IHG Rewards Club and Mastercard are offering a promotion where 2 stays (one has to be for at least 2 nights) between November 1, 2017 and February 1, 2018 can each a gift card up to $100.

And once you earn the gift card you can earn 4000 bonus points for your next stay that’s two nights or longer.

There are four steps to be eligible.

1. Register
2. Book direct
3. Have your IHG Rewards Club number in the reservation prior to checkout
4. Pay with a Mastercard

You have to be a resident of the US 50 states or D.C., be at least 21 years old, and have a Mastercard as of November 1, 2017 to be eligible.

Here’s how the gift card offer works:

Stay at least two times, and if one of your stays is at least 2 nights during the promotion period you’ll receive a gift card.

How much your gift card is for depends on whether one of your stays is at one of the chain’s more premium brands.

If at least one of the stays:

• is at an InterContinental, the gift card will be for $100
• is at a Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, or Even Hotels brand hotel, the gift card will be for $75
• Otherwise — if both stays are at Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Resort, Hualaxe, Staybridge Suites, or Candlewood Suites brand hotels, the gift card will be for $50

After qualifying for a gift card you’ll receive an email with a redemption link. Gift cards must be claimed by March 31, 2018.

Then you can earn 4000 points

After you’ve completed your stays to earn the gift card you will earn 4000 bonus points on your next stay of 2 nights or longer that you pay for with a Mastercard by February 1, 2018.

You have to pay a qualifying rate (“which include most business and leisure rates”) and can earn the 4000 bonus points only once.

And There’s a Photo Sharing Contest

Additionally there’s a photo sharing contest. Share photos of favorite travel memories on Instagram or Twitter using the designated hashtags #Priceless #TravelFirsts and #Contest hash tags for the chance to win one of the 4 “Priceless Experience packages”: Los Angeles, New York City, Las Vegas, and New Orleans.

Winners receive a 3 night stay at an IHG property, a gift card, and an “exclusive experiences designed to create unforgettable memories.”

Verdict

A $100 gift card is great but it does require an Intercontinental hotel stay. Even if it’s the 1 night stay — as long as we’re not talking about Intercontinental Suites Cleveland — is likely to be pricey.

I’d view this more as a $50 rebate on a minimum of 3 nights’ hotel, of $16.67 per night. That’s nice to have, and you still go through the hoops of claiming and using a gift card, but it’s not going to move the needle on my stays.

I value IHG Rewards Club points at 3/5ths of a cent apiece. 4000 points is worth $24 to me, or a $12 rebate per night on a 2-night stay after completing the first part of the promotion.

That’s nice to have and makes the offer worth registering for but I wouldn’t choose my hotel on the basis of the offer either.

Since the photo contest isn’t random, but judged by experts based on:

• Relevance to Theme of Contest: 33%
  
• Quality of Photo: 34%
  
• Creativity: 33%

I’m not going to enter. If you’re reading this blog, you’ve seen my photos. On the other hand, someone will win of course.