How much are IHG points worth? The answer: 0.7 cents per point on average. This means that 10,000 IHG points are worth about $70 in value towards free night awards.
Here's The Point Calculator's valuations for IHG points:
| Redemption | Point Value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Award Nights | 0.7 |
| IHG Rewards Catalog | 0.2 - 0.3 |
| Gift Cards | 0.19 - 0.2 |
Free night awards: 0.7 cents per point.
IHG Points can be redeemed for free nights at IHG brand hotels all over the world. This will give your points an average value of 0.7 cents each, though it can be higher or lower depending on the redemption.
The IHG Rewards program does not have an award chart, so you will not know how much your points are worth until you start booking your award stay. You'll then be able to compare the cash price to the award price and calculate the value of the redemption.
For example, here's a random grab of the cost in cash and the cost in IHG Points for hotels in the Tampa, Florida area during the spring.
When you take the cost in cash and divide it by the points needed, you'll see that all of these hotels offer between 0.89 and 1.01 cents in value per point which is significantly higher than the average The Point Calculator pegs these points at.
Calculating the cash value of your points for IHG properties you're willing to stay at is pretty much the route to take when trying get the best value out of your points since there's no award chart.
IHG 4th night free benefit
IHG's 4th night free benefit allows you to book a 4-night consecutive award stay at an IHG hotel for the cost of 3 nights. Not only will this benefit automatically bump up the value of your IHG points, it will also help save you tons of points as you'll be able to enjoy longer vacations at a less cost.
The only way to partake in this marvelous perk is by being a IHG credit cardholder. As a cardholder, the free night will display automatically when booking a stays that has 4 or more consecutive night stays.
With the IHG 4th Night Free benefit, it's not hard to get as much as 1 cent per point or higher when booking standard IHG hotel stays.
Point transfers to airlines: 0.2 cents to 0.4 cents per point.
IHG Points can be transferred to over 30 airlines. The transfer ratios vary depending on the program, but most transfers are 10,000 IHG Points for 2,000 airline miles which comes out to 1 airline mile for every 5 IHG Points.
Transferring IHG points to partners isn't the best use of points, but it can be useful if you're a few miles short of a redemption and need to top off one of your frequent flyer accounts.
IHG Rewards catalog: 0.2 cents to 0.3 cents per point.
IHG Points can be redeemed on the IHG Rewards Catalog for merchandise. This will give your IHG Points a value of around 0.2 to 0.3 cents per point, but there's are instances in which you can get lower or higher depending on the item.
There's lots of things to choose from ranging from Electronics and Garden to Fashion and Kids. I only recommend going this route if you're trying to clear out your IHG Points since the value is more than half the average value when used for free nights.
If you're big on merchandise, I recommend taking a look at cash back rewards credit cards.
Gift cards: 0.19 cents to 0.2 cents per point.
IHG Points can be redeemed in the IHG Rewards Catalog for gift cards for 0.19 to 0.2 cents in value depending on the denomination of the gift card.
There's over 70 different gift cards that you can redeem your points for and redemptions start at 13,000 points for a $25 gift card. Listed below are the standard redemption options for most of the available gift cards based on denominations.
| Gift Card Amount | Points Needed |
|---|---|
| $25 Gift Card | 13,000 IHG Points |
| $50 Gift Card | 25,000 IHG Points |
| $100 Gift Card | 49,000 IHG Points |
Convert IHG points to dollars
Use the IHG Points Value Calculator to determine the average cash value of IHG points when used for free nights, gift cards, and more. This will give you an idea of how much your points are worth.
| Redemption | Average Dollar Value |
|---|---|
| Award nights using 4th night free | $0 - $0 |
| Award nights | $0 |
| IHG Rewards catalog | $0 - $0 |
| Gift Cards | $0 - $0 |
Pay points or cash calculator
Use the Pay Points or Cash Calculator to determine if a redemption is worth it based on the cost in cash and the cost in IHG points. Try to aim for redemptions that give you 0.7 cents or more per point.
Credit cards that earn IHG points
One of the easiest ways to earn lots of IHG Points is through intro bonuses and everyday spending across IHG credit cards. These cards also offer a range of benefits including annual free nights, complimentary elite status, and more.
IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earns 10X points at IHG properties, 5X points on travel, gas station, and restaurant purchases, and 3X points on everything else.
- Annual free night award worth up to 40,000 points, access to IHG's 4th night free benefit, and complimentary IHG Platinum Elite status.
- $99 annual fee.
IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening
- Earns 5X points at IHG properties, 3X points on utilities, streaming services, gas station, and dining purchases, and 1X points on everything else.
- Access to IHG's 4th night free benefit and complimentary IHG Gold Elite status.
- $0 annual fee.
IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- Earn 165,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earns 10X points on IHG purchases, 5X points on travel, gas station, dining, and select business purchases, and 3X points on everything else.
- Annual free night award worth up to 40,000 points, access to IHG's 4th night free benefit, complimentary IHG Platinum Elite status, and up to $50 United Airlines TravelBank Cash each year.
- $99 annual fee.
Chase Ultimate Rewards is a direct transfer partner of IHG One Rewards. Every 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points you transfer to IHG will give you 1,000 IHG points.
While this is an excellent transfer ratio, the problem is that Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 to 1.5 cents per point towards travel whereas IHG points are worth 0.7 cents or so on average. This means that transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to IHG will usually result in devaluing your points.
Still... if you're a few IHG points shy of a redemption, it can be well worth it to top off your account using Ultimate Rewards points if you don't wish to buy IHG points directly.
Calculator: Earn IHG Points Using These Credit Card Partners
FAQ
How much are IHG Points worth?
IHG Points are worth around 0.7 cents each on average. You can typically get higher values of 1 cent or more with the 4th Night Free Perk.
How many IHG Points do you need for a free night?
The amount will vary, but redemptions for free nights start as low as 10,000 IHG Points.
How do you use the IHG 4th night free benefit?
If you have an IHG credit card tied to your IHG Rewards account, this perk is triggered automatically when you book a 4-night or longer stay.
Can I redeem IHG Points for gift cards?
Yes. IHG Points can be redeemed for gift cards starting at 5,500 points for a $10 gift card.
Can I buy merchandise with IHG Points?
Yes. You can use the IHG Rewards Catalog to use your points towards electronics, fashion, health, garden, and much more.
Can you transfer IHG Points to other IHG members?
Yes. You can transfer points to another member at a fee of 0.5 cents per point. So transferring 1,000 IHG Points would cost you $5.
Can you transfer IHG Points to other rewards programs?
Yes. You can transfer IHG Points to over 35 different airline partners.
Are the IHG credit cards worth it?
If you want to earn the most IHG Points on IHG spend and get the best value with the 4th Night Free Perk, yes the cards are worth it.
We've run the calculations for you and here are our top picks for best credit cards of 2023:
- Best premium card for unlimited miles: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
- Best for flexible travel rewards: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
- Best for everyday spend and travel: Citi Premier® Card.
- Best cash back card for groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
- Best for dining and supermarkets: American Express® Gold Card
- Best for business travel rewards: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
- Best cash back business card: Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Our Credit Card Rewards calculator can help you find the perfect card and offers based on your monthly and yearly spending habits. Simply enter your spend amounts into our tool and let us do the work for you!
