Since IHG revamped its program, member benefits have improved dramatically. With all the promotions over the past couple of years, I’m sure many of you have been racking up stays just like me. Alongside Diamond status and lounge passes, you’ve probably collected quite a few dining and confirmable suite upgrade certificates too.
The headache? They only last for a year. Dining vouchers are relatively easy to burn (although I’m yet to use mine), but suite upgrades can be tricky as redemption only opens 14 days prior and availability at popular hotels might be pool. By the way, IHG’s customer service team on Wechat can handle the request so you don’t necessarily have to call.
Any way, letting the vouchers expire unused feels like such a waste. If yours are about to run out, here’s a little workaround you can try.
Tip courtesy of our reader @Luca: thanks to some mysterious IT quirk, when you book an IHG hotel in Japan (especially the Bonus Point Package rates) and then cancel, the confirmable suite upgrade certificate often doesn’t get automatically refunded. If that happens, you can contact customer service and they’ll reissue it, granting you an extra three months of validity!
Three months isn’t a huge extension, but it’s better than nothing. That said, it’s still best to plan ahead and use your vouchers within the original validity period. Treat this trick as a one-off backup – rely on it too often, and it probably won’t work anymore.
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