IHG Points at Half a Cent Until August 17: Buy Them, Transfer Them, or Skip It?

IHG Points at Half a Cent Until August 17: Buy Them, Transfer Them, or Skip It?

IHG One Rewards is selling points with up to a 100% bonus through August 17, 2026, bringing the price down to roughly 0.5 cents per point. Separately, Chase is running a 70% transfer bonus to IHG through August 31. Buying is cheaper per point if you're targeted for the full 100% bonus, but you should only do either one if you already know which hotel night you're booking.

Key takeaways

• The IHG sale ends August 17, 2026 at 11:59pm ET — the tightest deadline on the board this week.

• Bonus tiers: 80% on 5,000+ points, 90% on 11,000+, 100% on 40,000+.

• At the full 100% bonus, points cost about 0.5 cents each. Purchase cap is 200,000 points before the bonus.

• Chase's competing 70% transfer bonus runs to August 31 and turns 10,000 Chase points into 17,000 IHG points.

• The sale is targeted — not everyone sees the full 100%. Log in and check before you plan around it.

Two things are happening with IHG points at once right now, they expire two weeks apart, and they pull in opposite directions. Let's untangle it.

What's the IHG buy-points sale?

IHG is running a best-ever 100% bonus on purchased points, through August 17, 2026. The bonus is tiered: 80% if you buy 5,000 or more points, 90% at 11,000 or more, and the full 100% at 40,000 or more.

At the top tier that works out to roughly 0.5 cents per point. You can buy a maximum of 200,000 points before the bonus is applied, and Upgraded Points notes it can take up to 72 hours for points to post.

Important caveat: this promotion is targeted. Some members see 100%, others see less. Log into your IHG account and look at your actual offer before you make any plans around the top number.

How does buying compare to transferring from Chase?

Chase is separately offering a 70% transfer bonus to IHG One Rewards through August 31 — meaning 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points become 17,000 IHG points instead of 10,000. Here's the side-by-side.

	Buy IHG points directly	Transfer from Chase
Deadline	August 17, 2026	August 31, 2026
Rate	Up to 100% bonus	70% bonus (1:1.7)
Effective cost per IHG point	About 0.5 cents in cash	About 0.59 cents of Chase points
What it costs you	Cash out of pocket	Flexible Chase points you already hold
Reversible?	No	No
Targeted?	Yes — varies by member	No — open to all

On raw price, buying wins if you're seeing the full 100%. But that comparison hides the real question, which isn't price at all.

Which one should you actually do?

The honest answer for most people is neither, and here's why.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are one of the most flexible currencies in the hobby. They move to a dozen airlines and several hotel chains, and they're worth at least 1 cent each through Chase Travel with no effort at all. Turning them into IHG points — a currency you can only spend at IHG hotels — is a one-way door. You are trading flexibility for a specific hotel night, permanently. That's a fine trade if you know what the night is. It's a bad trade if you're doing it because the bonus looks good.

Buying points with cash is the cleaner decision, because you're not giving up anything flexible. You're just deciding whether 0.5 cents per point beats the cash rate on a room you were going to book anyway.

When does buying IHG points make sense?

Two situations, and they're both specific. First: you have a booking in mind and the math beats cash. Say a room is $220 a night and the award price is 35,000 points. At 0.5 cents, those points cost you $175. You've saved $45. That's a real, boring, defensible win.

Second: you're topping off. You have 32,000 points, you need 40,000, and the room is sitting right there. Buying the gap is almost always worth it, because the alternative is not booking.

What doesn't make sense: buying 200,000 points speculatively because the price is good. IHG has moved to dynamic award pricing, which means the number of points a room costs floats with cash rates. Points you buy today may buy less room next year. Buying a hoard on the theory that it'll appreciate is the one move we'd actively steer you away from.

What this means for you

Check your IHG account today, not Sunday — the sale ends Monday, August 17 at 11:59pm Eastern and you want to know what tier you were offered before the last-minute rush.

If you've got a specific IHG stay coming up, run the numbers: award price times 0.5 cents versus the cash rate. If points win, buy exactly what you need and nothing more. If you don't have a stay in mind, sit this one out. Sales come back. And if the whole "should I chase this bonus" question feels murky, our beginner's guide to what a transfer bonus is and when to chase one covers the same instinct in more depth.

FAQ:

When does the IHG buy-points sale end?

August 17, 2026 at 11:59pm Eastern Time.

How much do IHG points cost with the 100% bonus?

Roughly 0.5 cents per point at the top tier, which requires buying at least 40,000 points before the bonus.

How many IHG points can I buy?

A maximum of 200,000 points during the promotion, calculated before the bonus points are added.

Is the IHG sale available to everyone?

No. The promotion is targeted and the bonus tier varies by member. Log into your IHG One Rewards account to see the specific offer attached to your profile.

Should I buy IHG points or transfer Chase points instead?

If you're targeted for the full 100% bonus, buying is slightly cheaper per point and doesn't spend flexible Chase points. Transferring only makes sense if you have Chase points you're certain you want to convert into a specific IHG stay.

How long do purchased IHG points take to arrive?

Up to 72 hours. Don't buy points the night before you need to book.