15 Best Ways To Earn Lots of IHG One Rewards Points [2023]

As one of the largest hotel loyalty programs in the world, IHG One Rewards allows members to earn points for stays at almost 6,000 IHG Hotels & Resorts properties. These points can be redeemed for reward hotel stays and other awards.

Here are great strategies for maximizing your IHG One Rewards points so that you can quickly build up your balance. After all, the more points you accrue, the better redemptions you will qualify for!

Table of contents

IHG One Rewards Program

1. Join IHG One Rewards

Sign up for the IHG One Rewards to start earning points immediately. In fact, if you enroll during your stay, you’ll get an automatic 1,000 points for that stay (with the exception of ANA and InterContinental Alliance Resorts and Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties). You can also enroll for free on the IHG One Rewards website or by contacting the service center.

You’ll enjoy earning 10x base points per $1 spent for most future hotel stays.

Exceptions include:

Earn 5x points per $1 spent at Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites
Earn 3x points per $1 spent at IHG Army Hotels
Earn 2.5x points per $1 spent at IHG branded residence properties (excluding voco Residences)
Earn 2,000 points per stay at InterContinental Alliance Resorts, Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Palazzo at the Venitian Resort

You’ll earn points for charges to your room — such as food, drinks, laundry, and in-room movies — even if staying on a rewards night redemption.

Points won’t expire as long as you redeem or earn points within 12 months or hold Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Diamond Elite status.

Hot Tip: IHG has a partnership with Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a curated selection of some of the world’s best hotels, and select properties are now eligible for members to earn and redeem IHG One Rewards points.

2. IHG Credit Card Welcome Bonus

The IHG Premier card helps you accrue IHG One Rewards points, including a welcome bonus to get you started. Plus, you earn up to 26x points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel. Not only does the card usually come with a welcome bonus, but it includes tons of benefits like an annual reward night and complimentary elite status.

If a card with no annual fee is a better fit, you may want to consider the IHG Traveler card, or if you’re looking for a business card, consider the IHG Premier Business card.

Hot Tip: Not sure if the IHG Premier card is right for you? Check out our analysis of all of the IHG-branded credit cards to see which one is best for you.

3. IHG Credit Card Bonus Categories

Make purchases with IHG credit cards to earn lots of IHG One Rewards points.

IHG Premier Card

10x points per $1 spent at IHG Hotels
5x points per $1 spent on travel, gas, and dining
3x point per $1 on everything else

IHG Premier Business Card

10x points per $1 spent at IHG Hotels
5x points per $1 spent on travel, dining, gas, office supply stores, and social media and search engine advertising
3x point per $1 on everything else

IHG Traveler Card

10x points per $1 spent at IHG Hotels
3x points per $1 spent on dining, utilities, select streaming services, and at gas stations
2x points per $1 spent on all other purchases

4. IHG One Rewards Elite Status

One of the benefits of IHG One Rewards elite status is earning bonus points. These points are in addition to the 10x points you usually earn at most IHG locations.

	Club Member	Silver Elite	Gold Elite	Platinum Elite	Diamond Elite
Status requirements	None	10 qualifying nights	20 qualifying nights or 40,000 qualifying points	40 qualifying nights or 60,000 qualifying points	70 qualifying nights or 120,000 qualifying points
Bonus points earned on top of base points	0%	20%	40%	60%	100%

IHG One Rewards members start at Club Member status — unless you have the right credit card.

Silver Elite status comes with the IHG Traveler card. Platinum Elite status comes with the IHG Premier card, IHG Premier Business card, and United Club℠ Infinite Card.

Having a card that comes with IHG elite status is a great way to keep your points from expiring, too.

Hot Tip: Rewards Nights count toward elite status, so you’ll work towards achieving a higher status while enjoying your reward night.

