’ve never stayed with IHG, you may already have the points needed to book a free night at one of these properties and not even know it.
From booking those free nights to earning elite status, and more, here’s everything you need to know about IHG One Rewards.
IHG’s Award Rates
Like many other hotel programs, IHG doesn’t publish an award chart – the cheat sheet used to determine how much a given night will cost. Therefore, the points price of IHG hotels can vary wildly depending on the type of property you’re looking to stay at.
To get a sense of what things cost, it’s important to understand the range of hotel brands under the IHG One Rewards umbrella.
You’ve probably heard of Holiday Inn Express – but if not, it’s one of IHG’s most affordable hotel brands. With almost 3,200 locations worldwide, there’s a good chance that wherever you’re traveling, there’s a Holiday Inn Express nearby. This is great because using points to book a stay at many of these properties is often a bargain, such as this Holiday Inn Express in Jakarta Matraman, available for as low as 5,000 IHG points per night.
Alternatively, you could also look at the more upscale side of IHG properties with brands like Six Senses, Kimpton, and, of course, InterContinental. We recently stayed at the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace and found it fitting of its title as an “ambassador’s palace.” Not surprisingly, a luxury property in an expensive city like Rome often clocks in at 120,000 points per night! Ouch.
Thankfully, there are some tricks for finding cheaper rates for nights bookable with IHG points. Since IHG’s reward program uses dynamic pricing, the number of points you need to book a stay will vary depending on when you’re looking to stay – this is largely tied to the cash cost of the hotel. Fortunately, you can pull up a handy calendar view to see how much a given night will cost.
Say you’re searching for a night at the Hotel Indigo Rome – St. George. Once you run your initial search, click “Select Hotel.”
Then you’ll see the option to check prices with the flexible dates calendar at the top of the room selection page.
This will allow you to pull up the calendar, scroll through each month, and find the lowest possible rates when using points. Shifting your stay by even a day or two could potentially save you thousands of points.
You could also use the Bilt Rewards hotel award search tool, rooms.aero, or MaxMyPoint, to find the cheapest rates and dates for IHG hotels and other hotel chains like Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott properties.
Free Night Certificates
All major hotel chains, such as Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton, offer free night certificates that can be easily earned with a co-branded credit card. IHG is no different.
With *IHG Premier Select*, you get a free night certificate, valid for stays up to 60,000 points per night, each year when your card’s annual fee renews (starting in year two). Meanwhile, *ihg rewards club premier* and *IHG Business* each come with a free night certificate for properties costing 50,000 points per night or less.
If you’ve got your heart set on a more expensive property, you can kick in some extra points to top off your certificate. Unlike Marriott’s free night award certificates, which limit you to adding a maximum of 25,000 points, there’s no limit with IHG. If you wanted to stay at the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace highlighted above, you could use your free night certificate and 70,000 points instead of the full 120,000-point nightly cost.
Fortunately, you can still get plenty of value out of your IHG free anniversary night, even by sticking to properties costing 50,000 points or less. There are plenty of properties you could book with this free night certificate. Generally speaking, InterContinental hotels are the most luxurious in IHG’s portfolio. So, no matter where you are, if you can find one for 50,000 points or less, it will be a good use of your IHG free night certificate.
Take InterContinental Bangkok, for example. A paid night at the property typically starts at $200 or more. Using a free night certificate seems like a pretty smart move.
But that’s just one example. It’s not uncommon to find really nice Hotel Indigo or Kimpton properties charging $300 or more per night, all while the point price is 50,000 or less.
Here’s another option: While it’s far from the most luxurious of properties, the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives gets great reviews. Considering many resorts in this tiny island nation go for upwards of $1,000 per night, this could be a great way to use your annual free night certificate.
Or with the current offer on *ihg rewards club premier*, you could turn those points that you get as part of the welcome bonus offer into a pretty lavish vacation without much work.
Earning & Using IHG Elite Status
IHG has four different levels of elite status: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and top-tier Diamond.
Every IHG member starts at the same basic club member level, working their way up the status ladder by accumulating elite nights at IHG properties … or taking a shortcut.
