Breaking Down This Year's IHG Priceless Experiences Promotions

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Remember last year's IHG Priceless Surprises promotion? The rules allowed for hand-written entries that could earn you 47,000 points for minimal cost and effort. IHG is back with a this year's version of the promo, and though there are no mail-in entries this time around, you can still enter to win without a stay.

The Basics

Register for the promo here, stay at an IHG property between December 1, 2016 and February 15, 2017, and pay with a MasterCard to be in the running to win a grand prize weekend getaway (more on that later). Stay twice (one booking must be 2+ nights) for a MasterCard gift card.

To participate, you must live in the United States, be at least 21 years old and have a Mastercard as of November 15, 2016. (You must also agree to get emails, which is a little annoying.) As a reminder, Mastercard options include the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card, the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard and the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard.

The Grand Prize

The sweepstakes page is a little light on the details so you'll have to go to the official terms page to find out the rules. When you register, you'll also land on a page with more details. Here's the gist:

Every qualifying night between December 1, 2016 and February 15, 2017 nets you one entry in the grand prize sweeps. (Note: Award stays and stays booked through a third-party website don't count.)

Five winners (plus a guest) will win the grand prize: travel accommodations (two airline tickets plus ground travel), a three-night hotel stay, a helicopter tour of the Chicago skyline, a "culinary experience" with chef Graham Elliot and $5,000.

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In addition, there will be weekly giveaways of smaller prizes ranging from 60,000 IHG points (valued at $420 according to TPG's monthly valuations) to a wine fridge, bikes and a TV package.

Winners are picked roughly once a week, and entries that don't win don't carry over. So if you enter the first week of December and don't win on the first drawing date, you'll have to re-enter if you want to try again. (You can find a list of drawing dates on the terms/rules page.)

The Gift Card

If you register and complete two stays (one must be 2+ nights) during the promotion dates and pay with a MasterCard, you're also eligible for a gift card of up to $100:

• If one stay is at an InterContinental property, you'll get a $100 gift card.
• If one stay is at a Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo or Even Hotels property, you'll get a $75 gift card.
• For stays at all other brands, you'll get a $50 gift card.

Unfortunately, you're only eligible for one gift card. After you complete the second of your stays, you'll get an email with a link to a redemption portal, where you can choose to get an e-card or a physical card in the mail. You then have until March 31, 2017 to redeem it.

How to Enter Without Staying

If you aren't planning an IHG stay, you can still enter by first registering on the promo page and then going to this website (bookmark it now; it goes lives December 1).

Once there, enter your IHG Rewards Club number, confirm you're a MasterCard holder and watch a short video. You get one sweepstakes entry per person per day.

So unlike last year, there's no guarantee that you'll win anything, but it is free to enter.

H/T: One Mile at a Time