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IHG One Rewards kicked off its sixth buy-points bonus sale of 2026 on August 1. The offer gives members up to a 100% bonus on purchased points. It runs through 11:59 PM ET on August 17, 2026. Anyone with a fall or holiday IHG stay in mind should check their account before the window shuts.
What the Sale Covers
The price of a point under the 100% bonus is the usual 0.5 US cents each, and that’s the lowest price IHG charges all year. The offer window runs tight. It covers qualifying purchases made between 12:00 AM ET on August 1, 2026 and 11:59 PM ET on August 17, 2026.
This isn’t a one-off. IHG runs these buy-points offers almost monthly, and members can sometimes buy up to 600,000 points. Not every member sees the same deal, though. The bonus percentage shows only after eligible members log into their IHG One Rewards account.
IHG has also shown tiered bonus thresholds tied to purchase size in past promotions. The table below reflects the tier structure IHG has displayed for similar sales.
| Bonus Tier | Points Threshold |
|---|---|
| 80% Bonus | 5,000+ points |
| 90% Bonus | 11,000+ points |
| 100% Bonus | 40,000+ points |
Who Qualifies
Members can purchase up to 200,000 points annually, though that limit may be increased to 250,000, 300,000, or higher depending on the account. Check your account to see your actual cap.
The annual cap isn’t just for this sale. Here’s how that plays out. If a member already bought 50,000 points earlier in 2026, they could only buy up to 150,000 more points during this offer window. Do the math before you assume you have the full 200,000 available. You can confirm your personal offer and cap through IHG’s buy points landing page.
Who Actually Benefits
IHG’s points requirements are all over the map, so you need to do the math to see when it makes sense to pay for the stay or buy points instead. If you already know your award rate, that math is easy.
Best case: you have a booked stay where the award rate beats the cash rate, and you buy exactly enough points at 0.5 cents each.
Worst case: you buy points with no redemption planned. Check the full IHG One Rewards program guide before deciding. If you’d rather bank cash toward a stay instead, the IHG United Travel Bank cash option is worth a look too.
IHG isn’t alone in running a summer points sale. Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards have both run their own discounted points promotions and bonus point sales this year.
Our Take
This sale is for members with a specific stay in mind, not casual points collectors. Buying at 0.5 cents per point only pays off if your redemption is worth more than that.
Check your personalized bonus and cap before August 17. If you already carry the IHG One Rewards Premier Card, pair it with a planned award stay to get the most from this window.
Frequently Asked Questions
During this sale, IHG points cost 0.5 US cents each after the bonus is applied. IHG describes this as the lowest price it charges all year for purchased points.
The sale runs through 11:59 PM ET on August 17, 2026. Qualifying purchases must be made between 12:00 AM ET on August 1 and that deadline to count.
Not necessarily. The bonus percentage is personalized, so members need to log into their IHG One Rewards account to see their specific offer. IHG has also shown tiered bonus thresholds in similar past sales, with the full 100% bonus requiring a purchase of at least 40,000 points.
Most members have an annual cap of 200,000 purchased points, though some accounts may be eligible for higher limits of 250,000, 300,000, or more. Any points already purchased earlier in 2026 count against that cap, so you may not have the full amount available.
It depends on whether you have a specific redemption planned that delivers value above 0.5 cents per point. Buying points speculatively without a stay in mind is generally not recommended, since IHG award rates vary widely across properties.
