Frequent Miler's latest team challenge, Million Mile Madness, is happening now! Follow us as Greg, Nick, and Stephen compete to earn 1 Million SAS miles by flying 15 airlines before November 23rd. Who will complete the challenge with the most Speed, Affordability, and Style?
IHG is out with an offer whereby you can get a 3-night stay and 70,000 IHG One Rewards points for $199 or $249 in select destinations by attending a timeshare presentation during your stay. I don’t find this offer too compelling, but if you have some use for the 3-night stay, you may find it worth pursuing.
The Deal
- IHG is offering a 3-night stay and 70,000 IHG One Rewards points when you buy a package for $199 or $249 to attend a timeshare presentation in one of the following destinations:
- Orlando, FL
- Gatlinburg, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- Williamsburg, VA
- Branson, MO
- Cocoa Beach, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Direct link to this deal
Key Terms
- Once you purchase a package, you have 12 months to travel
- Must attend a 1-2hr timeshare presentation
- Pick from a Holiday Inn Club Vacations® resort ($249 plus tax) or a partner hotel ($199 plus tax) vacation package. With a resort package, you’ll stay on property. With a hotel package, you’ll stay at a partner hotel.
- You can change your dates for a rebooking fee of $19.95.
- You will pay taxes on the stay directly to the hotel
- An additional fee may apply for peak holiday dates
- See landing page for more terms and FAQs
Quick Thoughts
Years ago, Stephen Pepper wrote Timeshare Presentation Survival Guide based on experience with Wyndham and I read that in preparation of attending a Bluegreen Vacations timeshare presentation last year thanks to a solid offer for Choice Privileges points. The bottom line is that timeshare deals aren’t for the faint of heart or easily persuaded.
However, if you don’t mind sitting for a presentation and you are confident that you won’t be convinced to buy something that you aren’t sure you want, an offer like this one could be useful. Note that while timeshares do not at all appeal to me, I am not implying that owning a timeshare is always a bad idea, but in most cases you would be better off buying one from an existing owner who is looking to get out of the contract to pay maintenance fees in perpetuity rather than buying direct from the source.
All that said, if you already need a 3-night stay in one of the included destinations and you have some time to kill, the 70K points certainly may be an attractive reward. Keep in mind that when IHG has points on sale (as they do at the moment with this offer that has been extended through 9/8/23), you can often buy 70K IHG points for $350. If you value the 3-night stay, that could add up to enough reward to be enticing.
With this offer, you can either pay $249 (plus tax) to stay at an IHG timeshare property (Holiday Inn Club Vacation) or $199 to stay at another nearby “partner” hotel. For a partner hotel, they list a couple of examples like Holiday Inn Express. I’m not sure whether the partner hotel options are only for IHG hotels or whether they may put you up in a hotel from another chain (pending availability). When I did the Bluegreen offer through Choice earlier this year, I noted that I specifically chose to stay at another hotel rather than at the resort with the hopes that I may also earn elite night credit and hotel points in another chain (I didn’t expect to earn points since bookings through third parties typically don’t earn rewards, but I was hopeful). Sure enough, I was able to book that Choice/Bluegreen offer to spend the nights at a Marriott property and I was able to get my Marriott Bonvoy number associated with the reservation, so in the end I earned elite night credit (double credit thanks to a promotion) and hotel points with Marriott on top of the rewards from Choice for attending the presentation. I don’t know whether that will be possible here, but it could potentially up the ante.
Overall, this could be a decent offer for those who value IHG points and are intending to visit one of the included destinations within the next 12 months.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
I went for one in Myrtle Beach. I refused the timeshare, but one year later was charged $99.00 for some kind of renewal they claimed I agreed to. I did a chargeback with my CC and IHG replied and stated I agreed over the phone to this charge. Chase told me they did not know how to rule. I then remembered I was In Peru the day they claimed I had agreed to renewal. Chase checked my credit cards and immediately ruled in my favor. Be careful.
Is this the best offer they had in last few years? I recall seeing a 50k point offer sometime ago.
Thanks. I’ve gotten a lot of free points and cheap stays this way. No problem saying no here. Vegas is always easy as a SoCal resident, but maybe I’ll return to the Smoky Mountains for some non-desert hiking.
Anyway to purchase this over the phone? Usually they do hard sell and you can get more freebies by pretending to back out.
Glorida?
Gatlinburg could be nice to visit in the fall.
I did a timeshare presentation in the Berkshires last year. It was pretty painless though some serious fuzzy math. Overall it was 2 hours and I did time them and told the sales person 2 hours was up and they let me be done. One FYI limit of 3 per lifetime” Must not have an active package or have toured in the last 12 months (maximum 3 permitted per lifetime)”