Mar 21, 2014, 1:39 pm
Last edit by: beltway
FAQs
1. What are the current types of free-night certificates (FNC)?
2. Where do I find the FNC(s) in my IHG online account?
3. Is a FNC revoked if I cancel my Chase card?
4. If I make a reservation using my FNC and then need to cancel, are there any special procedures? Do I have to call IHG?
5. Can I use my FNC for a date past the certificate's expiration, provided that I make the reservation prior to that expiration date?
6. Can I trade/gift my FNC?
7. If I have multiple IHG cards (other than the Traveler card), do I get more than one FNC?
1. What are the current types of free-night certificates (FNC)?
As of April 2023, there are four different active FNC types. Described below in order from newest to oldest (roughly), they will appear in your account under the following headings:
2. Where do I find the FNC(s) in my IHG online account?
After you log into the website, click on the section at the top of the window showing your first name and current point balance. This will take you to the Overview page of the My Account section. Underneath the gray box showing your status level, member number, and points balance you will see a submenu with "Overview" selected. Click on "Rewards Wallet" to go to the page summarizing your FNCs. Click "Details" to see the type(s) of FNC(s) in your account.
You can also go directly to the Details page by logging in and visiting http://www.ihg.com/rewardsclub/us/en...gmt/freenights (for English-speaking US members).
3. Is a FNC revoked if I cancel my Chase card?
No.
4. If I make a reservation using my FNC and then need to cancel, are there any special procedures? Do I have to call IHG?
You may cancel your reservation online using the same process as for any other reservation. The certificate is normally returned to your account immediately and available for re-use with no wait and no need to call IHG. For unknown reasons, on rare occasions a FNC will not instantly reappear; in such cases, call IHG customer service to have the FNC redeposited manually.
5. Can I use my FNC for a date past the certificate's expiration, provided that I make the reservation prior to that expiration date?
As of January 2019, members are reporting that they are unable to do this.
Formerly, some members reported success in doing this. (See, for example, the discussion at post #516.) Two basic recommendations:
6. Can I trade/gift my FNC?
No. FNCs are non-transferable.
7. If I have multiple IHG cards (other than the Traveler card), do I get more than one FNC each year?
Yes. The Select card (legacy), the personal Premier card, and the Premier Business card all include an anniversary FNC as a benefit. But note the difference, discussed above, between the Select card FNC--capped at 40K value--and the "flex" FNCs associated with the other cards. The no-fee Traveler card does not provide a FNC benefit.
In previous years, Chase issued the anniversary FNC shortly before the annual fee was billed. More recently, Chase has begun delaying issuance of FNCs until at least 8 weeks after the annual-fee statement date, presumably to prevent accountholders from canceling their cards while keeping the FNC.
Questions related to the extension of the certificate due to the Coronavirus are discussed in its own thread, which is here.
1. What are the current types of free-night certificates (FNC)?
2. Where do I find the FNC(s) in my IHG online account?
3. Is a FNC revoked if I cancel my Chase card?
4. If I make a reservation using my FNC and then need to cancel, are there any special procedures? Do I have to call IHG?
5. Can I use my FNC for a date past the certificate's expiration, provided that I make the reservation prior to that expiration date?
6. Can I trade/gift my FNC?
7. If I have multiple IHG cards (other than the Traveler card), do I get more than one FNC?
1. What are the current types of free-night certificates (FNC)?
As of April 2023, there are four different active FNC types. Described below in order from newest to oldest (roughly), they will appear in your account under the following headings:
- Premier Credit Card Annual Flex Night: The anniversary FNC, good for a base room up to 40K points, for the personal Premier card. This FNC is described as “flex” because you can redeem for an award in excess of 40K by adding points on top of the FNC (aka "topping up").
- Note: points used to top up a Flex FNC are not subject to the 10% rebate for Select cardholders.
- Business Credit Card Annual Flex Night: The anniversary FNC for the IHG Business card. This is identical in all respects to the Premier flex cert.
- New Cardmember Bonus Free Night: Some recent offers for the personal Premier card have included one or more FNCs in the signup bonus. These FNCs are capped at 40K value; there is no "flex"/"top-up" option.
