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
Aug 12, 2019, 11:23 pm
#331
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Miami, Florida
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Spire, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,009
No firsthand experience but it seems likely the points will be deducted. There would be no point to such tasks if people could just book and then cancel.
Aug 13, 2019, 12:10 am
#332
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: NZ
Posts: 1,554
There was a lot of discussion about this further up-thread.
Aug 13, 2019, 12:31 am
#333
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Miami, Florida
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Spire, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,009
I made a Cash + Points booking in June and cancelled it a few days later after the 5,000 points points had posted to my account. To date the points have not been reversed, though the promotion still has a couple of weeks to run so it could still happen.
There was a lot of discussion about this further up-thread.
There was a lot of discussion about this further up-thread.
Aug 13, 2019, 1:11 am
#334
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cheshire
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Am Elite, Best Western Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold
Posts: 1,713
From what I recall, when you make a points and cash booking, the cash element buys points.
If you cancel the booking, you don’t get your cash back, but you do get the points back, both the original points redeemed and the ones the cash bought.
Does the booking immediately trigger the accelerate bonus, or do you need to wait for the reservation to take place?
Presumably their system isn’t smart enough to reverse any accelerate bonus points issued?
If you cancel the booking, you don’t get your cash back, but you do get the points back, both the original points redeemed and the ones the cash bought.
Does the booking immediately trigger the accelerate bonus, or do you need to wait for the reservation to take place?
Presumably their system isn’t smart enough to reverse any accelerate bonus points issued?
Aug 13, 2019, 5:42 am
#335
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: NZ
Posts: 1,554
From what I recall, when you make a points and cash booking, the cash element buys points.
If you cancel the booking, you don’t get your cash back, but you do get the points back, both the original points redeemed and the ones the cash bought.
Does the booking immediately trigger the accelerate bonus, or do you need to wait for the reservation to take place?
Presumably their system isn’t smart enough to reverse any accelerate bonus points issued?
If you cancel the booking, you don’t get your cash back, but you do get the points back, both the original points redeemed and the ones the cash bought.
Does the booking immediately trigger the accelerate bonus, or do you need to wait for the reservation to take place?
Presumably their system isn’t smart enough to reverse any accelerate bonus points issued?
Yes, you have to buy some points, but the trick was to find a property where the cost was low. I found one in London. Overall I got points at a great price ... assuming the bonus points are not reversed.
Aug 13, 2019, 6:07 am
#336
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cheshire
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Am Elite, Best Western Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold
Posts: 1,713
The points posted almost as soon as the booking was made. I cancelled the booking a few days later so never actually stayed at the hotel.
Yes, you have to buy some points, but the trick was to find a property where the cost was low. I found one in London. Overall I got points at a great price ... assuming the bonus points are not reversed.
Yes, you have to buy some points, but the trick was to find a property where the cost was low. I found one in London. Overall I got points at a great price ... assuming the bonus points are not reversed.
lowest I can see is about Ł25 + 10,000 points, anybody know any lower?
Aug 13, 2019, 8:20 am
#337
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: flyover country
Posts: 2,435
The significant information would be how many points the Ł25 buys, not how many points you need to add to them. For example, if the hotel wants 30,000 points per night, then the Ł25 is buying 20,000 points, which (if I did the math correctly) is a good deal; if the hotel wants 15,000 points per night, then the Ł25 is buying 5,000 points, which is not as good a deal (but not awful, again if I did the math correctly).
Aug 13, 2019, 9:29 am
#338
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cheshire
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Am Elite, Best Western Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold
Posts: 1,713
The significant information would be how many points the Ł25 buys, not how many points you need to add to them. For example, if the hotel wants 30,000 points per night, then the Ł25 is buying 20,000 points, which (if I did the math correctly) is a good deal; if the hotel wants 15,000 points per night, then the Ł25 is buying 5,000 points, which is not as good a deal (but not awful, again if I did the math correctly).
Aug 14, 2019, 8:28 am
#341
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Singapore
Programs: SIA Solitaire PPS, IHG Royal Amb, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Hhonor Gold
Posts: 2,208
My tasks have all been completed. However, the achievement bonus is still showing 75% only. Is it because i have yet to make a stay at the hotel under the "Points and Cash" task? Does anyone has this similar problem as mine? Thanks for sharing.
Aug 15, 2019, 9:15 am
#342
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
I need to do this, too, and ran into this problem when I needed consecutive nights at the same hotel on a Friday and Saturday but a glitch in the app wouldn't allow me to book it that way. The stay has not registered within Accelerate as a qualifying stay. I imagine customer service will fix/override it if necessary, especially if the same rate is paid both nights (as was the case for me), but I can't say for sure.
Aug 15, 2019, 9:38 am
#343
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: HH Dia, IHG Dia Amb, MB Ti, WoH G, OWE
Posts: 270
Regarding the weekend stay, i.e. Saturday +Friday/Sunday “task,” does this usually show as completed upon the stay’s posting to one’s account? I have received points for a qualifying stay, however the weekend stay requirement has not updated. Does the system “sweep” for these periodically, or if it hasn’t already posted along with my stay, should I call in to have this fixed?
Aug 17, 2019, 3:51 am
#344
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Berlin
Posts: 148
It seems to be, that the task only completed after your stay.
Aug 17, 2019, 4:01 am
#345
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: Priority Club
Posts: 110
Hope it works out for you.
UKD