IHG credit card holders get 20% off select award bookings (for a limited time)

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UPDATE: Some or all of the offer(s) mentioned in this post have now expired

IHG has brought back a promotion that we’ve seen it run at least twice in the past in which it’s offering a 20% discount on select award bookings to holders of its co-branded credit cards.

Importantly, this deal isn’t limited to holders of IHG’s US credit cards and it doesn’t exclude holders of credit cards that are no longer open to new applicants, so quite a few people should find that they’re eligible for the discount.

The promotion

• The sale is offering a discount of 20% on eligible award bookings.
• All IHG brands appear to be participating.
• Most (possibly all) IHG properties worldwide are participating.
• The sale is valid for bookings of between 1 and 3 nights.
• For a 1-night stay, the latest valid checkout date is 11 March 2023.
• For a 2-night stay, the latest valid checkout date is 12 March 2023.
• For a 3-night stay, the latest valid checkout date is 13 March 2023.
• This promotion will not stack with the “4th night free” benefit offered by the card_name (review) and the card_name (review).

As usual, I haven’t received anything from IHG to let me know that a good award deal is available (despite the fact that I hold two IHG co-branded cards), but when I head over to the IHG website and perform an award search within the promotion’s date range, this is the sort of results page that I’m presented with:

The reduced rates are clearly noted and, importantly, although this offer will not stack with the 4th night free benefit, the promotional rates are valid in conjunction with the free night certificate issued to holders of the card_name and the legacy IHG® Rewards Club Select credit card (no longer open to new applicants).

Here, for example, is the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown reduced to 35,200 points (from 44,000) for a 1-night stay on 10 March 2023.

And here’s the same property shown as being bookable (without any additional co-pay) using my Chase anniversary free night certificate on the same date.

Quick thoughts

While it’s a shame that the promotion period is relatively short, this is unquestionably a very nice promotion to see offered as it should make a significant number of expensive aspirational properties considerably cheaper to book.

In the few searches that I’ve performed, I’ve found InterContinental, Kimpton and/or Regent properties charging 40,000 points/night or less is cities such as Los Angeles, London, Chicago, Miami, Sydney, Lyon, Berlin and Amsterdam, and considering the room rates being charged by some of these properties, those all represent very good deals.

Personally and despite this being a very nice deal, I don’t think that I’ll be taking part as I already have a number of reservations locked in with Hyatt and I want to make the most of the latest Hyatt promotion that I’ve been targeted for.

If I find some space in my calendar I may be able to squeeze in a 1-night redemption in London or Berlin once I’m back in Europe, but with my hotel plans for 2023 firmly focused on Hyatt, I’m not going to go out of my way to make the most of this IHG promo.

Bottom line

IHG appears to be following in Hyatt’s footsteps in adding more value to its co-branded credit cards by launching promotions open only to cardholders. For those of us with access to credit cards in the US this is definitely good news, but I feel a little sorry for IHG One Rewards members elsewhere in the world where IHG doesn’t have a credit card offering.

[HT: Loyalty Lobby]