(EXPIRED) 10x IHG through Rakuten

Shopping portal Rakuten is today once again offering 10x / 10% back on IHG bookings. That is an excellent return considering that you’re just clicking through a portal and then booking directly with IHG, which means you would still earn IHG points and elite credit / benefits. 

The Deal

• Earn 10% cashback / 10x Membership Rewards points through Rakuten (formerly Ebates) on reservations for IHG Hotels:
  • Holiday Inn
  • Holiday Inn Express
  • Crowne Plaza
  • Candlewood Suites
  • Staybridge Suites
  • InterContinental
  • Even Hotels
  • Holiday Inn Club Vacations
  • Hotel Indigo
• If you are new to Rakuten and want to earn Membership Rewards, you’ll want to sign up via this link: www.rakuten.com/american-express. (not an affiliate link)
• If you are new to Rakuten and prefer to earn cash back, you can sign up with our affiliate link with our thanks.

Key Terms

• Likely only available today
• Exclusions: Changes made to the reservation, at the hotel, will void Cash Back. Cash Back is only available on United States hotels and for commissionable IHG rates. Specialty negotiated rates such as IHG friends & Family are not eligible for Cash Back. Cash Back is not available on the purchase of reward Club Points. Rooms booked and paid for by IHG reward Club Points are not eligible for Cash Back incentives.
• Special Terms: Changes made to the reservation, at the hotel, will void Cash Back.
• Posting Time: Cash Back will be added to your Rakuten account within six weeks after travel has been completed.

Quick Thoughts

Rakuten offers users the choice between earning cash back or earning Amex Membership Rewards points. If you value Membership Rewards points more highly than 1c each, you might want to consider changing your earning preferences if you haven’t already. Earning 10x Membership Rewards points per dollar for your IHG bookings is a solid deal.

The nice thing about booking through a shopping portal as is the case in this deal is that you’re taken directly to the hotel website to complete your booking, so your stay should qualify for all the usual benefits (loyalty points, elite benefits, elite credit, etc). Use your favorite rewards credit card that earns a bonus on travel to earn points as you would ordinarily expect on a direct hotel booking or stack as noted at the top of the post.

Keep in mind that portal terms often exclude special rates like friends & family rates, but I’ve anecdotally found that booking the AAA rate can be an eligible rate for cash back. YMMV (a strict reading of the terms might be taken to mean that AAA rates aren’t eligible, so it’s always possible something could change, but it has worked for me with other chains).

Unfortunately, there is no way to apply this to a previous booking; you would need to cancel your existing booking and re-book by first clicking through Rakuten today (though you’ll of course want to check to make sure rates haven’t increased). Cash back posts within a few weeks after completing your stay.

If you have paid bookings to make, this is a solid return and it’s great to see it come around again.

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