How to Maximize IHG One Rewards

Like many large hotel chains, InterContinental Hotels offers its own loyalty rewards program: IHG One Rewards. Whether you stay at a luxurious InterContinental or a budget-friendly Holiday Inn, you'll earn points towards free nights.

But free nights aren't the only way to use your rewards. To help you decide whether IHG One Rewards is worth it for you, we'll give you the lowdown on how to earn points and redeem your IHG points for the most value.

What are IHG One Rewards?

IHG (also known as InterContinental Hotels Group) is one of the world's largest hotel chains, with over 6,800 hotels worldwide – and IHG One Rewards is its rewards program. Essentially, it's your ticket to earning free nights.

The loyalty program offers multiple redemption options, including free nights, transfers to airline partners, donations, merchandise, and more.

IHG brands

The IHG family includes some of the biggest names in hotels. IHG breaks down the 20 hotel brands into the following categories:

• Luxury and lifestyle: Six Senses, InterContinental, Regent, Vignette, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Ruby
• Premium: Voco, Hualuxe, Even, Crowne Plaza
• Essentials: Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Garner, Avid
• Suites: Atwell, Staybridge, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood
• Exclusive partners: Iberostar Beachfront Resorts

IHG One Rewards membership benefits

As a One Rewards member, you'll enjoy:

• Points earned for reward nights
• No blackout dates
• Access to member rates and offers
• Free Wi-Fi
• Late check-out

IHG One Rewards elite status

As a basic club member, you can earn and redeem points – but the savings and benefits of One Rewards really kick in when you gain elite status. The more nights you stay or points you earn, the higher your membership tier (and the more rewards you get).

• Silver Elite: Stay 10 nights to qualify
• Gold Elite: Stay 20 nights or earn 40,000 points to qualify
• Platinum Elite: Stay 40 nights or earn 60,000 points to qualify
• Diamond Elite: Stay 70 nights or earn 120,000 points to qualify

Depending on the tier, you'll earn bonus points for your stays, enjoy complimentary room upgrades, get welcome snacks and beverages, get late check-out, receive guaranteed room availability, and more.

How to earn IHG One Rewards

Earning IHG One Rewards is fairly simple: just stay at the group's hotels. With 20 different brands to choose from and hotels in over 6,800 destinations worldwide, there's probably one that fits your budget and travel preferences.

Here's what you'll earn:

• 10 points per $1 USD spent on hotel nights at most hotels, excluding taxes and fees
• 5 points per $1 USD spent on hotel nights at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, excluding taxes and fees

You can get more points by taking advantage of Milestone Rewards. For every 10 nights you stay (up to 100 nights), you'll earn your choice of bonus rewards. Choices include up to 10,000 points, suite upgrades, annual lounge membership, and food and beverage rewards.

And then, of course, you can purchase points. The program allows you to buy up to 200,000 points to cover the reward you want. Remember: Buying points is rarely worth it, so be sure to crunch those numbers and ensure it makes sense.

Pro Tip: Watch for limited-time bonus offers that can earn you more points.

How to redeem IHG One Rewards

When you're ready to redeem the points you've been collecting, you have numerous options:

• Hotel nights. Reward night starts at just 5,000 points – plus, you can combine points and cash if you don't have enough points to cover your entire stay.
• Airline miles. If you prefer to use your points to fly, you can transfer them to your favourite airline loyalty program. IHG partners with almost 40 airlines, including Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta, Air France/KLM, United Airlines, Qantas, Emirates, and more.
• Events and experiences. Use your points to cover trip add-ons or unforgettable experiences, like VIP passes to concerts or courtside tickets to a sporting event.
• Merchandise. Shop the IHG rewards catalogue across categories like electronics, home goods, sports and leisure, toys, gift cards, and much more.
• Points donation. You can donate your points to one of IHG's 15+ nonprofit partners, including Action Against Hunger, American Red Cross, Polaris, and Just a Drop.

You can redeem your IHG points by logging into your IHG One Rewards account, selecting your preferred redemption category, and following the instructions.

How much are IHG One Rewards points worth?

