We love IHG points here at point.me for multiple reasons:
- They’re super easy to use. IHG offers popular brands like Holiday Inn, Candlewood Suites, InterContinental Hotels, and more. There’s almost always an IHG hotel nearby, no matter where you are.
- They’re easy to earn. Chase issues several IHG credit cards — plus, IHG partners with transferable rewards like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt.
There’s just one annoyance: IHG points expire. This isn’t uncommon among hotel rewards programs. Expiration is easy to prevent, but it’s worth noting that the shelf life for IHG points is notably shorter than competing programs.
Let’s take a look at what you need to know about IHG points expiration.
Table of contents
Do IHG points expire?
IHG points expire if your rewards account is inactive for 12 consecutive months. You can avoid inactivity by earning or redeeming points (more on that later).
How to know when your IHG points are expiring
You can get a good idea of when your IHG points will expire by taking a look at your online account activity. After you sign into your account, click on the tab that says “Account Activity” near the top of the page. This will show you all activity in the past year, from completed stays to earned and redeemed points.
If your last eligible activity (we’ll explain what that is in a minute) was eleven months ago, your IHG points are in danger of expiring.
How to keep your IHG points from expiring
There are plenty of things you can do to prevent your IHG points from expiring. Any time you either earn or redeem points, the expiration clock will reset on the remainder of your rewards.
Earn points
As long as you earn a single point at least once every 12 months, you won’t lose your IHG points. You can do this from activities like booking and completing a paid stay at an IHG hotel directly through the website, transferring points from a flexible rewards currency like Chase Ultimate Rewards, or simply swiping your IHG credit card for a pack of gum at the gas station.
Redeem points
Similarly, if you redeem a single point every 12 months, you won’t lose your rewards. You can book an award stay, redeem your points via IHG’s online catalog, convert some points into airline miles, etc.
Buy or gift rewards
If you’ve got no plans to earn or redeem IHG points, there are still a couple of things you can do to prevent expiration: Buy points or transfer some to a friend or family member. This way, you won’t have to go out of your way to earn or spend a large amount if it’s not convenient.
Maintain elite status
Your IHG points won’t expire as long as you keep some level of elite status. IHG credit cards come with automatic elite status — meaning your points won’t expire as long as you’ve got an IHG credit card.
Reactivating expired IHG miles
You can’t reactivate expired IHG miles. Some award programs allow you to resurrect your rewards, but IHG isn’t one of them. That’s another thing to keep in mind before you decide to invest wholeheartedly in the IHG One program.
Summary
IHG One points expire after 12 months of inactivity. That’s pretty quick when compared to competitors like Hilton and Hyatt, both of which allow for 24 months of inactivity before points expire.
Still, keeping your points alive is virtually effortless — just earn or redeem a single point every year, and you’ve got nothing to worry about.
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