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What is the IHG Rewards Club?

The IHG Rewards Club is the loyalty program offered by the InterContinental Hotel Group, also known as IHG. Often hidden in plain sight, chances are you see an IHG hotel every single day and didn’t even know it. IHG Rewards Club is considered to be in the upper tier of hotel rewards programs. Although it may not be as comprehensive as some other hotels reward programs like Hilton Honors or Marriott Rewards, there is still some terrific value you can receive from being a member. If you frequently stay at IHG properties or interested in learning more about how this program can help supercharge your hotel rewards earning, it’s definitely worth reading on for more details and a receive a full review on why you should join IHG Rewards Club.

Joining the IHG Rewards Club

Joining the IHG Rewards Club is free and can be done within a matter of minutes. Just go to their official website and follow the steps below:

1. First, visit the IHG Rewards Club website. 
2. Click the ‘Join’ button located at the top right corner.
3. Fill out all of your details on the form, including your full name and contact details. You’ll also need to create an account password.
4. Finally, read the terms and conditions and click the ‘Join’ button.
5. Your account is now created, and you’re ready to start earning!

Brands and Locations

The Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) is a massive global hotel chain, with more 5,300 properties in its network. The company is based in England but has properties in almost 100 countries and on six continents. As with other global hotel networks, this is a huge perk as you have a variety of options when choosing where to stay around the globe.

Most individual hotel brands are a part of a broader portfolio owned and operated by a single parent company. This is the same case with IHG, which has 14 brands in its portfolio. That’s important because it provides you with more choices regarding price, the course of the stay, and most importantly rewards redemption opportunities. Additionally, all IHG hotels and sub-brands share the same point values for redemption. So regardless if you choose to stay at a Kimpton Hotel or a Holiday Inn, your rewards points will be valued the same on a per-point basis.

List of IHG Brands

• avid hotels
• Candlewood Suites
• Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts
• EVEN Hotels
• Holiday Inn
• Holiday Inn Club Vacation
• Holiday Inn Express
• Holiday Inn Resort
• Hotel Indigo
• HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts
• Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts
• Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
• Staybridge Suites
• voco

Earning IHG Rewards Club elite status

The IHG Rewards Club offers four levels within its rewards program. They also have a paid membership which gives you access to additional benefits. The base tier, Club, is automatically granted to anyone who enrolls in the program and offers key benefits. The next three levels, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, and Spire Elite can be achieved by staying a minimum number of nights or by earning a minimum number of points. Reaching each level has a different set of requirements (see table below) and provides various types of benefits to members (see section below). IHG also offers a paid membership level which they call the InterContinental Ambassador. The membership costs $200 per calendar year and comes with exclusive benefits (which we will outline in the section below). Here’s the breakdown of how to qualify for each tier:

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	Club	Gold Elite	Platinum Elite	Spire Elite	Intercontinental Ambassador
How to qualify	Automatically given upon sign-up.	10 nights per year or 10,000 points.	40 nights per year or 40,000 points.	75 nights per year or 75,000 points	$200 membership fee per calendar year.

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It is important to note that like most other rewards program, the IHG Rewards Club requires annual qualification for status tiers. This means you will have to meet the requirements each year to maintain status for the program for the following year. And unlike some competitors, at this time, the IHG Rewards Club does not offer the option of earning lifetime status to its members. 

Benefits of the IHG Rewards Club

CompareBare breaks down the benefits of the IHG Rewards Club into pre-stay perks and in-stay perks. Read below to see what each level of elite status provides regarding benefits. 

Pre-stay perks

IHG Rewards Club’s pre-stay perks provide you with benefits before arriving at the IHG property you booked. These perks are offered during the reservation process and before you arrive at the hotel. These benefits can include:

• Member rates: you’ll typically get discounted room rates at IHG properties because you’re a member.
• Dedicated customer service line: get access to an exclusive phone line to help you book reservations at an IHG property.
• 72-hour room guarantee: you’re guaranteed a room at an IHG property, as long as you book 72 hours before your stay (Platinum Elite and Spire Elite only).
• Roll-over nights: if you’re Platinum Elite or Spire Elite and you earn extra nights over the qualifying threshold, your extra nights will roll over to the next year, which will help you achieve elite status faster.
• And even more (see table below)

In-stay perks

In-stay perks provide you with benefits during your hotel stay at an IHG property and are intended to improve your experience. These benefits can include:

