Last edit by: beltway
FAQs
1. What are the current types of free-night certificates (FNC)?
2. Where do I find the FNC(s) in my IHG online account?
3. Is a FNC revoked if I cancel my Chase card?
4. If I make a reservation using my FNC and then need to cancel, are there any special procedures? Do I have to call IHG?
5. Can I use my FNC for a date past the certificate's expiration, provided that I make the reservation prior to that expiration date?
6. Can I trade/gift my FNC?
7. If I have multiple IHG cards (other than the Traveler card), do I get more than one FNC?
1. What are the current types of free-night certificates (FNC)?
As of April 2023, there are four different active FNC types. Described below in order from newest to oldest (roughly), they will appear in your account under the following headings:
2. Where do I find the FNC(s) in my IHG online account?
After you log into the website, click on the section at the top of the window showing your first name and current point balance. This will take you to the Overview page of the My Account section. Underneath the gray box showing your status level, member number, and points balance you will see a submenu with "Overview" selected. Click on "Rewards Wallet" to go to the page summarizing your FNCs. Click "Details" to see the type(s) of FNC(s) in your account.
You can also go directly to the Details page by logging in and visiting http://www.ihg.com/rewardsclub/us/en...gmt/freenights (for English-speaking US members).
3. Is a FNC revoked if I cancel my Chase card?
No.
4. If I make a reservation using my FNC and then need to cancel, are there any special procedures? Do I have to call IHG?
You may cancel your reservation online using the same process as for any other reservation. The certificate is normally returned to your account immediately and available for re-use with no wait and no need to call IHG. For unknown reasons, on rare occasions a FNC will not instantly reappear; in such cases, call IHG customer service to have the FNC redeposited manually.
5. Can I use my FNC for a date past the certificate's expiration, provided that I make the reservation prior to that expiration date?
As of January 2019, members are reporting that they are unable to do this.
Formerly, some members reported success in doing this. (See, for example, the discussion at post #516.) Two basic recommendations:
6. Can I trade/gift my FNC?
No. FNCs are non-transferable.
7. If I have multiple IHG cards (other than the Traveler card), do I get more than one FNC each year?
Yes. The Select card (legacy), the personal Premier card, and the Premier Business card all include an anniversary FNC as a benefit. But note the difference, discussed above, between the Select card FNC--capped at 40K value--and the "flex" FNCs associated with the other cards. The no-fee Traveler card does not provide a FNC benefit.
In previous years, Chase issued the anniversary FNC shortly before the annual fee was billed. More recently, Chase has begun delaying issuance of FNCs until at least 8 weeks after the annual-fee statement date, presumably to prevent accountholders from canceling their cards while keeping the FNC.
Questions related to the extension of the certificate due to the Coronavirus are discussed in its own thread, which is here.
1. What are the current types of free-night certificates (FNC)?
2. Where do I find the FNC(s) in my IHG online account?
3. Is a FNC revoked if I cancel my Chase card?
4. If I make a reservation using my FNC and then need to cancel, are there any special procedures? Do I have to call IHG?
5. Can I use my FNC for a date past the certificate's expiration, provided that I make the reservation prior to that expiration date?
6. Can I trade/gift my FNC?
7. If I have multiple IHG cards (other than the Traveler card), do I get more than one FNC?
1. What are the current types of free-night certificates (FNC)?
As of April 2023, there are four different active FNC types. Described below in order from newest to oldest (roughly), they will appear in your account under the following headings:
- Premier Credit Card Annual Flex Night: The anniversary FNC, good for a base room up to 40K points, for the personal Premier card. This FNC is described as “flex” because you can redeem for an award in excess of 40K by adding points on top of the FNC (aka "topping up").
- Note: points used to top up a Flex FNC are not subject to the 10% rebate for Select cardholders.
- Business Credit Card Annual Flex Night: The anniversary FNC for the IHG Business card. This is identical in all respects to the Premier flex cert.
- New Cardmember Bonus Free Night: Some recent offers for the personal Premier card have included one or more FNCs in the signup bonus. These FNCs are capped at 40K value; there is no "flex"/"top-up" option.
- Select Credit Card Anniversary Night: The anniversary FNC for the older Select card, for which Chase stopped accepting applications in 2018. As with the previous category, this FNC type has a hard cap of 40K redemption value.
- Premier Credit Card Anniversary Night: Prior to March 24, 2022, the personal Premier card FNC was hard-capped at 40K value. On March 24, all unused FNCs of this type were automatically converted to Premier "flex" FNCs as described above.
- Credit Card Anniversary Night: Prior to May 1, 2018, anniversary FNCs for the Select card were uncapped--that is, they could be used at any IHG property.
