May 16, 2012
If you’re thinking of staying somewhere other than a Club Carlson hotel this summer (see “When 138000 points is not enough”), you might want to take a look at IHG. IHG is the chain that comprises Holiday Inn, Hotel Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, and more. IHG’s rewards program is Priority Club.
Several current promotions can stack together to add up to nice savings:
18% Cash Back
a cash back site named BeFrugal is currently offering 18% cash back for IHG bookings.
Note that unlike TopCashBack (which currently has IHG at 16% back), BeFrugal does not pay out until you’ve reached $25 on your account. However, please see the BeFrugal sign-up conga-line in the comments section of this post for an easy way to get started with $15 $5 towards your account.
1000 points per night
Priority Club is running a special in which you can earn 1000 bonus points per night. Please see Loyalty Traveler’s post for details.
$75 rebate for a weekend stay
If you stay two consecutive weekend nights in an IHG hotel between May 14th and September 3rd, you can get a $75 prepaid card. You do have to jump through some hoops, though. Register first, stay at a hotel with a qualifying rate (see the terms & conditions), print and mail a rebate form. Details here. Personally, I hate mail-in rebate forms. I’d almost prefer they didn’t offer anything than this because with a deal like this I’ll just feel bad when I forget to fill out and send the form!
Many more savings and points
Frequent Flyer Bonuses lists a whole slew of Priority Club promotions here. Enroll in as many as you can in order to get the most from your stay.
The usual stuff
If you have a Priority Club Select Visa you’ll earn 5 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels. Or, better yet, if you have a Chase Ink card you can try my Prepaid Amex trick to get 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar.
Free Weekend?
You could theoretically turn these discounts into an almost Free after Rebate weekend. For example, suppose you find an after tax rate of $65 per night (hey, anything is possible). After a two night stay, you would pay $130, but you would get back all of the following:
- $75 in the form of a prepaid card
- $23.40 from BeFrugal
- 2000 points (due to the 1000 points per night special)
- 1950 points for the stay (if you have Platinum status, otherwise 1300 points).
- 650 points from your credit card (if you use the Priority Club Select Visa)
- Total points: 4600 (and that’s without any additional Priority Club promotions added in). At the Fair Trading Price of .56 cents per point, that amounts to a rebate of just over $25.
- Grand Total Rebate: $75 + $23.40 + $25 = $123.40. Pretty close to the $130 total expense!
Analysis
I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay at an IHG hotel for these promotions (whereas I would go out of my way for the Club Carlson promotions!). However, if I were planning to stay at an IHG hotel anyway, it would be crazy not to take advantage of as many of these deals as possible.
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BeFrugal Conga Line
Here’s how to (hopefully) get $5 towards your account. Find the last referral link in this comments section and use it to sign up. Then, post your own BeFrugal referral link in the comments. When someone uses your link, you’ll get $5. (Previously I posted that you would get $10 upon sign-up but I’ve since learned that that promotion expired)
My referral link: http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=FYDKBVI
Can you really count points a cash though? The problem with points is you have to spend (usually) to use them.
Thanks just signed up using your link. Here is my link.
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=JLRRVVI
+250 points per stay for liking them on Facebook and booking online at their website
FliesAlot: That’s definitely true. These rebates aren’t ones you can use to pay your credit card bill, but they could be used for future travel.
New Girl in the Air: Thanks for those extras!
I’ll be using PerryPlatypus link
wait for mine
I have used PerryPlatypus Link
Here is mine, Thank You:
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=GHKDGFD
I used Mark’s link.
Please use mine, thanks:
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=CYVERCH
i just booked 3 nights stay at holiday in downtown buffalo for 15k points a night, total of 45k points.
the cash rate is $146 a night which is not affordable. cash plus point wasn’t that good either.
so now my PC has 35k points left. my travel is on may 22nd,
I used Angelos referral.
Please use mine. Thanks
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=TSQJHDJ
Apologies to anyone who already signed up for BeFrugal: I just learned that the $10 signup bonus was from a promotion that has ended. You can still get referral credit, but not the sign-up bonus.
Thanks, Akhil. I just used yours.
Would the next person be so kind as to use mine:
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=VZCXLKM ?
Thanks!
Can you really register for multiple promos and have them all give credit? It’s not just a one-promo-per-booking deal? I thought I saw that in one of the T&Cs, but can’t relocate it.
Priceline will be placing on their facebook page today a coupon for $70 (learned this from DansDeals.
forgot to mention that its for a hotel stay.
Signed up using bluecat Link. would be nice if next person uses mine: http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=LJOEQQL
Signed up using MS above…here is mine..Thanks
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=SIYKWSJ
Signed up using Coleman link above. Following is mine:
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=UFHOITM
Is the $75 Vacation Pay Prepaid MasterCard good only at the IHG hotels or is it just like a GC? Thanks.
James: I believe that it is a regular $75 Mastercard gift card that can be used almost anywhere.
Does any one know if Priority Club PointBreaks reservations work toward the $75 mastercard rebate?
Signed up using Ting’s referral. Here is mine, thanks.
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=CXWTMZL
Signed up using Jonathan’s referral. Here is mine, thanks.
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=NHIZKPF
I used Shelley’s referral. Please use mine next. Thanks!
http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/?ref=VTSORZB