How to Double Your Hotel Points This Month (and Book 5-Star Stays for Less)

IHG is selling points with a 100% bonus through August 17, 2026 — meaning your points can double. Here's how it works in plain English, how I used it to save about 39% on a 5-star Singapore hotel, and a simple way to decide if it's right for your next stay.

IHG Buy Points 100% Bonus Sale (Through August 17, 2026): How to Use It to Save

by Julia Portela

August 1, 2026 Reading Time: 4 min read

IHG is running a "buy points" sale with a bonus of up to 100%. In simple terms: when you buy points, IHG can give you the same amount for free, so your points double. This can be a smart way to make a hotel stay much cheaper, and I'll show you exactly how I used it.

In this post:

• What this deal actually is
• How the buying limits work
• How I used it in Singapore
• When buying points is worth it
• Your simple booking checklist
• Bottom line

What This Deal Actually Is

Through August 17, 2026, IHG is selling IHG One Rewards points with a bonus of up to 100%.

A 100% bonus means that for every point you buy, IHG gives you one more for free. So if you buy 20,000 points, you can end up with 40,000. That's what makes these sales worth paying attention to.

A few simple things to know:

• You need to buy at least 5,000 points in one purchase to get the bonus.
• The exact bonus you get (it may be less than 100% for some people) shows up when you log into your IHG account. So check your own account to see your offer.
• The sale ends August 17, 2026.

How the Buying Limits Work

There's a limit on how many points you can buy: up to 200,000 points per calendar year. Some accounts get a higher limit (250,000, 300,000, or more), so check yours.

Two easy things to keep in mind:

• If you already bought points earlier this year, that counts toward your 200,000 limit.
• Bought points (and the bonus points) don't help you earn elite status. They're only for booking stays.

How I Used It in Singapore

Here's a real example. I had a 20-hour layover in Singapore, so I decided to stay the night at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, a 5-star hotel right at the airport (it's actually won awards for being one of the best airport hotels in the world).

The room was about $302 in cash for one night, or 32,000 points.

Normally I don't like spending my hard-earned flexible points at IHG (I'll explain why below). And luckily, IHG was running this same 100% bonus at the time. So instead of paying the full $302, here's what I did:

• I bought 16,000 points for $184
• The 100% bonus gave me another 16,000 points for free
• That gave me 32,000 points, exactly enough for the night

So I paid $184 instead of $302, saving about $118 — roughly 39% off the cash price. I had a fantastic stay, got to explore Singapore during my layover, wandered the airport, and was ready to catch my flight the next morning since I was already right there.

When Buying Points Is Worth It

Here's my honest advice: I don't recommend transferring your hard-earned flexible points (like Amex or Chase) to IHG, unless you're just topping off, meaning you're a few points short of a booking.

IHG runs these buy-points bonuses so often that it's usually cheaper to simply buy the points during a sale than to spend your valuable transferable points. Use bonuses like this one to make a specific hotel booking cheaper than it would otherwise be.

Your Simple Booking Checklist

Before you book any IHG stay, do this quick 4-step check. It takes two minutes and can save you real money:

1. Check the cash price of your stay.
2. Check the points price for the same stay.
3. Check how much it costs to buy those points during this sale (with the bonus).
4. Compare all three, and book whichever is cheapest.

Sometimes cash is the better deal. Sometimes points you already have are. And sometimes, like in my Singapore stay, buying discounted points is the cheapest option of all.

Bottom Line

Don't transfer your hard-earned flexible points to IHG unless you're just topping off a booking. Instead, take advantage of sales like this one to make your next hotel stay cheaper than it should be.

If you have an IHG stay coming up, run the quick check: compare the cash price, the points price, and the cost to buy the points. Then book whatever costs you the least. That's how you travel smarter and keep more money in your pocket.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.