If you hold *IHG Premier Select*, you’ll get complimentary Platinum status as a card benefit instead of staying the typical 40 nights required to reach elite status. Plus, you’ll get 20 Elite Night Credits every calendar year – and earn two more for every $5,000 spent – helping you reach IHG’s top-tier Diamond elite status faster.
At the lower status levels, there really isn’t much to get excited about besides the late 2 pm checkout and bonus point-earning. Aside from that, having Silver and Gold status doesn’t feel particularly elite.
But at the Platinum and Diamond level, things change – in a big way. With Platinum and Diamond status, you get perks like early check-in, a welcome gift, and space-available room upgrades.
Platinum elites can choose between additional bonus points as a welcome amenity or a complimentary drink and snack. Diamond elites can choose between bonus points and free breakfast at select full-service properties. Breakfast should be the easy choice for most, and it’ll save you both time and money while traveling!
All told, there are some decent perks at the higher levels of IHG elite status, but they’re not nearly as valuable as those offered by other programs like Hyatt.
Read more: How to Get Instant Hotel Status From a Single Credit Card
How to Create an IHG One Rewards Account
While you won’t need to have an existing IHG One Rewards account to search for free nights using points, you will need one once it comes time to book. Thankfully, creating an account with IHG is a quick and pain-free process.
You can start by going to IHG’s website on a desktop or in the IHG app. On a desktop or a mobile browser, you’ll see the option to “Join for free” in the top right corner. On your phone, the “Join for free” button appears on the home screen when you open the app.
From here, you’ll be prompted to enter a few pieces of personal information, including your name, e-mail address, state or province of residence, and a password. Additionally, you can enroll in person at any IHG hotel or over the phone.
After completing your registration, you’ll be able to log in to your new IHG account, where you can find your new member number and additional account information.
How to Search for Award Nights on IHG’s Website
After creating your IHG One Rewards account – or logging in if you already have one – you can start searching for available hotels at your destination.
You can do this by simply typing the city name in the search box, selecting your check-in and out dates, and the number of guests. Make sure to have “Reward Nights” selected under “Rate Preference” as well.
If you want to toggle between “points” and “money” search results, you can do this by selecting either option in the main menu after initially running a search.
Once you’ve filled in all that information, you’ll see the search results. Hotels within your desired city are sorted in list-view, including the lowest amount of points required to book each property.
If you’ve got one of the IHG co-branded credit cards, one of the best perks is the fourth-night free benefit you get on award stays. This means if you’re searching for a hotel stay of four nights or more, you may see the points price crossed out with a lower price below. The lower price displayed is already factoring in that perk. Do note that you’ll need to be logged in to your account for IHG to recognize you as a cardholder and display the lower price.
You will then click “Select Hotel” or “Book on Hotel Site” to proceed with your booking.
Here, you’ll see what room types are available to book with points. At the top of each room type will be the cost if you book completely with points. In descending order thereafter will be rates using a combination of points and cash, which is incredibly useful if you’re short on points!
It’s also worth noting that when you use IHG points to book a room, you’re getting a refundable rate. Cancellation policies will vary across all properties, but if you’re looking at the lowest cash rate and unsure whether to use points or not, the low cash price is almost certainly going to be for a non-refundable room. Unless your travel plans are set in stone, having the added flexibility of a refundable rate is a nice perk.
Earning IHG Points
There are lots of ways to earn the IHG points needed for a free night. From earning points on paid stays to co-branded credit cards and bank transfer partners, here’s how it’s done.
Staying With IHG
Yes, of course, you earn points when you stay with IHG. Call it the old-fashioned way.
You’ll get 10 base points for every dollar spent at most IHG properties. If you’ve got elite status, you can earn up to a 100% bonus on your paid stays, helping rack up the points a bit faster.
There are some exceptions, though. At Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites properties, you’ll only earn five base points for every dollar spent.
Paying for your stay with a co-branded IHG credit card will earn you up to 28x points per dollar, depending on which version of the card you carry.
