IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn: Snag extra points with this dining rewards program

If you use one of the best credit cards for dining when you eat out, you already earn ample rewards at restaurants. But if you want to collect a few extra points or miles on your meals, you may also want to enroll in a dining rewards program.

Many airline and hotel loyalty programs have associated dining rewards programs, including Hilton Honors Dining, American Airlines AAdvantage Dining and Marriott Bonvoy Eat Around Town. But in this guide, we'll consider the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program.

IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn overview

The IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program allows you to earn IHG points on every dollar you spend at select restaurants and bars. These points are on top of the rewards you'd normally earn through your credit card or the restaurant's rewards program.

To get started, enroll in the program and add at least one card to your account. Then, you can search for restaurants and bars participating in the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program. When you dine and pay at these venues with a registered card, you'll earn extra IHG points.

Related: How to redeem points with the IHG One Rewards program

How to join

You can sign up online to join the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program. However, before doing so, it's worth checking whether a new member bonus is available.

As of publishing, new IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn members without a dining profile could earn 1,000 IHG points when they join the program. To earn the bonus points, new members must spend $30 or more at a participating restaurant or bar in their first 30 days with their enrolled credit or debit card, remain opted-in for emails and complete an online review within 30 days of their visit. Based on TPG's valuations, 1,000 IHG points are worth $5.

You must provide some information to join the program. First, enter your first name, last name, zip code, email address and IHG One Rewards number. You'll want to opt in for email notifications, as doing so unlocks the new member bonus and a higher earning rate.

On the subsequent pages, you'll need to enter more information, including at least one credit or debit card you'd like to link to the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program.

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Related: Can I earn points and miles from 2 dining rewards programs at the same time?

How to use IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn

Even before you join the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program, you can search for participating restaurants and bars. To do so, go to this page and allow the site to use your location or type in your location.

It is worth noting that some restaurants may not offer rewards every day of the week. In the example below, El Atlacatl Salvadorean Rest Calle Ocho does not provide benefits on Saturdays and Sundays.

You can use a more advanced search to filter and sort based on certain criteria, including price, dining options and meal service. You can also use the advanced search to find eligible restaurants near a particular address or only see restaurants offering benefits on the current day of the week.

Once you find a restaurant or bar you want to try, use an enrolled card to pay for your meal or drinks. When you do so at an eligible restaurant, you'll earn bonus IHG One Rewards points on the amount paid.

IHG One Rewards points normally expire after 12 months if there's no account activity and you don't maintain IHG One Rewards elite status. However, you can create account activity by dining with an enrolled card at an eligible restaurant. So, using the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program can be a useful way to ensure your points don't expire.

Related: How to maximize redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program

Earning rates

Your earning rate through the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program will depend on whether you have elite status in the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program and whether you opt in for email notifications. Here are the associated status levels and earning rates:

Once you earn VIP status, you'll keep it for the year you earn it and the following year.

As you can see, earning and then maintaining VIP member status with the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program will allow you to maximize your earning opportunities. Plus, since the earnings through this program are on top of any rewards you earn from your credit card or the restaurant's loyalty program, the return you earn from the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program is just the beginning.

Which cards to use with IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn

You'll want to use one or more of the best dining credit cards when you set up your IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn profile. Here are some cards to consider:

• American Express® Gold Card: 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
• Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: 3% cash back spent on dining

You can enroll almost any credit or debit card in the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program. If you want to quickly earn IHG points for an upcoming redemption, you might enroll an IHG One Rewards credit card. If you enroll an IHG card and use it at an eligible restaurant, you'll earn IHG points from spending on your card plus 1 to 8 points per dollar spent from the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program.

You can only enroll each debit or credit card in one Rewards Network-operated dining rewards program. So, if you plan on using multiple dining rewards programs, you'll need to use a different card for each.

Other dining opportunities for earning IHG points

You can also earn IHG points through IHG's partnership with OpenTable. Specifically, you can earn up to 500 IHG points when making an OpenTable reservation after clicking through from IHG's partner offers page.

Bottom line

Many hotel and airline loyalty programs offer the ability to earn bonus points or miles through their own Rewards Network-operated dining rewards program. Each of these programs offers distinct promotions and slightly different earning structures.

So, before going all-in on the IHG One Rewards Dine and Earn program, it's worth considering whether it's the best Rewards Network-operated dining rewards program for you. This is especially true since most dining rewards programs offer higher earning rates and bonuses for consumers who frequently use the program.