5. Join the InterContinental Ambassador Program

There’s actually another way to get elite status with IHG One Rewards. Join InterContinental Ambassador for $200 and you’ll get automatic Platinum Elite status, plus a guaranteed 1 category room upgrade, extended 4 p.m. checkout, a certificate for a reward weekend night, and more.

6. Milestone Rewards

Milestone Rewards are a new feature of the IHG One Rewards program. Members will get to choose rewards for every 10 elite nights (starting at 20 nights) and bonus points will be one of the awards.

Number of Elite Nights	Milestone Reward Choice
20	5,000 points
30	5,000 points
40	10,000 points
50	10,000 points
60	10,000 points
70	10,000 points
80	10,000 points
90	10,000 points
100	10,000 points

Transfer Points to IHG One Rewards

7. Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to IHG One Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio, starting at 1,000 points.

Due to how valuable Chase points are, we don’t recommend cashing in all of your Ultimate Reward points for IHG One Rewards points. However, this can be a fantastic option if you need to top off your points balance to have enough for a certain redemption.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Chase business credit cards.

8. Transfer Bilt Points to IHG One Rewards

Bilt Rewards is a newcomer to the miles and points world that offers 1 credit card option. While this card gives renters a chance to earn points on rent, it’s probably not a major player in most people’s wallets. However, if you have Bilt Rewards points you can transfer them to IHG One Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.

Other Opportunities To Earn Points

9. Trip Extras

With IHG Trip Extras, members can earn 1,000 points every time they book an activity through the Trip Extras portal. Trip Extras gives you the option to book tours and activities, restaurants, transport services, excursions, and other experiences.

10. IHG One Rewards Promotions

IHG One Rewards posts special deals online throughout the year for members. These member offers include additional bonus points for stays, double bonus points, and discounts. Be sure to keep an eye out for the quarterly IHG Accelerate offers that can dramatically increase your point balance by completing tasks like booking a stay through the app or staying at multiple brands.

11. IHG Dining

Earn IHG points for dining — Earn bonus IHG points for dining out. Image Credit: IHG Dining

Earn points for dining out when you enroll in the IHG Dining program and dine at one of more than 10,000 select restaurants around the country.

You can join for free and register with a credit or debit card. Then earn up to 5x IHG One Rewards points per $1 just for registering your email address, and 8x points per $1 after your eleventh dining experience.

12. IHG Business Rewards

Become a meeting planner with IHG Business Rewards and earn points for hosting qualifying events.

You’ll earn 3 points for each $1 spent on meeting space, food, beverages, and even guest rooms.

13. Purchase Discount IHG One Rewards Points

Are you close to an award but still need more points for the redemption? You may be able to buy IHG One Rewards points at a discount.

Every so often IHG One Rewards offers targeted promotions to members. For example, you may be able to take advantage of a 100% bonus on purchases between 5,000 to 100,000 points — the 100% bonus doubles whatever denomination you purchase.

14. Shop With Apple

Earn IHG points with Apple — Earn IHG points when you buy Apple products. Image Credit: Apple

When you buy your new Apple products through IHG One Rewards, you can earn 4x points for every $1 you spend on qualifying products. Simply visit the IHG/Apple partnership website, sign in to your IHG One Rewards account, and start shopping.

Your points will be deposited in your IHG account after the Apple 30-day product return period has passed.

15. Transfer IHG One Rewards Points to Another Member

IHG One Rewards permits you to transfer your points to another member, or have them transfer points to you! Best of all, there is no limit. You must transfer in 1,000 point increments, but there is a $5 fee per 1,000 points. This could definitely get expensive if you’re transferring a large number of points, so be sure to calculate whether the added cost is worth the redemption.

Final Thoughts

Credit card bonuses, elite status bonuses, promotional offers, and so much more…. IHG One Rewards really does offer plenty of ways to earn IHG One Rewards points.

Simply pick the strategies from this post that work best for your needs and you will be on your way to earning plenty of points for an award night in no time!

Featured Image Credit: IHG

Frequently asked questions

How does the IHG One Rewards program work?

