markle

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minz56

I agree! I am totally new and have only had three one night paid stays since September, and my stats will be by the end of the year:

* $785 spend (including room rates, purchase of 55K points at good rates and the cost of AMB)
* 140,000+ points (base points, accelerate, AMEA promotion, AMB bonuses, purchased points)
* This could get me 2 nights at the IC Da Nang ($1,000 value)
That's a return of ~127%.

I am not complaining!

FFlash

+1.

My rough numbers:
* €4000-5000 spend (33 nights, average 130€ per night)
* ~150000 points (77k base points, accelerate promos + welcome amenities)
* some 1000€ value used in pointbreak rooms and booked a week under cherry blossom in Japan with points, worth another ~2000-3000€

numbers might be a bit optimistic, but I see some value there

Uglook

Less stays with IHG, but perfect balance for me this year:
~15 nights (~$1700) earned 160,000 points
~20 reward nights - spent 160,000 points

BrightlyBob

Over the last couple of years I’ve been averaging 100 points earned per £ spent inc taxes. I value the points at a ha-penny so that signifies a 50% return but in reality I frequently achieve better than a ha’penny and with pointbreaks it’s virtually impossible to redeem at less than a penny. A return of 50-100% makes me a happy man. I do repeatedly say here on FT that whilst IHG is pretty much a benefit free zone, the earn and burn rate is unbeatable...

Cielito_

spend in 2017 until now: 11200 USD
points earned in 2017: 594 000

markle

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Cielito_

I look before booking on https://www.ihg.com/hotels/de/de/glo...es/pcr_package for Bonus Point Packages and compare with the best flexible rate and decide if the additional costs are reasonable. Often it is about additional 5USD.
If I do not use this page, the higher (5000) packages are often not shown in the app or the standard main page.

Furthermore I often have a connected booking in order to maintain flexibility and avoid fees for earlier departure.
The first booking is always posted as non-qualifying. After mail complain to the hotel the first nights(s) are posted -correctly- as qualifying, but -incorrectly- with points for spend (was already posted summarized in the last connected booking) and in addition to that with the bonus point packages, that is supposed to be posted once, not for each night (5000 bpt package). The IT of IHG is horrible.

FFlash

thats an impressive loophole abuse! congrats for the points

beachmouse

This was a burn year for me rather than an earn year- only really keeping Spire because e-Rewards transfers were EQ in the first quarter of the year. So thanks, IHG for the free week in London that managed to really impress the Spousal Unit!

I'm looking forward to the Kimpton integration in 2018- have never really been interested in InterContinentals because they seem a little formal for my travel style, and it seems like Kimpton would work better as an aspirational brand for me.

Fanjet

When I calculate my rate per night cost inclusive of paid stays and the earned points used for award stays, I'm averaging around $30 per night. (Pointsbreaks are a big help with that). IHG may not give great on-property benefits for elites like other programs, but none of them can beat this in terms of value.

diver858

Platinum status and free annual night from credit card, generous quarterly promotions, and bonus point packages mentioned by Cielito above make IHG my backup program (to Hilton). Most of my paid stays (bonus point packages) are in lower end properties, for business travel, reward bookings are primarily leisure at higher end properties.