2. Where do I find the FNC(s) in my IHG online account?
After you log into the website, click on the section at the top of the window showing your first name and current point balance. This will take you to the Overview page of the My Account section. Underneath the gray box showing your status level, member number, and points balance you will see a submenu with "Overview" selected. Click on "Rewards Wallet" to go to the page summarizing your FNCs. Click "Details" to see the type(s) of FNC(s) in your account.
You can also go directly to the Details page by logging in and visiting http://www.ihg.com/rewardsclub/us/en...gmt/freenights (for English-speaking US members).
3. Is a FNC revoked if I cancel my Chase card?
No.
4. If I make a reservation using my FNC and then need to cancel, are there any special procedures? Do I have to call IHG?
You may cancel your reservation online using the same process as for any other reservation. The certificate is normally returned to your account immediately and available for re-use with no wait and no need to call IHG. For unknown reasons, on rare occasions a FNC will not instantly reappear; in such cases, call IHG customer service to have the FNC redeposited manually.
5. Can I use my FNC for a date past the certificate's expiration, provided that I make the reservation prior to that expiration date?
As of January 2019, members are reporting that they are unable to do this.
Formerly, some members reported success in doing this. (See, for example, the discussion at post #516.) Two basic recommendations:
- It is advisable to obtain advance written confirmation, ideally from the hotel itself, that your certificate will be honored under these circumstances.
- Once the certificate expiration date passes, you will not be able to make any changes to the reservation (occupancy, date, room type, etc).
6. Can I trade/gift my FNC?
No. FNCs are non-transferable.
7. If I have multiple IHG cards (other than the Traveler card), do I get more than one FNC each year?
Yes. The Select card (legacy), the personal Premier card, and the Premier Business card all include an anniversary FNC as a benefit. But note the difference, discussed above, between the Select card FNC--capped at 40K value--and the "flex" FNCs associated with the other cards. The no-fee Traveler card does not provide a FNC benefit.
In previous years, Chase issued the anniversary FNC shortly before the annual fee was billed. More recently, Chase has begun delaying issuance of FNCs until at least 8 weeks after the annual-fee statement date, presumably to prevent accountholders from canceling their cards while keeping the FNC.
Questions related to the extension of the certificate due to the Coronavirus are discussed in its own thread, which is here.
Annual Free Night Cert from IHG (Rewards Club) Visa / Mastercard
#556
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,604
Data Point concerning free night
Thank you for contacting IHG Rewards Club regarding your inquiry. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you with your concerns regarding your anniversary certificate.
Kindly wait within 1-2 weeks after your anniversary date for your free night certificate be available for redemption. You will be notified via email communication once it is available on your account.
Thank you for contacting IHG Rewards Club regarding your inquiry. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you with your concerns regarding your anniversary certificate.
Kindly wait within 1-2 weeks after your anniversary date for your free night certificate be available for redemption. You will be notified via email communication once it is available on your account.
Free night posted today and a tab called "Free Night Status" will appear on our account page.
I used it to book the Intercontinental Boston for July which costs $556 a night.
Hopefully the annual free night hangs around a while.
#557
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Grey areas and blue zones
Posts: 428
This is really odd. What if I have Alzheimer's and don't remember having booked a free night earlier in the year and I try to do it again?????????????????
#558
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
Nothing. The tab will be there, but the associated content will indicate clearly that your cert has been consumed, so there will be no option to use it again for a booking.
#560
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
#564
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 10
Hi! Could you or someone else here help me out? I haven't applied for this Credit Card yet, but just wanted to get some information before I do. From what I understand, upon receiving the card for the 1st year, you don't get a free night cert,.You only get one after you have had the card at least 1 year on your card anniversary. Is this correct?
#567
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 102
#568
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,755
For more interesting tidbit, the amount would keep changing, based on hotel's occupancy rate. If the hotel is 80%? full, (forgot the threshold), the hotel could charge the club 100% of the rack rate which if you can see it, could be in the range of 400 euro - so dont be alarm if next time you check, the rate goes way up!
#570
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,012
OK, this seems weird: My partner, in his infinite wisdom, just received his first chase anniversary free night and promptly misread the terms as requiring him to use the free night within the next week (and not year).
Without running this past me first (naturally) he immediately booked our local IC for tomorrow night. After he told me what he had done I pointed out how little sense this made and that he had a year to use it. Because the confirmation email stated he could lose the free night if he canceled, he called ambassador rewards.
He was told that he could *not* change the specific hotel, only the night of the reservation. In turn, he moved it to a date next year.
Does this sound plausible, or did he just get someone who doesn't know what they're talking about?
Without running this past me first (naturally) he immediately booked our local IC for tomorrow night. After he told me what he had done I pointed out how little sense this made and that he had a year to use it. Because the confirmation email stated he could lose the free night if he canceled, he called ambassador rewards.
He was told that he could *not* change the specific hotel, only the night of the reservation. In turn, he moved it to a date next year.
Does this sound plausible, or did he just get someone who doesn't know what they're talking about?