Even though I prefer booking a hotel all cash or all points, points plus cash can be a good choice at times. It is a great way to use expiring points, get a little extra discount or to use your points when you don’t have enough for the entire stay.
In case you haven’t used it before, Points + Cash, like the name suggests, lets you book a room by paying partly with points and partly with cash.
Generally IHG points plus cash rates are pretty bad deals. e.g. a quick search for InterContinental Bangkok shows the following rates. You do the math.
| Points | Cash | Points + Cash |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 points | 91.94 USD | 10,000 points + 74 USD |
However, IHG is currently offering a 20% discount on the cash portion of points plus cash bookings. You need to book by October 20th 2020 for stays up to 3rd January 2021. That might just swing the equation in the favor of points plus cash.
Search for rates on the offer page.
