Apr 30, 2019, 12:23 pm
Last edit by: craigthemif
A new season and a new IHG Accelerate promotion. Answers to some Frequently Asked Questions below:
For newcomers to IHG promotions, note that Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn (including Holiday Inn Resorts) are two different brand categories for these things. If your dashboard says 'stay at a Holiday Inn Express' as one of the tasks and you stay at a Holiday Inn, it will NOT credit for the Holiday Inn Express task. (and vice versa)
For a task that says 'Stay X number of times at a Holiday Inn Express' (or Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, etc.) each stay must be at a different property for it to fully credit rather than staying at the same property multiple times.
An award stay only counts toward a task that specifically requires an award stay and will not count toward other tasks and night requirements for the purposes of the promotion. (Award stays do count toward general elite qualification, but that's outside this promotion)
'Redeem points' award nights only count for the 'redeem points' task and no other tasks. (example- an award night does not count toward 'Stay X number of nights')
At IHG, points + cash stays are simply points stays where you bought some of the points at the time of the reservation. Once you finish the reservation, a points + cash stay shows as a points stay. Thus points + cash stays only count for tasks where they are specified, and not other tasks.
Other than the tasks for redeeming points and point + cash reservations, tasks are generally very stackable. Enjoy the game of figuring out how to get the most out of the least amount of nights and money.
Doing a points + cash booking and then cancelling it does NOT trigger a 'buy points' task completion. A 'buy points' task is a points transaction that is processed through points.com
The 'pay with your IHG credit card' task has typically been very slow to post. If it does within about two weeks of completing a stay, that's relatively quick, and it will often be several weeks beyond that, depending on when your statement closing date is and how IHG's system sweep is timed.
Some offers require booking within the promotion period in addition to staying during the promotion period.
Registration & dashboard link:
https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/offers/accelerate2019
For newcomers to IHG promotions, note that Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn (including Holiday Inn Resorts) are two different brand categories for these things. If your dashboard says 'stay at a Holiday Inn Express' as one of the tasks and you stay at a Holiday Inn, it will NOT credit for the Holiday Inn Express task. (and vice versa)
For a task that says 'Stay X number of times at a Holiday Inn Express' (or Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, etc.) each stay must be at a different property for it to fully credit rather than staying at the same property multiple times.
An award stay only counts toward a task that specifically requires an award stay and will not count toward other tasks and night requirements for the purposes of the promotion. (Award stays do count toward general elite qualification, but that's outside this promotion)
'Redeem points' award nights only count for the 'redeem points' task and no other tasks. (example- an award night does not count toward 'Stay X number of nights')
At IHG, points + cash stays are simply points stays where you bought some of the points at the time of the reservation. Once you finish the reservation, a points + cash stay shows as a points stay. Thus points + cash stays only count for tasks where they are specified, and not other tasks.
Other than the tasks for redeeming points and point + cash reservations, tasks are generally very stackable. Enjoy the game of figuring out how to get the most out of the least amount of nights and money.
Doing a points + cash booking and then cancelling it does NOT trigger a 'buy points' task completion. A 'buy points' task is a points transaction that is processed through points.com
The 'pay with your IHG credit card' task has typically been very slow to post. If it does within about two weeks of completing a stay, that's relatively quick, and it will often be several weeks beyond that, depending on when your statement closing date is and how IHG's system sweep is timed.
Some offers require booking within the promotion period in addition to staying during the promotion period.
Registration & dashboard link:
https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/offers/accelerate2019
New Accelerate Promotion (May 01, 2019 - August 31, 2019
May 19, 2019, 2:08 pm
#166
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,621
I've got two tasks that are a little bit vague:
10,500 Stay More, Earn More
Get closer to the rewards you want when you stay 7 night(s) and earn 10,500 bonus points.
5,600 Stay at 6 IHG Hotels
Stay at 6 IHG hotel(s) and earn 5,600 bonus points.
