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Reading Time: 4 minThere's a good chance that your inbox is overflowing with emails from travel loyalty programs offering "amazing" deals to purchase points and miles. But if you've done the math, you know that these promotions are typically not a good deal, unless you have a specific redemption in mind.
However, there's an exception to every rule. Now through January 31st, the IHG One Rewards hotel program is selling points with a 100% bonus to targeted members. Effectively, that means you're paying 0.5 cents per point, so 100,000 points would cost $500.
Even though IHG points aren't highly valuable, at that price, it can actually make sense to buy them, as long as you're going to use them soon. To show you how the math works, we put together 4 examples of how you can buy IHG points to save money on your next hotel visit.
Right on Seven Mile Beach, this is a spectacular luxury resort if you're looking for a Caribbean beach vacation. My family stayed at this property a little over a year ago using our IHG points, and the hotel did not disappoint.
With cash rates easily over $800 a night during most of the year, it's an extremely expensive vacation. But when its available on points, this property costs just 70,000 points a night. This means for just 210,000 points, you can enjoy this resort for three nights.
Plus, if you have the IHG Premier Card, IHG Traveler Card, or IHG Premier Business Card, you’ll get your fourth night free on award stays. That means those 210,000 points would actually get you four nights at this property with an IHG credit card.
Since you can purchase 200,000 IHG points for just $1,000, as long as you're able to accrue the last 10,000 points another way (and IHG is a transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards), a four-night stay would cost you just $250 a night (plus resort fees) if you have an IHG credit card. This is one of the best deals you'll find on Grand Cayman, let alone the entire Caribbean.
Another beautiful Caribbean destination is Aruba. With sunny skies and minimal rain, Aruba is a terrific year-round vacation spot, and the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba is right on Palm Beach, in the middle of all the action.
This resort has great points availability, and most stays cost between 50,000 to 75,000 points per night. We picked a random week in April, which averaged about 58,000 points per night. At that rate, a four-night stay would cost 175,000 total points if you have the IHG credit card.
The cost to purchase 175,000 points is just $875 with the current 100% bonus, whereas the paid rate for the same nights at this resort would be $1,812 after taxes. That's actually not a crazy cash rate for Aruba. But in this case, purchasing and using points would be the way to go.
Stay in the heart of New York City this spring at the InterContinental New York Times Square. Hovering at around $440 in cash per night during a typical week, the same room can be had for 60,000 points, equivalent to $300 when purchasing IHG points.
But this money-saving opportunity isn't just limited to this particular property in New York. With many IHG properties throughout the city, you'll find that purchasing points may very well save you money regardless of the property.
Get a 2-bedroom suite — all on points — at the Holiday Inn Resort Orlando. Close to Walt Disney World, with a lagoon pool, waterpark, mini golf and much more, there's no shortage of fun at this property.
Best of all, rates range from just 13,000 to 29,000 points per night throughout the entire year (and usually on the lower end). While paid cash rates are usually pretty inexpensive at this property, at those points prices, a stay can be yours for as low as $65 per night (plus resort fees) when you buy points.
Let's be clear — if you don't have an IHG property or specific vacation in mind, you shouldn't buy IHG points just to hang onto them for the future. Points are typically worth less over time, so you want to use them, not just bank them.
Also, this 100% bonus promotion is technically targeted, which means you'll need to check your IHG Rewards account to see if you're eligible. However, from the reports we've seen, most accounts are getting this offer, so you've got a good shot at being one of them.
But with more than 6,000 IHG properties worldwide, the above four resorts are just a handful of examples that show how purchasing IHG points can save you money. Just make sure to do the math before you make your purchase to ensure that buying points with this 100% bonus offer is the right deal for you.