In general I say the best way to redeem airline miles is for flights, and the best way to redeem hotel points is for hotel stays. There are some exceptions, though. One of the redemption types that we’ve seen become more popular over the years is being able to redeem points for experiences.
For a long time SPG Moments was the most popular version of this, and I’m happy that this is something that Marriott adopted and expanded with the introduction of Marriott Rewards Moments.
SPG Suite at the O2 in London
It looks like another hotel chain is introducing these types of redemptions now. Specifically, IHG Rewards Club Access allows members to redeem their points for some pretty cool non-hotel experiences.
You can see the listing of all the events here, which are broken up into the categories of lifestyle, vacations, and entertainment. As far as the cost for these packages go, this happens in two ways:
- Some experiences are auctions, so there’s a deadline and the highest bidder wine
- Some experiences have fixed prices, with a limited number of packages available on a first come first served basis
Given that this redemption option was just recently introduced, the options are still quite limited. There are a few packages for concert tickets, which is probably the most common type of experience we see in these types of portals.
There are also some things that I wouldn’t classify as experiences, like an Xbox gaming package, which is… interesting.
It always makes sense to take a look at the packages available through these experiences marketplaces, because in some cases they can represent an excellent value. In other cases they give you access to experiences you couldn’t even buy directly.
If you want to earn some easy IHG Rewards Club points, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card comes with lots of valuable perks, like IHG Rewards Club Gold status, an anniversary free night certificate valid at a hotel costing up to 40,000 points per night, and a fourth night free on award redemptions.
Do you see anything on the new IHG Rewards Club Access site that interests you?
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