Does the first one above mean I have to stay 7 consecutive nights? I sort of think not, because it does not specify consecutive nights. But it does somehow illogically overlap with the next task.
Ah, I think I understand now: the first one requires 7 overall nights, whether multinight stays or single night stays, while the second one requires 6 stays at separate hotels, irrespective of whether the stay is one or more nights.
10,500 Stay More, Earn More
Get closer to the rewards you want when you stay 7 night(s) and earn 10,500 bonus points.
5,600 Stay at 6 IHG Hotels
Stay at 6 IHG hotel(s) and earn 5,600 bonus points.
Does the first one above mean I have to stay 7 consecutive nights? I sort of think not, because it does not specify consecutive nights. But it does somehow illogically overlap with the next task.
Ah, I think I understand now: the first one requires 7 overall nights, whether multinight stays or single night stays, while the second one requires 6 stays at separate hotels, irrespective of whether the stay is one or more nights.
May 19, 2019, 4:32 pm
#167
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: IHG - spire amb, Marriot - tit, Radisson - plat, Hilton - gold, Accor -gold, GHA - plat
Posts: 282
I've got two tasks that are a little bit vague:
10,500 Stay More, Earn More
Get closer to the rewards you want when you stay 7 night(s) and earn 10,500 bonus points.
5,600 Stay at 6 IHG Hotels
Stay at 6 IHG hotel(s) and earn 5,600 bonus points.
Does the first one above mean I have to stay 7 consecutive nights? I sort of think not, because it does not specify consecutive nights. But it does somehow illogically overlap with the next task.
Ah, I think I understand now: the first one requires 7 overall nights, whether multinight stays or single night stays, while the second one requires 6 stays at separate hotels, irrespective of whether the stay is one or more nights.
10,500 Stay More, Earn More
Get closer to the rewards you want when you stay 7 night(s) and earn 10,500 bonus points.
5,600 Stay at 6 IHG Hotels
Stay at 6 IHG hotel(s) and earn 5,600 bonus points.
Does the first one above mean I have to stay 7 consecutive nights? I sort of think not, because it does not specify consecutive nights. But it does somehow illogically overlap with the next task.
Ah, I think I understand now: the first one requires 7 overall nights, whether multinight stays or single night stays, while the second one requires 6 stays at separate hotels, irrespective of whether the stay is one or more nights.
May 20, 2019, 6:29 am
#168
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Capetown
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Plat, IHG and Hilton Diamond, LH SEN, BA Gold
Posts: 10,167
Has anybody already checked with IHG how the weekend August 30 to September 1 works? I am in doubt whether this counts as a weekend stay and two nights as the T&C refer to a "Saturday night" and the night is within the promotion period, however you never can be sure with these guys....
May 20, 2019, 9:12 am
#169
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: TX, USA
Programs: Bonvoy Plat, Hilton Diamond, IHG SA
Posts: 140
Same issue and sent email to <[email protected]>.
Similar reply was received:
"As the Accelerate promotion is system generated, Most terms and conditions for sub-offers mentions 2-3 weeks, except credit card offers. Should you require further assistance, please feel free to contact the IHG Rewards Club Service Center again."
Similar reply was received:
"As the Accelerate promotion is system generated, Most terms and conditions for sub-offers mentions 2-3 weeks, except credit card offers. Should you require further assistance, please feel free to contact the IHG Rewards Club Service Center again."
May 20, 2019, 9:36 pm
#170
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 8
I find it werid
So I did a calculation on what the minimum spending for me to hit 56000 points vs buying 56000 points
n my results show that by buying 56000 points is much cheaper than clocking 6 nights
so how is this even a good promo?
pls advise if I’m wrong
thanks
n my results show that by buying 56000 points is much cheaper than clocking 6 nights
so how is this even a good promo?
pls advise if I’m wrong
thanks
May 20, 2019, 10:02 pm
#171
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,284
Wow, that's an absurd comparison. The promo's not designed to compete with simply buying points. It's an incentive for people who need hotel rooms to spend their money with IHG and its various brands. If you really want to look at it as an alternative to buying points, think of it this way: along with "buying" these 56,000 points in the promo you'd get 6 nights in hotels, free! And you'd still have the 56,000 points to use later!
