The only way you can earn IHG Rewards points for a booking made though AAA is by paying with an IHG credit card. You will earn 1 point for each dollar spent, and points will be transferred to your IHG Rewards account at the end of the billing cycle.
Otherwise, points are not issued for bookings made through most third-party websites because they are considered “Non-Qualifying Rates” by IHG.
he best IHG Credit Card benefits include a 4th night for free when booking with points and an initial bonus of 175,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, offered by the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card. IHG credit cards also offer purchase protection, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and no foreign transaction fees, among other benefits.
Initial bonus: 175,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Ongoing rewards: 10 points per $1 spent at IHG hotels, 5 points per $1 at gas stations, restaurants and on travel, as well as 3 points per $1 on all other purchases
Travel and purchase benefits: Baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase protection, trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
Other perks: Complimentary Platinum Elite status, free nights, and a credit of up to $100 every four years to cover the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.
Initial bonus: 120,000 points for spending $2,000 in the first 3 months
Ongoing rewards: 5 points per $1 spent at IHG hotels, 3 points per $1 at gas stations and restaurants, utilities internet, cable, phone services, select streaming services, as well as 2 points per $1 on all other purchases
Travel and purchase benefits: Baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase protection, trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
Other perks: 4th night free when booking with points.
Initial bonus: 140,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Ongoing rewards: 10 points per $1 spent at IHG hotels, 5 points per $1 at gas stations, restaurants, on travel, select advertising and office supply stores, as well as 3 points per $1 on all other purchases
Travel and purchase benefits: Purchase protection, trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
Other perks: Free nights, complimentary Platinum Elite status, and a credit of up to $100 every four years to cover the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Annual fee: $99
Ultimately, it is worth noting that all the IHG credit cards offer $0 fraud liability, which is a common benefit across all credit cards.
IHG points expire after 12 months with no account activity as well as when you close your account with unused rewards. To prevent IHG points from expiring, redeem your points on a regular basis and make sure to cash in any unredeemed rewards before closing your account.
Even though IHG points expire only in these select situations, it’s still a good idea to avoid building up a big IHG rewards balance because that would make you more vulnerable to rewards devaluation.
If you’re trying to choose a hotel rewards program and are concerned about rewards expiration policies, you can see how the IHG points expiration policy compares to other popular companies’ policies in the table below.
IHG points are worth 0.7 cents each, on average. That means 10,000 IHG points are worth about $70. Plus, IHG points are worth about the same as the average hotel points, which are worth roughly 0.95 cents each.
It's also important to remember that the value of IHG points depends on how they are redeemed. They have the most value when used for IHG Rewards Club hotel reservations.... read full answer
How to Earn More IHG Points
One of the best ways to increase the number of IHG points that you earn is to apply for a IHG credit card. That can also help you reach a higher status tier in the IHG Rewards Club, further boosting your earning potential.
The easiest way to calculate the value of IHG points is to determine the dollar value of what you're redeeming for, minus any taxes and fees that you'll still have to pay, and then divide that amount by the number of points you're required to redeem. For your convenience, here's the formula:
Dollar Value of Redemption Item / Number of IHG Points Needed = IHG Point Value
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