How IHG Flexible Award Night Certificates Work (2024)

The IHG flexible free night certificate is issued annually to select IHG credit card holders on their card anniversary. It’s valid for a free night at IHG hotels requiring 40,000 points per night or fewer. These flexible certificates allow you to book a more expensive hotel with a point co-pay. Essentially, the certificate acts as a voucher for 40,000 points—instead of limiting you to using it for only certain properties, you can use it at a majority of properties and pay the difference.

IHG publishes a list of hotels with a redemption threshold greater than 40,000 points—making them ineligible to use the flexible certificate at. However, the page also notes that these hotels might be available in the future due to dynamic pricing causing points fluctuations over time. So if there’s a property you’re eyeing that might be on the list, it might not be entirely hopeless if it’s likely to dip below 40,000 points for an off-season redemption.

The IHG flexible free night certificate is issued annually to those with an IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. Both cards carry a $99 annual fee, which can be worthwhile if you put the free night to good use.

Depending on how you redeem your certificate, it can more than offset the annual fee. For example, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites: Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island goes for over $330 or 40,000 points per night in December. You’re getting way more value than the annual fee by redeeming your free night award.

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IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

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Up to 26X Reward Rate

Earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts; 5 points perRead More

Welcome Bonus

Earn 140,000 bonus points

Annual Fee

$99

Regular APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Score

Good, Excellent(700 - 749)

Editorial Review

The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card is a must-have for road warriors shelling out big bucks on IHG properties. The complimentary Platinum status boosts the rewards on IHG purchases to stratospheric heights, and the free night and other perks easily justify the annual fee. For those who aren’t IHG fans, we suggest looking elsewhere.

Pros & Cons

• Earn up to 26 points per dollar spent on IHG hotels worldwide
• Free night award every account anniversary
• Fourth night free on point redemption stays
• Automatic Platinum Elite status

• Poor earnings for everyday and non-category hotel purchases
• Low overall point value
• No worthwhile redemption options outside of IHG properties

Card Details

• Earn 140,000 Bonus Points
• Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay.
• Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
• Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier cardmember
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursem*nt for the application fee charged to your card
• IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
• Member FDIC

Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Redeeming an IHG flexible free night certificate is straightforward. You can do it online and in four easy steps you’ll be redeeming a free night:

Step 1: Log In to Your IHG One Rewards Club Account

Your flexible free night certificate is stored in your IHG account, so the first step is to log in. You’ll notice a “Free Night” link under your point balance on the account page. Click there to navigate to the booking page.

Step 2: Enter Your Travel Dates and Destination

Enter the city and dates you want to travel on the home page. Under “Rate Preference,” you’ll notice “IHG Rewards Premier Card Annual Flex Night” is checked off. When you’re ready, hit the “Search” button.

Step 3: Choose the Property and Room Type

Click on the “Display Price In” dropdown and select “Points.” Your IHG flex night certificate will cover up to 40,000 points of an award night. So if a hotel requires 50,000 points per night, you’ll redeem 10,000 IHG points along with the flex night certificate.

Select the property you want to stay at and navigate to the room selection page. You’ll notice rates listed as “Chase Anniversary Night + ___ points.” The points portion is the difference between the hotel’s rate and the 40,000-point value of your certificate. Select the room you want to book and head to the checkout page.

Step 4: Finalize Your Booking

Lastly, you’ll need to confirm your booking and room rate. On this page, you may see additional charges you might incur during your stay. Be sure to review them to avoid any surprises at check-in.

That’s how you redeem an IHG flexible free night certificate. Keep in mind that some hotels charge resort or “destination” fees that you’ll be on the hook for at check out. While some loyalty programs waive these fees on award stays, IHG isn’t one of them.

If you’re ready to redeem your flexible free night award for a stay but are short on points, you can quickly top off your account in several ways. The quickest way to get IHG One Rewards points is by transferring them from your Chase Ultimate Rewards®account. Ultimate Rewards transfer almost instantly to IHG at a 1-to-1 ratio.

You can also buy IHG points at a rate of 1.35 cents per point. IHG frequently runs promotions offering 100% bonus points on purchases. Buying points during these promotions can bring the cost down to 0.5 cents per point; however, you’ll need to buy a large amount to get that price. That can be an excellent value if you put your points and free nights to use at a high-end property. Be sure to compare cash rates before buying points.

IHG has made vast improvements to its loyalty program and the introduction of flexible free night certificates is significant. The certificate opens up even more redemption opportunities because it can be used in conjunction with points to book any IHG hotel. It even makes the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card more valuable since you can now access a broader range of hotel nights that were previously off limits.

Now you don’t have to let the free night expire just because you can’t find a hotel at the 40,000-point rate. The flexibility of these certificates gives you options, and that’s really the mark of a customer-friendly loyalty program.