• Complimentary in-room internet: all members get standard wifi included in their stay.
• Extended checkout: if desired, you can request late check-out at any IHG property. This is subject to availability and only for Gold Elite, Platinum Elite and Spire Elite.
• Free room upgrades: if the hotel has extra rooms available, Platinum Elite, and Spire Elite members can get complimentary room upgrades.
• And even more (see table below)

IHG Rewards Club member benefits

Here’s a full breakdown of the IHG Rewards Club benefits for members by tier: [wpsm_colortable color=”blue”]

	Club	Gold Elite	Platinum Elite	Spire Elite	InterContinental Ambassador
Complimentary internet access	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Discounted member rates	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Dedicated customer service line	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Reward Nights count towards elite status	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Custom stay preferences	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
$30 in-room spa credit	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Free Amazon Kindle eBooks	1 biannually	1 per quarter	2 per quarter	3 per quarter
Save per gallon with the Fuel Rewards Program	5 cents per gallon	5 cents per gallon	6 cents per gallon	7 cents per gallon
Points don’t expire		[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Extended check-out (based on availability)		[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Priority check-in		[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Welcome amenity		[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Raid the mini bar gift card (at participating properties)		[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Complimentary room upgrade			[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
72-hour guaranteed room availability			[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Elite roll-over nights			[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]	[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Early check-in				[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Exclusive choice benefits				[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Inner Circle amenity (Kimpton Hotels only)				[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Complimentary Chef’s Taste (Kimpton Hotels only)				[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Exclusive access to Kimpton’s CEO				[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Complimentary Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status				[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Guaranteed one category room upgrade					[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Annual free weekend night certificate					[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Choice of fruit, sweet or savory snack					[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Free daily mineral water					[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
In-room welcome gift					[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Dedicated check-in line					[wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]

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Earning IHG Rewards Club Points

The IHG Rewards Club splits its points into two categories: base points and bonus points. Let’s break down the differences between the two.

IHG Rewards Club base points

Base points are received for each night of your stay at an IHG property. This basically means that you get a point match for every dollar you spend on your stay. Each status tier in the program has the exact same point match for base points. There is no difference in earning base points if you are a Spire Elite member or just a regular member. However, the number of points you receive per dollar spent depends on the particular hotel brand you’re staying at within the IHG portfolio. So, the number of base points you earn will depend on how much you spend on your stay and which property you are at. 

Here’s the breakdown of base points you can earn by IHG brand:

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	Earn 10 points per $1	Earn 5 points per $1
IHG Brands	avid hotels Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts EVEN Hotels Holiday Inn Holiday Inn Club Vacation Holiday Inn Express Holiday Inn Resort Hotel Indigo HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants voco	Candlewood Suites Staybridge Suites

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IHG Rewards Club bonus points

In addition to base points, IHG allows you to earn bonus points. However, these work differently than base points do. Bonus points are awarded at a different rate for each status tier in the IHG Rewards Club program. They are calculated using the percentage of total base points earned for a given stay at an IHG property. For example, if you received 10,000 base points for a stay and you have Gold Elite Status, you would receive an additional 1,000 bonus points (10% bonus). Here’s the breakdown of bonus points awarded for each tier of the program:

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	Member	Gold Elite	Platinum Elite	Spire Elite
Points bonus	None	10% bonus	50% bonus	100% bonus

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Earning additional IHG Rewards Club bonus points

The IHG Rewards Club provides other opportunities to gain even more bonus points. Check out the following ways you can earn extra points:

• Booking IHG Your Rate package: when you purchase a Your Rate IHG Rewards Club Bonus Points package, you will receive 1,000 bonus points for each night of your stay.
• A Greener Stay: if you decline your daily housekeeping room service for two consecutive days while staying at an IHG property, you can earn even more points: a max of 500 points per stay.
• Completing Opinion Check-In surveys: you can earn 1,000 points when you join & complete your first consumer survey with Opinion Check-In. Plus, the more surveys you complete, the more points you can make.
• Special point promotions: IHG often runs special promotions, in which you can receive a set amount of bonus points if you complete a stay within a given time period. Please note you may have to register for these online to earn the promotional point value.

Purchasing IHG Rewards Club points

Another good way to increase your IHG Rewards Club points balance is to buy rewards points. IHG currently allows you to purchase up to 100,000 points per calendar year and you can only purchase in 1,000 increments. The purchase rate is $13.50 per 1,000 points.