- Select Credit Card Anniversary Night: The anniversary FNC for the older Select card, for which Chase stopped accepting applications in 2018. As with the previous category, this FNC type has a hard cap of 40K redemption value.
- Premier Credit Card Anniversary Night: Prior to March 24, 2022, the personal Premier card FNC was hard-capped at 40K value. On March 24, all unused FNCs of this type were automatically converted to Premier "flex" FNCs as described above.
- Credit Card Anniversary Night: Prior to May 1, 2018, anniversary FNCs for the Select card were uncapped--that is, they could be used at any IHG property.
2. Where do I find the FNC(s) in my IHG online account?
After you log into the website, click on the section at the top of the window showing your first name and current point balance. This will take you to the Overview page of the My Account section. Underneath the gray box showing your status level, member number, and points balance you will see a submenu with "Overview" selected. Click on "Rewards Wallet" to go to the page summarizing your FNCs. Click "Details" to see the type(s) of FNC(s) in your account.
You can also go directly to the Details page by logging in and visiting http://www.ihg.com/rewardsclub/us/en...gmt/freenights (for English-speaking US members).
3. Is a FNC revoked if I cancel my Chase card?
No.
4. If I make a reservation using my FNC and then need to cancel, are there any special procedures? Do I have to call IHG?
You may cancel your reservation online using the same process as for any other reservation. The certificate is normally returned to your account immediately and available for re-use with no wait and no need to call IHG. For unknown reasons, on rare occasions a FNC will not instantly reappear; in such cases, call IHG customer service to have the FNC redeposited manually.
5. Can I use my FNC for a date past the certificate's expiration, provided that I make the reservation prior to that expiration date?
As of January 2019, members are reporting that they are unable to do this.
Formerly, some members reported success in doing this. (See, for example, the discussion at post #516.) Two basic recommendations:
- It is advisable to obtain advance written confirmation, ideally from the hotel itself, that your certificate will be honored under these circumstances.
- Once the certificate expiration date passes, you will not be able to make any changes to the reservation (occupancy, date, room type, etc).
6. Can I trade/gift my FNC?
No. FNCs are non-transferable.
7. If I have multiple IHG cards (other than the Traveler card), do I get more than one FNC each year?
Yes. The Select card (legacy), the personal Premier card, and the Premier Business card all include an anniversary FNC as a benefit. But note the difference, discussed above, between the Select card FNC--capped at 40K value--and the "flex" FNCs associated with the other cards. The no-fee Traveler card does not provide a FNC benefit.
In previous years, Chase issued the anniversary FNC shortly before the annual fee was billed. More recently, Chase has begun delaying issuance of FNCs until at least 8 weeks after the annual-fee statement date, presumably to prevent accountholders from canceling their cards while keeping the FNC.
Questions related to the extension of the certificate due to the Coronavirus are discussed in its own thread, which is here.
Annual Free Night Cert from IHG (Rewards Club) Visa / Mastercard
May 13, 2013, 12:16 am
#391
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,677
Did they just introduce the ability to use the free nights through their website or is it just that I am noticing only now? When logged in to priorityclub, underneath "My offer status" on the left I see "Free Night Status". Clicking through gives an option to make a reservation online.
May 15, 2013, 5:47 am
#392
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: S Cal
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, United Silver, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,142
Has anybody ever had any luck booking an award night using points and then converting the stay to the free night certificate? I keep seeing sporadic availability for the hotel that I want at the regular full redemption rate and I already have a reservation using the free night at my second choice property. Can I book a reward night at my first choice property using points, then cancel the free night reservation at the second property, and then use the free night certificate in lieu of the points? Anybody tried this?
Both my wife and I have PC credit cards. We needed a 4 night stay in Amsterdam. But the free night cert was not yet in either account. I made 4 separate consecutive one night reservations for points online (2 nights for her, 2 for me). I asked several different phone reps if I would be able to convert those reservations to points once we had our certificates, and I was told "maybe, depending on inventory."
My wife's cert arrived first. Was able to convert one of her held nights from points to the cert. When my cert arrived later, I was also able to convert one of my points reservations to the cert. We then linked up all 4 reservations (each night had a different reservation number) so that the hotel would see them as one.
