Update: IHG will pause the expiration of points through 6/30/21! If you have IHG Gold, Platinum, or Spire elite status (or an IHG credit card like the Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or Chase IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card which give elite status) then your points never expire.
IHG is finally extending anniversary night certificates that were set to expire on 12/31/20, but they’re doing it in a unique way.
They are adding an additional free night that will expire on 8/31/21 to accounts that haven’t used their free night, and they are leaving the free night expiring 12/31/20.
Sometimes it does pay to wait. IHG tells me that members will be able to use both of those free nights without a problem!
Other brands, including Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott, all extended their certificates expiring in 2020 several months before they were set to expire so that members wouldn’t feel pressured to use them before they expired, though none of them offered a bonus free night certificate.
As previously announced, IHG anniversary night certificates issued in 2020 will be valid for 18 months.
IHG points normally expire after 12 months of inactivity, but points expiration is currently paused through 12/31/20. An announcement will be made shortly about an extension of that pause on points expiration.
The Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card currently has a highest ever 140,000 point signup bonus and comes with annual anniversary nights. You can read more about that offer, which ends on 1/13, here.
Where will you use your IHG free nights?
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37 Comments On "[Points Expiration Paused Through June!] IHG Extends Anniversary Night Certificates And Gives Bonus Free Night!"
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What’s happening with IHG points? my 60k points are expiring 12/31
They will be extended.
That really makes me angry. I used mine for a $100/night stay because I had no expensive travel coming up and when I called they said it wasn’t going to be extended.
I risked it and waited. it paid off.
Why are you angry? That night still would have expired 12/31/20 if you hadn’t used it. You now have or soon will have a new free night valid to 8/31/21.
No, if you already used the night you don’t get a bonus night.
Members will be able to use both of those free nights without a problem. I was already used my expiring one for Miami next week and I used the new one for Amsterdam in June
@Dan my Chase free night expiring 12/31 is Valid at any hotel without 40k cap. Did IHG make it clear that the additional free night they’re issuing will be of equal value and valid at any hotel?
Yes, it will be identical.
do we need to be proactive and call them to confirm or is it automatic
Automatic.
My replacement certificate with uncapped but the original certificate was capped.
Does IHG issue additional free night certificate for existing certificate that expires early next year like 3/31/2021? thanks
Not at this time.
I used my set to expire 2020 night but it seems that my set to expire 2021 night is extended until 2022!
Should mean that I will have 2 nights to use by july 2021
Wow I really lucked out here. Decided yesterday to drive down to FL from NYC. Last night I went to book a Kimpton stay in Georgia with my free night cert and saw I had an extra IHG cert. Now this makes sense!
My night expiring December 31 has not been updated nor another night added.
You’ll get another night added later this week.
A little confused by this wording:
“They are adding an additional free night that will expire on 8/31/21 to accounts that haven’t used their free night, and they are leaving the free night expiring 12/31/20.”.
So, the free night that was supposed to expire on 12/31/20 is not expiring until 8/31/21? And you get another night free?
Or is it that the night expiring on 12/31/20 is still expiring on 12/31/20, but they are offering a different night free that expires on 8/31/21?
The latter.
Can I use the one expiring on 12/31/20 for a stay in 2021 by making a reservation in 2020?
I tried online and was unsuccessful so I called and they did it manually.
My free night that was going to expire on 12/31/20 was used to book a free night in 2021!!!!
How did you do that? I tried online but I can not select which certificate to use. I assume when we call can we ask specifically to use a particular certificate? Thanks!
I have 2 IHG credit cards. I don’t think I used any of those free nights in 2020. My account is showing mine expire in Jan 2022 and Sept 2022, but not showing a free night expiring 12/31/20.
same here on my account.
is there a way for me to sell my ihg points?
Mine is attached to a reservation in March, will I be eligible for the free night?
if I don’t use my night expiring on 12/31 I will loose it ?
Use it now to make a reservation for sometime in 2021
does gold elite status avoid points expiring?
Yes
I cancelled my booking today, got 2 unlimited certificate back the same day: one 12/31/20 expiration date and the additional 8/31/21.
Nice!
IHG just sent out email 10 min ago. confirming that the “extension” is adding a new cert ending on 8/31/21.
so anyone with ones remaining till 12/31/20 can still use it this year.
As I said yesterday.
Is there any new information here if I didn’t have a certificate expiring 12/20? My free night dates were extended months ago. TY
Can a certificate expiring 12/31 be used for a 12/31-1/1 stay? I had three certificates on my account (one expiring 12/31) and when I booked a 12/31 night, it used the one expiring August 2021. Thanks!