A compelling aspect of an IHG rewards program is the ability to earn milestone rewards every 10 nights, starting with just 20 nights a calendar year. These milestone rewards can take the form of bonus points, food and beer rewards, confirmable suite upgrades, and even annual lounge membership.
Here’s what you need to know about IHG milestone rewards.
What are the IHG milestones?
IHG milestone rewards are based on the allowances you receive for each calendar year when you live with IHG. Specifically, you will receive a milestone award every 10 nights, starting at 20 nights and then experiencing 100 nights. Any night of elite qualifications, including awards nights, will be important. But, the flip night of the last calendar year No Calculate your income.
Here are the IHG milestone rewards you can earn when you reach the following milestones per calendar year (you can choose one at each level, and you can get two except for 40 and 70 nights):
- 20 nights: 5,000 bonus points, two $20
- 30 nights: 5,000 bonus points or two $20 food and beer bonuses
- 40 nights (select two): 10,000 bonus points, five $20 food and beer rewards, a confirmable kit upgrade (limit one) or an annual lounge membership (limit one)
- 50 nights: 10,000 bonus points or five $20 food and beer rewards
- 60 nights: 10,000 bonus points or five $20 food and beer rewards
- 70 nights (Choose two): 10,000 bonus points, five $20 food and beer bonuses, two confirmable kit upgrades (limit one) or one annual lounge membership (limit one)
- 80 nights: 10,000 bonus points or five $20 food and beer rewards
- 90 nights: 10,000 bonus points or five $20 food and beer rewards
- 100 nights: 10,000 bonus points or five $20 food and beer rewards
Let’s take a look at each IHG milestone reward option and how much value you can get from each IHG.
Reward points
Reward points are simple reward options you can choose in each milestone. If you select this option, IHG deposits these points directly into your account. According to TPG’s September 2025 valuation, the value of a 5,000 IHG is $25,000 worth $50 per bonus point.
Related: How to earn IHG points through stays, credit cards, etc.
Food and beer rewards
Similar to Reward Points, you can choose food and beer rewards at each milestone. Each food and beer award voucher is worth $20.
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Once you select food and beer rewards in a milestone, you can redeem these rewards for food and beverage expenses during your stay. However, you cannot use food and beer rewards using the following methods.
- Vending machine
- Third-party food delivery (e.g. Uber Eats)
- Restaurants that are not allowed
- Gift Shop
- Taxes
- As part of a group, part of a third-party payment, a packing tour or conference
You can redeem food and beer rewards on all IHG brands outside the IHG Army Hotel and select six sensory locations. You can also not use food and beer rewards during iberostar beachfront resorts and Iberostar Beachfront Resorts in Macau.
You can only use each voucher once, so make sure your food and beverage costs are greater than the value of the voucher being cashed out. After applying for a voucher, you will earn IHG points on your food and beer balance.
Food and Bafe Vouchers expire 12 months after choosing to reward them as a milestone. Finally, please note that food and beer rewards are non-transferable, so you can only apply them to room bills.
Related: How to Earn and Redeem IHG Food and Beer Rewards
Confirmable kit upgrades
In the 20-night and 40-night marks, you can choose a confirmable kit upgrade. Additionally, you can choose two confirmable kit upgrades after staying 70 nights within the calendar year. Although you can choose two rewards after spending 40 and 70 nights in a calendar year, you can only choose a confirmable suite upgrade at one time at each milestone.
You can apply a confirmable kit upgrade to most direct booking prices, including bonus nights and company selection and package price parties. However, if you book one of the following, you cannot upgrade with a confirmable suite:
- Group rates paid by third parties, package tours or conference stays
- Stay with IHG free night certificate or free weekend night for InterContinental Ambassadors (IHG program ultimately qualifies these stays)
- Unqualified rates (such as wholesale rates and rates booked through online travel agencies)
- Employee rate
- The prepaid rate you have deposited
- Some hotel-defined packages
- Stay in or in a Japanese hotel independent website
You can upgrade a room to an entry-level suite (or unavailable suite (if not available)) with a confirmable suite upgrade. To apply a kit upgrade to your reservation, you must contact IHG Customer Service between 14 days and 24 hours before check-in. However, note that the suite library is not available on some properties, and is limited on others.
