Last weekend, a number of TravelMagic enthusiasts joined me at Holiday Inn Express Mechelen for a mattress run (= staying at a hotel with the sole purpose of collecting loyalty points). By status matching to IHG Rewards Club Platinum and signing up for all IHG Rewards Club promotion codes, we managed to score up to 33500 bonus points!
Pic: Several TravelMagic enthusiasts earned 33500 bonus points for their first stay!
On top of these bonus points, we also earned two qualifying nights for The Big Win offer. We used the IHG 2-for-1 rate (select Partner Rate 2×1) to book our weekend stay which was €76 for two nights (Friday till Sunday). We weren’t 100% sure if our second night would qualify for The Big Win offer, but can now confirm it did! In my case, it was my second saturday night stay using my father’s account, resulting in 10000 extra Big Win points. After two stays (3 nights, incl. 2 Sat nights) ‘my father’ now earned a total of 50,252 points! Breakdown: 2652 standard points + 36500 bonus code points + 11100 Big Win points.
Pic: Two Saturday nights booked via IHG.com resulted in 10K extra points via The Big Win
One more night and my Big Win challenge will be complete, netting me another 39000 extra points!
Pic: The colorful pool at Crowne Plaza Antwerp (copyright Pandox hotels)
Want to join the points bonanza? Sign-up for The Big Win, status match to IHG Rewards Platinum and register for all promotion codes. The next TravelMagic gathering will be on Friday Nov 29, 2013 at Crowne Plaza Antwerp. See you there?
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Bart Lapers 
I am platinum and I stayed in
london indigo – 33900 points
27 dec – interconti WAW – 7 000 points
and
28 dec – Holiday Inn WAW – 4 800 points
in total around 45 000 points
the points for the last two stays posted in 2014 and i guess the points for the BIG WIN were not counted automatically
All in all, I have an impression that the promotion BIG WIN and codes did not really work out.
do you think i should claim the missing points for the BIG WIN promotion or do you think the risk is too high for my acocunt to be locked 😦
Greg, Big Win points post a few days later than the ‘regular’ points. I suggest to give it a few more days. YMMV
Hi Bart! I received 27,000 & some odd points after a one night stay….so happy! You’re “the bomb” as it were!
Thanks Amy! Enjoy the points.
Hi,
How long does it usually take for your points to show in your account?
I stayed at an ihg hotel last week, but at the moment no new points are visible in my account.
Hi David, points post 4 to 6 days after your stay. The Big Win points tend to take a few days extra to post.
Thx for your fast answer 😉
Dear Bart,
I am one of your Belgian readers, and I did just what everybody else did (registering for all codes, and a Accor -> IHG Plat status match), and i got a nasty e-mail today telling me that my account will be closed if I keep registering for those promo codes that were not specifically targeted for me. Look here for the e-mail I received! http://tinyurl.com/nc8cyxs
Anyways, it might be time to stop using these promo codes!
Dear JustMyTwoMiles,
Thank you for sharing the email you got from IHG Rewards Club. We’ve seen similar reports before, though only a very limited number of members were contacted in the past. If this would be (or become) a widespread repercussion campaign of IHG, it would be reported at forums like Flyertalk http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/intercontinental-hotels-ihg-rewards-club-intercontinental-ambassador-426/ which doesn’t seem to be the case (yet). The director of the IHG Rewards Club program also recently commented on the stacking of promo codes: “Stackable Promotion Codes for IHG bonus points is a technology limitation. Creating a software fix for members registering different promotion codes to earn bonus points from multiple promotions is a technology issue that is not a priority for IHG at this time. The loyalty points gamers are not that big a population. Eventually the technology will be in place, but for now smart IHG Rewards Club members can game the system for extra points on hotel stays.” Source: http://boardingarea.com/loyaltytraveler/2013/11/13/smart-travelers-game-ihg-and-ihg-seeks-smart-travelers/
As with all loyalty programs, the main recommendation is to ‘earn & burn’. Do not hoarder hundreds of thousands of points in your account, instead burn points as you earn them. This will limit ‘your losses’ in the unlikely event of an account closure.