If I were you, to play it safe, I'd make the points reservation at your preferred hotel, but I would try to hang on to both reservations (don't cancel your backup property) until it is clear that you can use the cert at your preferred property.
May 15, 2013, 4:22 pm
#394
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,655
Annual Free Night Cert from PC Visa
I was online trying to check award availability when I also noticed the Visa free night option to redeem online. Great addition and am glad they added it so we don't have to call. 3 nights booked in June at the IC Times Square NYC (2 nights on the Ambassador BOGO Weekend certificate and 1 night with the Visa Voucher).
May 15, 2013, 6:08 pm
#395
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: UA *Alliance
Posts: 5,591
First I'll say that the Priority Club phone reps got me extremely confused about whether this would work or not, but in the end it did.
Both my wife and I have PC credit cards. We needed a 4 night stay in Amsterdam. But the free night cert was not yet in either account. I made 4 separate consecutive one night reservations for points online (2 nights for her, 2 for me). I asked several different phone reps if I would be able to convert those reservations to points once we had our certificates, and I was told "maybe, depending on inventory."
My wife's cert arrived first. Was able to convert one of her held nights from points to the cert. When my cert arrived later, I was also able to convert one of my points reservations to the cert. We then linked up all 4 reservations (each night had a different reservation number) so that the hotel would see them as one.
If I were you, to play it safe, I'd make the points reservation at your preferred hotel, but I would try to hang on to both reservations (don't cancel your backup property) until it is clear that you can use the cert at your preferred property.
Both my wife and I have PC credit cards. We needed a 4 night stay in Amsterdam. But the free night cert was not yet in either account. I made 4 separate consecutive one night reservations for points online (2 nights for her, 2 for me). I asked several different phone reps if I would be able to convert those reservations to points once we had our certificates, and I was told "maybe, depending on inventory."
My wife's cert arrived first. Was able to convert one of her held nights from points to the cert. When my cert arrived later, I was also able to convert one of my points reservations to the cert. We then linked up all 4 reservations (each night had a different reservation number) so that the hotel would see them as one.
If I were you, to play it safe, I'd make the points reservation at your preferred hotel, but I would try to hang on to both reservations (don't cancel your backup property) until it is clear that you can use the cert at your preferred property.
May 15, 2013, 6:57 pm
#396
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,720
First I'll say that the Priority Club phone reps got me extremely confused about whether this would work or not, but in the end it did.
Both my wife and I have PC credit cards. We needed a 4 night stay in Amsterdam. But the free night cert was not yet in either account. I made 4 separate consecutive one night reservations for points online (2 nights for her, 2 for me). I asked several different phone reps if I would be able to convert those reservations to points once we had our certificates, and I was told "maybe, depending on inventory."
My wife's cert arrived first. Was able to convert one of her held nights from points to the cert. When my cert arrived later, I was also able to convert one of my points reservations to the cert. We then linked up all 4 reservations (each night had a different reservation number) so that the hotel would see them as one.
If I were you, to play it safe, I'd make the points reservation at your preferred hotel, but I would try to hang on to both reservations (don't cancel your backup property) until it is clear that you can use the cert at your preferred property.
Both my wife and I have PC credit cards. We needed a 4 night stay in Amsterdam. But the free night cert was not yet in either account. I made 4 separate consecutive one night reservations for points online (2 nights for her, 2 for me). I asked several different phone reps if I would be able to convert those reservations to points once we had our certificates, and I was told "maybe, depending on inventory."
My wife's cert arrived first. Was able to convert one of her held nights from points to the cert. When my cert arrived later, I was also able to convert one of my points reservations to the cert. We then linked up all 4 reservations (each night had a different reservation number) so that the hotel would see them as one.
If I were you, to play it safe, I'd make the points reservation at your preferred hotel, but I would try to hang on to both reservations (don't cancel your backup property) until it is clear that you can use the cert at your preferred property.
Were you actually able to convert the points reservation to the award cert via substitution or did they have inventory for that night anyway and thus make a new reservation using the cert and then cancelled the points reservation?
