Mar 21, 2014, 1:39 pm
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
Sep 8, 2013, 11:57 am
#451
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 324
Stay just completed.... you can book a room past your expiration as long as the reservation was made before it expired. However, if you cancel after the expiration date it is forfeited. My daughter actually used the reservation. My current year's free night is still in my profile.
Sep 13, 2013, 7:41 am
#452
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central Scotland
Programs: Oneworld, Avios and IHG Spire Ambassador
Posts: 574
Stay just completed.... you can book a room past your expiration as long as the reservation was made before it expired. However, if you cancel after the expiration date it is forfeited. My daughter actually used the reservation. My current year's free night is still in my profile.
Sep 13, 2013, 9:56 am
#453
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: DTW
Programs: Delta SM, ICH PLAT
Posts: 1,188
Stay just completed.... you can book a room past your expiration as long as the reservation was made before it expired. However, if you cancel after the expiration date it is forfeited. My daughter actually used the reservation. My current year's free night is still in my profile.
EDIT: I removed my questions after reading the last 2 pages of posts..
Sep 13, 2013, 4:04 pm
#454
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: DEN
Posts: 32
Expect no exceptions
The last booking date for my certificate was 8/31, so on that date I booked a room for this weekend in Glenwood Springs, CO.
Today, I called customer service to cancel. I politely explained that I was in Colorado and there were no open bridges out of my town and the roads to get there were closed (I-25 and I-70) and asked for an extension on the certificate.
I was placed on hold for 5 minutes and then told the certificate was expired and the rules were the rules.
I understand that rules are rules. However, if I thought I could have made it there, I would not have cancelled. I was pretty upset about it but now figure I will just cancel the card in move on.
Today, I called customer service to cancel. I politely explained that I was in Colorado and there were no open bridges out of my town and the roads to get there were closed (I-25 and I-70) and asked for an extension on the certificate.
I was placed on hold for 5 minutes and then told the certificate was expired and the rules were the rules.
I understand that rules are rules. However, if I thought I could have made it there, I would not have cancelled. I was pretty upset about it but now figure I will just cancel the card in move on.
Sep 14, 2013, 2:00 pm
#455
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,767
The last booking date for my certificate was 8/31, so on that date I booked a room for this weekend in Glenwood Springs, CO.
Today, I called customer service to cancel. I politely explained that I was in Colorado and there were no open bridges out of my town and the roads to get there were closed (I-25 and I-70) and asked for an extension on the certificate.
I was placed on hold for 5 minutes and then told the certificate was expired and the rules were the rules.
I understand that rules are rules. However, if I thought I could have made it there, I would not have cancelled. I was pretty upset about it but now figure I will just cancel the card in move on.
Today, I called customer service to cancel. I politely explained that I was in Colorado and there were no open bridges out of my town and the roads to get there were closed (I-25 and I-70) and asked for an extension on the certificate.
I was placed on hold for 5 minutes and then told the certificate was expired and the rules were the rules.
I understand that rules are rules. However, if I thought I could have made it there, I would not have cancelled. I was pretty upset about it but now figure I will just cancel the card in move on.
Also write a polite letter to IHG Guest Relations on this situation.
Let us know if you choose to fight for this. While rules are rules, in your situation this is a very external circumstances that are totally out of your control and merits for consideration.
Sep 14, 2013, 2:08 pm
#456
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,767
For you not be charged on the free night cert, not only when you check out the bill is 0, the hotel also needs to know how to bill the Club on this stay. In the case of HI Torino, they had no clue how to do it and they decided the night was not paid for (no pts associated with that) they went ahead to charge the card used to guarantee the stay. You can do a search to unearth the thread I started on this ordeal.
Now that was on a non-expired cert.
Imagine if it is an already expired cert... I can only imagine you would have many more hoops than I have to jump thru to clear that.
For those of you intend to use your certs this way, you should get this In Writing to confirm you definitely can do so. Else you have very little recourse if hotel turns around to bill you several months after you checked out with a $0 bill.
Sep 14, 2013, 2:35 pm
#457
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: USA
Programs: All major programs
Posts: 1,403
After being backcharged by HI Torino on a non-expired Chase free night cert 5 months after the stay, I would be very wary about using the cert post expiration date.
For you not be charged on the free night cert, not only when you check out the bill is 0, the hotel also needs to know how to bill the Club on this stay. In the case of HI Torino, they had no clue how to do it and they decided the night was not paid for (no pts associated with that) they went ahead to charge the card used to guarantee the stay. You can do a search to unearth the thread I started on this ordeal.
Now that was on a non-expired cert.
Imagine if it is an already expired cert... I can only imagine you would have many more hoops than I have to jump thru to clear that.
For those of you intend to use your certs this way, you should get this In Writing to confirm you definitely can do so. Else you have very little recourse if hotel turns around to bill you several months after you checked out with a $0 bill.
