How to redeem IHG points

I frequently stay at IHG properties because I can get good value when redeeming IHG points. Although IHG One Rewards moved to dynamic award pricing in 2020, I’ve continued getting solid value when redeeming IHG points.

For example, last week, I redeemed 87,000 points for a four-night stay at the InterContinental Athenaeum Athens in Greece, which would have otherwise cost $889. I got a redemption rate of 1.02 cents per point on this stay, much higher than the 0.5 cents per IHG point listed in TPG’s March 2025 valuations.

Here’s what you need to know about redeeming IHG points for stays, flights and more.

Redeem IHG points for hotel stays

You can redeem IHG One Rewards points for most IHG stays through IHG’s website, app or customer care. However, you may be unable to redeem IHG points at some IHG Army Hotels and Six Senses properties.

You can only redeem IHG points for standard room types. Reward nights include taxes and fees — except at Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, where you’ll need to pay local and conditional taxes or fees — but don’t include extra person charges, resort fees, service charges, transportation, gratuities and incidentals.

Since IHG uses dynamic award pricing, the number of points you’ll need to redeem for a reward night will vary. IHG’s terms and conditions say reward night pricing “may vary according to several factors, including but not limited to brand, hotel, and day of week.” Although there aren’t any reward night blackout dates, you may not find award availability for some stays because “room inventory is limited and subject to prior sale,” according to IHG’s terms and conditions.

To check award night availability and pricing, start on IHG’s website or app. Enter your destination, check-in date, checkout date and number of guests. Select “Reward Nights” from the drop-down menu under “Rate Preference.”

The next page will show you the award night results for your search query. You can filter these results by amenities or brands. You can also sort by various metrics, including distance, price and rating.

Click on “Map” to see where the properties are within your destination.

Once you click “Select Hotel” for one of the properties, you’ll see the room options you can book with points for your stay. Some properties may only offer one room type, while others may offer a variety of room setups or views. Scroll through the options, and pick the best room type for your trip.

Related: Which credit card should you use for IHG stays?

If you click on the 51,000 points per night option and then click “Select,” you’ll land on the last page before confirming your reservation. Be sure to check the cancellation policy on this final page. Most reward night stays are free to cancel until shortly before your stay, but cancellation policies vary.

IHG occasionally offers reward night discounts to eligible Platinum Elite, Diamond Elite and IHG One Rewards credit card holders. You’ll usually get an email from IHG about these reward night discounts, but you often must book quickly to enjoy the discounted rates.

Finally, note that IHG’s terms and conditions now allow a second guest listed on a reward night reservation to stay even if the member who booked the reward night isn’t staying. So, you can redeem your IHG points for a friend or family member’s stay. However, there are additional requirements if your stay is within mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

Related: How to maximize award redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program

Fourth reward night free

Perhaps the best way to get better value when redeeming IHG points is to get an IHG credit card with the fourth-reward-night-free perk. This perk lets cardholders of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card and the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card pay zero points for every fourth night when redeeming points for stays of at least four nights.

Without this benefit, this four-night stay at the InterContinental Bali Resort would cost an average of 27,250 points per night (for a total of 109,000 points).

Since I have the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, which offers the fourth-reward-night-free perk to cardholders, I’d only need to redeem an average of 20,750 points per night (for a total of 83,000 points for this four-night stay).

Even if you redeem IHG points only once or twice a year for stays of four nights or longer, this valuable perk makes it worth keeping an IHG credit card in your wallet.

Related: Why you should get (and keep) the IHG One Rewards Premier card

Points and cash

As you might have noticed in some screenshots above, you can book points-and-cash rates. Know, though, that you’re effectively buying points when you book an IHG points-and-cash rate, so IHG will refund you solely in points if you cancel your booking within the free cancellation period.

It’s worth working through the math and checking the rate at which you can buy IHG points outright before you book a points-and-cash rate. For example, consider this one-night stay in New York City.

If you redeemed 77,000 points for this night that would otherwise cost $537.76, you’d get a redemption rate of 0.70 cents per point. However, you could also book any of the following points-and-cash rates for the same night:

• 67,000 points and $69 (redemption rate of 0.70 cents per point)
• 57,000 points and $134 (redemption rate of 0.71 cents per point)
• 47,000 points and $194 (redemption rate of 0.73 cents per point)
• 37,000 points and $249 (redemption rate of 0.78 cents per point)
• 27,000 points and $299 (redemption rate of 0.88 cents per point)

Related: How to earn IHG points via stays, credit cards and more

Transfer IHG points to airline partners

Like many hotel rewards programs, you can transfer your IHG points to various airline partners. You can see all the airline options on IHG’s earn miles page. However, most programs transfer at a rate of 10,000 IHG points to 2,000 airline miles. So, you’re almost certain to lose value when you redeem your IHG points for airline miles.

Because of this, you should only consider transferring IHG points to an airline if you need to top up your account balance for a specific redemption. Otherwise, you’ll almost certainly get better value when redeeming IHG points for hotel stays.

Related: Best IHG beach hotels ranging from family-friendly resorts to luxury stays

Other ways to redeem IHG points

You can also redeem IHG points for other types of rewards and experiences. Doing so will usually give you a relatively low redemption rate, and the exact options vary based on your region and country of residence. Here’s a look at the options available to U.S. residents.

Digital rewards

You can redeem IHG points for movies, ebooks, electronic magazines, games, mobile top-offs and software through the program’s digital rewards portal. Electronic magazines start at around 500 points, while movies start at around 1,250 points.

Related: The best IHG hotels in the world

IHG One Rewards Access

Through IHG One Rewards Access, you can redeem IHG points for select experiences, including sports and exclusive events. Sometimes, you can secure an experience for a set number of points; other times, you’ll need to enter a bid in an online auction for the chance to win.

Trip add-ons

You can redeem IHG points for activities in select cities, including Las Vegas.

While this might seem appealing, check comparable paid rates before redeeming your IHG points to ensure a good redemption value.

IHG One Rewards catalog

Through the IHG One Rewards catalog, you can redeem IHG points for merchandise, gift cards, event tickets and donations, among other options.

For example, you can redeem between 1,000 and 2,500 IHG points for a yearlong magazine subscription. You can also redeem IHG points for gift cards to various merchants. Here’s how many points you’ll need to redeem for physical gift cards of varying amounts:

• $50 gift card: 25,000 points (redemption rate of 0.2 cents per point)
• $25 gift card: 13,000 points (redemption rate of 0.19 cents per point)
• $15 gift card: 8,000 points (redemption rate of 0.19 cents per point)
• $10 gift card: 5,500 points (redemption rate of 0.18 cents per point)
• $5 gift card: 3,000 points (redemption rate of 0.17 cents per point)

You can also redeem IHG points for merchandise. You can request specific items through the rewards concierge if you don’t see what you want in the catalog.

Finally, you can donate your points to charity, with options starting at just 1,000 points.

Related: The best IHG all-inclusive resorts, from Jamaica to Mexico

Bottom line

There are many ways to redeem IHG points. However, I almost always recommend redeeming your IHG points for hotel stays. This will give you the most value for your points and let you explore over 6,600 IHG properties worldwide.

If you want to earn more IHG points, the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card has a limited-time welcome offer when you apply by April 30. With this welcome offer, you can earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening, plus earn 60,000 bonus points after spending a total of $9,000 in the first six months from account opening — for a total of 200,000 bonus points.

If you prefer a consumer card, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card currently has a welcome offer of 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months from account opening. Meanwhile, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card has a welcome offer of 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.