InterContinental Hotels Group appears always have innovative marketing campaigns. They just announced on Twitter their latest Black Friday themed promotion, where one can earn $100 flight credit for two nights weekend stay. Of course it isn’t that easy. There are few hoops for one to go through to actually collect the credit. This promotion is only available for residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

1. You need to register for the promotion at http://get100rules.ihg.com/welcome.php

2. You will receive a confirmation email that includes a link. You are not registered for this promotion before clicking the link on the email.

3. You need to book and stay a two night weekend (Friday to Sunday or Saturday to Monday) stay using a rate that qualifies for Priority Club points between November 1^st and April 28^th, 2012. Only stays in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia qualify.

4. You need to fax, email, or mail the folio to the OTB.

5. The $100 award pin number is emailed within two weeks after receiving the complete forms.

6. The pin number then has to be activated on specific website within 30 days after receiving it. http://www.activateaward.com/index.php?sc=ihgffc&p=&s=&e=true

7. After activating the award you have 4 months to book it.

8. You can only book up to 5 months in advance. The flight need to book at least 14 days in advance and include a Saturday night stay. If you have received multiple awards, you can only travel once per quarter.

These are not even all requirements. The full terms and conditions can be found below. The promotion sounds quite ok if you have IHG stays lined up. But, they do make you go through quite a few hoops to claim the credit.

It is not explicitly said on the terms and conditions, but when they run similar promotion previously, they actually charged the full amount to the redeemers’ credit card and later sent out the “$100 Flight Credit Award” as a check.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Eligibility:

Registration is required in advance of stay. Register at www.ihg.com/get100rules. Valid email address is required for registration. Must register between November 1, 2011- November 28, 2011 and book and complete a stay at any IHG brand hotel in the United States and the District of Columbia between November 1, 2011 through April 29, 2012. IHG brands are InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. Open to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who have attained the age of majority in the jurisdiction of their residence.

A stay is defined as two consecutive weekend nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) at the same hotel, regardless of frequency of check-in/out. A stay is qualified when paying qualifying rates, which include most business and leisure rates. Qualifying Room Rates do not include the following reduced room rates: net wholesale individual and group rate, certain package rates, employee discount rate, friends and family rate, crew rate, special discounted contract rates, seasonal worker/crew rate, 50% travel club discount rate, travel industry discount rate, distressed passenger rate, Priority Club Reward Nights/Airline Hotel Reward rate, complimentary hotel stays and any other rates not defined as a Qualifying Room Rate. Also excluded are opaque rates and “name your own price” rates (where hotel name, location and/or rate not visible until after booking is submitted). Guests of an InterContinental Alliance Resort (The Venetian or The Palazzo) must book their qualifying reservation through IHG channels (brand websites, call centers, and GDS) to become eligible. Guests who book in any other way, including directly with The Venetian or The Palazzo or any other hotel, will be ineligible.

A $100 off Flight Credit (Award) will be provided to each customer who makes a qualifying two-night weekend stay booked on or after November 1, 2011 at InterContinental^®, Crowne Plaza^®, Hotel Indigo^®, Holiday Inn^®, Holiday Inn Express^® and Express by Holiday Inn^™, Holiday Inn Club Vacations^™, Staybridge Suites^® and Candlewood Suites^® hotels for U.S. resident stays in the United States and District of Columbia between November 4, 2011 — April 29, 2012. Limit of three qualified Awards per person during the promotional period.

Submission Requirements:

Upon completion of your qualifying stay, you must submit a copy of your Hotel folio (bill) either by email, fax or mail according to the instructions that will be provided when you register. Submissions must occur by May 31, 2012. For mailed submissions, a postmark of May 31, 2012 or earlier is required. Offer valid only on purchase of hotel room nights at IHG brand hotels as stated above. Once registered for the promotion, your rights cannot be transferred. Keep copies of all materials submitted: originals will not be returned. Warning: Fraudulent submission could result in federal prosecution under mail fraud statutes (Title 18, USC Sections 1341 & 1342). Your $100 Flight Credit Award pin number will be emailed within 2 weeks after receipt of all correct forms. If you have not received your pin number within 4 weeks, send an email to support@otbterms.com. IHG shall not be responsible for lost or misdirected mail.

Claims postmarked after May 31, 2012, incomplete or illegible submissions, counterfeit copies of forms or receipts, and duplicate submissions will be rejected. IHG is not responsible for loss of submission forms or Awards due to lost or misdirected mail or for illegible entries. Good for actual purchases by end users only; excludes resellers and distributors of products and their families. IHG reserves the right to request additional information regarding this claim.

Employees or their family members of IHG companies, OTB or ATG are not eligible to participate in this promotion. Offer void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Promotion sponsor is Six Continents Hotels, Inc. Terms subject to change at IHG??™s discretion. For complete and up-to-date terms go to www.ihg.com/get100rules.

$100 Flight Credit – Terms & Conditions

1. You must register your $100 Flight Credit Award (“Award”) online within 30 days of the sending of the award email at www.activateaward.com/IHG-FFC before using it. Only the person who initially received the Award can activate it and redeem it and must be the traveler. A toll free number to make airline reservations will be provided upon registration.
2. Questions regarding the promotion may be emailed to support@otbterms.com
3. Your activated Award entitles you to receive a savings of $100 on the cost of one roundtrip airline ticket, any airline, any destination. Flights must be on a single carrier.
4. The value of the Award will be applied to the base fare of one airline ticket only. Taxes and fees are the responsibility of the passenger. The taxes and fees include, but are not limited to: U.S. transportation excise tax of 7.5% of the fare and a segment fee of $3.70 per flight (a flight segment is one takeoff and landing) September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement at a U.S. airport (max $10.00 per round trip). Passenger Facility Charges of up to $4.50 per segment (max $18.00 per round trip).. Travel Facilities Tax of $8.20 per direction between Alaska and Hawaii. US Immigration User Fee of $7.00 for travel to and from Hawaii and Alaska, a U.S. transportation excise tax of $8.10 per departure. U.S. Customs User Fee of $5.50. US APHIS User Fee of $5.00. US International Transportation Tax of $16.30 per arrival or departure. Foreign Government taxes and fees of up to $250.00 (varies widely by destination and fluctuates with exchange rates). If the base fare of the airline ticket is less than $100, the discount amount will be for the amount of the base fare only. If the Award is redeemed for less that its full potential value ($100), the Award holds no residual value for future travel.
5. Your airfare must be booked through the travel agent for this promotion ATG (CST# 2001330-10 and Florida Seller of Travel Registration #35395, and Nevada Seller of Travel Registration No. 240000054), within 4 months of Award registration. All travel using the Award must be completed within 5 months of booking.
6. This offer is subject to the availability of airline seats at the specified fares at the time of booking, so the farther in advance you can make your travel plans the easier it will be to accommodate your specific preferences.
7. A Saturday night stay and 14-day advance purchase of your Award flight is required by the travel agent for this promotion. ATG is open from 8:30AM to 5:00PM (Pacific Time) Monday through Friday, and closed on holidays. To reach a travel agent during the hours the office is open you may need to call more than 14 days prior to your intended departure date.
8. Upon issuance of your airline tickets or ticketing confirmation, passengers are subject to all of the rules and regulations of the issuing airline, including but not limited to rules on refunds, exchanges, cancellations and fees charged for changes of itinerary. The names of the passengers cannot be changed. Changes or cancellations to the original booking may be subject to additional fees charged by the airline, ATG or both. Changes and/or cancellations to the original booking may only be made through ATG. If changes are made directly with the airline, the Award will be voided and the discount may be charged back to the purchaser’s credit card.
9. Only one Award can be redeemed per trip. Recipient of multiple Awards cannot travel more than once per calendar quarter. This Award cannot be combined with any other promotional program.
10. ATG has no control over schedule changes, cancelled or oversold flights. Remedies for these situations are at the discretion of the transporting carrier and subject to federal regulations.
11. ATG has final authority on all ticketing, pricing, and seat and fare availability decisions.
12. Terms and conditions are subject to change. For complete, up-to-date information, please go to www.ihg.com/get100rules

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