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IHG Rewards Transfer Partners & How To Use Them [2021]

BY 

Stephen Au

- UPDATED: November 24, 2021

1. Travel  / 
2. Hotels

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IHG Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s largest hotel management and hospitality companies. This U.K.-headquartered company has over 6,000 properties in more than 100 countries worldwide, making it easy to rack up points.

One of the great features of IHG Rewards points is that they can be used in many different ways.

So if you’ve got a generous stash of these points sitting around and are looking for unique ways to redeem them, you should consider transferring IHG Rewards points to airline partners.

We’ll show you how in this guide. Let’s begin!

IHG Rewards Airline Transfer Partners

At the moment, IHG Rewards has 37 airline partners, which is an astonishing number! Each program has unique transfer terms and conditions, but most of them transfer at a 5:1 ratio.

This means you’ll earn 1,000 airline miles with most of these partners when you transfer 5,000 IHG Rewards points.

Transfers usually take around 14 to 21 days, which is appreciably faster than other hotel currencies that can sometimes take up to 2 months!

Here is the complete table of transfer partners, as well as the transfer ratios and minimum transfer amounts associated with each partner.

Out of all the transfer partners above, just 3 of them stray away from the 5:1 transfer ratio.

Let’s look at some transfer examples:

• 5:1 ratio (the rate for the majority of partners) — Transfer 10,000 IHG Rewards points to United and earn 2,000 United MileagePlus miles.
• 40:1 ratio — Transfer 10,000 IHG Rewards points to Air Miles and earn 250 Air Miles.
• 250:1 ratio — Transfer 10,000 IHG Rewards points to EL AL Matmid and earn 40 EL AL Matmid points.
• 400:1 ratio — Transfer 10,000 IHG Rewards points to Air New Zealand Airpoints and earn up with 25 Airpoints.

Earning IHG Rewards Points

One of the best ways to earn IHG Rewards points is to use the co-branded credit cards issued by Chase. These cards earn up to 25 IHG Rewards points total per dollar spent.

Recommended IHG Rewards Cards

CREDIT CARD	CARD INFO
IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card	Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening Earn up to 15 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel Earn 2x points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants; then 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-840) No Annual Fee
IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card Learn More (at Chase's secure site)	Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening Earn up to 25 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel Earn 2x points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants; then 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Enjoy a Reward Night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. Plus, enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for any stay of 4 or more nights Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier card member Good to Excellent Credit Recommend (670-850) Annual Fee: $0 for the first year, $89 thereafter

With the generous bonus categories and multipliers, it’s easy to earn lots of IHG Rewards points.

However, if you’re short on IHG Rewards points, you can transfer points from a Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card at a 1:1 ratio to IHG Rewards. We don’t recommend this transfer because you’re almost guaranteed to devalue your points, and there are so many fantastic ways to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points other than transferring them to IHG!

Recommended Chase Cards

CREDIT CARD	CARD INFO
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn More (at Chase's secure site)	Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Enjoy new benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining and 2x points on all other travel purchases, plus more. Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel. With Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories. Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21. Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more. Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021, and get full access to their workout library through the Peloton app, including cardio, running, strength, yoga, and more. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required. Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850) Annual Fee: $95 UP’s Bonus Valuation*: $1,200 Must Reads: For more info on the Chase Sapphire Preferred, see our thoughts on its benefits and travel insurance coverage, which includes primary car rental insurance. Take a look at our full review to see why it’s one of our favorite cards.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Learn More (at Chase's secure site)	Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year. Through 12/31/21, gas station & grocery store purchases will also count towards earning your Travel Credit Earn 5x total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $750 toward travel Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Excellent Credit Recommended (740-850) Annual Fee: $550 UP’s Bonus Valuation*: $1,000 Must Reads: For more on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, see our thoughts on its benefits, global airport lounge access, and travel insurance protection. Take a look here for our full review.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Learn More (at Chase's secure site)	Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn 25% more value when redeeming points through Ultimate Rewards® travel Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850) Annual Fee: $95 UP's Bonus Valuation*: $2,000 Must Reads: For more info on the Ink Business Preferred, see our guides on its benefits, 7 things to do as a new cardholder, and our full review. This is our favorite Chase business credit card.

How To Transfer IHG Rewards Points

Unlike most other hotel programs, it’s not possible to transfer IHG Rewards points without picking up the phone.

Luckily, the process is super easy. Simply call 888-211-9874 to transfer your points. Provide the agent with your IHG Rewards number, choose which transfer partner you’d like to move points to, and confirm the transfer amounts.

Points are transferred in 14 to 21 days.

Should You Transfer to a Partner or Book Hotel Stays?

