You can now use points to pay for room charges at some IHG hotels

Oct. 11, 2019

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3 min read

InterContinental New York Times Square exterior

You can now use points to pay for room charges at some IHG hotels

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IHG Rewards Club is piloting a new program they're calling Pay with Points, which will allow members to pay for things like bar tabs or spa treatments using IHG points.

Here's how it works.

You'll first need to select your hotel on the IHG app to begin, then you'll see a window where you can select to redeem points. The app will then create a voucher for you to use. IHG says members can easily redeem points by using the in-room TV (via IHG Studio) or the mobile site to redeem points without leaving their room.

Right now, the in-room IHG Studio pilot is live at two IHG properties: the Crowne Plaza Atlanta at Ravinia and Hotel Indigo Alexandria. The mobile-site pilot is at InterContinental Barclay New York. More Atlanta hotels such as InterContinental Buckhead and Holiday Inn Atlanta Airport South will be online in the next few weeks, the hotel says, with more rolling out in 2020.

Members can now pay for room charges with points, but is it the best way to redeem? IHG Rewards Club points are worth 0.5 cents each, according to TPG's latest valuations. While it's not the highest (that title goes to World of Hyatt) there are still plenty of ways to maximize IHG points.

For instance, you can use IHG Rewards Club points at nearly all IHG properties, transfer them to airlines, redeem them for experiences and more. Because of these options, it’s important to think carefully about your redemption options before you spend your hard-earned IHG points. There are several great ways to spend IHG points, including high-end hotels like the Intercontinental Times Square in New York City for 70,000 points.

If you don’t already have the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, right now it's offering a welcome bonus of 125,000 bonus points plus a Reward Night after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. You’ll also enjoy automatic Platinum Elite status, an automatic fourth night reward on all award stays and a reward night certificate on your card anniversary (valid at hotels up to 40,000 points per night).

Featured image by Featured image courtesy of InterContinental New York Times Square.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.