Indeed, I had read the loyaltytraveler post with comments from the director of IHG, and for that reason I thought that we were all safe, and that we were not going to receive such an e-mail 🙂
But you’re right, let’s earn and burn.
Pingback: IHG seems to change its promo-code policy | Just My Two Miles
33K after 1 night, 40 after 2 nights, now 45 after 3 nights,
There is still an active code in my account: NEW MEMBER BONUS PROMOTION (3000p) per stay valid until 31.12. Good thing I have 2 more stays until 31.12, this is another 6K bonus points + Big Win 50.100 (how long does is take to show up)
My question is, will there be next codes next year and if so can we all sign up for the codes again and make them work for us?
Kevin, thanks for your input. We’ve seen similar bonus codes in the past years. However, that’s no guarantee we’ll see them again in 2014. Enjoy your points!
Pingback: [Dec 20-22] TravelMagic meet-up: Hotel Indigo Dusseldorf | travel.bart.la
Thanks, got 26,575 points after one stay.
Enjoy the points Gunter!
Bart,
Is there any – loose – plan for Friday night like having dinner together? As I’m traveling from a neighboring country, I probably have leave the office earlier than I usually do.
Regards,
Jesse
No specific plans yet, but we’ll meet up at the Crowne Plaza lobby and stay in touch via twitter (my handle @fotograaf) A number of us will go to the Lotto Arena Antwerpen to watch a basketball game (Port of Antwerp Giants – Liège Basket) at 8:30pm Well, we don’t really go to watch the game, we’re more interested in the cheer-leading performance of some of our TravelMagic friends. 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/CLAntwerp Tickets: http://www.antwerpgiants.be/pages/besteltickets.php
Bart,
At midnight sharp I have booked two nights at Crown Plaza, Antwerp (29/11 – 1/12). I’ve used the option 2- for- 1, no luck here. I have tried to book via the following two links:
http://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/global/offers/emea/guestmarketing_241
http://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/reservation/findandbook?ratePreference=IDEX1
Yes, I’ve opted for best flexible rate. Am I missing something?
Before I have booked, I’ve checked all the promotion codes; fingers crossed that I earn a plurality of points than the amount shown during booking: 2160 points. Daylight robbery, that’s what it is.
Many thanks for the informative TravelMagic 2013 seminar. Now I’m spending more time in front of the computer monitor than before the seminar.
Best regards,
Jesse
Jesse,
2-for-1 is not available for our TravelMagic mattress run weekend in Antwerp. Originally we were only going to stay on Friday night, but now we got quite a group of people staying both on Friday and Saturday. See you in Antwerp!
1. has anyone made a second stay and got some additional points
I wanted to make a second stay but not sure whether to use my card or my partner’s
2. it looks like you have to be elite member to get all these points
has anyone found an instant upgrade in accor or other hotel programmes that would grant a status on the spot?
thanks a lot for your advice
Greg, just follow the instructions in this post https://travel.bart.la/2013/10/17/hotel-elite-status-for-free-status-match/
Bart. The instant accor platinum does not work anymore grrrr
Any new codes or links?
Did you request your link via LoyaltyLobby.com ? That one should still work.
The promotion code is invalid
Greg, again, did you use the link provided by LoyaltyLobby.com? That one should work.
Finally my results came also in, and first night in Holiday Express Inn Stanstead did not qualify because promotional rate 35%. But i also booked Crowne Plaza NEC Birmingham for saturday night and 2 nights with 35% promotion and i got 2 qualifying nights + 35666 points (from this Elite qualifying points 1444) + 1 qualifying brand.
Thanks for sharing Edvin. Looks like the 35% off rate is a hit & miss. Did you charge anything to your room on the qualifying night(s)? That sometimes works to make non-qualifying rate post as point eligible stay.