IHG One Rewards is a free hotel loyalty program. Members earn points for staying at participating hotels, as well as making purchases from travel and non-travel partners.

How many IHG One Rewards points can I earn per stay?

Earn 10 points per $1 spent at all avid hotels, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, EVEN Hotels, Holiday Inn Club Vacations Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels, Regent Hotels & Resorts, Six Senses Hotels & Resorts, Vignetti Collection, and voco Hotels.

Earn 5 points per $1 spent at all Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

You’ll earn additional bonus points based on your elite status level — Silver Elite members earn an additional 20%, Gold Elite members earn an additional 40%, Platinum Elite members earn an additional 60%, and Diamond Elite members earn an additional 100%.

Can I earn miles instead of points at IHG?

Yes, you can choose to earn miles instead of points for hotel stays. You can switch from earning points to earning airline miles in the Preferences section of your online account.

How long does it take for points to post to my IHG One Rewards account?

Expect points to post to your account within 7 business days.

How can I keep track of my IHG One Rewards points?

You can check your IHG One Rewards points in your online account.

Is there an IHG One Rewards credit card?

Yes, there are 3 IHG cards currently available — the IHG Premier card, the IHG Premier Business card, and the IHG Traveler card.

When do IHG One Rewards points expire?

Your IHG One Rewards points will expire if there is no activity on the account for 12 months. However, your points won’t expire if you have Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Diamond elite status.

Is the IHG One Rewards program free to join?

Yes — anyone can join the IHG One Rewards and there is no cost to do so.

How many IHG points do you need for a free night?

Standard award nights with IHG One Rewards range between 10,000 and 70,000 IHG One Rewards points per night on average.

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About Jarrod West

Jarrod has been writing about the ins and outs of credit cards and loyalty programs, along with airlines and hotels, for over 6 years. He is regularly called upon to share his expertise on the latest news within the space, and has been featured in publications such as Matador Network, The New York Times, RetailMeNot, and Yahoo! Finance. Jarrod has over 20 credit cards in his wallet and has tested out dozens more in order to vet the very best card options for readers. As he is constantly sampling new cards, Jarrod also earns (and redeems) over 1 million points and miles each year. This allows him to book luxury travel experiences the world over, and save tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

29 comments

wesley wilson March 18, 2018

It has become increasingly harder to find any IHG Resort Hotels that will allow you to use IHG points to pay for a room. I have even had a IHG hotel that had many rooms available deny me the option of using reward points to pay for the room. Their reasoning was they only had a few rooms that points could be used as payment, and those rooms were taken. With nearly 1 million points, I’m doing good to get an upgraded room. Not feelin’ the love!

Reply
- Richie Taylor July 22, 2018
  
  How long did it take to rack up 1 mil points?
  
  Reply
- TABITHA Knowland August 14, 2018
  
  Would you be willing to sell some pouts? I would buy them!
  
  Reply
  - Jimmy September 21, 2021
    
    Yes
    
    Reply
- LaKenya Bennett July 31, 2022
  
  I agree. I have experienced the same. To add insult to injury, need I remind you that the program specifically promises NO BLACKOUT DATES? Clearly false advertisement.
  
  Reply
Mister Estrada August 7, 2018

I have been a IHG Platinum Eilte member for 18 months and noticed hotels increasing the amount of points required to stay and even some hotels, like the Holiday Inn Resorts disappearing from the annual Free Reward Night list when trying to book your free night night. You need to accumulate and use your points quickly or the depreciation factor will render your points useless since last year’s 10,000 point hotel is now going for 15,000 or 20,000. I now have the new IHG black card…Premier Club, we’ll see if anything changes… or I’ll just have to switch to another hotel group credit card… nice post by the way….

Reply
- Michael McHugh August 16, 2018
  
  Thanks for this info Mister Estrada!
  