People often buy points to help meet a minimum point redemption threshold that they otherwise may not be able to meet in the immediate future. For example, if you are 5,000 points away from being able to redeem your points for a future hotel stay, it might make sense to purchase points to make up the difference. However, you should make sure to understand the cash value of the points you are purchasing. Make sure to take into consideration the cost that you are paying to buy the points. This is key to ensure you are receiving the proper expected value in the transaction.

Other ways to earn IHG Rewards Club Points

IHG Rewards Club Credit Cards

The IHG Rewards Club offers two credit cards in partnership with Mastercard. These cards offer great perks to cardholders and can help accelerate earning IHG Rewards Club points. In addition to earning points for your stays at IHG properties, the IHG Rewards Club credit cards can give you even more points. With the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card, you can earn 10x points per each dollar spent at an IHG property, which includes the actual stay plus any incidentals. You’ll get 2x points per dollar on gas, groceries and dining and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. The IHG Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card also offers 2x points on gas, groceries and dining and 1 point on everything else, but only offers 5x points when you spend at IHG hotels. 

On top of the earning potential, you’ll also get access to elite perks. These include things like a free anniversary night and automatic Platinum Elite status in the IHG Rewards Club, and more. Plus at the time of this writing, IHG is offering a signing bonus on both credit cards (80,000 for the Premier card and 60,000 for the Traveler card) after you spend $2,000 in the first three months of owning the card. 

Car rental partnerships

After doing some heavy research in the IHG Rewards Club program, we have concluded IHG doesn’t have as many rental car partnerships as the Hilton Honors or Marriott Rewards programs.

They pretty much only have one significant partnership with Hertz, in which they give members exclusive savings and a point earning offer for members. IHG Rewards Club members can save up to 35% off of your car rentals with Hertz. In addition to this, you’ll receive 1,500 points on every rental, plus Gold, Platinum and Spire Elite members can earn another 500 points for every day they rent the car. Regular club members can make 125 points for each day they have the rental car. Right now Hertz and IHG have a special offer where you can earn 3,000 points instead of the standard 1,500.

The IHG Rewards Club will also give members 125 points per day for renting a car with Dollar and Thrifty.

IHG Rewards Club Dining

IHG has their very own dining club program, called the IHG Rewards Club Dining. In this program, you’ll earn points when you dine at the more than 10,000 restaurants within IHG’s dining network. Furthermore, you’ll get 1,000 bonus points for just joining the program and spending $30 in the first 30 days. You can join the IHG Rewards Club Dining program and connect it with your IHG Rewards Club account here.

Earning airline miles instead of IHG Rewards Club points

You might find that it’s better for you to earn miles in a frequent flyer program instead of the IHG Rewards Club. If you are in this boat, you can certainly do that. IHG has a partnership with most major airlines that you can choose as your primary method of earning points for your stays at IHG properties. You should note that if you select this option, you will not also earn IHG Rewards Club points. It’s either one or the other. Check out IHG’s page on earning airline miles here.

Redeeming IHG Rewards Club Points

As with most other hotel rewards programs, the primary method to redeem your IHG Rewards Club points is to use them to stay at any IHG property worldwide with Reward Nights. You can cash in your points for Rewards Nights for as little as 10,000 points and as much as 70,000 points. One of our pro-tips is to look for the IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks, which give you Reward Nights for only 5,000 points per night.

To redeem your points for Rewards Nights, you’ll need to log into your IHG Rewards Club account on IHG’s website (www.ihg.com). When you search for a location for a specific set of dates, you’ll see the option at the top of the results page that says ‘Points.’ Choose that to see the point values that you’d need to have to book a stay at a particular property by using points. You’ll also see the option to use Cash + Points, which lets you mix redeeming points and paying with money for a future hotel stay.

IHG has not published any documentation or chart that we have seen on how many points you need to redeem a Reward Night at specific hotels. However, they clearly state that points requirements vary by hotel property and are classified per category. We can tell you that the luxury brands like Kimpton and Hotel Indigo are worth more points than the Holiday Inn Express and other ‘lower-end’ brands.

One nice perk of IHG Reward Nights is that unlike most hotel rewards programs, IHG counts your Rewards Nights towards your elite status qualification status. This is pretty rare as using your points in any rewards program typically will not help you earn status.

