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:

• 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.

Depending on how long you have been a Chase IHG cardholder and which cards you've held, your FNC Details page may also display a placeholder section ("0 Anniversary Nights") for two other FNC types that no longer exist:

• 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.
  • At least one FTer reports having successfully booked post-expiration stays without confirming with the property in advance; see posts 719 & 723. YMMV.
• 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.