IHG slightly changed the name of its guest loyalty program, renamed its top-tier status, introduced new elite benefits, and launched Milestone Rewards in 2022.
IHG One Rewards offers certain benefits as part of elite status, such as a base points bonus + breakfast. You can also choose a set of Milestone Rewards, like an Annual Lounge Pass and confirmable suite upgrade certificates.
You can access IHG’s page for elite benefits here.
READ MORE: IHG One Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers
The most beneficial Milestone Rewards are the confirmable suite upgrade certificates, which are sometimes difficult to use, and the Annual Lounge Pass, which grants you access to the club lounges at IHG-affiliated hotels.
You have 90 days to choose each Milestone Reward from the date you earn them, and there has been a “loophole” when you should select the Annual Lounge pass, as its validity is not based on when it was earned but rather when you selected it:
IHG One Rewards Milestone Rewards “Annual Lounge Membership” Now Valid Through December 31, 2024
Annual Lounge Pass validity has been for the year when you selected it + 1, but this will change in early 2025 to the year when the option to choose it becomes available + 1, which must have been the original intent instead of what has taken place for the past couple of year.
There is no longer an incentive for IHG One Rewards members to time their 40 or 70 nights to be within 3 months of January 1st and then make the choice on that date to have the validity to be effectively 24 months.
IHG’s Update:
Beginning in 2025, the Annual Lounge Membership is valid for the remaining days in the year, if any, following the date the Milestone is achieved, plus one Calendar Year, regardless of when Milestone selection occurs, e.g. an Annual Lounge Membership Milestone choice achieved in June 2025 and selected in August 2025 will be valid until 31 December 2026.
Conclusion
Even for those earning the 40 or 70-night Milestone yearly, it has been beneficial to choose it every other year because you can then use that milestone slot to select something else.
From now on, the only “loophole” is to get the 40 nights early in the initial year, as the pass is valid until the end of the following year.
You have to remember that not many IHG-affiliated hotels have club lounges, mostly InterContinentals, and some of them are even ripping them away, like the InterContinental hotel in Lyon (read more here).
