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
May 1, 2019, 11:38 am
#91
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: AA Plat Pto, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,536
I finally have tasks, well a task. Double points up to 40,000.
After 15 years of holding IHG as my primary hotel program, I opened the Hilton Amex today. Free breakfasts here I come.
After 15 years of holding IHG as my primary hotel program, I opened the Hilton Amex today. Free breakfasts here I come.
May 1, 2019, 11:41 am
#92
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: Flying Blue Platinum, BAEC Silver, Hilton Honors Diamond, IHG Diamond, Marriott Tit, Accor Plat
Posts: 246
May 1, 2019, 11:50 am
#93
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Plat, DL, AS, UA, IHG Plat
Posts: 2,404
Not a great offer... 2x 4 night stay to get the bonus? My business trips usually doesn't last that long.
5,600Saturday Stays Bonus
5,600Saturday Stays Bonus
Stay 2 weekend(s), including a Saturday night and another night, and earn 5,600 bonus points.
4,500Stay for Less and EarnBook 1 stay(s) using Points & Cash and earn 4,500 bonus points. Points & Cash allows you to book Reward Nights with fewer points.
12,000Stay a Little LongerEarn 12,000 bonus points when you book 2 stay(s) of 4 or more consecutive nights.
11,100Your Achievement BonusComplete 3 of the 3 offers and earn (an additional) 11,100 bonus points.
May 1, 2019, 1:18 pm
#94
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Cleveland, OH USA
Posts: 454
Correct on the total but 12 weekend stays! That is 2/3 of the weekends in the offer period
May 1, 2019, 1:43 pm
#96
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,505
A weak list but still worth $150 to me as I have a bunch of July/August work travel with one-day stays with a per diem cap that works well with HIX.
4 brands - 13,200
2 CP - 8400
2 2-night weekends - 3200 - not worth it
1 P&C stay - 4500 - easy enough
2 4-night stays - 12,000 - doesn't fit my travel patterns
So essentially 5 one night stays, CP, CP, HIX, HI, Candlewood, one of them P&C, for 26,100. At $0.0055/point that's just under $29/night in benefit.
The question to me is whether you can do 4 P&C and have them count as the 4 brands. If so, i'm essentially getting double return on the P&C charge. Fortunately, I'll be able to test this out pretty quickly, as I have a potential P&C stay at a CP a week from now, so I try to can triple dip.
4 brands - 13,200
2 CP - 8400
2 2-night weekends - 3200 - not worth it
1 P&C stay - 4500 - easy enough
2 4-night stays - 12,000 - doesn't fit my travel patterns
So essentially 5 one night stays, CP, CP, HIX, HI, Candlewood, one of them P&C, for 26,100. At $0.0055/point that's just under $29/night in benefit.
The question to me is whether you can do 4 P&C and have them count as the 4 brands. If so, i'm essentially getting double return on the P&C charge. Fortunately, I'll be able to test this out pretty quickly, as I have a potential P&C stay at a CP a week from now, so I try to can triple dip.
May 1, 2019, 1:59 pm
#98
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
I was briefly able to see my offers on the app but now both the app and the website are showing me as ineligible again 
Reminds me of all the IT issues with 2014-2015's Into the Nights Promo. Glad to know IHG can still be counted on for that nostalgia.
Reminds me of all the IT issues with 2014-2015's Into the Nights Promo. Glad to know IHG can still be counted on for that nostalgia.
May 1, 2019, 7:09 pm
#100
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: RSW
Programs: Delta - Silver; UA - Silver; HHonors - Diamond; IHG - Spire Ambassador; Marriott Bonvoy - Titanium
Posts: 14,185
Well, at least in the States, be prepared for some co-payments at restaurants.
May 1, 2019, 7:11 pm
#101
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium/LTG, IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,921
Up to 39,100 bonus points for me,
12,000 = stay 2 brands
16,000 = stay 2 different Intercontinentals
4,500 = stay 1 cash and points booking
6,600 = book 2 x bonus points rate
Since these are stackable, I should book the following:-
1 x intercontinental A (bonus points rate)
1 x holiday inn (bonus points rate)
1 x intercontinental B
1 x holiday inn (cash and points)
Hence I should qualify for all four tasks on four nights.
12,000 = stay 2 brands
16,000 = stay 2 different Intercontinentals
4,500 = stay 1 cash and points booking
6,600 = book 2 x bonus points rate
Since these are stackable, I should book the following:-
1 x intercontinental A (bonus points rate)
1 x holiday inn (bonus points rate)
1 x intercontinental B
1 x holiday inn (cash and points)
Hence I should qualify for all four tasks on four nights.
May 2, 2019, 1:38 am
#103
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Somewhere in Europe
Posts: 3,362
I can't believe there is no one in the marketing department capable of coming up with something new.
May 2, 2019, 7:05 am
#104
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Gold Country, California
Programs: Hilton Gold, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,199
Would need 11 nights for my offer of 28K points. Guess sitting out last time didn’t help. Again, one of my tasks is booking corporate rate which I don’t have. Last time I called to ask why is this in my promo? They gave me some courtesy points, which were the only points earned for the last Accelerate. Working on Hilton now.
May 2, 2019, 7:27 am
#105
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,033
The question to me is whether you can do 4 P&C and have them count as the 4 brands. If so, i'm essentially getting double return on the P&C charge. Fortunately, I'll be able to test this out pretty quickly, as I have a potential P&C stay at a CP a week from now, so I try to can triple dip.
IHG have clearly been handing out too many bonus points, but don't know how to stop doing it without crushing their revenue. Those double point promos surely got zero stays from a bunch of us...