Many loyalty programs are launching deals and promotions for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. IHG One Rewards joined the fun Tuesday as it announced its “biggest member event.”
In the announcement, which members got by email, IHG introduced several ongoing promotions and hinted at upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. You can see IHG’s landing page for the offers here.
Here’s a look at all the offerings.
IHG’s Black Friday promotion
IHG’s Black Friday promotion will be a limited-time elevated sign-up bonus on the no-annual-fee IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card.
If you’re interested in adding the IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card to your wallet, it’s worth checking back on Black Friday to see the details of this offer. However, remember that the terms and conditions for this card typically state that you can’t get the card (or earn the bonus) if either of the following applies:
- You are a current cardmember of a personal IHG Rewards credit card.
- You are a previous cardmember of a personal IHG Rewards credit card, and you received a new cardmember bonus for a personal IHG Rewards credit card within the last 24 months.
Considering these restrictions, it might be better (even during the Black Friday promotion) to sign up for the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card.
The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card offers a sign-up bonus of 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months from account opening. Plus, the IHG Premier card offers plenty of perks that the IHG Traveler doesn’t offer, including automatic Platinum Elite status and a free night worth up to 40,000 points after each account anniversary.
Related: Why I’m happy to pay the annual fee on the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card
IHG’s Cyber Monday promotion
IHG has hinted at three Cyber Monday promotions, including two that could be lucrative.
We don’t have any information about these promotions besides what you can see in the screenshot above. However, here’s my hunch of what we might see:
- Members-only mystery offer: I could see this going two ways. On the one hand, IHG might offer unlimited bonus points at a mystery multiple for stays you book on Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. But on the other hand, IHG might offer the ability to buy an unlimited amount of IHG points with a mystery bonus for two days.
- Save more on reward nights: I expect IHG will launch another one of its discounts on award stays of three nights or fewer. However, considering the “stack your savings” terminology, the discount may focus on points-and-cash bookings.
- Big savings on travel items: I expect this promotion will offer discounts when you redeem IHG points for items in the IHG catalog. But I doubt the savings will be enough to make it a good redemption value.
I’ll certainly visit IHG’s sale page on Monday morning to see what promotions IHG offers. Especially if IHG simultaneously offers the ability to buy IHG points with a 100% bonus and get a discount on award stays, I may buy points and book a lot of IHG stays on Monday.
Related: Last-minute strategies for earning IHG One Rewards elite status
Ongoing promotions
Finally, IHG launched two promotions Nov. 22 which will continue through Dec. 2. With these promotions, you can:
- Save 10% on Advance Saver and Book Early and Save rates for stays through Feb. 28, 2023, at participating IHG hotels and resorts.
- Get 1,000 points when you download the IHG mobile app for the first time and sign in.
Plus, there’s a Kimpton sale for bookings between Nov. 22 and Dec. 5, 2022, for stays at U.S. Kimpton properties between Nov. 25, 2022, and April 30, 2023. For eligible bookings, you can get 20% off the Best Flexible Rate and Kimpton will donate $5 per night to No Kid Hungry.
You’ll see the discounted rates when you search for stays on IHG’s website or mobile app, so it’s worth checking your upcoming stays to see if you can cancel and rebook at a lower rate. However, note that many discounted rates aren’t freely cancellable or refundable.
Finally, if you’ve never downloaded the IHG mobile app before, it’s worth doing so before Dec. 2. One thousand IHG points are worth about $5 based on TPG’s valuations. IHG says it may take up to six weeks for the points to appear in your account.
Related: The incredibly easy way of redeeming IHG’s 4th-night reward
Bottom line
If you enjoy staying at IHG properties and getting value from the IHG One Rewards program, you’ve likely already installed the IHG mobile app. But if not, go ahead and do so, log in to your account and snag an easy 1,000 bonus points.
But for the rest of us, Cyber Monday is where the most excitement lies. I’m curious to see how IHG’s Cyber Monday promotions turn out; I’ll be online to check the offerings first thing Monday.
