(EXPIRED) IHG PointBreaks Q4 released

IHG has released its latest PointBreaks list for bookings and stays from today through January 31, 2020. The list remains fairly underwhelming, though some options in Japan and Switzerland could present solid value and it’s always worth checking to see if a destination in your plans fits with the reduced rates. Keep in mind that those with the newer IHG Rewards Club Premier ($89 annual fee) or IHG Rewards Club Traveler (no annual fee) cards get the 4th night free on award redemptions and those with the old IHG Rewards Club Select ($49 annual fee) get 10% back on award stays. Those benefits stack with these deals and with each other.

The Deal

• The latest IHG PointBreaks list is now live for bookings through January 31, 2020
• Direct link to PointBreaks page

Key Details

• Each member can make two bookings per hotel (i.e. you can book a reservation for four nights and a separate reservation for thirty nights, but you can’t make 34 single-night reservations at the same hotel). You can book as many different PointBreak hotels as you like.
• Each hotel has a limited number of rooms available for PointBreaks (the best sell out right away)

Quick Thoughts

IHG PointBreaks hotels certainly aren’t the value that they used to be when all properties were available for 5K points per night (now there are three levels: 5K, 10K, or 15K per night). Still, since you can often buy IHG poitns for half a cent each (and sometimes even cheaper), these hotels cost an effective $25 / $50 / $75 in points if you’ve purchased at half a cent each. When you consider that points reservations do not incur most taxes (and in most cases IHG properties do not charge destination / resort fees on award stays — though pay attention during checkout since some do), these can be a good enough compared against the cash rate. Of course, you’ll want to check the cash rate to be sure — but in a lot of cases, this can save you some money.

Also keep in mind that those with the newer IHG Rewards Club Premier or IHG Rewards Club Traveler cards can get the 4th night free on award stays. Those who have the old IHG Rewards Club Select credit card (with the $49 annual fee, no longer available for new applicants) get 10% back on award stays. Both benefits can stack with PointBreaks for even cheaper deals.

Without checking the cash rates, the properties that stand out to me here are those in Japan and Switzerland, where hotel rates can often be high and buying the points cheaply for a stay might make sense (but do check the rates for your dates first).

There are also a few Intercontinental properties on the list, including Categena, Colombia and Nairobi, Kenya. As with all of the other hotels in the list, if they line up with your travel plans, you can certainly get a comfortable stay for a relative bargain.

Here’s the full list (again, bookable for stays through 10/31/19):

10,000 Points per night United States

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