Swiping a Co-Branded Credit Card
You can also earn more of them by using an IHG credit card for your day-to-day spending. There are several versions to choose from – with a new, premium card recently entering the mix – each with its own unique set of benefits for every kind of traveler.
With valuable perks like IHG Platinum Elite status, an annual free night award, on-property food and beverage credits, airline credits, up to $50 a year in United TravelBank credit, and a fourth-night free benefit on award stays, there’s a lot to like about these cards.
Read on for everything you need to know about Chase’s IHG credit cards.
Full Benefits of the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card
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- Earn up to 28x total points per dollar spent on stays at IHG properties, including 12x from the card itself
- Earn 6x points per dollar on dining and all other travel, including rideshare
- Earn 3x points per dollar on all other purchases
- Get a $75 Food & Beverage Reward each quarter, worth up to $300 a year, to use at IHG hotels
- Get a $200 statement credit each calendar year after spending at least $250 on flights booked directly with an airline (through 2027)
- Get up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash each year
- Receive an anniversary free night at hotels costing up to 60,000 points, with the option to add your own points to book a pricier property
- Automatic IHG Platinum Elite status
- 20 Elite Night Credits every calendar year, plus two more for every $5,000 spent
- Spend $15,000 in a calendar year: Earn 5 more Elite Night Credits and 20,000 bonus points
- Spend $25,000 in a calendar year: Earn Diamond Elite status
- Spend $40,000 in a calendar year: Get an additional free night at hotels costing up to 60,000 points
- Fourth night free on award stays of four consecutive nights
- Get a statement credit of up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
- annual_fees annual fee
Learn more about *IHG Premier Select*
Full Benefits of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
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- Updated! Earn up to 24x total points per dollar on stays at IHG properties, including 10x from the card itself
- Updated! Earn 5x points per dollar on dining, gas stations, grocery stores, flights booked directly with airlines, and car rental agencies
- Earn 3x points per dollar on all other purchases
- New! Get a $25 Food & Beverage Reward each quarter, worth up to $100 a year, to use at IHG hotels
- New! Get a $100 statement credit each calendar year after spending at least $250 on flights booked directly with an airline (through 2027)
- Up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash each year
- Updated! Receive an anniversary free night at hotels costing up to 50,000 points, with the option to add your own points to book a pricier property
- Updated! Automatic IHG Gold Elite status
- New! 15 Elite Night Credits every calendar year, plus two more for every $5,000 spent
- New! Spend $15,000 in a calendar year: Platinum Elite status, 5 more Elite Night Credits, and 15,000 bonus points
- Spend $40,000 in a calendar year: Diamond Elite status
- Fourth night free on award stays of four consecutive nights
- A statement credit of up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
- Updated! annual_fees annual fee
Learn more about *ihg rewards club premier*.
Full Benefits of the IHG One Rewards Credit Card
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- Earn up to 17x total points per dollar on stays at IHG properties, including 5x from the card itself
- Updated! Earn 3x points per dollar on dining, gas stations, and grocery stores
- Earn 2x points per dollar on all other purchases
- Automatic IHG Silver Elite status
- New! 5 Elite Night Credits every calendar year
- Spend $15,000 in a calendar year: Gold Elite status and 10,000 bonus points
- Updated! Fourth night free on award stays of four consecutive nights, which will require spending $5,000 in a calendar year starting in 2027
- No annual fee
Learn more about *ihg traveler*.
Full Benefits of the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card
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- Earn up to 26x total points per dollar on stays at IHG properties, including 10x from the card itself
- Updated! Earn 5x points per dollar on dining, gas stations, social media and search engine advertising, flights booked directly with airlines, and car rental agencies
- Earn 3x points per dollar on all other purchases
- New! Get a $25 Food & Beverage Reward each quarter, worth up to $100 a year, to use at IHG hotels
- New! Get a $100 statement credit each calendar year after spending at least $250 on flights booked directly with an airline (through 2027)
- New! Get up to $100 a year in statement credits for Expensify purchases
- Updated! Receive an anniversary free night at hotels costing up to 50,000 points, with the option to add your own points to book a pricier property
- Automatic IHG Platinum Elite status
- New! 15 Elite Night Credits every calendar year, plus two more for every $5,000 spent
- Spend $25,000 in a calendar year: 5 more Elite Night Credits and 20,000 bonus points
- Spend $50,000 in a calendar year: Diamond Elite status, starting in 2027
- Spend $60,000 in a calendar year: an additional free night at hotels costing up to 50,000 points
- Fourth night free on award stays of four consecutive nights
- A statement credit of up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
- Updated! annual_fees annual fee
Learn more about *IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card*.
Transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards
With several great Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit cards on the market, like *chase sapphire preferred*, *chase sapphire reserve*, or even the *chase ink preferred*, you may very well have a way to get a bunch of IHG points and not even realize it.
IHG is a Chase transfer partner and points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to IHG One. Just be warned: Transferring to IHG is not always going to be the best use of your Chase points, as you can often get far greater value transferring them to airlines to book flights or to stay at World of Hyatt properties. At first glance, it might seem like a good deal, however, we recommend you shop around and compare the cash value between properties first before you transfer.
To move your Chase points to IHG, you’ll need to log in to your Chase account and click on “Rewards” to navigate to the Ultimate Rewards homepage. Once you’ve done that, click “Travel” and choose the option to “Transfer points to partners.”
From here, you can select IHG from the list of eligible partners. If this is your first time transferring Chase points to IHG, you’ll need to enter your IHG One member number to link your accounts.
Next, you’ll enter how many points you’d like to transfer, and finally, you’ll review the transfer details before hitting “Submit.”
Chase points generally transfer instantly to IHG, but in some cases, there can be delays … especially if you’re setting up a new account or it’s your first transfer. In most cases, logging out and back into your IHG account should resolve the issue and reflect the points in your balance.
Read next: Points Stuck in Limbo? Here’s Why (& What You Can Do About It)
Buying IHG Points
Buying points won’t always make sense, but it can be a good deal – especially if you’re just a few thousand points short of the perfect redemption.
IHG often puts points on sale with a 100% bonus, effectively making them 50% off, costing you just half a cent each. You can typically expect to see one of these promotions from IHG every couple of months. So, unless you have an immediate need for more IHG points, you should try to hold off until they’re on sale.
Considering you can cash out Chase Ultimate Rewards for 1 cent each, buying points at a half cent each will almost always make more sense than transferring directly from Chase. It’s the same value as if Chase were to run a 100% transfer bonus, albeit with a couple of extra steps.
IHG typically allows members to buy up to 150,000 points each calendar year, excluding bonus points. If you’re able to get in on one of these 100% bonuses, you’d end up with up to 300,000 IHG points in total.
Read more: When Does It Make Sense to Buy Hotel Points?
How to Book a Free Night With Points
Now that you’ve got the necessary IHG points in your account, it’s time to book your free night with points. If you had to log out and back in for the points to show up, you may need to recreate your search using the steps above.
Once you’ve decided which room type will work best for you, you can pay entirely in points or redeem a combination of points and cash. IHG offers a sliding scale for how many points are required to book the room, in addition to the cash amount. If you want a completely free reward night, you’ll choose the top option. While it’s not always a great value, this can be a really good option if you’re short on points.
Be sure to click the “Reward Nights” icon in the upper right-hand corner to view the cancellation policy, just in case you need to cancel.
From there, just review your stay details and confirm your booking. If you don’t yet have a credit card on file with IHG, you’ll also need to enter this for incidentals and confirm your stay. But don’t worry: You won’t be charged anything (other than points) unless you opted for the “Points + Cash” booking option. Unfortunately, unlike several other major hotel chains, such as Hilton and Hyatt, IHG may tack on pesky resort fees for award stays.
To make sure you’re able to see any hidden fees, click “Show taxes and fees” in the upper right-hand corner to display any fees when applicable.
You’ll need an IHG One Rewards account to book … and, of course, points to redeem.
Bottom Line
Whether you’ve already got a stash of IHG points (or free night certificates) from nights on the road or you’re sitting on a pile of transferable credit card points, using the IHG One program to book a free night can be a great way to save big on your next trip.
