Registration for IHG Reward Club’s Set Your Sights promotion is now live. The promotion consists of a series of targeted offers. Simply register and complete the required activities between January 1, 2015 – April 30, 2015 and you’ll receive a targeted bonus. I received a 50,000 point bonus in exchange for completing the following tasks:
- 2,400 IHG points for downloading and booking two stays through the IHG App.
- 1,900 IHG points for booking two stays directly through IHG
- 8,400 IHG points for booking 5 nights or more
- 8,000 IHG points for staying two weekend nights, including a Saturday night and another night.
- 5,000 IHG points for booking a mini-vacation package at a qualifying Holiday Inn Club Vacations property.
- 7,200 IHG points for staying at 2 Crowne Plaza hotels
- 2,000 IHG points for applying for the IHG Rewards Club Credit Card through a designated link.
- 15,1000 IHG points for completing 6 of the 7 offers
Bonus points for each activity will post 6-8 weeks after completion. The terms state that after applying for the IHG Rewards Card, Chase will notify IHG Rewards Club to post the points to your account. However, the link directs to the Chase website, where you can find the 60,000 point offer for the IHG Rewards Club Visa. You may be better off applying for the longstanding 80,000 point offer, especially if you expect to be approved. You’ll forego 2,000 points, but you can still hit the 50,000 point promotion maximum by completing one of the other six activities listed.
Completing the 50,000 point version of the Set Your Sights promotion will take a minimum of 5 nights. There are quite a few restrictions and mattress running is definitely not an option if you choose to forego the higher IHG Rewards Club Visa sign-up bonus, since you’ll instead have to book a Holiday Inn Club Vacations package at limited participating properties. However, if you apply for the 60,000 point version through the designated link, then mattress running becomes a bit easier. You’ll still need to book 5 nights, with two of them being on weekends and two at Crowne Plaza hotels.
Next, simply book two of those stays through the IHG mobile app and two others through the website – the added bonus here being that you can book through a shopping portal for cash back or extra points. If you choose to forego the Holiday Inn Vacation package and applying for the 60,000 point version of the IHG Rewards Club Visa, then you still have the opportunity to bank 27,900 points through the promotion.
This offer definitely makes mattress running difficult. Why? Because you’ll probably spend at least $450 (assuming a nightly average rate of $90 per night) in exchange for 50,000 points. However, for those who have actual IHG stays coming up, this promotion makes it more lucrative. If you’ve already booked your stay, it’s definitely worth seeing if you can cancel and rebook. Sometimes rates are deemed “non-refundable” but the hotel may show some flexibility, especially if you explain that you intend on rebooking in order to have your stays qualify for this promotion.
Again, offers are targeted so you may receive a different one based on your status, the number of nights you’ve spent at IHG hotels this past year, or any other factors. The 50,000 point bonus is the least you can earn during this promotion. If you received a higher offer, I’d love to get your feedback in the comment section.
