Get 1,000 Bonus IHG Points Just Because It's Your Birthday

If you tend to leave out any optional information in your online loyalty accounts, you might want to make an exception for IHG. The hotel brand is offering IHG Rewards members 1,000 points on their birthday — meaning it's the rare occasion when filling in extra account info actually gets you something in return.

To make sure you have your birthday set in your account so you can earn the extra points, just log in, click on Personal Information and scroll all the way to the bottom. There, can you add in your birthday month and day if it's not specified already.

One catch: You can't update your birthday manually after you've initially entered it. You'll have to call customer service to change it. (So you won't be able to celebrate 17 birthdays a year and get bonus points for each.)

It's nice to get an automatic bonus without having to do any work. With many other loyalty programs and travel brands, you have to mention your birthday/anniversary/special occasion to a customer-facing agent — and even then, it's usually up to their discretion.

That said, a handful of other loyalty programs offer straight-up birthday bonuses — for example, ANA Diamond elites receive a birthday gift when they've enrolled in Club Concierge, and Starwood has the Pay Your Birth Year promotion.

All in all, it's worth taking the extra few minutes to make sure you've included your birthday in your IHG Rewards account (and other loyalty program accounts). 1,000 bonus points may not be worth much, but every little bit helps when you're working toward your next travel redemption.

H/T: Doctor of Credit

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