Does IHG One Rewards still have an award chart?

No. IHG moved to dynamic award pricing, so the points cost of a Reward Night varies by property, date and demand rather than following a published chart. That makes per-booking valuation the only reliable approach.

What is a good redemption rate for IHG points?

Compare the cash price with the points price for the exact same room and date, then divide. Because IHG points are relatively easy to accumulate and IHG rates are often modest, redemptions that clear roughly 0.5–0.7 cents per point are broadly reasonable, and anything below about 0.4 usually argues for paying cash. Set your own threshold and apply it consistently.

How does the fourth-night benefit work?

IHG's premium co-brand cards have included a benefit where the fourth consecutive night of a Reward Night stay is not charged in points. On a four-night stay that lowers the effective points cost by a quarter, which can turn a mediocre rate into a good one. The benefit and its conditions are set by IHG and the issuer — verify current terms before planning around it.

Is Points + Cash worth using?

Only after you have run the numbers. Points + Cash is worthwhile when the implied value of the points portion beats your cents-per-point threshold. Often it does not, and it quietly converts points at a poor rate. Price the full-points option, the full-cash option and the blend before choosing.

Do IHG points expire?

IHG applies an inactivity expiration policy to member accounts, with exceptions for certain elite and cardholder statuses. Any qualifying activity generally resets the clock. Check the current terms on IHG's own program pages, since expiration rules are one of the details programs revise most often.

Points & loyalty

How to Maximize IHG One Rewards Award Redemptions

Dynamic pricing killed the shortcut. What replaces it is a two-minute calculation you run on every single booking — and a small number of situations where IHG points are unusually strong.

Last verified August 9, 2026 — program mechanics (dynamic Reward Night pricing, Points + Cash, cardholder fourth-night benefit, expiration policy) reviewed against IHG's own program pages. IHG sets the rates and can change them without notice, so price every booking yourself.

IHG One Rewards prices Reward Nights dynamically. There is no chart to learn, and any article that prints "Category 4 = X points" is describing a program that no longer exists. The upside is that dynamic pricing produces genuine outliers in both directions — and you can find them with arithmetic rather than folklore.

The only calculation that matters

For the exact same hotel, room type and date, pull up both prices and compute:

Use the cash total you would actually pay, taxes included, because Reward Nights typically avoid the room rate and its tax. Then compare against a threshold you set once and apply every time.

Worked examples — replace with real prices from your own search
Cash total	Points price	Cents per point	Verdict
$180	25,000	0.72¢	Good — above a typical IHG threshold; book with points
$140	30,000	0.47¢	Marginal — pay cash unless you are cash-constrained
$95	28,000	0.34¢	Bad — paying cash is clearly better
$420 (event weekend)	45,000	0.93¢	Strong — dynamic pricing has lagged the cash spike

That last row is the whole game. Dynamic award pricing does not always track cash rates perfectly, and the gap is widest when cash prices spike: conferences, festivals, marathons, graduation weekends. Those are the nights to spend points on.

Where IHG points are genuinely strong

High-demand dates in expensive cities. When a cash rate triples for an event, the points price rarely triples with it.
Four-night stays, if you hold a qualifying co-brand card. The cardholder fourth-night benefit removes the points cost of the fourth consecutive night, which cuts the effective per-night price by roughly 25% on a four-night booking. Structuring a trip as 4 nights instead of 3 is sometimes cheaper in points than the shorter stay.
Resorts and properties with high mandatory fees. Where a destination fee or resort fee is charged on paid stays, check whether the Reward Night avoids it. When it does, that saving belongs in your cents-per-point numerator.
Full-points bookings over Points + Cash. The blend frequently converts points at a worse implied rate than the full-points option. Price all three.

Where they are weak — and paying cash wins

Cheap midscale properties. When cash is $90, almost no points price produces a decent rate. Save points for the expensive night.
Stays where you are chasing elite qualification. Reward Nights and paid nights are not treated identically for status purposes; check the current terms if qualification matters to you this year.
Anything you would not have booked at all. A "free" night at a hotel you did not want is not a redemption, it is a rationalisation.

A repeatable booking routine

1. Search cash and points side by side

Same dates, same room, same property. Any other comparison is not a comparison.

2. Compute cents per point and check it against your threshold

Write your threshold down. Consistency is what stops you burning 30,000 points on a $95 room because it felt free.

3. Test a fourth night

If you hold a qualifying card and the trip is flexible, price 3 nights against 4. The longer stay is occasionally the cheaper one in points.

4. Re-check after booking

Dynamic pricing moves. Reward Nights are generally cancellable within the property's policy, so if the points price drops materially, rebook. Confirm the specific cancellation policy on your reservation first.

Earning without wasting effort

The two reliable levers are paid stays through IHG's own channels and co-brand card spending. Milestone-style bonus structures and promotional offers come and go; treat them as a bonus rather than the plan. What actually matters is that you have a specific trip in mind before you start accumulating, so you can tell whether you are 20,000 points short or 200,000 — and whether the gap is better closed with points or simply with a cheaper flight.

Frequently asked questions

Does IHG One Rewards still have an award chart?: No. IHG moved to dynamic award pricing, so the points cost of a Reward Night varies by property, date and demand rather than following a published chart. That makes per-booking valuation the only reliable approach.
What is a good redemption rate for IHG points?: Compare the cash price with the points price for the exact same room and date, then divide. Because IHG points are relatively easy to accumulate and IHG rates are often modest, redemptions that clear roughly 0.5–0.7 cents per point are broadly reasonable, and anything below about 0.4 usually argues for paying cash. Set your own threshold and apply it consistently.
How does the fourth-night benefit work?: IHG's premium co-brand cards have included a benefit where the fourth consecutive night of a Reward Night stay is not charged in points. On a four-night stay that lowers the effective points cost by a quarter, which can turn a mediocre rate into a good one. The benefit and its conditions are set by IHG and the issuer — verify current terms before planning around it.
Is Points + Cash worth using?: Only after you have run the numbers. Points + Cash is worthwhile when the implied value of the points portion beats your cents-per-point threshold. Often it does not, and it quietly converts points at a poor rate. Price the full-points option, the full-cash option and the blend before choosing.
Do IHG points expire?: IHG applies an inactivity expiration policy to member accounts, with exceptions for certain elite and cardholder statuses. Any qualifying activity generally resets the clock. Check the current terms on IHG's own program pages, since expiration rules are one of the details programs revise most often.

Sources we check

Programs change their rules and pricing without notice. Confirm anything decision-critical on the official page before you book or apply. See our corrections policy.