  Reply
  - Lucienne CHU October 7, 2018
    
    Hi team,
    
    I just joined the IHG programme online and am still waiting for my IHG Card to be posted out to my home address . I am going to visit China soon and already booked three nights at Crowne Plaza Foshan . My enquiry : how can I earn the IHG points as I don’t have the card yet ? If I show my online IHG membership number to the Crowne Plaza when I arrive there, would they allocate the points I earn with this booking ? Or do I have to print out the temporary card to record the nights? I will then visit other cities in China. I am sure I can easily pass the 10 nights required during this trip .
    Hence your advice is really appreciated. Thank you and cheers.
    
    Lucienne
    
    Reply
    - Christine Krzyszton October 7, 2018
      
      Hi Lucienne! Fortunately you do not need your physical IHG membership card to receive credit for your upcoming stays. If you call IHG, they can add your membership number to your reservations. Their phone number is 1(800) 621-0555. You could also email them. It is possible to add it at the hotel but it is best to do it in advance as you will then be able to access all of your reservations online in your account and assure you receive credit. Be sure to have your membership number with you during your trip in case the hotel does not have it on the reservation and check your statement when you check in/out to make sure your IHG membership is on it. I hope your trip goes well.
      
      Reply
Terry R Wood June 10, 2019

I have been an IHG Rewards member for 15 years. It was my go-to when traveling on business. Unfortunately something has gone wrong here. Points are practically worthless now. I still have the IHG rewards credit card and I do get an “free” anniversary night for the $89 annual membership fee but there is really no other benefit anymore. Over the last several years it has cost me more to stay loyal to IHG. Today I am trying to book a room in Salt Lake City, just as someone off the street a standard room can be had for $97.22. For me to stay with points would cost me 30,000 points. I recently loaded up for the year on points like I usually do when I am sent an offer to purchase, but to buy 30,000 points cost me $172.50. I do have the option to split the bill by paying cash and buying points. I can get that same standard room for 15,000 points (which cost me $94.50) plus $105.00 cash.
Someone has let this ship go astray???

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton June 10, 2019
  
  Hello Terry and thanks for your comment. You are using a very specific example and in the case you mention, it would be better to pay cash for the room. As you are probably aware, being a long term IHG Rewards member, even with the increase in redemption costs, it is still possible to find great value using your points. A night at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand, for example, can be secured for 70,000 IHG points but can cost $700 per night to pay cash. The Intercontinental in San Juan, for 50,000 IHG points, can run $350 or more per night. PointBreaks specials have even allowed me to secure a Holiday Inn Express in Madrid for 5,000 points per night. Also, sometimes purchasing points is not always the best value. During promotions you can pick up 100,000 points for $500 which does bring the cost down somewhat but even then, it does not always make sense without a specific redemption in mind that will maximize the value. Thousands of points can also be earned for no additional cost during a promotion such as Accelerate. So yes, while there are plenty of situations where using points is not a good deal, like the one you mention, there are still plenty of great reward redemption options to be found with IHG points.
  
  Reply
Jeff July 14, 2019

Hi, has anybody recently stayed at an IHG property in Greater China (Mainland, HK, Taiwan)? If so, did you have a choice of either Points or a Drink voucher as welcome amenity gift? I was told today by the Intercontinental Xiamen that Points are no longer offered in Greater China as a welcome amenity gift. Any recent experience proving that statement right (or wrong)?

Reply
Ed August 22, 2019

My wife just became a Platinum Elite IHG member and currently, I am Gold Elite. I was looking to transfer the 50k points I have from my Gold account to my wife’s account but IHG is requesting $250 to transfer the points. This seems outrageous to me. I would be interested if anyone has any other methods/success stories to work around this?

Reply
- Jarrod West August 22, 2019
  
  Hi Ed,
  
  Unfortunately, the only way to transfer your IHG points into your wife’s account is to pay the $250 transfer fee. However, we would advise against doing so as that high of a fee would negate most of the value you would receive from just using the points through your own account.
  
  Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
- LaKenya Bennett July 31, 2022
  
  I assume that you are transferring the points to your wife so that she can book a room. If that is the case I would suggest that you book the room using your points and add her to the reservation. This way she can check in without you being present.
  
  Reply
Peter Seeley August 23, 2019

I’ve been a loyal IHG member for more years than I can think of. Most of my points have come from the credit card and business hotel stays.

Recently stayed in a Crown Plaza through work and just had confirmation of points earned, none! When did I miss the fact that you can no longer earn points through bookings with company travel agencies? Why would they do this? We still make a choice which hotel/chain to stay with. May just have to look at alternative loyalty schemes!

Reply
Edward Temoney December 12, 2019

Is paying for the Ambassador option worth it?

Reply
- Jarrod West December 13, 2019
  
  Hi Edward,
  
  That is entirely subjective. If you frequently stay in IHG hotels then it very well could be!
  
  Reply
Jenson January 21, 2020

You might want to mention that the credit cards are only available to less than 5% of the world’s people. Those who recide outside of the US cannot apply.

Reply
- Jarrod West January 21, 2020
  
  Hi Jensen,
  
  That is correct. We are a U.S. based company and, currently, only cover U.S. credit cards.
  
  Reply
Babs January 22, 2020

The IHG rewards club that gives 5x or 10x points per dollar spent DOES NOT WORK if you chose the Points & Cash option. You will be charged the amount they state on site per night for converting into points, but you will only receive 1 point per dollar spent even though you’re spending the money for a stay at their hotel.

Reply
Chuck February 13, 2020

You caution against (blindly) transferring points to another member due to the high cost of $5 per 1,000 points transferred. However, my transferring $1,000 points to my wife for $5 (500 cents for 1000 points = 0.5 cents per point) is the same as her capitalizing on a great IHG purchase promo — buying points for 0.5 cents per point. And this transfer can be done anytime, not just during IHG’s promos. And this $5/1000 point transfer rate is in effect for quantities as small as 1,000 points, whereas one often has to buy a lot of points in order to get the best rate of 0.5 cents per point. So I don’t see how this transfer rate is bad, at all. Am I missing something?

Reply
- Jarrod West February 13, 2020
  
  Hi Chuck,
  
  If you need to move a small number of points to another account in order to make a booking possible, then it can definitely make sense to do so.
  
  However, if you have the option to buy points at 0.5 cents per point instead, then that would likely be the better option. This is because when you purchase points, you’ll receive new points that you did not have before. When you transfer points, you’re just paying money to move points you already have from one account to another.
  
  Reply
Susan July 2, 2020

With 84k Available points and gold elite how many free hotel nights would that be?

Reply
- Jarrod West July 2, 2020
  
  Hi Susan,
  
  It depends! IHG award nights vary from hotel to hotel. Award nights usually range between 10,000 to 70,000 points per night. So 84,000 points could get you anywhere between 1 to 8 free nights, or even more if you use the 4th-night free benefit from the IHG Rewards Premier card!
  
  Reply
Confused IHG Member April 17, 2022

I’m trying to decide whether to earn IHG points or airline miles. Do you earn the same number of miles as you would IHG points? Do you still earn an Elite bonus if I choose to earn Miles?

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton April 17, 2022
  
  You will earn far more IHG Rewards points than miles on each stay. Also, earning miles does not count toward IHG Rewards’ elite status or earning an elite bonus. Plus, at redemption time, your IHG Rewards points will result in better value when used for free hotel nights.
  
  Reply
Cap January 1, 2023

The article says that one would earn points for reward nights, which is not really true. Reward nights do not earn you points in IHG One Reward Programme, however they do count towards your night-stay count for milestone rewards or status/level within the programme.

Reply
- Jarrod West January 2, 2023
  
  Hi Cap,
  
  Can you let me know where in the post it says that? I’m not seeing that claim on my end. Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply