IHG Rewards recently revealed plans to extend elite status, and now free night certificates are being extended as well.
How IHG is extending free night certificates
IHG Rewards is extending some co-branded credit card anniversary free night certificates — free nights originally issued in 2021 will now expire on December 31, 2022. In other words, these free night certificates will have up to an additional year of validity. These extensions will be automatic, and in the coming weeks members should see the expiration dates updated in their accounts.
There are no extensions to free night certificates issued in 2020. As a reminder, free night certificates originally issued in 2020 now expire on December 31, 2021.
Best card for earning IHG free night certificates
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review) is one of my all around favorite hotel credit cards, as it offers an anniversary free night certificate on your account anniversary every year, valid at properties costing up to 40,000 points.
That’s only one of the many benefits of the card, as it also offers a fourth night free on award redemptions, IHG Rewards Platinum status, and a lot more.
With IHG Rewards now having dynamic award pricing, it means that the free night certificates can be redeemed at select properties on some dates, but not others. I’ve found the dynamic award pricing to work out quite well for these certificates, as they can now be used at some hotels that previously weren’t bookable with them. For example, I recently used a free night certificate to book the Kimpton EPIC Miami, as it was pricing at under 40,000 points per night for the day I was looking at.
Bottom line
IHG free night certificates issued in 2021 have been extended once again. Those issued this year are now valid through December 31, 2022. Since they’re usually valid for one year, this means the extensions are for anywhere from a few days to a full year.
Will you benefit from IHG extending free night certificates?
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