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IHG, the loyalty program of InterContinental, Holiday Inn, and Crowne Plaza, has frequent sales during which you can buy its points for 0.575 cents each, a 50% discount on the every day price of 1.15 cents each.
There has long been a workaround to buy points every day for 0.7 cents each. Now that workaround can buy them for 0.6 cents each.
That makes the best IHG awards, a rotating list of PointBreaks hotels that cost only 5,000 points per night, cost only $30 per night. The fanciest IHG hotels, which go for 50,000 points per night, now cost $300 all in every day with award availability.
The Workaround
When you search award availability, you are always given the option to pay the full number of points required, between 10,000 and 50,000 per night depending on the hotel, or to book a cash and points award.
The cash and points award always have the same options. Save 5,000 points for $40 or 10,000 for $70. That’s like buying points for 0.8 or 0.7 cents each.
The confirmation screen makes it very clear that the $70 is going towards buying 10,000 points that would be immediately used to book the award.
After booking, you can immediately cancel the reservation online by following a link from the booking confirmation page. That brings you to this screen:
Canceling puts the points you just purchased into your account. If you need more points, then you repeat these steps.
Through this workaround, you have been able to buy IHG points for 0.7 cents each every day.
Well now, some hotels are offering 15,000 points off their normal price for $90. 
If you select that option and then cancel the hotel stay, you have purchased points for 0.6 cents each.
Not all hotels are offering 15,000 points off for $90. If you want to use this option, look for the InterContinental Sydney or Candlewood Suites Jersey City, two hotels which I doubt have much in common.
Bottom Line
A new option to buy 15,000 IHG Points for $90 has been added to some properties on ihg.com during award bookings. This option allows the purchase of points for 0.6 cents each every day, which is just a bit worse than the best sale price of 0.575 cents which is often offered.
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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This is no longer correct. It is now changed to $100 for 15,000 points
This is no longer correct. It is now changed to $100 for 15,000 points
[…] Once you have 5,000 or more points in your account, you can buy the rest of the points you need for 0.6 cents each. […]
[…] Once you have 5,000 or more points in your account, you can buy the rest of the points you need for 0.6 cents each. […]
[…] can buy IHG points for .6 cents each all the time by following these steps (that would make a 5,000 point PointBreak hotel night […]
[…] can buy IHG points for .6 cents each all the time by following these steps (that would make a 5,000 point PointBreak hotel night […]
[…] I wouldn’t consider the IHG points sale a good value, as we value IHG points at .5 cents each and the best sale price on Wednesday is 5.7 cents each (130,000 points for $749 or 8,500 points for $49). Only if you have an immediate high value redemption in mind should you buy on Wednesday, and remember, you can alwats buy IHG points in 15,000 point increments for 0.6 cents. […]
[…] I wouldn’t consider the IHG points sale a good value, as we value IHG points at .5 cents each and the best sale price on Wednesday is 5.7 cents each (130,000 points for $749 or 8,500 points for $49). Only if you have an immediate high value redemption in mind should you buy on Wednesday, and remember, you can alwats buy IHG points in 15,000 point increments for 0.6 cents. […]
[…] can buy IHG points for .66 cents each all the time by following these steps (that would make a 5,000 point PointBreak hotel night […]
[…] can buy IHG points for .66 cents each all the time by following these steps (that would make a 5,000 point PointBreak hotel night […]