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
#46
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: OKC
Programs: IHG Spire, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 2,266
One of my promos is the book with points + cash promo.
I know that full points nights do NOT count towards any other promo, such as stay at 6 different hotels. Do the points + cash nights count towards this? Trying to see if I can knock two items off in 1 night or if I need to pay for this one since it's not one of my usual hotels and will get me closer to the 6
My full offer (total 62k points)
10,800 - stay 3 weekends including saturday and other night
4,500 - stay for less (1 night points + cash)
16,800 - stay at 6 IHG hotels
5,200 - stay 5 times using corporate rate
4,000 - 1 stay of 4 nights or longer
20,700 - complete 5/5 above
I know that full points nights do NOT count towards any other promo, such as stay at 6 different hotels. Do the points + cash nights count towards this? Trying to see if I can knock two items off in 1 night or if I need to pay for this one since it's not one of my usual hotels and will get me closer to the 6
My full offer (total 62k points)
10,800 - stay 3 weekends including saturday and other night
4,500 - stay for less (1 night points + cash)
16,800 - stay at 6 IHG hotels
5,200 - stay 5 times using corporate rate
4,000 - 1 stay of 4 nights or longer
20,700 - complete 5/5 above
#47
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 91
Good question. Similarly I have a target of staying at 5 IHG brands and a points+cash target, and am wondering whether I could use a points+cash night to knock off one brand.
#48
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: EWR
Programs: AA, Delta, NWA,HHonors, Hyatt BF
Posts: 1,762
In my case, a points & cash stay would also satisfy the requirements of other tasks, such as stay at a certain brand or stay at a certain time.
edit to note: others feel strongly that this is incorrect as it did not work with regards to their personal tasks so do not accept it as fact, simply check after a P&C stay and see if it satisfied other requirements.
edit to note: others feel strongly that this is incorrect as it did not work with regards to their personal tasks so do not accept it as fact, simply check after a P&C stay and see if it satisfied other requirements.
Last edited by redreeper; May 1, 2019 at 10:26 am
#52
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: IHG Diamond Elite, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 3,531
One of my promos is the book with points + cash promo.
I know that full points nights do NOT count towards any other promo, such as stay at 6 different hotels. Do the points + cash nights count towards this? Trying to see if I can knock two items off in 1 night or if I need to pay for this one since it's not one of my usual hotels and will get me closer to the 6
My full offer (total 62k points)
10,800 - stay 3 weekends including saturday and other night
4,500 - stay for less (1 night points + cash)
16,800 - stay at 6 IHG hotels
5,200 - stay 5 times using corporate rate
4,000 - 1 stay of 4 nights or longer
20,700 - complete 5/5 above
I know that full points nights do NOT count towards any other promo, such as stay at 6 different hotels. Do the points + cash nights count towards this? Trying to see if I can knock two items off in 1 night or if I need to pay for this one since it's not one of my usual hotels and will get me closer to the 6
My full offer (total 62k points)
10,800 - stay 3 weekends including saturday and other night
4,500 - stay for less (1 night points + cash)
16,800 - stay at 6 IHG hotels
5,200 - stay 5 times using corporate rate
4,000 - 1 stay of 4 nights or longer
20,700 - complete 5/5 above
#53
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: IHG Diamond Elite, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 3,531
Points + cash is a non-qualifying rate (it is the same as a reward night). It will not satisfy the requirements of staying at a brand or certain time.
#54
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: IHG Diamond Elite, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 3,531
No. Absolutely not. The stay will post as a non-qualifying rate and not satisfy any other task. The stay is not what is triggering your fulfilling your task, it is the purchasing of points.
#56
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: MAN
Programs: IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 350
#57
Count me as one who registered, was told I'm not eligible (based on my current earning preference), received the confirmatory email, and the offers page has nothing personalized.
Well put.
Well put.
#58
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: OKC
Programs: IHG Spire, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 2,266
I'll save this task for a hotel that I stay at frequently.
#59
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: EWR
Programs: AA, Delta, NWA,HHonors, Hyatt BF
Posts: 1,762
My apologies if my response was incorrect. However, for real, I had "Stay 2 times with points and cash" and "Stay at 3 brands" and they did cross over for qualification. The points and cash nights did satisfy the brand requirement.
#60
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Bregenz, Austria
Programs: AA, BAEC, Alaska, Flying Blue, United, IHG, Hilton
Posts: 2,950
4 brands = 16,800
2 Holiday Inns = 5,600
2 weekends = 5,600
1 Points & Cash = 4,500
2 Bonus Points Packages = 6,600
1 x 4-night stay = 4,000
No achievement bonus.
Theoretically, the whole 43,100 could be done in 9 nights (or 7 nights without the 4k for the 4-nighter). Can't see myself bothering with the 4 brands, so forget that.
Cherry picking the easy stackable ones leaves me with 2 x 2-night weekends at HIs, booked as bonus packages, for 17,800. Hmm, maybe. But I'm not going out of my way for it.
Looks like I'm dropping to Gold this year.
2 Holiday Inns = 5,600
2 weekends = 5,600
1 Points & Cash = 4,500
2 Bonus Points Packages = 6,600
1 x 4-night stay = 4,000
No achievement bonus.
Theoretically, the whole 43,100 could be done in 9 nights (or 7 nights without the 4k for the 4-nighter). Can't see myself bothering with the 4 brands, so forget that.
Cherry picking the easy stackable ones leaves me with 2 x 2-night weekends at HIs, booked as bonus packages, for 17,800. Hmm, maybe. But I'm not going out of my way for it.
Looks like I'm dropping to Gold this year.