I just booked, and checked in – because i did it too late. But staff was unprepared when we arrived, no upgrade for room until i told status of membership, no welcome drink or points. Thats why i liked Holiday Inn more, there was fast, professional staff. I filled questions they asked and sender to them – maybe that helped.
Little question,
can I book more than one room(1 extra room for the kids) on my account and will both count for points ?
You’ll receive points for one room per night only, except in the US and Canada. Full details:
” Only one room will be credited per member per night; however, at U.S. and Canadian hotels (except InterContinental), you can collect points or miles on all Eligible Charges for multiple hotel rooms (less than 10), provided those rooms are used in conjunction with your stay at the same hotel, and your IHG® Rewards Club member number is recorded on each reservation, or the charges from those multiple room reservations are referred to on the hotel room bill associated with your reservation. Only the member whose name is on the reservation record will be awarded points and will be awarded Qualifying Night credit toward achieving Elite-level status or other promotional goals. Only one Qualifying Night credit, per member, per night will be awarded regardless of the number of reservations booked and paid for by the member. Points and/or Qualifying Night credit are not awarded for no shows even if the room is paid for in full. ”
Source: http://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/global/customer_care/member-tc#general
Oplossing kan dan zijn een 2e account aan te maken voor uw partner, en haar aanmelden voor alle promo`s (incl Big win). Vervolgens de 2e kamer voor de kids op haar naam reserveren.
Indeed, great suggestion Leon. 🙂
great – and how much is the holidayinn mechelen ? thanks alot
Dear Bart,
your codes are an amazing way to collect more IHG points and I have just managed to get 36 000 points for just 1 night in an indigo hotel in BCN.
Do you happen to know if the same bonuses will apply to the next stays? Or is it just the first stay that is eligible to get all these bonuses?
Of course my idea is to continue with IHG and multiply this 36 000 points
thanks a lot
Greg, thanks for your feedback. Some of the codes will work again on your next stay (indicated on my overview, for 60 or 90 days after registering for them) Of course, nothing stops you from creating accounts for your father, mother, brother and sisters which live at different addresses and you can make bookings with those accounts and register yourself as ‘second guest’ during the booking process. Cheers, Bart
2 for 1 did not work for me in Birmingham tonight, i think i booked too late. But 35% off worked very fine,. also 2 nights in Crowne Plaza gave 70.- discount for 2 nights! lets see how much points will collect.
Edvin, 2 for 1 is not always available and does require a number of advance booking days (think it’s 5). The 35% off T&C indicate you do not earn points, if you do, you are lucky, if you don’t, there’s no opportunity to complain. However, if several people would report the 35% rate now always earns points, then that would be a great ‘find’! Keep us updates! Thanks.
Hi Bart, thanks a lot for your quick reply to my previous question.
I am still waiting for my IHG status match to be confirmed but I would like to make use of the Big Win this year. Can I book my hotel now already with the 2 for 1 offer and then let them know of my matched status later or do I have to wait for the status match before I can book? Also, when I try to book the 2 for 1 it says that I will earn 0 points for this stay. Is it supposed to be like that, i.e. will it still count towards the Big Win despite saying 0 points?
Dominik, you can already book. Status is verified at check-in. The 2-for-1 rate will earn points and count for #TheBigWin Thanks!
Thanks!
Hi, is it possible to collect all these points if I book a stay for my parents but on my rewards number or would I have to be staying at the hotel as well?
Should work, if your father checks-in. Same last name, most front desk agents don’t ask questions.
Ooops, for sure the rates work, depending on period, location and hotel type booked. Have to be creative … managed for a weekend fri – sun 😉
Thanks Geert!
Seems 2-for-1 rate does not apply anymore?
Why not?
The IATA number provided is invalid – seems a IATA code has to go with the 2-for-1 rate? Hope anyone can clarify 😉
I just checked to see if I could book this 2-for-1 rate and yes, it still works(altough some dates which worked a few days ago are not available anymore)
When trying to book a weekend on IHG website with 241 it states “You will earn 0 points for this stay” Does it still qualify for the big win?
