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Buying Hotel Points to Save Money
I recently bought 226,000 IHG points for $1130. Buying hotel points to save money sounds incomprehensible but there are some very good reasons to buy points when faced with the right scenario, hear me out. I have two IHG credit cards, one that allows me to get 10% rebate on points (legacy card) I redeem for hotel stays and another that gives me the fourth night free on award stays. These two benefits stack to provide a pretty awesome benefit when booking four night stays. Here I’ll give you the details of the award stay I intend to use the purchased points for and how to make sure you get a good deal when you buy your IHG points.
Also Read: Should you Buy Points or Pay Cash for your Next Hotel Stay?
It’s really important to remember you do not want to buy points speculatively unless you’re certain you’ll be able to use them in the near future, unless of course it’s an amazing, unheard of, once in a lifetime (you get the point) deal. If you do decide to buy points, I have a referral link you can use here, which pays me a commission of 2% on points purchases- please don’t feel obligated. Also please don’t forget that buying points cannot be undone, if you cancel your stay you will not get your money back.
Redeeming IHG Points for an Award Stay
I am planning on going to Paris in June and wanted to stay at the Kimpton St. Honore. For my dates, the cash price for four nights is over $2200. This is the refundable rate which I highly suggest you always book unless there is no doubt in your mind that you will be staying. The price in points was 243,000 (that’s with the fourth night free. As you can see, by buying points I saved about $1000. I already had some points in my account but assuming they were the same price, I would have payed a little over $1200.
Buying IHG Points on Sale
The particular sale I took advantage of was a 100% points bonus. Basically you could purchase up to 150,000 points and receive a bonus of the same amount of points. I paid $1130 for 226,000 points which comes out to a little over .5 cents per point. If you are looking to buy points for IHG stays make sure you get very close to the same price. There are several opportunities throughout the year to get that haf cent price per point.
Thoughts
It doesn’t always make sense to buy points but sometimes you can save a lot of money by considering the option. Of course there are many people who would never pay over $500 a night to stay in a hotel and that’s fine, this scenario can apply to hotels with prices in different ranges. I really enjoy Kimptons and felt the Kimpton St Honore Paris was a super cute hotel in the luxury arena without the hefty price tag.
Did something similar, using 240,000 points (3 x 80K) to stay 4 nights at Six Senses Uluwatu in Bali back in January. Saved a ton versus the cash rate. Really love that feature/benefit of IHG points. =)
Nice redemption! It really is an awesome perk.
I have the 2 IHG cards you mentioned too. I have 8 Nights in January scheduled for the Kimpton Seafire on Grand Cayman. Did 4 nights last year, ended up in a $2,300 a night room for 55k IHG points a night. Glorious breakfast free with diamond status. They do getcha with a $80 a night resort fee, but you can play with the water toys like a catamaran and paddle boards. Pretty. Darned. Idyllic!