IHG Rewards points are generally considered to be some of the most valuable. The rewards program is one of the “Big 4” hotel loyalty programs, alongside World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, and Hilton Honors.

We value IHG Rewards points at 0.5 cents each, which means 10,000 points are worth around $50, but it’s certainly possible to get better (or worse) value, especially when redeeming at upscale or luxury hotels.

For example, the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort charges 100,000 IHG Rewards points per night, while cash rates are usually around $1,100 per night, enabling you to get 1.1 cents per point in redemption value.

You probably won’t get that much value when booking a stay at your local Holiday Inn.

But if you don’t see yourself needing to book a stay at an IHG property anytime soon, you should consider transferring points to airline partners.

When It Makes Sense To Transfer IHG Rewards Points

If you feel confident that you can get at least 2.5 cents for every airline mile you earn through IHG Rewards transfers, then it makes sense to transfer IHG Rewards points at a 5:1 ratio.

In most cases, getting 2.5 cents per mile from frequent flyer programs is difficult, unless you’re booking premium cabin flights via Saver-level award tickets.

Another situation when it makes sense to transfer IHG Rewards points to frequent flyer programs is if you are just a few thousand miles short of what you need to book a specific flight.

If you need 50,000 Delta SkyMiles to book a flight but only have 48,000 SkyMiles, you can simply transfer 10,000 IHG Rewards points to Delta and book it.

Other Ways To Use Your Points

In addition to free nights and airline miles, there are a handful of creative ways to redeem your IHG Rewards points, including:

• Charitable donations
• Ambassador memberships
• Shopping
• Magazines
• Media (eBooks, games, music, movies, etc.)

Taking a closer look at each method, you can donate IHG Rewards points in 2,500-point increments, up to 10,000 points in a single transaction. Eligible charities include The American Red Cross, The Global FoodBanking Network, and the National Urban League. It’s not clear what your donation will translate to in terms of value for the charity.

InterContinental Ambassador is a benefit program offering elevated elite recognition, room upgrades, late checkout, and more. Normally, a 12-month membership costs $200, but you can redeem 40,000 IHG Rewards points for it — a value of 0.5 cents per point.

When you shop for merchandise, your IHG Rewards points will be worth around 0.2 to 0.4 cents each, depending on what you purchase.

Although the redemption catalog for magazines and media varies across geographies and locations, you’ll get an approximate redemption value of 0.3 to 0.4 cents per point. For example, a single issue of National Geographic is 1,550 IHG Rewards points ($5.99 value) and a 12-issue subscription is 11,450 IHG Rewards points ($39 value).

Bottom Line: IHG Rewards points are worth up to 0.5 cents each through “alternate” redemptions, including an InterContinental Ambassador membership, shopping, and magazine subscriptions. Unfortunately, this redemption value is subpar, so we don’t recommend going out of your way to redeem points like this.

Combining IHG Rewards From Multiple Accounts

IHG allows you to transfer points from one member to another for a flat rate of $5 for every 1,000 points. You can do this for an unlimited number of points.

So if you want to transfer 20,000 IHG Rewards points to your friend, it’ll cost $100. Unfortunately, this negates much of the redemption value you’d get from any of your points, so we don’t recommend doing it.

Visit the transfer page and fill in the details to transfer your points to another member via points.com.

Redeeming IHG Rewards Points

IHG Rewards points can be very valuable when redeemed optimally. Our favorite way to redeem IHG Rewards points is for hotel stays. That’s because you can squeeze outsized value from IHG’s reward pricing structure, especially at luxury properties.

For example, if you redeem your IHG Rewards points for a peak-season hotel stay during a spring break holiday in Miami, you’re probably going to get great value.

The best way to figure out the value of your points on a particular booking is to compare your points price to the cash rate.

The second-best way to get lots of value from IHG Rewards points is to transfer points to airline frequent flyer programs.

Final Thoughts

IHG Rewards is a valuable hotel loyalty program used by those deep in the points landscape. Considered to be one of the “Big 4” loyalty programs along with Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt, IHG Rewards points are incredibly popular.

One of the best ways to redeem IHG Rewards points (other than hotel stays) is to transfer them for airline miles.

Normally, you’ll transfer your IHG Rewards points at a 5:1 ratio, but a few of the 35+ transfer partners have different transfer ratios.

Nonetheless, if you can get at least 2.5 cents per mile in redemption value (which is really only possible when redeeming for business or first class flights), then it makes plenty of sense to transfer IHG Rewards points at a 5:1 ratio.

Whatever the case, we hope you’ve learned a bit about IHG Rewards’ transfer partners and how to use them.

The information regarding the IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.