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After a bit of an initial (typical…) IT hiccup, the latest IHG Flash Sale is now live, offering “25% off” at hotels across Europe. You need to book by 23:59 on 1st July and stay between July 7 – September 10 2017.
On the face of it the offer seems quite good:
“Grab yourself a summer bargain with our Summer Flash Sale. The clock is ticking. Book direct before 01st July and save up to 25% for stays between 7th July and 10th September. With over 600 hotels to choose from, Europe awaits you! Book anywhere else and you´ll overpay.”
After a bit of research though, it doesn’t seem like it’s something to get too excited about. The 25% discount is derived from the Best Flexible Rate, despite the sale rates being non-refundable. This means that the real discount is substantially less than 25%.
As you can see below, the results for a random date in Berlin this Summer weren’t exactly inspiring (normal rates in grey, sale rates in orange)…
To be fair, most of the searches I did showed a saving of pounds rather than pennies – but not very many pounds…
IHG Flash Sale bottom line
It might not be a great offer, but it’s still worth checking the IHG Flash Sale if you were planning on making a booking anyway, as you’ll probably save a few quid – particularly if you are still trying to hit your Accelerate targets for this quarter.
Most of the time though, you will be better off using the IHG Mastercard Partner rate (you don’t need to actually use, or even have, a Mastercard to take advantage!) for stays in Europe, which can offer genuinely decent discounts when booking in advance.
Terms
Book the Flash Sale rate between 00:01 local time on 27 June 2017 and 23.59 local time on 1 July 2017 for stays between 7 July 2017 to 10 September 2017 (inclusive) at participating European IHG Hotels to receive a discount of up to 25% off the Best Flexible Rate. Offer only available to IHG® Rewards Club members. Membership is free. See www.ihgrewardsclub.com to enrol. IHG® Rewards Club Membership Terms and Conditions apply (http://www.ihg.com/hotels/gb/en/global/customer_care/member-tc).
From 00.01 local time on 27 June 2017 until 23.59 local time on 28 June 2017 bookings can only be made through the IHG Mobile App (the “App”). The App can be downloaded from https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/support/mobile or by using the Appstore or Googleplay. From 00.01 local time on 29 June 2017 to 23.59 1 July 2017 bookings can be made through any IHG direct channel. Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts are excluded from this promotion. Blackout dates (when the offer is not available) may apply in some hotels.
Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, discount or promotion. For further terms and conditions, please go to https://www.ihg.com/hotels/gb/en/global/customer_care/member-tc.
I received an e-mail from Quidco yesterday stating that cashback for IHG was increased to 10% (from the standard 8%) for 24 hours only. Which is great considering the e-mail came in at 1515. When I read the Ts & Cs, it said the rate was only valid until 0900 on the 30th May 2017 (assume they meant June!) and there was also reference to the 25% flash sale as well.
I’ve just checked and the cashback rate has now reverted to 8%, but there is still a link for the 25% sale and 8% cashback, so if you are going to book anyway, then you may as well get cashback while you’re at it!