Yes, it will.
Bart, moet je member zijn van Travelmagic om naar jullie gatherings te komen?
Of kan je hiervoor ergens registreren om een uitnodiging te krijgen?
(29 nov kan ik wel niet, zit dan in China, maar eventueel voor in de toekomst)
Thx!
Everyone is welcome!
My first night resulted in about 35,000 point, wow. However the second night was now added and “only” 7,600 points (excluding the big win bonus). Had expected more. It seems that many codes did not work the second time. Let`s see what the 3th night will bring.
Sandra, looks like you had wrong expectations. Most codes only work once!
Can’t we create multiple accounts with different ‘home’ addresses and apply everytime the codes? For example have 5 account, stay 5 times 1 night and have 150k points in total? Or does IHG look at credit card number to consolidate accounts? I can do plat status match with other programa such as Hyatt or Marriott to have IHG Plat on different accounts.
You would be violating the IHG Rewards Club T&C. You can only have one account per person. It would probably work, but if caught your accounts would be closed and consequently loose all points.
Hi Bart, are you using a different account than https://travel.bart.la/2013/10/03/ihg-rewards-club-gold-status-after-one-stay/ ? Just trying to connect the points earned in your 2 posts.
I just got my points posted, total of 36400 points after a 1night -119$ using all your codes. Planning now for a second night but wondering have many codes will still be applicable on my second stay.
Tom, good question. The screenshot in this post is not from the same account as the post you refer too. It’s a screenshot of someone with IHG Rewards Club Platinum status (obtained via status match) who was staying for the first time at an IHG hotel after registering for all promotion codes. Some of the codes will keep posting points for each stay within 60 (or 90) days after you registered. You can check this in the ‘Offer Status’ section of your IHG account.
Hello Bart, I noticed that sometimes the 2×1 rate shows zero IHG points when making a reservation (and sometimes it does). So I am not sure if also a booking made with zero points would qualify. Do you perhaps know what was shown on the reservation page when you made the booking for the HIE Mechelen? Just want to avoid that I book two nights for 2×1 rate and at the end they do not qualify 🙂
Leon, I’ve use the 2-for-1 rate many times before and each time points have posted.
Hi Bart,
Do you happen to know which 2 for 1 rate you used? – there’s at least 2 I think. One can be found here: http://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/global/offers/emea/guestmarketing_241 and the rate is called “Exclusive 2 for 1”. The other is the “Partner Rate 2X1” and can be booked through the alumni page. They have different availability so are definitely different rates.
Thanks!
Joseph
Hi Joseph, I used the Partner 2×1 rate for this stay. Both rates should qualify for The Big Win. I’ve used the Exclusive rate in the past and each time got stay credit and points.
I havent got replay from Best Wester for 5 days, should i send reminder to them?
Sounds like a good idea.
Same here, no news from Best Western after 5 days
How long did it take to match Le club with Best Western? Im planning trip to Birmingham 8-11th november and want to do matresse run there. But havent got match from Best Western yet to match with IHG.
Edvin, the whole process (Le Club AccorHotels -> Best Western -> IHG Rewards Club) should takes less than a week. Thanks
After how many days are the points posted to your account?
Tom, IHG Rewards Club points and stay credit post 4 days after check-out. The Big Win points post one week after your stay.
Bart,
Can you only redeem these points with reward nights(where only a few rooms and types are available) or can you use these points for any kind of room?
Geert, there are no black-out dates for IHG Reward nights. Every IHG hotel needs to release at least 5% of it’s room inventory for reward nights on any given date. Reward nights are by default entry level rooms, but hotels might upgrade you depending on your IHG Rewards Club elite level and availability.
Hi Bart,
Any idea when the new promo codes for ihg will be available ? Or where we can get our hands on These ? Would be great to have them for the next big win , cheers
Hi Gerry, the current codes were collected throughout the year 2013. It will probably take several months in 2014 before we’ll have a similar code list. Note: There’s no guarantee these codes will be available in 2014.