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Rakuten has improved its cash back rate for stays made at select IHG brands, so you can now earn 10% cash back or 10 Amex Membership Rewards Points per dollar on most IHG (InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, etc…) bookings.
It’s not clear how long this offer will last for so don’t wait too long if you have an IHG stay that you need to book.
Rakuten IHG 10% cash back terms
These are the key terms and conditions per Rakuten:
- Cash Back is not available on bookings with Kimpton Hotels, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, select Six Senses properties, or IHG Army Hotels.
- Changes made to the reservation at the hotel will void Cash Back.
- Specialty negotiated rates such as IHG friends & Family are not eligible for Cash Back.
- Cash Back is not available on the purchase of reward Club Points or the Ambassador Certificate program.
- Rooms booked and paid for by IHG reward Club Points are not eligible for Cash Back incentives.
- Cash Back will be added to your Rakuten account within 3 months after travel has been completed
Make sure you read all the terms carefully on the Rakuten page before booking.
Participating brands
Sometimes we see a significant number of IHG brands specifically excluded from these Rakuten cashback promotions, but this time the only major brand to be excluded completely is Kimpton (even Six Senses has a few properties participating this time).
The 10% deal is valid at these brands:
- Atwell Suites
- avid hotels by IHG
- Candlewood Suites by IHG
- Crowne Plaza by IHG
- EVEN Hotels by IHG
- Garner Hotels
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations by IHG
- Holiday Inn Express by IHG
- Holiday Inn by IHG
- Hotel Indigo by IHG
- Iberostar Beachfront Resorts
- InterContinental Hotels and Resorts by IHG
- Six Senses by IHG
- Staybridge Suites by IHG
The Six Senses properties excluded from this deal are as follows:
| Six Senses – Bhutan | Six Senses – Kaplankaya |
| Six Senses – Krabey Island | Six Senses – Con Dao |
| Six Senses – Qing Cheng Mountain | Six Senses – Ninh Van Bay |
| Six Senses – Fiji | Six Senses – Kocatas Mansions |
| Six Senses – Residences Courchevel | Six Senses – Shaharut |
| Six Senses – Uluwatu, Bali | Six Senses – Ibiza |
| Six Senses – Laamu | Six Senses – Fort Barwara |
| Six Senses – Zighy Bay | Six Senses – Kanuhura Maldives |
| Six Senses – Samui | Six Senses – Southern Dunes The Red Sea |
| Six Senses – Yao Noi | Six Senses – Vana |
Why this is a good deal
Not only will clicking through the Rakuten portal earn you 10% cash back on eligible IHG bookings, but you’ll also continue to earn IHG Rewards points and credit towards IHG elite status, and you’ll continue to enjoy any elite status benefits that you may be entitled to (Rakuten’s links take you directly to the IHG website so all stays booked in this way are treated like any other booking made directly with IHG).
Don’t forget!
Earn Membership Rewards Points
If you’d like to earn Membership Rewards points instead of cashback (1 point per 1% cash back) make sure you change your Rakuten account settings appropriately.
IHG Black Friday sales
IHG is currently running sales for all regions for stays made by 31 March 2026 (31 October 2026 for select Iberostar properties) so make sure you make the most of any deals you can find there (if you could stack the 60% discount being offered at some Iberostar resorts with this cash back deal, you would be doing very well!).
Link to the IHG Cyber Sale page
Save with Amex & Chase offers
Amex and Chase often run targeted promotions for stays at IHG properties so before you make any bookings, make sure you check all your credit cards to see if any offers are waiting for you.
Tips
There’s no trick to earning the cashback or Membership Rewards points on offer (you just click through to the retailers using the links on Rakuten), but there are two things you should keep in mind:
Firstly, before making any purchases, make sure you check what Amex offers are available in your American Express account, and make sure that you load your Amex card with any relevant offers before using that card for your booking.
Secondly, if you don’t have any relevant Amex offers to use, make sure you use a credit card that will reward you well. The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card will help you earn up to 26 IHG Rewards Points per dollar on IHG bookings or you could choose to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve® which will earn you 4 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent directly with hotels.
Bottom line
For a limited time, Rakuten is offering 10% cash back or 10 Membership Rewards Points per dollar for stays booked with IHG, so if you have plans to make any hotel bookings in the near future, this may make IHG’s properties look a little more attractive.
Featured image: InterContinental Dublin courtesy of IHG
