The incredibly easy way of redeeming IHG’s 4th-night reward

Editor's note: This guide has been updated with the latest information.

IHG's fourth-night reward has saved my husband and me over 280,000 IHG Rewards points since 2018. As such, it's one of my favorite perks of select IHG Rewards credit cards, including the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card and IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.

This perk allows cardholders to pay zero points for every fourth night when redeeming IHG Rewards points to book award stays of four nights or longer. So, today I'll take a closer look at IHG's fourth-night reward, including how to get access to the benefit and book a stay.

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What is the IHG 4th-night reward?

The IHG fourth-night reward is applicable for standard-room reward-night stays booked with points for four or more consecutive nights. But, the nights must be within the same stay at the same property. So, you can't combine separate bookings and still get a fourth-night reward.

With the fourth-night reward, you must redeem IHG Rewards points for the first three nights. But then the fourth night of the stay will cost zero points. Best of all, you can use the fourth-night reward on an unlimited number of stays annually. However, this perk does not apply to paid stays or points-and-cash bookings.

Related: IHG cardholders: Book by April 5 and get 20% off award stays of three nights or less

Who can get a 4th-night reward?

The following three IHG Rewards credit cards provide access to the valuable fourth-night reward: IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card and IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.

I get access to the fourth-night reward perk as an IHG Premier cardholder. If you want to add the IHG Premier Card to your wallet, you'll be happy to know it is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 140,000 bonus points + 1 free night after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Based on TPG's valuations, this bonus is worth $700. Plus, you'll get other valuable IHG Premier cardholder perks, including:

• IHG Platinum Elite status for as long as you're a cardholder.
• One anniversary reward night each account anniversary, valid for a night costing 40,000 points or less within 12 months of issuance. You can also use existing points from your IHG Rewards account to redeem your anniversary night at hotels above the 40,000 point redemption level.
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee statement credit of up to $100 every four years.

Even if you aren't sure how frequently you'll use IHG's fourth-night reward, getting an IHG card may still make financial sense if you can use the card's other perks.

Related: Why I'm happy to pay the annual fee on the IHG Premier Card

How to use IHG's 4th-night reward

It's easy to use IHG's fourth-night reward. Log in to the IHG account tied to your eligible IHG credit card to try it out. Once logged in, perform an award night search as usual.

Since you're logged in and searching for a four-night stay, you'll see award rates struck through and replaced with lower rates. The struck-through rates indicate the average award night cost without the fourth-night reward. And the new award rates show the average nightly rate after accounting for the fourth-night reward.

Click on the hotel you want and then select a room type.

You'll only get a fourth-night reward when you pay fully with points.

On the final page before booking, you'll see a message noting you'll get a fourth-night reward. You'll also see the points cost per night on this page. Fill in the personal details and then book your fourth-night reward stay. It's that easy.

Finally, you can also get multiple fourth-night rewards on an extended stay. In the example below, you can see that two nights cost zero points on this eight-night stay booked with IHG points.

If you need to earn more IHG Rewards points before booking your next award, consider signing up for a new IHG credit card, buying IHG points, transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points or transferring Bilt Rewards points. You can also earn some extra points through IHG Rewards Dine & Earn.

Related: IHG's credit card portfolio gets a major revamp — here are all the changes you need to know

Bottom line

IHG's fourth-night reward is an excellent benefit that lets you stretch your IHG points further when redeeming points for a stay of four nights or more. As you can see, getting the fourth-night benefit from select IHG Rewards credit cards is incredibly easy. The discount is applied automatically online, so there's no need to involve an agent or deal with rebate messiness.

Additional reporting by JT Genter.