I’ve written about the IHG Points & Cash trick as a way to save money on purchasing IHG points.
Until now, you could use this method to indirectly buy IHG points for as little as 0.7 cents per point.
Via One Mile at a Time, some IHG hotels now offer a better points & cash option which works out to 0.6 cents per point. That’s an excellent deal!
Need More IHG Points? The IHG Points & Cash Trick Just Got Cheaper!
I’ll review how IHG’s Points & Cash works and how you can use it to get an even better deal on award stays!
What’s the Deal?
Link: My Review of IHG Points & Cash
Link: IHG Points & Cash
Link: IHG Hotels
IHG allows you to book award nights using a combination of points and cash. This means if you don’t have enough points for an award night (or don’t want to use them all), you can buy the points you need to make up the balance.
It’s a good way to stretch your points for more nights! But there’s a way to use this method to “buy” IHG points at a reduced rate!
You can reduce the number of points required for a stay by paying:
- $40 for a 5,000 point discount (so you’re buying 5,000 points for $40, or 0.8 cents per point)
- $70 for a 10,000 point discount (so you’re buying 10,000 points for $70, or 0.7 cents per point)
But if you cancel your reservation before the deadline, IHG will NOT refund your money. Instead, they’ll refund the points you purchased!
Use Cash to Reduce the Number of Points Required for an IHG Stay – but If You Cancel, You’ll Get the Points (NOT Cash) Back
So using the Points & Cash trick, you can “buy” IHG points for 0.7 cents per point.
Now, a few IHG hotels have an option to reduce the cost of an award stay by 15,000 IHG points for $90. That works out to 0.6 cents per point.
I haven’t yet found any hotels in the US with this option. But there are a couple in Hong Kong and Sydney (all of which typically cost 45,000 to 50,000 IHG points per night).
So you’ll need to have at least 30,000 IHG points in your account already if you want to do this deal.
The Crowne Plaza: Hong Kong Causeway Bay Normally Costs 45,000 IHG Points per Night. But You Can Now Pay 30,000 Points + $90
That said, not everyone is comfortable using this trick to buy IHG points at a cheaper rate. If you decide to do it, always double-check you’re making a refundable reservation (take note of the cancellation deadline!).
You can read my post for step-by-step instructions on how to make the most of this deal. And check out how you can save your Chase Ultimate Rewards points when you book IHG award stays by using the Points & Cash trick!
Sweeten the Deal!
Link: IHG PointBreaks
Link: My Review of the Latest IHG PointBreaks
Several times a year, IHG offers PointBreaks award nights at certain hotels for just 5,000 IHG points per night.
These PointBreaks hotels were already a terrific bargain, because by using the Points & Cash trick you could effectively get a PointBreaks night for $35 (5,000 IHG points x 0.7 cents per point).
Super Deal! Stay in Expensive IHG Hotels for Just 5,000 IHG Points per Night With PointBreaks ($30 If You Buy the Points With This Trick!)
Because you can now “buy” IHG points for 0.6 cents each, a PointBreaks room now costs $30 per night using the Points & Cash trick (5,000 IHG points x 0.6 cents per point)!
If you’d otherwise pay for an IHG stay anyway, it’s worth doing the math to see if buying points with this method and booking an award night (not just PointBreaks) is a better deal than paying cash for the room.
As always, only do what you’re comfortable with!
Earn More IHG Points!
Link: Chase IHG Rewards Club Select Card
Remember, the easiest way to earn LOTS of IHG points quickly is by signing-up for the Chase IHG Rewards card.
You’ll earn 60,000 IHG points (more than enough for a stay in top-tier hotel) after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the 1st 3 months of opening your account. Plus a $50 statement credit after your 1st purchase!
And you’ll earn a free night at ANY IHG hotel each year you’re a cardmember. That makes this card well worth the $49 annual fee (waived the 1st year).
Use Your IHG Free Night for an Amazing Stay at the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam
Here are some of my favorite IHG hotels in the US and Europe where you can make the most of your free night!
We don’t earn a commission for this offer, but Emily and I will always tell you about the best deals!
Remember, IHG is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. So you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Plus, or Chase Ink Bold (no longer available) to IHG at a 1:1 ratio.
Or from cards like the Chase Freedom or Chase Ink Cash if you have 1 of the cards mentioned above!
Bottom Line
There’s now a way to “buy” IHG points for only 0.6 cents per point by making refundable Points & Cash award bookings, then cancelling them.
Until now, you could use this trick to indirectly purchase IHG points for as little as 0.7 cents per point.
But now there are a handful of IHG hotels where you can pay $90 cash for a 15,000 IHG point discount on your award night. That’s like getting the points for 0.6 cents each ($90 cost of points / 15,000 points).
If you have to cancel, you won’t get the cash back. But you will get your 15,000 IHG points!
Remember, you can get IHG PointBreaks award nights for 5,000 IHG points. By buying points with this method, you could get a PointBreaks night for just $30 (5,000 IHG points x 0.6 cents per point).
Not everyone is comfortable using this technique, so as always, do what works for you.
Let me know if you find other IHG hotels with the new Points & Cash rate!
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