InterContinental Hotels Group, popularly known as IHG, is one of the most renowned hotel chains. It has over 6,500 properties worldwide and 19 partner brands, including the iconic InterContinental, Holiday Inn, and Crowne Plaza. However, the company has less of a presence in India than other hotel chains. Members of the IHG loyalty program earn the IHG One Rewards. They are categorised into different membership tiers based on the number of their stays at the partner properties or the number of points they have accumulated.
For regular travelers and members of the IHG loyalty program looking to maximize stays at IHG hotels, using the right credit card for your hotel booking that earns reward points and offers travel perks can significantly enhance your experience. Now, even if you are a new member, you can make the most out of your IHG stays by using the right credit card and staying updated with the ongoing offers.
5 Reward Points/₹200 on All Eligible Retail Spends, Including Utilities, Insurance, and Education. 25 Reward Points/₹200 for Myntra, Marks and Spencer, Nykaa, and Reliance Digital Spends
Voucher Worth ₹2,500
5 EDGE Miles on Axis Travel Edge and Airline Spends. 2 EDGE Reward Points on all Other Eligible Spends
5000 EDGE Miles on Spends of ₹1,000 Within the First 30 Days of Card Issuance
5 Reward Points/₹150 on Regular Spends (3.33%) | Up To 10x Reward Points On SmartBuy (Up To 33.33%) | 2x Reward Points (10/₹150) On Weekend Dining (6.67%)
Complimentary Membership of Club Marriott, Swiggy One and Amazon Prime (On Spends of Rs. 1.5 Lakh Within 90 Days of Card Issuance)
6X EDGE Miles/₹150 at IndianOil Outlets. 2X EDGE Miles/₹150 on Grocery Spends. 1X EDGE Miles on All Other Eligible Spends
500 EDGE Miles on the First Transaction Within 30 Days of Card Issuance
1 EDGE Mile/₹100 on Domestic and 2 EDGE Mile/₹100 on International Spends
2,500 EDGE Miles and Taj/ITC Hotel Vouchers Worth ₹10,000
Earn 12 EDGE Reward Points per ₹200 on Spends up to ₹1.5 Lakh and 35 EDGE Reward Points per ₹200 Thereafter in a Calendar Month
Choose a gift voucher worth Rs. 12,500 from any one of Luxe, Yatra, or Postcard Hotels
5 Reward Points/₹150 Spent (3.33% Reward Rate)
12,500 Bonus Reward Points and Complimentary Club Marriott Membership
There are many ways to earn IHG One Rewards, one of the most efficient of which is to transfer points through your credit card. IHG has partnered with Indian Banks, which allows you to transfer your credit card points to IHG at a set ratio
IHG is one of the few hotel partners with Axis Bank, which allows you to transfer points to the IHG program at a specific ratio, depending on your credit card variant. Axis Bank offers various transfer ratios, such as 5 Edge Reward Points to 2 IHG One Points with the Magnus card, and 1 Edge Reward Point to 1 IHG One Point with the Horizon card. Refer to the table below.
| Axis Bank Credit Card Variant | Transfer Ratio |
| Axis Magnus | 5 Edge Reward Points: 2 IHG One Points |
| Axis Horizon Credit Card | 1 Edge Reward Point: 1 IHG One Point |
| IndianOil Axis Bank Premium Credit Card | 2 Edge Reward Points: 1 IHG One Point |
| Olympus Credit Card | 1 Edge Reward Point: 4 IHG One Points |
HDFC Credit Card holders can also easily transfer their points to IHG One Rewards. However, they must allow at least 24 hours for the points to transfer.
HDFC Infinia and Diner Club Black Cards enable point transfers at a 1:1 ratio and HDFC Regalia at a 2:1 ratio.
If you are new to the loyalty program, you must sign up for the member program before you can start earning points. The loyalty program is free to join, and upon joining, you will be referred to as the Club Member, which is its basic tier. As and when you keep staying at the IHG properties and your membership status keeps increasing, you will be eligible to earn more bonus points.
Refer to the table below to compare between the qualifying points/night stays for the membership tiers and the bonus points you will earn.
| Particulars | Silver Elite | Gold Elite | Platinum Elite | Diamond Elite |
| Eligible Night Stays or Points | 10 Night Stays | 20 Night Stays or 40,000 Points | 40 Night Stays or 60,000 Points | 70 Night Stays or 1,20,000 Points |
| Bonus Points | 20% | 40% | 60% | 100% |
IHG also has a Milestone Rewards Program, where you qualify for this program by completing 20 nights, and after every 10 nights from there, you are given the options to choose your rewards.
The milestone program is for up to 100 nights a year. Through this program, you can earn a maximum of 80,000 IHG One Reward Points plus two other bonus rewards in a year.
| Number of Nights Stayed | Rewards to Choose From |
| 20 | Choose ONE From
|
| 30 | Choose ONE From
|
| 40 | Choose TWO From
|
| 50 | Choose ONE From
|
| 60 | Choose ONE From
|
| 70 | Choose TWO From
|
| 80 | Choose ONE From
|
| 90 | Choose ONE From
|
| 100 | Choose ONE From
|
Apart from the IHG One Rewards Program, the company also has a paid membership program called the Intercontinental Ambassador Program that offers perks like Instant Platinum Elite IHG One Rewards status, guaranteed room upgrades, checkout at 4 PM, A complimentary weekend night stay, and a US$20 restaurant and bar credit. However, the fee for 12 months of this membership is US $225, or you can redeem 45,000 points for it.
Two other membership programs, the Royal Ambassador and the Kimpton Inner Circle Status, are invite-only. Ambassador Program members are invited to these programs based on their activity at InterContinental Hotels and Resorts.
The cheat code to maximizing your IHG One Rewards through credit card usage is transferring points efficiently. Both Axis Bank and HDFC Bank credit card holders can transfer their reward points into IHG One Points, which can then be used to boost their loyalty program status and increase their points for free nights and perks.
By transferring points, members can achieve their IHG status faster, which can then be used against other benefits like room upgrades, bonus points, and exclusive rewards.Therefore, pairing your IHG bookings with the right credit card and utilizing point transfer options is a powerful strategy.
The Intercontinental Ambassador Program’s annual fee is US $225, or you can redeem 45,000 points for it.
Platinum Elite members earn 60% bonus points.
IHG One Rewards points can be purchased in 1,000-point increments, up to a maximum of 1,50,000 points in a calendar year.
Yes, IHG One Rewards points can be transferred in 1,000-point increments for a fee of US $5 for every 1,000 points.
IHG One Rewards points do not expire for Elite Members. However, Club members’ points will expire after a year if there is no account activity.