During the program revamp of 2022, IHG One Rewards introduced the concept of Milestone Rewards.
Under the Milestone Rewards feature, you receive a choice of additional perks for every 10 elite nights you stay during a calendar year. This starts off with a choice after 20 elite nights, and then after every 10 elite nights until you achieve 100 elite nights.
Along the way, you will have a choice of rewards such as confirmed suite upgrades, club lounge access, food & beverage credits, and so on.
These Rewards are offered in addition to the standard benefits you receive based on your tier status.
Milestone Rewards
The good news with this is that you get to choose your own rewards, At each level, IHG One Rewards offers a choice of rewards, so you can choose the one that suits you the most.
20 elite nights
At 20 elite nights, IHG One Rewards allows you to choose one of the following Milestone Rewards:
- 5,000 bonus IHG points
- Two food & beverage rewards worth $US20 each
- A confirmable suite upgrade
30 elite nights
At 30 elite nights, IHG One Rewards allows you to choose one of the following Milestone Rewards:
- 5,000 bonus IHG points
- Two food & beverage rewards worth $US20 each
40 elite nights
At 40 elite nights, you reach one of two steps where you get to choose two perks. At 40 elite nights, IHG One Rewards allows you to choose two of the following Milestone Rewards:
- 10,000 bonus IHG points
- Five food & beverage rewards worth $US20 each
- A confirmable suite upgrade (limit one)
- An annual lounge membership (limit one)
50 elite nights
At 50 elite nights, IHG One Rewards allows you to choose one of the following Milestone Rewards:
- 10,000 bonus IHG points
- Five food & beverage rewards worth $US20 each
60 elite nights
When you achieve 60 elite nights, you receive the same choice that you received at 50 elite nights. As such you can choose one of the following Milestone Rewards:
- 10,000 bonus IHG points
- Five food & beverage rewards worth $US20 each
70 elite nights
After 70 elite nights, you reach the second step where you get to choose two rewards. You can choose 2 of the following:
- 10,000 bonus IHG points
- Five food & beverage rewards worth $US20 each
- A confirmable suite upgrade (limit one)
- An annual lounge membership (limit one)
80, 90, and 100 elite nights
At each of these steps, you get the same choices. These options are the same as those available at 50 and 60 elite nights. You can choose one of the following:
- 10,000 bonus IHG points
- Five food & beverage rewards worth $US20 each
The Milestone Rewards Explained
Overall, there are basically four different awards you can choose from. These are bonus points, food and beverage rewards, lounge access, and confirmable suite upgrades. In this section, I’ll cover the basics of each of these.
The overall rules for each reward type can be found on the IHG One Rewards website.
Bonus IHG One Rewards Points
This is one of two choices that are available at each step along the way. Having said that, there are different levels of points available. This choice is pretty straightforward, and if you choose this option, the points will be added to your points balance.
Food and Beverage Rewards
The second choice that is available at each step is the Food and Beverage Reward. Each of these rewards is worth $US20. While these were announced in 2022, the ability to redeem the rewards in many countries has only recently been enabled.
The rewards are basically digital credits that you will be able to access in the IGH app. Once awarded they last for 12 months, and will expire if unused in that time. An important point to note is that you can’t partly use one. If you purchase something for less than the $US20 value, the whole value of the reward will be used.
Confirmed suite upgrades
You receive the option to receive a confirmed suite upgrade after 10, 40 and 70 elite nights have posted to your account. Once you have selected this option, you have 12 months in which to use the upgrade.
There are a few rules that you will need to pay attention to:
- In order to redeem an upgrade, you will need to contact IHG One Rewards customer support. This needs to be done between 14 days and one day prior to arrival
- You can apply a suite upgrade toward a stay of up to five nights
- They can only be used on cash stays when booking eligible rates
Lounge Access
After 40 and 70 nights, you will have the opportunity to take up a lounge access pass. If you select this, you will have access to a hotel lounge (if available) during your stays for the rest of the calendar year, and the following calendar year.
Which Milestone Reward is best?
That’s part of the beauty of Milestone Rewards. There is no real right or wrong answer, the answer to this question is a solid ‘it depends’.
It really is up to you to decide.
