Buying extra IHG points with your booking

[Mattg]

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For a 2 night stay, this will be 10k points for the $78 I'm being charged, right?

I haven't seen these being explicitly advertised as getting more "elite-qualifying" points before. Is this new or have I just missed this in the past? (As per an earlier post I believe they always were elite-qualifying, in any case.)

Based on the wording above it does sound like you'd get 10,000 bonus points for $78.

 

[drron]

They have been around for a while. It is how I now get to diamond status with far less than 70 nights. But I do try to get to 40 now for the annual lounge pass.

 

[Mattg]

They have been around for a while. It is how I now get to diamond status with far less than 70 nights. But I do try to get to 40 now for the annual lounge pass.

That seems like a reasonable strategy, especially if you’re buying those extra points at a reasonable price and you can redeem them for reward nights.

 

[drron]

Yes I generally buy them in Asia where a year ago it was ridiculously cheap. Less than $A10 for 5000 points. Has gone up a lot in 12 months though.

 

[Traveler999]

Bonus points can be really valuable to speed up getting IHG Diamond

I have just finished booking a mixed IHG/Accor trip to Japan for June 2024. For the 24 nights that are with IHG and spending $USD 4k including bonus points every night I will earn approx 140-150k points so enough for Diamond.

The Tokyo nights are pretty expensive (for me) at over $UDS300 each night and I would have gone cheaper elsewhere if not for the diamond plan and wanting to get 39 nights. However the rooms are very nice and I got a nice upgrade on my Ambassador free night booking to a lounge access room.

The downside is of course all my nights are best rate cancellable rather than cheaper non-cancellable rates, but I am ok with that to enable flexibility anyway.

Narita/Tokyo/Yokohama/Kyoto/Osaka/Okayama/Nagoya were all 5000/night a reasonable rates. The highest was $USD27/5000 pts

Hiroshima was cheaper to buy breakfast and 3000pts rather than $40USD for 5000pts

Nagasaki was the only one that only had 3000 pts as an option.

Since the current offer of 15 bonus night credits is on while I am away that should give me 39 nights so I will do one more before xmas to get a lounge pass in 2025.

Pretty happy the way it worked out, esp as it cost 40,000 American airlines miles each way on Fiji Airlines business class with an overnight in Nadi each way. Very happy with price and location of all the IHG hotels and as an added bonus I will almost spent enough at the Accor hotels to combine with my Accor signature membership to lock in platinum will one more cheap stay later in the year.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Welcome on board Traveler999.
---
One good thing, and I might read it wrong, but does/it does count as activity, doesnt it?
I mean like, to keep activity in the IHG account alive, if not staying in a hotel, but buying points, whether or not in a current booking, or not.
===
I calculated I would have 6000 IHG points after my last stay, but for some reason, the system gave me 3000 more IHG points, which I didnt ask/apply for.
So, its a great surprise.
ALL Accor does not allow buying of points, I dont think, other wise I would have bought points during Covid when we were all stuck and couldnt fly or stay in hotels, as they were used as Q facs.

 

[Traveler999]

Welcome on board Traveler999.
---
One good thing, and I might read it wrong, but does/it does count as activity, doesnt it?
I mean like, to keep activity in the IHG account alive, if not staying in a hotel, but buying points, whether or not in a current booking, or not.
===
I calculated I would have 6000 IHG points after my last stay, but for some reason, the system gave me 3000 more IHG points, which I didnt ask/apply for.
So, its a great surprise.
ALL Accor does not allow buying of points, I dont think, other wise I would have bought points during Covid when we were all stuck and couldnt fly or stay in hotels, as they were used as Q facs.

Have a look at ALL Signature, lots about it on google.

https://loyaltylobby.com/2023/11/27/accor-all-signature-subscription-15-off-through-november-30-2023-buy-all-points-at-29-off-earn-elite-points/

basically 12,000 status points and 75,000 reward points per year. So you still need to earn 2000 status points for platinum which equates to 800 Euro of additional spend. Of course you still need to spend the 75,000 points (1500 euro ).

 

[drron]

Welcome on board Traveler999.
---
One good thing, and I might read it wrong, but does/it does count as activity, doesnt it?
I mean like, to keep activity in the IHG account alive, if not staying in a hotel, but buying points, whether or not in a current booking, or not.
===
I calculated I would have 6000 IHG points after my last stay, but for some reason, the system gave me 3000 more IHG points, which I didnt ask/apply for.
So, its a great surprise.
ALL Accor does not allow buying of points, I dont think, other wise I would have bought points during Covid when we were all stuck and couldnt fly or stay in hotels, as they were used as Q facs.

These are points you can only buy with a booking.They are counted as qualifying points for status which is why they are attractive.
Buying points without a booking are not counted towards status and are more expensive.Nothing in the T&Cs seems to say they are actuvity but this from their website possibly says no.

 

[SYD]

These are points you can only buy with a booking.They are counted as qualifying points for status which is why they are attractive.
Buying points without a booking are not counted towards status and are more expensive.Nothing in the T&Cs seems to say they are actuvity but this from their website possibly says no.

