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IHG DejaVu
It was just last year that IHG devalued their program, and introduced a 60k level. Hotel chains change the price of independent hotels all the time, but what makes the IHG back to back devals extra painful has been the top level prices. At the end of 2016 you could nab one of those premier hotels for 50k points. With points sales often times ringing in at $0.005 per point, that assured, if award avail was there, that you could nab one of those hotels for $250. The new price…70k points. This comes less than a year since we had the introduction of the 60k level. While Point Me to the Plane has noted that the deval isn’t public, so it’s unclear when the new changes will go into effect.
Nearly 500 hotels will be going up in price.
It will either be a 5000 point increase or a 10k point increase. One of those is the Intercontinental Park Lane. A fabulous hotel situated at Hyde Park corner, near Buckingham Palace, Harrods, and obviously Hyde Park. This is a great spot to use your annual IHG credit card night, but just year ago it was 50k points. 3 nights would cost you just 150k points…now 2 nights would be 140k. That’s a tough pill to swallow.
With that said, I don’t think 70k is that crazy for a hotel program that regularly sells its points for $0.007, but why didn’t they just do it a year ago, or give members much more advanced notice. The hotel loyalty landscape is so competitive, and I would give Marriott/SPG the ultimate nod. The guaranteed mid tier benefits are incredible, can be had with an Amex Plat, and you’ll struggle to find a nook or cranny that doesn’t have a Marriott property. What sometimes gave IHG the edge, was the ability to accrue points so quickly, and redeem them at lower rates. That edge has significantly dulled in the last 2 years.
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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