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Earning hotel points via the traditional method (actually staying in hotels) is just one way to accumulate points toward your next free hotel night. Fortunately, hotels make it relatively easy to accrue points without traveling, whether through top credit card offers or by utilizing shopping portals and dining reward programs. You can also purchase points directly from the hotel.
And now through February 28, you’ll earn a 75% bonus when buying 20,000 or more IHG Rewards points. Or, you can buy points with a 50% bonus when buying just 5,000 points — making this a great promotion for topping off your account for a redemption.
While there aren’t as many PointBreaks hotels at 5,000 points per night as there have been in the past, there are still 25 hotels worldwide where you can score hotel nights for 5,000 points per night — which will cost you just $33 per night if you maximize this promotion.
In addition, there’s 107 PointBreaks properties still available that are discounted to 10,000 points per night, plus hundreds of category 1 hotels worldwide whose standard cost is just 10,000 points per night. Nights at these hotels will cost just $66 by buying points at this discounted 0.66 cents per point rate.
While the exact offer may vary from member to member, here’s the breakdown of the offer I received:
- Buy 5,000-10,000 points: 50% bonus, buying points at 0.9 cents per point.
- Buy 11,000-19,000 points: 50% bonus, buying points at 0.833 cents per point.
- Buy 20,000-25,000 points: 75% bonus, buying points at 0.714 cents per point.
- Buy 26,000-60,000 points: 75% bonus, buying points at 0.657 cents per point.
As you can see, even when the bonus amount is the same, there are hidden breakpoints for buying miles. In order to get the best purchase rate, my offer requires buying at least 26,000 points — with the bonus points, that comes to 45,500 points for a $299 purchase price.
The most points you can buy through this promotion is 60,000, which will net you 105,000 points for $690:
How To Buy Points
Keep in mind that the usual restrictions for purchasing IHG points apply, including:
- You can purchase points in increments of 1,000 points up to a maximum of 60,000 points per transaction/calendar year (you can also receive an additional 60,000 gifted points per calendar year).
- Allow 72 hours for points to post and appear in your account.
- Points don’t count toward earning elite status.
Note that the purchase is processed by Points.com, so you won’t get any travel category bonuses from this purchase. Make sure to use the best non-bonus category credit card for your situation. Based on TPG’s point and mile valuations, The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express’ 2x Membership Rewards points or the Chase Freedom Unlimited‘s 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points would get the greatest returns.
Is It Worth Buying IHG Points?
In his most recent list of points and miles valuations, TPG values IHG points at 0.7 cents each. This promotion’s 75% bonus lets you buy points as low as 0.657 cents per point, barely under our valuation. So, you’re going to need a plan for these points if you’re going to buy them.
As mentioned earlier, one way of getting good value is through the PointBreaks list. If one of the 25 hotels available at 5,000 points per night works with your travel plans, it can make a lot of sense to buy points during this promotion to get hotel nights for just $33 per night. Many of the 100+ 10,000-point PointBreaks hotels could also make sense at $66 per night. And, you can choose from five InterContinental hotels on the 15,000-point PointBreaks list for just $99 per night.
These prices don’t factor in the 10% rebate on redeemed points that IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card cardholders get. And add to that the standard 500 point “welcome gift” many IHG hotels provide their Platinum Elite members — Platinum Elite status is just one benefit that comes with the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card. So, you can end up paying a net of just 4,000 points per night for 5,000 point hotels.
Outside of PointBreaks hotels, it’s going to be harder to get value from buying points, but not impossible. I’d recommend checking the points vs. cash rate for your upcoming trips. When you do so, make sure to factor any points earnings possibilities into your calculations, particularly your IHG Accelerate promotion.
Source: thepointsguy.com