Redeeming your IHG Rewards Club points on other travel

IHG has three special sites that allow you to redeem your flights on flights, non-IHG hotels, and car rentals.

In addition to this, you can also transfer your IHG Rewards Club points to various airline partners, like Aeromexico, Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, United, and others. Of course, the conversion value of your IHG points varies for each travel partner. You can view the full list of transfer partners, the conversion values, and the process to transfer your points here. 

Using your IHG Rewards Club points on online shopping and digital rewards

You can use your IHG Rewards Club points to make purchases from IHG’s online catalog, which includes a wide variety of brand-name products, electronics, jewelry and more. You can also buy gift cards for over 100 top retailers and brands using the online catalog.

In addition to this, IHG also offers the IHG Rewards Club Digital Rewards program, where you can turn your points into instant entertainment. The Digital Rewards program has online movies, music, eBooks, games, software and more that you can purchase with your points.

Gift, transfer or donate your points

For gifting and transferring points, you just need to enter the recipient’s name, email and IHG Rewards Club number and for a fee, you can give someone IHG points that they can use for future travel. Gifting points will cost you $13.50 per 1,000 points, and you can gift up to 100,000 points in a year. You can even donate your points to the IHG Foundation, which aims to help better communities all around the world.

Calculating the earning potential of IHG Rewards Club points

It’s important to note that in general, base points from most travel-related rewards programs have an actual cash redemption value. In general, reward point cash values typically range between 0.05 cents to 2.5 cents per point. The cash value of rewards points depends on the method in which points are redeemed. For example, you’ll get a different value if you redeem for travel then if you redeem for gift cards. As mentioned previously in the IHG Rewards Club base points section above, IHG provides base points that will vary depending on the property. If you want to maximize rewards points earnings for your stay, we recommend that you target IHG hotels that provide 10x base points per $1.

The more points you earn, the higher the cash value of your points. This means that you will be able to redeem points for higher gift card amounts, longer trips, nicer vacations, and more. The examples below demonstrate how to calculate the earning potential of IHG Rewards points, and also highlights the base point difference between properties that have different base point earning rates.

Example 1

You book a 5-night stay at a Holiday Inn property and spend $1,000 total 

• $1,000 x 10 = 10,000 base points
• For this example, we will value 1 IHG Rewards point at 0.007 cents
• We will use the following formula:
  • Base points received from stay x 0.007 = total cash value of base points
• 10,000 x 0.007 = $70
• So 10,000 IHG Rewards base points are worth $70 in cash when redeeming for things such as travel

Example 2

You book a 5-night stay at a Candlewood Suites property and spend $1,000 total 

• $1,000 x 5 = 5,000 base points
• For this example, we will value 1 IHG Rewards point at 0.007 cents
• We will use the following formula:
  • Base points received from stay x 0.007 = total cash value of base points
• 5,000 x 0.007 = $35
• So 5,000 IHG Rewards base points are worth $35 in cash when redeeming for things such as travel

That is a $35 cash value difference between the two properties and demonstrates the earning power from staying at properties that provide a higher base point earning rates. Over the course of a year, the value of staying at these properties can pay off significantly if you are a frequent or even a casual traveler. Many savvy rewards program veterans are able to fund a full or partial family vacation just due to the monetary value they receive from staying at these properties, so it is important not to underestimate the knowledge power that comes from calculating the earning potential of IHG Rewards points.

Overall summary of the IHG Rewards Club

The IHG Rewards Club offers a great way for members to earn points for being a loyal customer of IHG brands. With over 5,300 locations globally, IHG has a wide selection and variety of properties for you to book at, making earning points easier, and more accessible, than ever. And once you achieve elite status within the IHG Rewards Club program, the real benefits start to emerge. Gold, Platinum and Spire Elite members get access to awesome perks like extended check-out, complimentary wifi, room upgrades, 72-hour guaranteed room availability and much more.

In addition to earning points for stays, IHG also offers a few alternative options for earning like using the IHG Rewards Club credit cards and booking car rentals with Hertz. Finally, once you’re ready, you’ll be able to redeem your points in a variety of ways, such as on future stays at IHG properties or even by purchasing gift cards and digital downloads. 

CompareBare highly recommends signing up for the IHG Rewards Club program so you can start earning rewards today! If you are interested in reading more about great hotel rewards programs check out our articles on Hilton Honors, Marriott Rewards, and Wyndham Rewards.