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- How to Transfer Chase Points to IHG
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There's no shortage of places you can book when you transfer Chase points to IHG. Since it's one of the largest hotel chains in the world, IHG has properties almost anywhere you'd want to go.
Unfortunately, IHG doesn't offer much in the way of high-value redemptions. Most award stays don't even get you $0.01 per point, making them a poor value. But you may luck out and find a great deal, so it's still good to know how to transfer Chase points to IHG. This guide will cover that plus another way you can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book IHG hotel stays.
You can only transfer Chase points to IHG if you have an IHG Rewards Club account. If you don't, you can register for a free account on IHG's site. You also need one of these Chase credit cards:
Chase makes transfers quick and simple online. Follow these steps when you're ready to transfer Chase points to IHG:
Keep in mind that there are no cancellations after you transfer Chase points to IHG. You can't get your Ultimate Rewards points back later. Make sure you have an award stay you're ready to book before you make the transfer.
The steps to book an IHG award stay are pretty simple. Here's what you need to do:
IHG Rewards Club points have one big problem -- they're just not very valuable.
A typical IHG award stay will earn you about $0.005 to $0.007 per point. Because of that low value, it rarely makes sense to transfer Chase points to IHG. There are much better redemptions for Ultimate Rewards points that can easily get you double or triple that value. Even cash back redemptions offer more at $0.01 per point.
Once in a blue moon, you may find an award stay at an IHG property that offers a respectable value. But in most cases, there's a better alternative.
You can also book IHG stays through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. This valuable feature lets you use your Chase points to make cash travel bookings. The value of your points depends on which Chase card you have. You get:
As you can see, you'll likely get much more for each Ultimate Rewards point through the Chase portal than if you transfer Chase points to IHG.
Since this counts as a cash travel booking, you can also earn IHG rewards points on your stay. The rate you'll get at most IHG hotels as a member of the Rewards Club is 10 points per $1. You'll get a bonus of between 10% and 50% on your points if you're in one of the hotel's elite status tiers. Those are points you wouldn't earn on an award booking.
IHG has two hotel credit cards with Chase. The most valuable is the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. Here's a rundown on that card's features and annual fee:
Just that free night each year makes the card worth the annual fee since there are plenty of eligible IHG properties that cost more than $89. If you travel often and typically choose IHG, then this card is worth having.
The second option is the IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card, which is a travel card with no annual fee, but also far fewer perks and no free night every account anniversary year. Considering the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card isn't that expensive and offers so much more value, it's a better choice for an IHG credit card.
For the most part, you shouldn't transfer Chase points to IHG. It's silly to get $0.005 per point on an IHG booking when there are so many transfer partners where you can do better. If you want to book an IHG hotel, go through the Ultimate Rewards portal and redeem Chase points toward the purchase that way.
This isn't to say that IHG award stays are a lousy deal. With the amount of points you can earn through cash stays and credit card sign-up bonuses, it doesn't take much to get free nights. These award stays simply aren't worth sacrificing versatile and valuable Ultimate Rewards points.
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