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Beginners guide to IHG Rewards Club Tim Lai Points to be Made www.pointstobemade.com
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Transcript of Tim Lai Points to be Made .
Beginners guide to IHG Rewards Club
Tim LaiPoints to be Made
www.pointstobemade.com
Why bother with IHG? (5 mins) Tier levels, Ambassador (10-15 mins) Collecting points (5 mins) Spending points (5 mins) Other discounts and tricks (10-15 mins) Final warning notes on IHG (2-3mins)
Q&A
Feel free to ask questions any time!
Contents
11 different brands globally
5 main ones you’ll see
Who are IHG?
Pros◦ Large network of hotels◦ Fairly cheap globally◦ Loyalty programme easy to understand◦ Easy to ‘travel hack’
Cons◦ Not greatest earn/burn ratio, though still ok◦ Call centre agents have variable ability -
Philippines◦ Member benefits not guaranteed on award stays
Why bother with IHG?
BEWARE…
IHG HAVE 2 DISTINCT PROGRAMMES!
Club — 0 nights/ 0 stays per year
Gold — 15 nights/ 20 000 EQP◦ OR 3 brands + 10 nights
Platinum — 50 nights/ 60 000 EQP ◦ OR 4 brands + 40 nights if address in USA/EU◦ OR 3 brands + 40 nights if address in Middle
East/Asia/Oceania◦ Everything above 50 nights rolled over!
IHG Rewards Club, Tier levels
[Picture removed. For participants only! ]
Very easy to change countries!
[Picture removed. For participants only! ]
Now my address is in N. Korea!
Changing country of residence
Live demo
What does each status get you?
In reality… Don’t get your hopes up.
What does Gold get you
In reality… Not much more than gold!
Upgrade chances are a little higher, but don’t expect suites.◦ Maybe 10-20% you might get a substantial
upgrade
What does Platinum get you?
Qualifying points = 10 points/USD ◦ Other currencies need to convert to USD
Gold members earn a 10% bonus
Platinum members earn a 50% bonus
Earning Points through staying
Award stays count towards qualifying nights!
Points do not expire
Key things to note
Automatic Gold IHG Upgrade confirmed at check in 2nd weekend night free voucher 5000 points on joining and renewal 1st year 200USD or 32k points 2nd year 150USD, 25k points,
200USD inc. 10k points and 10% rebate on Intercontinental stays
Ambassador
Requirements: Must be Ambassador first! 60 nights per year 20 in Intercontinental 3 different Intercontinental Hotels
Royal Ambassador
Benefits: Free minibar (to an extent!) IHG Rewards Club Platinum status
Royal Ambassador
Categories of hotels Cat 1 – 10000 points Cat 2 – 15000 points Cat 3 – 20000 points Cat 4 – 25000 points Cat 5 – 30000 points Cat 6 – 35000 points Cat 7 – 40000 points Cat 8 – 45000 points Cat 9 – 50000 points
Spending IHG Points
Which Category is your Hotel?
Category 1 — $70 Category 2 — $105 Category 3 — $140 Category 4 — $175 Category 5 — $210 Category 6 — $245 Category 7 — $280 Category 8 — $315 Category 9 — $350
Excluding opportunity cost of incoming points
Don’t pay more than…
“You may choose to redeem IHG® Rewards Club points for a Reward Night in three ways: using your existing points for all required points for the desired Reward Night; using your existing points and 5,000 points purchased for $40USD to total the required points; or using your existing points and 10,000 points purchased for $70USD to total the required points. The total purchase on any single day may not exceed $280USD.”
$70 per 10000 points trick
Get at least 5000 points◦ Buy them if necessary
Find any Category 2 hotel◦ Use Slough, United Kingdom
Book a Reward Night very far into the future◦ Check T&C carefully to ensure flexibility of points
Cancel reservation. You should have extra 10000 points.◦ May take 20-30 mins for the points to come back
$70 per 10000 points trick
$70 per 10 000 points trick
Live Demo
Friends and Family rate – 30% off◦ bit.ly/IHGJennifer◦ Does not get points or EQP
Best Rate Guarantee◦ bit.ly/IHG-brg◦ 1st night free◦ Tricky to get right◦ T&C keep changing (latest 8th September 2014)◦ Get someone to show you first.
Other discounted rates
Current rules: Claim online within 24h of booking and 24h
of check in Description of room MUST BE IDENTICAL!!! Watch out for auxiliary fees Watch out for currency conversions Price difference must be >1% or $1
Often more pain than it’s worth
I have saved around €1200 in 3 uses I know someone who saved over £30k!
BRG – Get it right, it saves big!
They WILL close accounts◦ Duplicate details◦ If you stay, or have an address in China◦ “Abuse the system” – their discretion, not yours!
A warning about IHG
If you enjoyed the talks today, or even my blog, please consider using the affiliate links
bit.ly/amexgoldnl
Final word…