I ask as I was informed they cannot do this if the hotel is sold out or reward space is no longer available. This is important to me as I as a precaution held a reward reservation at a hotel that no longer has inventory now and now that my award cert has hit my account and I am leery of cancelling same to find that I cannot use the reward cert because of a sold out situation. Thus readers beware!
May 15, 2013, 10:50 pm
#397
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,740
Were you actually able to convert the points reservation to the award cert via substitution or did they have inventory for that night anyway and thus make a new reservation using the cert and then cancelled the points reservation?
I ask as I was informed they cannot do this if the hotel is sold out or reward space is no longer available. This is important to me as I as a precaution held a reward reservation at a hotel that no longer has inventory now and now that my award cert has hit my account and I am leery of cancelling same to find that I cannot use the reward cert because of a sold out situation. Thus readers beware!
I ask as I was informed they cannot do this if the hotel is sold out or reward space is no longer available. This is important to me as I as a precaution held a reward reservation at a hotel that no longer has inventory now and now that my award cert has hit my account and I am leery of cancelling same to find that I cannot use the reward cert because of a sold out situation. Thus readers beware!
So yes, if the rep is misinformed and then at the end it could not be swapped then you would lose your initial award booking, yet unable to replace it with the free night cert booking.
May 16, 2013, 2:43 am
#398
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,720
I believe the IVN1 or whatever code it is, inventory must be available in order to use the Cert. If there is no inventory, they could not do a swap because the point reservation may NOT go back to the inventory pool at cancellation just like how the airline award seat inventory works. This is particularly true because unlike SPG, IHG does not guarantee award must be available whenever there is room for sale.
So yes, if the rep is misinformed and then at the end it could not be swapped then you would lose your initial award booking, yet unable to replace it with the free night cert booking.
So yes, if the rep is misinformed and then at the end it could not be swapped then you would lose your initial award booking, yet unable to replace it with the free night cert booking.
May 18, 2013, 7:43 am
#399
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: S Cal
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, United Silver, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,142
Were you actually able to convert the points reservation to the award cert via substitution or did they have inventory for that night anyway and thus make a new reservation using the cert and then cancelled the points reservation?
I ask as I was informed they cannot do this if the hotel is sold out or reward space is no longer available. This is important to me as I as a precaution held a reward reservation at a hotel that no longer has inventory now and now that my award cert has hit my account and I am leery of cancelling same to find that I cannot use the reward cert because of a sold out situation. Thus readers beware!
I ask as I was informed they cannot do this if the hotel is sold out or reward space is no longer available. This is important to me as I as a precaution held a reward reservation at a hotel that no longer has inventory now and now that my award cert has hit my account and I am leery of cancelling same to find that I cannot use the reward cert because of a sold out situation. Thus readers beware!
I also have a Chase Marriott card which gives me one free Marriott night per year. Converting an award reservation held with points to the Marriott free night cert is far easier than with Priority Club.
May 18, 2013, 9:45 am
#400
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,720
Right, with Marriott substitutions are possible once you contact Marriott Rewards to do it for you.
May 18, 2013, 12:45 pm
#402
Join Date: May 2004
Location: LAX
Posts: 1,849
Did they just introduce the ability to use the free nights through their website or is it just that I am noticing only now? When logged in to priorityclub, underneath "My offer status" on the left I see "Free Night Status". Clicking through gives an option to make a reservation online.
Just booked my night, thanks!
May 28, 2013, 8:46 pm
#403
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: UA *Alliance
Posts: 5,591
Called reservations this evening to modify my two reservations, wanted to cancel the reservations using points at my first choice property and free night cert at second choice property then use the free night cert for the first choice property. Phone rep was able to cancel both reservations, points and free night cert showed up immediately in my account. The rep wasn't able to use the free night cert at my first choice property claiming that they didn't have any availability. Checked the website myself after hanging up and while it took a couple of tries I was able to book my first choice property using the free night cert.
May 30, 2013, 3:03 pm
#405
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SDF
Programs: Delta PM, IC Ambassador, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,195
I was online trying to check award availability when I also noticed the Visa free night option to redeem online. Great addition and am glad they added it so we don't have to call. 3 nights booked in June at the IC Times Square NYC (2 nights on the Ambassador BOGO Weekend certificate and 1 night with the Visa Voucher).