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IHG announced they were purchasing Kimpton in late 2014
While the brands have been under the same corporate umbrella for quite some time, the reward programs have run more or less independent of one another. One blogger that is a huge Kimpton advocate is Bald Thoughts. The writes a considerate amount on the benefits of their program, and I’d guess he isn’t going to be all that enthused about it getting folded into IHG. Me and my family, on the other hand, have substantial loyalty with IHG through timeshares and have found their program to be very valuable as a result. Let’s take a look at the changes that will occur early in 2018.
Here’s a look at the programs
Kimpton brings a great luxurious, boutique group of hotels to IHG. I’m certainly looking forward to being able to redeem IHG points for stays at these hotels.
One of the benefits of the IHG credit card from Chase is that you gain IHG Platinum status just by being a cardmember. In addition to that…you get a free night. Soon, that will be extended to the Kimpton hotels as well.
The current information about the loyalty programs getting folded into one another
Few highlights
- You can already use points for the Kimpton Amsterdam
- Early in 2018 you’ll be able to earn and redeem at all Kimpton hotels
- Elite Welcome bonus will be “raid the bar” perk
- an item from the mini bar or the bar
The Kimpton Canary Hotel is going to be high on my list for a fun LA getaway weekend.
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
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 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, 2024
- $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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