4th night free is no longer the 4th night but the least expensive rewards night
Jul 12, 2021, 10:10 am
#1
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 117
4th night free is no longer the 4th night but the least expensive rewards night
Matching what Marriott and Hilton already do, IHG is now giving the the least expensive reward night free as the free night as opposed to the 4th night. This is a huge devaluation for me as I used to be able to.olan out my trip to make the 4th night fall out to be a Friday or Saturday night when the reward night was possibly even 2x the cost of the Sunday night cost... but not the least bit unexpected as Hilton did this already years ago and Marriott followed not too long after. As far as I can tell this happened over night because when I was checking yesterday it was still the old pricing system. Maybe this is just a temporary glitch but I'm doubtful.
Jul 12, 2021, 1:42 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Global Entry
Posts: 2,851
I always thought they just averaged the points of the stay and discounted it by 25%. I guess I never paid too much attention. With IHG IT, you can never be too sure if it's intended or not.
Jul 12, 2021, 3:21 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 779
Matching what Marriott and Hilton already do, IHG is now giving the the least expensive reward night free as the free night as opposed to the 4th night. This is a huge devaluation for me as I used to be able to.olan out my trip to make the 4th night fall out to be a Friday or Saturday night when the reward night was possibly even 2x the cost of the Sunday night cost... but not the least bit unexpected as Hilton did this already years ago and Marriott followed not too long after. As far as I can tell this happened over night because when I was checking yesterday it was still the old pricing system. Maybe this is just a temporary glitch but I'm doubtful.
Jul 12, 2021, 4:21 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 610
What they have done, though, is finally tweaked the booking engine to show the actual average nightly rate, rather than the non-discounted average.
I was very excited to see a stay drop from 12k per night to 9k per night; under the old display settings, you'd only see the drop from 48k to 36k in the final step, so I cheerfully expected to see 27k as the final price. To my disappointment, that did not happen - total price remained unchanged at 36k.
I was very excited to see a stay drop from 12k per night to 9k per night; under the old display settings, you'd only see the drop from 48k to 36k in the final step, so I cheerfully expected to see 27k as the final price. To my disappointment, that did not happen - total price remained unchanged at 36k.
Jul 13, 2021, 10:38 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: MRY/SFO
Programs: UA Platinum; IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 458
I don’t think this is the case, you may want to double check or try a dummy booking. I have a 4 night stay in August (on 3 nights points plus 4th night free). I checked to see what the current daily points now were and if they had changed since I booked in May, when all 4 nights had been @ 41,000 each. The points now required are 40,000 from Monday to Wednesday, however Thursday has short up to 79,000. I made a second booking, long story short it was 120,000 total points with the final night not charged. The booking does show avg rate of 30,000, and saved myself 3,000 points.
Jul 14, 2021, 9:46 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Motown
Programs: DL, WN, AA, IHG Diamond, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,408
Is this maybe area or property specific? I have been looking at hotels in Lisbon, and saw the HIX is bookable with the 4th night free when second night has the lowest points cost.
Jul 14, 2021, 10:15 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: MRY/SFO
Programs: UA Platinum; IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 458
Jul 14, 2021, 2:09 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
Programs: AA lifetime GLD; UA Silver; Marriott LTTE; IHG Plat,
Posts: 14,518
Reward programs are largely unregulated, and terms and benefits can generally change at any time and without notice.
But 4th Night Free at IHG is specifically a benefit of the IHG credit card, and credit cards are highly regulated. The terms of that card, as advertised as of today, are still explicit that it is the 4th night that is the free one (bolding mine):
That benefit may change someday to give the free night as the average of the four, or even the cheapest of the four. Heck, that change is probably inevitable. But it won't come without advance notice. CFPB rules won't allow it.
OP, if you still see the higher rates from the wrong free night, I'd contact IHG and see if they can fix it.
But 4th Night Free at IHG is specifically a benefit of the IHG credit card, and credit cards are highly regulated. The terms of that card, as advertised as of today, are still explicit that it is the 4th night that is the free one (bolding mine):
For each standard room Reward Night stay of 4 or more nights, every 4th night is free. Applies only to 4 or more consecutive nights within the same Reward Night point redemption room stay at the same property. With this benefit, eligible members will be charged the Reward Night point redemption rate for the first 3 nights, and 0 points for the 4th night of the stay, as applicable. If 4th Reward Night Free reservation is cancelled, or check-out occurs before the 4th night, the 4th Reward Night is forfeited and has no cash or point value. Members can utilize the 4th Reward Night Free benefit on an unlimited number of stays annually. IHG® Rewards Club Reward Night terms and conditions apply. Offer does not apply to paid stays or Points & Cash bookings. Chase is not responsible for offer fulfillment.
OP, if you still see the higher rates from the wrong free night, I'd contact IHG and see if they can fix it.
Jul 15, 2021, 10:34 am
#9
Formerly known as fsa_ea
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Up in the Air
Programs: UA GS/1MM,AS 75k,NK GLD,AA 2MM,DL 2MM,LH FT,AY PLT,IC RA,FMT LT PLT,HYT GLB,HLT DIA,MRT GLD,HRTZ PC
Posts: 2,229
More concerning is the massive increase in points requirements that have been implemented the last few weeks. They delayed this screw over by a few months after the prior outcry, but now have gone full steam ahead. 100,000 per night for IC Paris, seriously?
It was a nice run for 16 years, but I am done.
It was a nice run for 16 years, but I am done.
Jul 21, 2021, 11:00 pm
#10
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 391
I have been trying to book the same property today on the app. It gave me 75k each night, I expected a 3 night total of 225,000 but kept seeing 300,000. I wondered if this benefit was gone. Then i tried it on my laptop, which cearly showed 100,000 per night.
Jul 22, 2021, 6:06 am
#11
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 779
100k per night. For 4 night you pay a total of 300k with the 4th night free. So the avg is 300k/4 nights = 75k/night.