For you not be charged on the free night cert, not only when you check out the bill is 0, the hotel also needs to know how to bill the Club on this stay. In the case of HI Torino, they had no clue how to do it and they decided the night was not paid for (no pts associated with that) they went ahead to charge the card used to guarantee the stay. You can do a search to unearth the thread I started on this ordeal.
Now that was on a non-expired cert.
Imagine if it is an already expired cert... I can only imagine you would have many more hoops than I have to jump thru to clear that.
For those of you intend to use your certs this way, you should get this In Writing to confirm you definitely can do so. Else you have very little recourse if hotel turns around to bill you several months after you checked out with a $0 bill.
Last edited by gv111; Sep 14, 2013 at 2:42 pm
Sep 14, 2013, 7:04 pm
#458
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: DTW
Programs: Delta SM, ICH PLAT
Posts: 1,188
The biggest reason (for me anyway) is so I can combine the 2 annual free-nights for a nice weekend/holiday stay... Before the "new rule", the only way for me to do this is to book my stay on April 30/May 1 (My expiration date is end of April)...
Sep 14, 2013, 8:06 pm
#459
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: USA
Programs: All major programs
Posts: 1,403
Chase Anniversary Free Night is valid at hotels in the IHG® Rewards Club Family of Brands and must be redeemed, and stay must be completed, within 12 months from date of issue. Anniversary Free Night is valid for one standard room night rate and applicable taxes only. Rooms are limited, subject to prior sale and availability of allocated resources and may be unavailable during high demand periods. Anniversary Free Night may not be transferred, extended beyond the expiration date, redeemed for cash, or re-credited for points. Individual hotel's cancellation policy applies to the use of the Anniversary Free Night. Cancellation fees apply if cancellation is made outside of the hotel's cancellation time period. Anniversary Free Night rules and regulations are subject to change. Chase is not responsible for offer fulfillment.
So in theory it doesn't seem to be feasible. YMMV!
Sep 29, 2013, 3:19 pm
#460
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Flyover Territory
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 687
awesome benefit
I just spent 3 nights at IC Times Square using my free night for one night, my husband's free night for the second, and points for the third.
Rooms were running $600-$690 before taxes the week I was there.
This is one of the best credit card benefits I know of!
Rooms were running $600-$690 before taxes the week I was there.
This is one of the best credit card benefits I know of!
Oct 8, 2013, 11:31 am
#461
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 28
My annual free night still isn't showing. I got the email from IHG on 8/11/13 saying that my free night email cert would arrive within one week of my anniversary (9/25/13). I still haven't seen anything, and Chase says that it's IHG that posts it. I called IHG and they had no idea why it hadn't posted or when it would post. Same goes for my wife. Any ideas?
Oct 8, 2013, 7:23 pm
#462
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: US, CA, HK
Programs: UNITED 1P
Posts: 508
I booked 2 nights at IC Tokyo Strings using Chase free night. one is on my acct and one is my bf's. The reservation was showing properly as "free" and "chase certifcicate" used before. Now it's showing as best flexible rate with a 30k jpy charge. I'm going to Tokyo next week and am a bit panicking. Is this supposed to happen? I've called the hotel and they don't know what I'm talking about. So frustrated!
Oct 9, 2013, 12:26 am
#463
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,767
I booked 2 nights at IC Tokyo Strings using Chase free night. one is on my acct and one is my bf's. The reservation was showing properly as "free" and "chase certifcicate" used before. Now it's showing as best flexible rate with a 30k jpy charge. I'm going to Tokyo next week and am a bit panicking. Is this supposed to happen? I've called the hotel and they don't know what I'm talking about. So frustrated!
The hotel most likely does not know what the free night cert is all about - and when they do not see points deducted from account for the booking, they changed it to a revenue booking.
You need to call IHG Guest Relations ASAP to sort this out. Else you would be asked to pay for your stay when you arrive Tokyo IC.
search for my old 2012 thread on how HI Torino did not know how to bill the club for the free night and then decided to charge my card 5 months after check out. At least HI knew it was an award stay at the time we checked in (we did 1 free night and 1 point stay on our 2 nights stay). In your case the IC Tokyo does not seem to have a clue. IC Japan is operated somewhat differently in case you do not know any of the history. They did not participate in many promos in the past when they still bore the ANA (All Nippon Airlines) name. So it does not surprise me they have no clue.
Dec 3, 2013, 2:50 pm
#464
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: CA & Europe
Programs: AA Life-Plat 5MM, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, UA, BA
Posts: 738
Breakfast in a Free Night?
If you book the free night at a hotel that includes breakfast (when paying).
Do you get the breakfast?
Example: Staybridge Suites Times Square.
Also: Can we book Free Night online? or need to call IHG?
Do you get the breakfast?
Example: Staybridge Suites Times Square.
Also: Can we book Free Night online? or need to call IHG?
Dec 3, 2013, 2:54 pm
#465
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Bay Area
Programs: HH, PC, SPG, MR, GP, US, UA, AA
Posts: 3,466