View attachment 384266

Pretty sure buying IHG points does count as activity. Transferring points to someone is enough to keep their balance active for another 12 mths (have done that a couple of times). Similarly, something like e-Rewards transfer will also keep a balance active.

Re Accor, there’s no real point to “buying” points because they just equate to €40 discount for 2000 pts.

 

[oz_mark]

IHG lists buying points as a way of keeping them active.

https://www.ihg.com/onerewards/content/us/en/maintain-points

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Both All and IHG, they have both opened cheaper options than the CBD hotels in the their group, at Mawson Lakes and Clovelly Pk, in the northern and southern suburbs of Adelaide, quite cheap, and it was quite recent.
Before these 2, keeping points alive was hard, seeing usually how expensive both hotel groups are, in looking at CBD hotel prices.
Might pay each of these a visit before my 12 months points expiry in each.
And yes, for those of you who know, Mawsons and Clovelly Pk are not the ideal, ie, they have had some "troubles in the burbs/bad connotation", ...
Thanks for your replies tho.
Good to know of options.

 

[Traveler999]

Some comments on buying bonus points to get to Diamond on a recent trip to Japan.

I brought ambassador membership before starting the trip, so was platinum for the duration. Brought either 3000 or 5000 points at each location. All were at 0.5 US cents or less. Finished the trip on 125,000 points so achieved Diamond

All hotels were entirely satisfactory and I would use again, I travelled solo, don’t drink and am generally too cheap to eat at the hotel so cannot comment much on restaurants and lounges

All hotels had good blackout curtains, alas most had shower over bath which is a hassle with 2 bad knees.

All hotels were very well located for trains/tube

All were proactive in offering 2 or 4pm checkout and drink voucher or points. Every hotel had a Lawson or 7-11 store within 50-100m of hotel

I was lucky to be there while the 15 night double nights over was on, so I booked two throwaway nights at one of the hotels and finished my trip at 39 nights so will do one more in oct/nov/dec then get lounge access in jan 2025

Narita Crown plaza – overnight, large tidy room. Quiet, decent coffee with drinks voucher. Airport shuttle

Intercontinental Tokyo bay 2 days, used my ambassador weekend night and booked king jnr suite river view about $500 night – fantastic view, separate shower. I found the tube was good for connections from there. If I had the money I would go back there with my wife next time, esp. as I will then have lounge access.

Intercontinental Yokohama 3 days booked a 2 bed harbour view room as much larger than the king, given high floor which a much better view. Nice hotel and there is much more to do in Yokohama than one may think. Old Training sailing ship, North Korean spy ship. Walking the harbour park and the old European quarter. I think I was there just after 6 June (WW2 D-Day) and was moved by all the little American flags in the US marine corner of the foreigner’s cemetery mostly from the 1800’s

Kyoto ANA crown plaza 5 days upgraded to castle view, high floor. They had electric vertical blinds which totally blacked the room out, there were no net curtains on this floor only a sliding opaque door which meant you could not see out so I just left it open the whole time to enjoy the view of the castle. A good stay

Osaka Holiday inn express Midosuji 3 days. What an amazing hotel, upgraded to top floor room, comfortable but smallish as you expect. So professional and the breakfast quality surprised me how good it was and constantly refreshed. A benchmark for a well-run holiday inn express. Was going to book the Crown plaza but changed at the last minute and think this was better placed for the tube to see the sights in north and south. It also had an opening window

Okayama Crown Plaza 2 days upgrade high floor. Hotel itself was fine and would stay again. Never thought how much fun being a train spotter could be as you could see the trains coming and going. Room quiet, no train noise. I booked the lounge but it was a complete waste, no breakfast, small plate of cakes and fruit from 3-5 with non-alcoholic drinks, did not go to the evening drinks from 5-7pm. I expected the lounge to be open during the day so I could pop in after a walk for a soft drink or coffee, nope only 3-7pm

Hiroshima crown plaza 3 days. I booked a 2 bed room as it was bigger and was given a 2 bed 54m suite which was great. Great location within a few hundred metres of the Peace Park. Oddly enough this hotel wanted $40 for 5000 points but if you booked breakfast you could get 3000 for $9 so I took breakfast which was perfectly adequate. Note I am a bacon and eggs plus yoghurt and fruit breakfast eater so a big spread does not excite me. It also had 2 opening windows

Nagasaki Crown plaza 3 days. Upgraded to high floor. At last a hotel with a door onto a (unusable) balcony. The fresh air was great. Location for me was excellent as it is amongst the historic European settlement, Glover Park and the boat I used to go to Gunkanjima (Battleship Island) with the Gunkanjima concierge company which I highly recommend with the top VIP status around $60USD a way better experience as you have the whole top deck rather than downstairs

 

[drron]

Just get to 40 nights and get the annual lounge pass. But as I found out it’s for the rest of the year it is redeemed and all of the next 12 months.
I redeemed it on January 3rd this year so I have lounge access until 31/12/25.