May 20, 2019, 10:22 pm
#172
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
Wow, that's an absurd comparison. The promo's not designed to compete with simply buying points. It's an incentive for people who need hotel rooms to spend their money with IHG and its various brands. If you really want to look at it as an alternative to buying points, think of it this way: along with "buying" these 56,000 points in the promo you'd get 6 nights in hotels, free! And you'd still have the 56,000 points to use later!
May 20, 2019, 10:28 pm
#173
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 8
Plus, there'd be a certain number of points, depending on your status level and whether you held an IHG credit card, that you'd earn on top of the 56K in the promotion. If you're not staying in hotels, yeah, it's cheaper to buy points, but that's probably true for a lot of programs.
May 21, 2019, 12:44 am
#174
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: MAN
Programs: IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 351
I've got two tasks that are a little bit vague:
10,500 Stay More, Earn More
Get closer to the rewards you want when you stay 7 night(s) and earn 10,500 bonus points.
5,600 Stay at 6 IHG Hotels
Stay at 6 IHG hotel(s) and earn 5,600 bonus points.
Does the first one above mean I have to stay 7 consecutive nights? I sort of think not, because it does not specify consecutive nights. But it does somehow illogically overlap with the next task.
Ah, I think I understand now: the first one requires 7 overall nights, whether multinight stays or single night stays, while the second one requires 6 stays at separate hotels, irrespective of whether the stay is one or more nights.
10,500 Stay More, Earn More
Get closer to the rewards you want when you stay 7 night(s) and earn 10,500 bonus points.
5,600 Stay at 6 IHG Hotels
Stay at 6 IHG hotel(s) and earn 5,600 bonus points.
Does the first one above mean I have to stay 7 consecutive nights? I sort of think not, because it does not specify consecutive nights. But it does somehow illogically overlap with the next task.
Ah, I think I understand now: the first one requires 7 overall nights, whether multinight stays or single night stays, while the second one requires 6 stays at separate hotels, irrespective of whether the stay is one or more nights.
You often find that the targets overlap so it can be quite easy to hit many of them with the same reservation. The quickest way for you to hit your two targets is to make 6 reservations at different IHG hotels for 5 x 1 nights and 1 x 2 nights.
May 21, 2019, 12:53 am
#175
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: MAN
Programs: IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 351
However, if you aren't planning on staying 6 nights and are looking to complete the target by a series of mattress runs, then yes, it's not a great deal. You're likely to spend a similar amount on hotel stays that you don't really need, just to earn 56k points, which doesn't make sense.
Sometimes, the targets just don't fit with my plans so I unfortunately have to skip them. Not everyone can benefit from these promotions every time; great when you can but it's not a guarantee.
May 21, 2019, 1:16 am
#176
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 8
It's a great promo if you are already planning to stay 6 nights during the promotion period. If you're going to need a hotel anyway, you are getting 56k points for literally nothing. That can be used for a reward night for well over £250 if used smartly.
However, if you aren't planning on staying 6 nights and are looking to complete the target by a series of mattress runs, then yes, it's not a great deal. You're likely to spend a similar amount on hotel stays that you don't really need, just to earn 56k points, which doesn't make sense.
Sometimes, the targets just don't fit with my plans so I unfortunately have to skip them. Not everyone can benefit from these promotions every time; great when you can but it's not a guarantee.
However, if you aren't planning on staying 6 nights and are looking to complete the target by a series of mattress runs, then yes, it's not a great deal. You're likely to spend a similar amount on hotel stays that you don't really need, just to earn 56k points, which doesn't make sense.
