Buy points at 0.5 US cents each; offer runs till 12 April, Wed, 12pm (Singapore Time).
IHG One Rewards has launched its latest sale on purchased points, not long after the last one ended just last month in March. The current flash sale offers 100% on all points purchases, and will run up to 11 Apr 2023, Tuesday (US Eastern Time), which means 12 April 2023, Wednesday 12pm for those in Singapore (GMT+8).
This is in line with the best offers we see from the programme.
Buy IHG Rewards points with a 100% bonus
IHG Rewards have marketed a 100% bonus on points purchases this time round, but there are some online reports from other members saying that they have been targeted for different bonuses, so you’ll need to login and see what you have been offered.
Also, note that your minimum purchase to trigger the 100% may be different from other members: I have been offered a minimum purchase of 15,000 points in order to qualify for the bonus, up to a maximum of 150,000 points (before the 100% bonus).
One upside: IHG One Rewards points will never expire for elite members. For entry-level Club members, points will expire after 12 months if you do not earn or redeem at least one point.
Are IHG One Rewards points good value?
In line with many other programmes, IHG One Rewards does not publish an official award chart, and award nights are priced dynamically based on demand.
However, that doesn’t mean you’ll get the same value with all hotel stays (as with some other dynamic pricing programmes). There have been situations where you can get incredibly good value at some properties, so what you want to do is to look up the cash value of the bookings you want to make, and compare it with the redemption rates.
Some examples of cash versus points rates here in Asia on a given weekend in May 2023:
| Property | Room | Cash Price (local currency) | Points | Cost of Points (including bonus) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InterContinental Singapore | King Classic | S$498 | 51,000 | USD255/S$339 |
| voco Orchard Singapore | King Deluxe | $311.26 | 33,000 | USD165/S$219 |
| Hotel Indigo Katong | King Standard | S$388.48 | 47,000 | USD235/S$312 |
| Crowne Plaza Chang Airport | Standard Room | S$388.48 | 39,000 | USD195/S$259 |
| Holiday Inn Bangkok Silom | King Standard | THB2835 | 13,000 | USD65/THB2241 |
| Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok | King Standard | THB10,303 | 41,000 | USD205/THB7068 |
| InterContinental Bali Resort | Classic | USD219.71 | 30,000 | USD150 |
| Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach | Standard | USD224.47 | 34,000 | USD170 |
| Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali | Standard | USD782 | 138,000 | USD690 |
So as you can see from the above, in some instances you can save up over 30% of the cheapest rate, with flexibility built into the award stays as most award stays can be cancelled up to three days before check-in.
Final thoughts
Since it’s refresh, IHG One Rewards has offered several points buying bonuses. This time round, it is offering again a 100% bonus on points purchases till 12 April 2023.
Again, we caution that while buying points can help you save money, this shouldn’t be done if you don’t already have a plan to use them, as points always devalue with time, and more so with dynamic pricing programmes as the number of points required for a room can always change without notice.
Buy your points here.