The incredibly easy way of redeeming IHG’s 4th-night reward
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Editor’s note: This guide has been updated with the latest information.
IHG’s fourth-night reward has saved my husband and me about 280,000 IHG Rewards points since 2018. As such, it’s one of my favorite perks of the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card.
This perk allows select IHG Rewards credit card holders 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: Why I often choose IHG and Choice hotels, despite limited elite perks
Who can get a 4th-night reward?
Two IHG Rewards credit cards, the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card and IHG Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card, provide access to the valuable fourth-night reward. But unfortunately, only the IHG Premier Card is currently accepting new applications.
The information for the IHG Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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 150,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Based on TPG’s valuations, this bonus is worth about $750. 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.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit every four years. (Up to $100)
However, you won’t be eligible for this card or bonus if (1) you are a current cardmember or (2) you previously had this card and received a new cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. Additionally, note that you’ll need to be under Chase’s 5/24 rule to be eligible for this card.
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 that’s tied to your IHG Premier Card or IHG Traveler 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 that are 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.
Note that you’ll only get a fourth-night reward when you pay fully with points. Click on “Rate Details” to see how the award pricing breaks down night by night for your stay.
For this sample stay, you’d pay 40,000 points per night for the first two nights, 30,000 points for the third night and zero points for the fourth night. Click in the top right corner to exit this window and continue booking.
On the final page before booking, you’ll see a message noting you’ll get a fourth-night reward. You can 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. For example, 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 or transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You can also earn a few extra points through IHG Rewards Club Dining.
Related: From Sri Lanka to the Arctic: 35 amazing Mr & Mrs Smith hotels to book through IHG Rewards
Bottom line
IHG’s fourth-night reward is an excellent benefit that lets you stretch your IHG points further on award stays of four nights or more. As you can see, getting the fourth-night benefit from the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card 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.
Featured photo of the InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort by Katie Genter/The Points Guy.
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With this card you'll get IHG Rewards Platinum Elite status.
- Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening
- Enjoy a Reward Night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. Plus, enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for any stay of 4 or more nights
- Earn up to 25 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier card member
- Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Fee Credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG Rewards Club Bonus points are redeemable at hotels such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.