ChimarraoMate

I did the math on this Ambassador renewal offer and think this is possibly one of the cheapest ways to buy points if you are planning on spending 200,000 points on reward nights! As an added bonus you get the extended Ambassador status, and all the benefits to boot: like the free Intercontinental BOGO weekend night!!!

Here is the offer as displayed on my renew screen:

"Renew for $200 USD and receive 15,000* bonus IHGŪ Rewards Club points plus a 10%** rebate on Reward Nights"

Here is the math: Renew with this offer and get 15,000 points out the gate. Redeem just 200,000 points in hotel stays during the year and get back 20,000 points. I won't even count the recursive dipping on reward stays from the points you can earn back or the additional welcome points you will get from any recursive hotel stays you earned when you stay on those reward nights.

20k + 15k = 35k for $200 = 0.57 cpp! + Ambassador benefits including the Intercontinental weekend night BOGO!

And notice, the more points you redeem for hotel stays the better the deal! Maxed out it would be:

100k + 15k = 115k for $200 = 0.17 cpp!!!

The terms for the 10% back say this:

"**You will receive 10% of redeemed points back on all Reward Night redemptions for 12 months. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks after each Reward Nights stay for rebated points to be deposited into your account. The maximum number of points to be rebated shall not exceed 100,000 points in a calendar year. Not applicable on non-Reward Night redemption items."

So, what the Ambassador member services desk told me is that if I spend 1 million points on reward nights, then I could earn back the maximum 100,000 points with this offer! And yes, all reward stays qualify, even the ones on sale.

Fyd

You also get the 10% points back with the IHG Rewards Master card.
And the BoGO night requires a special rate, usually higher than the best available rate, so less than one night free, really...
That leaves you with 15k points worth $90 and minimal perks at IC hotels...
I don't think Ambassador is worth the fee compared to Platinum and turned down the offer...

miles4all

If we all agree that the value of the 5k extra points you get is $30 and IHG asks you to pay $50 extra (200 instead of 150), that means you loose $20 dollars on the purchase.

The upside is the 10% rebate. Since I am not a US resident, I have no access to the credit card.
I agree that potentially getting back 100k points for $20 sound almost like a deal too good to be true!

This offer is for those who decide to become Ambassador and then: YES it makes sense! If you are not Ambassador and will not become one, it is kinda useless to respond......

ChimarraoMate

Great, so why not layer that on top? My point being, that if you are planning to do reward night stays, then this is a great deal. They are points you would not earn back otherwise.

MSPeconomist

The T&Cs suggest that in principle, you could get 200,000 points back assuming that your renewal doesn't coincide with the calendar year. You're entitled to the 10% off for twelve months, but the limit is stated as 100,000 points pere calendar year. This is according to the ** footnote in the OP.

miles4all

Worked out like a pro MSP! On top of that:

Since the points come back at a 10% rate, you can spend these points again (and again), so the actual rate is 11.1%!

CanuckFlyHigh

OK, SO I have a pre-booked, non-refundable stay coming up in 3 weeks (special event) - 5 nights @ 40K points per night. So If I buy Ambassador, will I get 20K points back?

miles4all

Sure you will! 5 x 40k = 200k
10% of that is 20k, which you will get back and can spend again and get another 2k back.

kauppias

If you BUY ambassodor then No you will NOT get back 20k but if you renew it then yes if you renew at the 200$ option.

snevillio

You're right to point out that this rebate offer is only with renewed ambassador memberships but isn't an additional term that it only applies to stays booked and consumed after you've purchased this renewal option?

ChimarraoMate

The terms state nothing about when the reward stay was booked. The terms only state that it has to be a reward stay and that it has to take place during your 12 month renewal period.

ChimarraoMate

And like I also pointed out. Reward club members often get a bonus welcome stay credit. The higher your status, the higher the welcome points. So, in theory, if you book a reward stay on points you earned from the 10% back you will also become eligible for the additional welcome bonus points.

For example, in the United States that is usually 500 points per stay for Platinum. For the places I've been in Europe it is 300 points for Platinum. In Australia, Brazil and Mexico, they do not offer welcome points at the hotels I stayed in.

ChimarraoMate

I copied and pasted that text and did not notice that! Great catch!

Smythmeister

How long before your Ambassador expiry do they allow you to renew. Mine is up in July this year. Do they email or do you have to remember to look somewhere?

ChimarraoMate

Mine started showing up every time I logged into the website about about two months before it expired. But, I also noticed that if you visit the Ambassador page on the Intercontinental site there was a renew button there when logged in. I suppose you could renew early, but I don't think that will start the offer early. I am pretty sure the 12 months for $200 with the 10% back offer starts when you enter your renewal year.