The Points Mom

Free Weekend In Boston and $720 Saved-Thanks IHG Rewards And Chase

We can’t really plan a big trip this summer as we will have 3 kids in high school (huh?) that have various commitments.  Instead, I am planning some smaller getaways.  We are heading to Chicago for a few nights and, recently, I booked a weekend in Boston.

Of course our stay is free.  We will be staying at the InterContinental Boston for 2 nights.   This is the same hotel we stayed at last fall (on a free night award) when Rob and Daniel did the Fenway Spartan race.  The room would have been $360 per night.  We are saving $720 on the stay.

For one night, I used my free night award certificate that I get every year because I have a Chase IHG Rewards Club Select credit card.  As a card member, you receive 1 free night at ANY IHG hotel every year after your cardmember anniversary.  The night must be redeemed, and the stay must be completed, within 12 months from date of issue.  I want to use mine so I don’t lose it.

For the second night, I used 60,000 IHG Rewards points.  Recall, some of my IHG balance is left over from that time I filled out almost 100 index cards.  I also earned some other points when I got a points redemption on my stay in Vegas last year.  Also,  I took advantage of some other targeted promotions over the last 2 years.

60,000 per night is a bit steep, but I have no plans to stay at any other IHG hotel in the near future, so I don’t have an issue with using this many for this stay.

When I went to book this second night, I was 2,000 points short.  I easily transferred 2,000 points from my Chase Ultimate Rewards account to my IHG Rewards account.  The transfer was not immediate but within 24 hours.

I am excited for our little FREE summer getaways.  What are you doing this summer?