Your complete guide to IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn

IHG One Rewards is the loyalty program for the International Hotel Group family of hotels, which includes brands like Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and the trendy Hotel Indigo family of boutique hotels. Joining this program can be incredibly rewarding since you get the chance to earn points for free hotel nights at more than 6,600 properties around the globe.

However, you don’t have to stay with IHG properties to earn points. An alternative way to rack up rewards in this program involves utilizing IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn, which offers rewards when you dine at participating restaurants. Read on to learn how IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn works and how you can get started.

What is IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn?

IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn, or IHG Dining, is a program that lets you earn points after you sign up and dine at participating restaurants. You can even start off by earning 1,000 bonus points when you spend $30 dining at a participating restaurant and leave an online review within your first 30 days of membership.

From there, the number of points you’ll earn in this program depends on your level of membership. For example:

• Basic members earn 1X IHG Rewards Club points for each dollar they spend at participating eateries. This is the base level if you choose not to subscribe to email communications from the program.
• Select members earn 5X points for each dollar they spend. You can reach this tier by electing to receive email communications from IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn.
• VIP members earn 8X points for each dollar they spend. You can reach this tier by electing to receive electronic communication and dining out 11 times in the program within a calendar year.

How to sign up

To get started with this program, all you have to do is head to the IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn program website. Once there, click on the button that says “Join Now.”

At this point in the process, you can join the program by filling out:

1. Your name
2. Your email address
3. Your IHG One Rewards membership number
4. A password for your dining rewards account

Note that you do have to be a member of IHG One Rewards to join the dining program. Fortunately, this program is also free to join and easy to sign up for.

If you’re not a member of the IHG One Rewards already, you can join the loyalty program here. Once you’ve signed up, you simply use your enrolled credit card at eligible restaurants, and any resulting rewards will be automatically added to your account.

How much are points worth?

Points in the IHG One Rewards program are worth an average of 0.7 cents each, according to Bankrate’s latest points and miles valuation. However, it’s possible to get a higher or lower value for your points depending on how you redeem them.

While IHG One Rewards points are not worth as much as rewards in some other programs, these points are easy to earn compared to some other programs. If you sign up for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card*, for example, you can earn up to 26X points total per dollar spent at IHG hotels.

How to earn and redeem points

There are numerous ways to earn points in the IHG One Rewards program, including with paid hotel stays or with IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn. Other ways to earn points include:

• Making a restaurant reservation through OpenTable and linking your account
• Booking travel with IHG hotel or rental car partners
• Taking advantage of special promotions
• Spending with a co-branded IHG One Rewards credit card

When it comes to IHG Dining rewards, you can choose from the following:

• Stays at more than 6,000 IHG properties worldwide
• Merchandise through IHG
• Gift cards
• Experiences like concerts or sporting events
• Digital rewards, including ebooks, games and music
• Magazine subscriptions
• Donations to charity
• Turn your points into airline miles with select partners

Best cards for IHG Dining

Savvy shoppers know the way to ramp up rewards when eating out is to make purchases with one of the best dining rewards credit cards.

The IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn program makes this easy because you’ll have to link a credit card or debit card when you sign up. You can link up to five additional cards later on, giving you lots of flexibility. With that in mind, we recommend the following:

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5

• Bankrate’s take

  The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card may be one of the best dining credit cards on the market. Consider the card’s bonus offer and the following earning rates before you apply:

  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn $300 in welcome bonuses. Enjoy a $100 credit to use towards flights, stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel during your first cardholder year. Plus, earn a $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening

  • Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
  • Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services
  • Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases

American Express® Gold Card

Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

4.9

• Bankrate’s take

  The American Express® Gold Card is a popular rewards credit card for foodies that offers exceptional rewards on dining, gorceries and other important categories, such as travel. Here are the main card details to consider as you weigh your options:

  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

The bottom line

If you are an IHG One Rewards member, and you’re looking for ways to earn points faster, the IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn program is a free and easy way to do it.

To benefit the most from this program, link one of the best dining rewards credit cards to the program to increase your earnings, whether you’re at home or enjoying a getaway at an IHG hotel.

*The information about the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.