It should be no surprise that redeeming free hotel nights provides the best value for your points. And while the other options don't provide nearly the same value, if you don't collect many points, they're an easy way to get something back.

Value of reward in $CAD / value of reward in points x 100 = value of reward in cents per point (CPP)Reward nights: 0.84 CPP

To get our average value, we looked at 3 nights over a weekend at 22 hotels in cities across Canada – from St John's to Victoria – and compared the prices in dollars and points.

We came to an average value of 0.84 cents per point. There wasn't much of a range; some stays had slightly less value, some had slightly more.

We did run into limited rewards inventory, as IHG stated. In 3 cities, we couldn't book a hotel on reward points as there was no availability, but we were able to pay for a stay. So, while there are no blackout dates, IHG limits how many rooms can be booked with rewards points.

To redeem your points for free nights, head to ihg.com and log in to your rewards account. Try to book a hotel, and under "Rate Preference," select "Reward Nights."

Transfer to airline partners: 0.4 CPP

IHG has a long list of airline partners that you can transfer points to simply by calling – and Air Canada is one of them, so we looked at what kind of value that gets you.

Most of the partners transfer points at a 5:1 ratio and require a minimum transfer of 10,000 points. Those 10,000 points will give you 2,000 Aeroplan points, which are worth up to $40. That means 10,000 IHG points are worth just 0.4 cents each – about half the value of redeeming for a free hotel night.

Merchandise: 0.31 CPP

There is a wide variety of items you can choose from if you want to redeem through the catalogue, but merchandise gives you the least value for your points. We averaged all the reward values to obtain an average CPP of 0.31.

Here are the items we looked at, how many points they cost, the price at a retailer, and the value of 1 point for each.

Gift cards: 0.19 CPP

If you feel like treating someone else to your IHG rewards points, you can redeem them for a gift card. Choose from dozens of retailers or get an IHG gift card.

Points donation

Although IHG doesn't specify how much your points are worth, you can donate the points directly to the charity of your choice. Unlike many rewards programs, you've got lots of options when it comes to choosing a charity.

IHG allows you to donate points to organizations in the following categories:

• Disaster relief
• Skills training
• Food security
• Human rights
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Water, sanitation, and hygiene

IHG One Rewards vs. other loyalty programs

The easiest way to compare hotel loyalty programs is to compare the redemption rate for hotel stays. If you remember, IHG has a pretty impressive hotel stay value of 0.84 CPP, which is just a bit better than the Best Western Rewards Program (0.83 CPP).

Both of these are behind the Wyndham Rewards Program, which earns a generous 0.90 CPP on hotel stays. Falling at the bottom of the pack is the Hilton Honors Rewards Program, which only gives a 0.64 CPP for hotel stays.

FAQ

What is the IHG One Rewards program?

The One Rewards program is IHG's loyalty program. To earn reward points, complete qualifying stays at one of 20 IHG member hotel brands. It's free to join the program, and you can redeem your points for free hotel stays, charitable donations, merchandise, and more.

Is IHG One Rewards free?

Yes, it's completely free to join the IHG One Rewards loyalty program. You can sign up online, download the app and join, or sign up at an IHG-branded hotel or resort. As soon as you join, you'll enjoy member rates, free Wi-Fi, late check-out, customizable stays, and reward points.

How can I tell what my IHG points value is?

The value of your IHG rewards points depends on how you choose to redeem them. For the most value, put your points toward free hotel stays. This way, you'll get an average of 0.84 cents per point versus 0.19 CPP (the redemption rate for gift cards).

How much are 50,000 IHG points worth?

If you're putting your points toward a hotel stay, 50,000 of them can get you 2 or 3 nights at one of the more budget-friendly locations. If you want a locale upgrade, 50,000 points might cover a night or 2 if you're lucky. Still, the free hotel stay is by far your best use of rewards points.

How many points do you need for a free night at IHG hotels?

IHG states that you only need 5,000 points to start redeeming them for free hotel stays, but you might end up spending more depending on your location, the hotel you're booking, the date of your stay, and the type of room you want.