Confirmable kit upgrades expire after 12 months of being selected through the IHG Milestone Rewards Program. These upgrades are not transferable and can only be applied to members’ rooms. You can upgrade with a confirmable suite on most IHG properties, except:
- Avid hotel
- Atwell Suite
- IHG Army Hotel
- IHG Residential
- InterContinental Union Resort in Macau
- Iberostar Beachfront Resort
- Ruby Hotel
Finally, if you use a confirmable suite upgrade to secure a club room, you won’t get club-level privileges as part of the upgrade. You can also not stack confirmable kit upgrades with guaranteed upgrades (like InterContinental Ambassador Membership). Any upgrades ensured by ensuring a suite upgrade are at the hotel’s sole discretion.
Related: 7 Ways to Get Hotel Room Upgrades
Annual lounge membership
You can choose your annual lounge membership in the 40-night or 70-night milestone. If you do this, you will be eligible for a lounge membership at the end of the calendar year back The one you won. So if you reach the 40-night milestone in November 2025, you can choose your annual lounge membership by the end of 2026.
If you have a lounge membership, you and your guests will have access to the hotel’s club lounge and its conveniences when staying at IHG Properties with club lounges. Despite the IHG membership terms and conditions state that reward nights and free nights are eligible, you must enjoy qualifying accommodation. However, InterContinental Union Resort in Macau remains unqualified.
You will gain access during your stay or before checkout, although the property can limit your access due to “renovation, closure or other facility restrictions.” Additionally, lounge membership does not allow you to provide services outside of the club lounge facilities or services.
Related: All information about the annual lounge membership for an IHG award
Redemption of IHG milestone rewards
After reaching a milestone, IHG will send you an email titled “You’re just unlocking milestone rewards.” This email will provide links you can click to select rewards. When logged into your IHG account, you can also check your progress at the time of getting another milestone reward.
I recommend waiting until the last minute to choose IHG milestone rewards unless you want to choose bonus points or lounge membership. After all, food and beer rewards and confirmable kit upgrades will depend on when they expire when you choose – so it is better to choose the former in time to apply for your current accommodation or the latter in the next 14 days or so.
Related: The 19 Best IHG Hotels in the World
Which IHG milestone reward is the best?
There is no correct answer to IHG milestone rewards are the best. This is part of the value: you can choose what best suits your needs.
It’s hard to value a confirmable kit upgrade or annual lounge membership, as these benefits depend on how you will use them and how they will increase the value of your stay. The value of annual lounge membership also depends on how many times you will get access to IHG Club Lounge so that your membership is available.
Even choosing a reward point or a food and beer reward is not clear. Although TPG is only worth 0.5 cents for one bonus point for IHG, I can usually get close to 0.8 cents when redeeming the IHG point.
I can’t tell you which IHG milestone reward is the best for you, but here’s my choice of rankings in each milestone:
- 20 nights: My first choice will be a confirmable suite upgrade as it will be nice to be sure to stay in a suite for the next 12 months. My second option would be 5,000 bonus points because I estimate those points about $40, while my third option would be two $20 food and beer rewards as these are worth up to $40, but are harder to use for me than the point.
- 30 nights: My first choice is the key point, the second choice is the same reason as above.
- 40 nights: My first choice will be annual lounge membership because I value IHG Club Lounge access. My second option would be a confirmable kit upgrade, because if I stayed for 40 nights a year I might get good value from another confirmed upgrade. My third option is five $20 food and beer rewards, as this reward is worth up to $100. My fourth option would be 10,000 bonus points, as I estimate those points to be around $80.
- 50 nights: My first choice is the food and beer festival rewards, the second choice is for the same reasons as above.
- 60 nights: My first choice is the food and beer festival rewards, the second choice is for the same reasons as above.
- 70 nights: My first choice will be two confirmable kit upgrades as this is the most valuable option on this milestone. My second option is annual lounge membership if I haven’t selected one as a 40-night milestone reward and plan to stay in at least one club lounge in one hotel before qualifying for 40 elite qualifiers next year. My third option is five $20 food and beer rewards, as this reward is worth up to $100. My fourth option would be 10,000 bonus points, as I estimate those points to be around $80.
- 80 nights: My first choice is the food and beer festival rewards, the second choice is for the same reasons as above.
- 90 nights: My first choice is the food and beer festival rewards, the second choice is for the same reasons as above.
- 100 nights: My first choice is the food and beer festival rewards, the second choice is for the same reasons as above.
Related: How much value does an IHG rewards program offer when booking directly?
Bottom line
Even if you don’t plan to win the IHG Elite status, you may still want to stay at least 20 nights a year for milestone rewards. After all, you can choose from 5,000 bonus points, two $20 food and beer bonuses or a confirmable kit upgrade after just 20 nights in the calendar year. While you can only apply a confirmable kit upgrade to up to five nights, you can earn valuable perks after only 20 nights in the calendar year, which can provide good value.
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