Save 8% when buying or renewing InterContinental Ambassador membership

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A couple of day ago, I wrote about the 100% bonus available until September 22nd when you buy IHG Rewards Club points.

If you buy 50,000 – 60,000 points, which doubles to 100,000 – 120,000 points, the price drops to just $5.75 per 1,000.

This allows you to stay at ANY InterContinental hotel for no more than £177 per night, including all taxes, because that is the cost of buying 50,000 points.

This deal offers a loophole for anyone thinking of buying IHG Ambassador status. It will also save you money when renewing.

Ambassador will ONLY benefit you when staying at InterContinental branded hotels. InterContinental is a little odd when it comes to loyalty schemes:

As part of the Holiday Inn / Crowne Plaza group, it participates in IHG Rewards Club and you earn the usual 10 points per $ for your spending.

InterContinental does not officially recognise your IHG Rewards Club status. In reality, they often do, but it is not guaranteed.

InterContinental also has its own loyalty scheme – Ambassador – which costs $200 per year to join.

Despite the $200 per year fee (reduced to $150 when renewing), I consider Ambassador a good deal and have been a member for a number of years.

The key thing about Ambassador is that, once you are a member, the benefits are GUARANTEED on paid stays. They are NOT guaranteed on reward stays, but most properties do let you have them. These benefits are:

A certificate for a free weekend night when you join and each year when you renew. In one swoop, you can save your entire membership fee with this benefit. To use the voucher, you need to book a 2-night weekend stay and pay the Best Available Rate for the other night. The letter of the rules says that only standard rooms can be booked. However, many hotels let you book club rooms or suites.

GUARANTEED one-level room upgrade – this is usually processed before you arrive and is visible online

A voucher for 5,000 IHG Rewards Club points when you join and each year on renewal

4pm check-out – this is a guaranteed benefit and one which was very helpful in Paris last week

A free pay-TV movie per stay, every stay

Free fruit and mineral water in your room

A welcome gift – varies from chocolates or wine to weird local souvenirs!

Double occupancy for single occupancy rate – useful in Germany, one of the few countries where they still charge a ‘second person’ supplement

Obviously InterContinental Ambassador is not for everyone. You can earn back the cost of membership in just one weekend stay, though. It may even be worth it even if you had just one long stay booked and wanted to guarantee your upgrade. Ambassador members also receive Gold status in IHG Rewards Club (although that doesn’t get you far).

How you can save

There is an alternative to paying $200 for Ambassador status. You can use 32,000 IHG Rewards Club points instead.

This is usually a poor deal. However, under the current promotion, you can buy 32,000 points for just $184. (This assumes you buy 100,000 points and pro-rata the cost. Buying just 32,000 points will not save you any money.)

That is a saving of 8% – not huge but better than nothing.

Similarly, you can renew your IHG Ambassador status for 24,000 points. The usual cost is $150 to renew but buying the points – as part of a purchase of 100,000 or more – will cost $138. Another 8% saved!

You can learn more about InterContinental Ambassador, and sign up, here if it sounds interesting.

IHG Rewards update – December 2021:

Get bonus points: You can earn up to triple IHG Rewards base points with IHG’s new Autumn promotion. It runs from 1st October to 31st December. You can register here and our full article on the offer is here.

New to IHG Rewards? Read our overview of IHG Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG Rewards points worth?’ is here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG Rewards points, you can buy them here.

You will get a 100% bonus when you buy IHG Rewards points by 4th January 2022. Click here to buy or learn more.

Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Category

IHG Rewards

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

RogerWilco says:

19 Sep19 September 07:06

I made the same calculations, but there is a caveat – to bag this $12/16 savings, you must lay out $690 to buy the full 60+60k package and still face the risk of future devaluation of the remaining points. But yes, if you’d otherwise think of renewing/buying Amb AND are on the take for the points purchase anyway, it’s a bit of a saving. “Every little helps” 🙂
Felix Flyer says:

19 Sep19 September 07:29

I renewed this year at the $200 rate option that also gives you 15000 points and a 10% rebate on points used on reward stays which I thought was good value.
Slightly OT, but does anyone know the upgrade policy at the Intercontinental Athens particularly to access the Club level rooms? I have platinum ambassador status.
- Rob says:
  
  19 Sep19 September 11:28
  
  If you specifically want a club upgrade, safest bet is always to email hotel and ask what room category to book to guarantee you upgrade to club. You then have it in writing.
  - Felix Flyer says:
    
    19 Sep19 September 16:32
    
    Thanks Raffles. Enjoy Vegas!
Gavin says:

19 Sep19 September 07:54

When you sign up to InterContinental Ambassador, does your membership start on that day? or do you have to wait until the membership pack arrives?

If I’m not visiting an InterContinental hotel for 6 months, do I need to sign up a month or two in advance or just a week? No point in paying for 6 months I will not use.

The only risk will be all my stays will be reward stays, has anyone had difficulty getting the benefits on reward stays?
- Phil says:
  
  19 Sep19 September 08:36
  
  Online status is recognised in a couple of days, the pack with your free night certification takes about 4-6 weeks.
  - Gavin says:
    
    19 Sep19 September 09:32
    
    Thanks
  - Gavin says:
    
    19 Sep19 September 10:34
    
    If I become an Ambassador member, but book a IC hotel with reward points from my wife’s IHG account. Can I still use my Ambassador membership for a possible room upgrade?
    - Rob says:
      
      19 Sep19 September 11:22
      
      Very, very much at hotel discretion at check in. Would not count on it.
- Rob says:
  
  19 Sep19 September 11:26
  
  Had no problems I can remember … Boston, New York, Amsterdam, Paris over last 18 months all upgraded me and did 4pm check out.
Gordon Ritchie says:

19 Sep19 September 09:16

For renewal now they are offering 3 options the 2 as you describe ($150 or 24,000 points) or for $200 fee, 10,000 points instead of 5,000 points voucher.
- Rob says:
  
  19 Sep19 September 11:23
  
  Yes, did not mention the $200 option as it confuses things. I do this one as the 10 per cent rebate on redemptions is a good deal.
Irons1980 says:

19 Sep19 September 09:36

Mine cost to renew in the end – with the 5,000 bonus points offer plus 10,000 point voucher I received, just 17,000 points!
James says:

19 Sep19 September 10:48

I am considering joining Ambassador for a stay I need to book for NYC next year and was wondering if someone could provide more info on the free weekend night certificate. Can this be used on the first booking and is the rate used just the cheapest on the IHG website?

If this is the case then it seems in most cases the ‘paid’ night using the certificate would be at least double the cost of buying the points needed under the current 100% bonus promotion. As 2 nights would therefore cost the same does this mean this voucher has very little value or am I missing something?
- Jason says:
  
  19 Sep19 September 11:18
  
  Your points don’t expire but your voucher will. It depends how many stays you will use.
  It is cheaper to use points availability, currently. You also get an upgrade( if you pay but possibly for reward nights as well) and a few other benefits.
- Rob says:
  
  19 Sep19 September 11:21
  
  Voucher is only valid on Best Flex. Has value if you want something bigger than a base room as many properties include all room categories. We used one in Dusseldorf for a suite last year to get all 4 of us in.
  - BLT says:
    
    26 Sep26 September 22:50
    
    Hi Raffles.
    
    I’m looking at booking the IC Toronto and using ambassador benefits for an upgrade. Is there a way you can guarantee a club room upgrade. On the room types available, a suite is the most expensive option, the option below is a 2 queen Club room. If I booked the club room would I be guaranteed the suite. it’s hard to believe this works as the suite is double the cost of the club room!
    - Rob says:
      
      26 Sep26 September 23:24
      
      May well work, best thing to do is email the hotel first and ask them. You then have it in writing. The upgrade often, not always, processed soon after booking so you may see it online.
      - BLT says:
        
        26 Sep26 September 23:46
        
        Thanks. Will email them and see.