If you're a few points shy of a redemption, buying IHG points is the easiest and quickest way to top off your account. It can also be worth it to buy points to save on bookings when IHG points are being sold on sale.
How to earn IHG points
Before you buy IHG points, you should consider picking up one of IHG's credit cards if you don't have one. It's the easiest way to rake in a large sum of points while also enjoying great benefits such as complimentary status, annual free night awards, discounts when buying points, and more.
You can earn IHG Rewards points using these credit cards:
| Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
Best For IHG Points & Benefits
|
Earn 140,000 bonus points + 1 Free Night valued at up to 40,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | $99 |
Best For No Annual Fee
|
Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | $0 |
Best For IHG Business Travelers
|
Earn 140,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | $99 |
Buying IHG points
IHG Rewards points will cost you between 1 and 1.35 cents each based on how many you buy in a single transaction. You can buy them for the best value of 1 cent per point when you buy at least 26,000 IHG points which would cost you $260.
| Points Purchased | Cost Per Point (in cents) |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 10,000 points | 1.35 |
| 11,000 - 25,000 points | 1.15 |
| 26,000 - 150,000 points | 1 |
How many IHG points can you buy?
You can buy as little as 1,000 IHG points for $13.50 and as many as 150,000 IHG points for $1,500 in a single transaction. You can buy (or be gifted) up to a total of 150,000 IHG points per calendar year.
Do note that purchased IHG points do not count towards IHG Elite Status.
Can you buy IHG points for cheaper?
Promotions
IHG points are on sale several times per year. The discount will vary, but the cheapest these points are sold for seems to be 0.5 cents each during the popular 100% Buy Points promo.
This promotion allows you to buy IHG points at 0.5 cents each which is lower than the average value of 0.7 cents per point The Point Calculator gives them. This gives you the opportunity to buy them for cheap and redeem them for higher value.
IHG credit card discount
Buying IHG Points as an IHG credit card holder will earn you an automatic 20% discount on the standard rate allowing you to buy them for significantly cheaper.
Points will cost you between 0.8 cents and 1.08 cents per point with the best value being offered when you buy at least 26,000 IHG Points.
Do note that you will not receive a 20% discount when IHG Points are already on sale due to a buy points promotion.
| Points Purchased | Cost Per Point (in cents) |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 10,000 points | 1.08 |
| 11,000 - 25,000 points | 0.92 |
| 26,000 - 150,000 points | 0.8 |
TopCashback
TopCashback is an online cash back portal that pays you for small portion of the money they make when you click on affiliate links on their website. Points.com, which is the site you buy IHG points through, is featured on their site meaning that you can earn cash back when buy your points.
Do note that this cash back is in addition to what you would normally earn with the credit card you use to buy the points. If you plan on buying points from IHG or any other hotel program, I highly suggest using TopCashback as there is no downside.
You can sign up for a free TopCashback account through The Point Calculator to earn bonus cash back when you buy your IHG points. You can also check out our TopCashback Review if you want to know more about the portal.
How much does IHG points cost?
Use the Buy Points calculator to find out how much it will cost you to buy IHG points. You can enter any amount of IHG points in the field below.
| Redemption | Average Dollar Value |
|---|---|
| Total cost | $0 |
| IHG credit cardholders | $0 |
Are buying IHG points worth it?
There's two good reasons to why it can be worth it to buy IHG Points:
- You need to top off your account for a redemption
- You can redeem them for more than what you paid for them
Topping off your account
If you're a few IHG Points shy of a redemption, topping of your account is the most justifiable reason for purchasing IHG Points.
For example, if you have 34,000 IHG Points and you're trying to book a 3-day stay for 36,000 IHG Points, buying 2,000 IHG Points to add to your IHG Rewards account will typically be worth it.
If you still wish to run the number for topping off your account you can, but there's no shame in dishing out a few dollars to buy a handful of points.
Redeeming them for high value
Buying large amounts of any points or miles is frowned upon in the world of rewards because the cost of buying them (especially at the standard rate) is generally higher than what they are actually worth.
While this is the case more times than not, there are times in which buying points can save you a significant amount of money. This will be when you can buy them at a low cost and redeem them for high value... aka during IHG's Buy Points promotions.
For example, look at the cash prices and cost in points for these three top-rated IHG hotels in the Orlando Florida area.
These hotels are all offering a value of 0.7 to 0.8 cents per IHG Point.
If you needed to top off your account or buy enough IHG Points to cover the entire stay, you would be getting an excellent deal at buying them for only 0.5 cents each and redeeming them for a higher value of 0.7 to 0.8 cents each.
You know how you can make this better? While you will not receive the 20% discount as an IHG credit card holder since the points are already on sale, you WILL have access to the IHG 4th Night Free benefit which allows you to book 4 award nights for the price of 3.
Here's a deeper dive into the Candlewood Suites: Orlando - Lake Buena Vista:
This makes the IHG 100% Buy Points Promotion significantly better as your points will now be worth more because you're saving a whole day of points whereas if you paid cash you would have to dish out the cost of the 4th night.
Why pay $614.60 for the entire stay when you can just buy 60,000 points for $300 and redeem them for more than double the price you paid for them?
This is one of the main reasons why I have the IHG Premier Credit Card. Even if I don't use the card often, it pays for itself by offering an annual free night at an IHG hotel AND it makes increase the value of IHG's Buy Points sale throughout the year.
How to buy IHG points
- Go to the IHG's Buy Points page.
- Log into your IHG Rewards account.
- Select how many IHG points you want to buy.
- Enter your payment details.
- Review your order and agree to the terms and conditions.
- Click Pay Now.
IHG Points should post to your account a few minutes after purchasing.
FAQ
How much does it cost to buy IHG points?
IHG Points can be purchased for as low as 1 cent per point at the standard rate. If you're an IHG credit card holder, you'll receive a 20% discount.
How much does it cost IHG cardholder to buy IHG Points?
If you own the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card or IHG Rewards Traveler Card, you can buy points for as low as 0.8 cents each.
How do you buy IHG Points?
You can buy IHG Points through the IHG Buy Points Portal.
Does buying IHG Points count towards status?
No. Points purchased through the IHG Buy Points portal will not count towards IHG Elite Status.
Are IHG Points worth buying at the standard rate?
IHG Points are generally not worth buying at the standard rate unless you need to top off your account.
Are IHG Points worth buying when they are on sale?
IHG Points are typically worth buying when they are on sale for 0.5 cents each as it's not hard to turn around and redeem them for higher value.
How many IHG Points can you buy?
You can buy up to 150,000 IHG Points in a single transaction and up to 150,000 IHG Points per year.
What's the lowest amount of IHG Points you can buy?
You can buy as little as 1,000 IHG Points for $13.50 at the standard rate.
Do you earn bonus points when you buy IHG Points with an IHG credit card?
No. Purchases made through the IHG Buy Points portal are not categorized as IHG purchases. You will earn at the non-category rate.
How much should you pay for IHG Points?
You should try to purchase IHG Points during IHG's 100% Bonus Promotions as you'll be able to get them for 0.5 cents each.
Is it cheaper to buy IHG Points?
It can sometimes be cheaper to buy IHG Points than it is to pay cash after taxes and fees are factored in, especially when IHG Points are on sale.
What is the IHG Buy Points 100% Bonus?
It is a popular IHG promotion that effectively allows you to buy IHG Points for 0.5 cents each since they will match the amount you buy at 100%.
How do you buy IHG Points for cheap?
The easiest way to buy IHG Points for cheap is by using an IHG credit card for an automatic 20% discount. You can check IHG Buy Points Portal for sales and promos which can give you as much as 50% off.