Sometimes, the targets just don't fit with my plans so I unfortunately have to skip them. Not everyone can benefit from these promotions every time; great when you can but it's not a guarantee.
May 21, 2019, 10:20 am
#177
Join Date: May 2010
Location: LAN/DTW
Programs: IHG Diamond, HH Diamond, Avis Pref, DL Silver, National EE
Posts: 188
Third Accelerate in a row that is unobtainable for me.
14,400 Discover Our Brands, Stay at 3 brands and get 14,400 bonus points.
8,000 Saturday Stays Bonus, Stay 2 weekend(s), including a Saturday night and another night, and earn 8,000 bonus points.
6,600 Earn More, Faster, Earn 6,600 bonus points when you book 3 Bonus Points Package stay(s) and get to your next reward faster.
6,800 Corporate Account Bonus, Stay 4 time(s) using your corporate rate and earn 6,800 bonus points. Stays booked through your corporate portal count toward the promotion.
35,800 Your Achievement Bonus, Complete 4 of the 4 offers and earn (an additional) 35,800 bonus points.
71,600 total possible
I have never stayed a "Saturday night and another night" as a paid stay, only point redemptions. I have never used a corporate account, and it is unlikely that I ever will. Unfortunately, these two offers have been where I have come up short in achieving the latest Accelerate promos.
14,400 Discover Our Brands, Stay at 3 brands and get 14,400 bonus points.
8,000 Saturday Stays Bonus, Stay 2 weekend(s), including a Saturday night and another night, and earn 8,000 bonus points.
6,600 Earn More, Faster, Earn 6,600 bonus points when you book 3 Bonus Points Package stay(s) and get to your next reward faster.
6,800 Corporate Account Bonus, Stay 4 time(s) using your corporate rate and earn 6,800 bonus points. Stays booked through your corporate portal count toward the promotion.
35,800 Your Achievement Bonus, Complete 4 of the 4 offers and earn (an additional) 35,800 bonus points.
71,600 total possible
I have never stayed a "Saturday night and another night" as a paid stay, only point redemptions. I have never used a corporate account, and it is unlikely that I ever will. Unfortunately, these two offers have been where I have come up short in achieving the latest Accelerate promos.
May 21, 2019, 1:10 pm
#178
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
I've got two tasks that are a little bit vague:
10,500 Stay More, Earn More
Get closer to the rewards you want when you stay 7 night(s) and earn 10,500 bonus points.
5,600 Stay at 6 IHG Hotels
Stay at 6 IHG hotel(s) and earn 5,600 bonus points.
Does the first one above mean I have to stay 7 consecutive nights? I sort of think not, because it does not specify consecutive nights. But it does somehow illogically overlap with the next task.
Ah, I think I understand now: the first one requires 7 overall nights, whether multinight stays or single night stays, while the second one requires 6 stays at separate hotels, irrespective of whether the stay is one or more nights.
10,500 Stay More, Earn More
Get closer to the rewards you want when you stay 7 night(s) and earn 10,500 bonus points.
5,600 Stay at 6 IHG Hotels
Stay at 6 IHG hotel(s) and earn 5,600 bonus points.
Does the first one above mean I have to stay 7 consecutive nights? I sort of think not, because it does not specify consecutive nights. But it does somehow illogically overlap with the next task.
Ah, I think I understand now: the first one requires 7 overall nights, whether multinight stays or single night stays, while the second one requires 6 stays at separate hotels, irrespective of whether the stay is one or more nights.
Book 1 stay(s) using Points & Cash and earn 4,500 bonus points. Points & Cash allows you to book Reward Nights with fewer points.
May 22, 2019, 12:10 am
#180
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London / Los Angeles
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, BA Silver
Posts: 1,631
Came to ask the same thing. The wiki does not answer the question but after reading up-thread, it looks like the answer is a qualified yes, as long as the points for this task has posted before you cancel. Looks like this one is awarded based on P+C booking made, not booking/stay completed.