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
#993
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 299
I have a booking made last october for the end of March at Kimpton Seafire for 4 nights all via anniversary certs (2 from previous year which expired back in Oct and 2 from current year which are still valid).
How do I confirm if they will honor the 2 expired certificate since so many are having trouble with it? Please advise. Thanks!
How do I confirm if they will honor the 2 expired certificate since so many are having trouble with it? Please advise. Thanks!
#995
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,604
We do call ahead and combine the reservations so that we don't have to change rooms.
#996
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: STL
Programs: MR Plat Premier, IHG Spire, Hilton Diamond, Southwest CP
Posts: 623
Anyone upgrading to the new Premier Card for $89 vs. the current $49 one? I don't stay in IHG hotels as much as I used to so the 10X points earned vs. 5X don't do much for me (plus when I travel for work I have to use my AMEX). Is that the only real difference between the two cards? Annual night capped at 40K for each? Fourth night free for each? Just trying to make the best decision.
Luckily, my current card just renewed this month and I have an uncapped free night that just dropped in my account.
Luckily, my current card just renewed this month and I have an uncapped free night that just dropped in my account.
#997
Join Date: Mar 2009
Programs: Hilton credit card Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,652
Anyone upgrading to the new Premier Card for $89 vs. the current $49 one? I don't stay in IHG hotels as much as I used to so the 10X points earned vs. 5X don't do much for me (plus when I travel for work I have to use my AMEX). Is that the only real difference between the two cards? Annual night capped at 40K for each? Fourth night free for each? Just trying to make the best decision.
Luckily, my current card just renewed this month and I have an uncapped free night that just dropped in my account.
Luckily, my current card just renewed this month and I have an uncapped free night that just dropped in my account.
I have the old $49 card (IHG Select), and the new $89 card (IHG Premier). So I get one 40K night free from each card per year, plus the 10% rebate on award bookings, plus 4th night free on award bookings.
This post https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30737966-post358.html may be of interest.
#998
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
- no more 10% rebate, which you can't get any other way
- you get a lousy upgrade bonus (I keep getting offered 5K, which is offensively low) instead of a healthy signup bonus
- your AF goes up
#999
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: STL
Programs: MR Plat Premier, IHG Spire, Hilton Diamond, Southwest CP
Posts: 623
Thanks for the replies. I guess I did intend to say get the new card vs. upgrading from the old one as I would most likely just apply to grab the bigger signup bonus. For me, the big thing on this card was the uncapped free annual night - have used that on more than one occasion for close to $300/night rooms which more than offset the $49 annual fee. OK, thanks for also verifying that the new card is the only one with the 4th free night - that just might swing me over to applying...seems like it could be worth the $40 difference if I was able to use it once every-other-year. I do like the idea of potentially just adding the new card and holding two of them...but I'm also going to need two of the Chase Southwest Visas soon to grab my companion pass and might be close to 5/24 so gotta watch it.
#1000
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: AA LT PLT 3 MM+, BA (very) Blue, CO nobody
Posts: 2,640
I have not been on this board for a while so I must have missed it. When did the rate for some hotels go up?
I have a reservation at HI Notre Dame for an annual free night + one night for 40K points. I see that this hotel is now 45K points - thus I cannot use my certificate for next year - that sucks.
Related question - the second night was booked at the "old" rate of 40K points. The plan was to exchange it for my annual free night I will get in April. Will I still get to do it as it was booked at 40K points?
TIA
I have a reservation at HI Notre Dame for an annual free night + one night for 40K points. I see that this hotel is now 45K points - thus I cannot use my certificate for next year - that sucks.
Related question - the second night was booked at the "old" rate of 40K points. The plan was to exchange it for my annual free night I will get in April. Will I still get to do it as it was booked at 40K points?
TIA
Last edited by Paulchili; Feb 16, 2019 at 12:04 am
#1001
Join Date: Mar 2009
Programs: Hilton credit card Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,652
As stated in the wiki, certificates issued before May 1, 2019 are not point limited.
#1003
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: SEA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 539
Last night I was able to book a free night at a hotel 7 days after my certificate is due to expire. I checked the reservation confirmation many times, and it did indeed seem to work. Got the email confirmation, it shows up in my Reservations, and I can't see anything wrong on the system end. Is there maybe a soft-coded "grace period" of a week or two? Would there be any problems at the hotel when I go to check in? I'm hesitant to call ahead because they might notice the expiration date and cancel the reservation.
Last edited by mpeterson78; Feb 18, 2019 at 8:48 am
#1004
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: United 1K, Frontier 100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond/ Ambassador/ Milestoner
Posts: 568
Booking beyond the expiration seems to work but you can’t change or cancel the reservation after the date.
I have not had trouble at check in. They probably just see “free night” and don’t compare it to the original cert.
I have not had trouble at check in. They probably just see “free night” and don’t compare it to the original cert.
#1005
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
I've decided that I am going to cancel the card when it comes up for renewal since I just can't find any hotels that I would really want to stay at that are in the 40k range after the last round of January devaluations. I've typically used the free night certificates in NYC and with the last round of increases I can't even stay at a crappy HIX in the city any more with the certs. At least with the Marriott certs good up to 35k I can find a decent place to redeem for a free night....that is at least till Marriott implements peak category awards.