IHG ran a very lucrative promotion on Cyber Monday, allowing its rewards program members to earn 10,000 bonus points every two nights through the end of 2022.
You were required to register and book this offer during the 48-hour “Local Standard Time” window. They have now started to deny bonuses because the reservations were not booked when the offer was active Zulu time (yes – you read it right).
You can access IHG’s page for the Cyber Sale here.
READ MORE: IHG One Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Previous Cyber Bonus Coverage:
Potential IHG One Rewards Cyber Promo Disaster
Vague Booking Window
To participate in this Promotion, a member must both register for the Promotion and book their qualifying room night stays during the “Activation Period.” The “Activation Period” is November 28, 2022 (12:00AM Local Standard Time).
What is this “Local Standard Time”?
It is not defined anywhere. So, is it the local time of the hotel you try to book, the time of the city/country where your account is based, the time of IHG’s headquarters (UK), or their US operations (Atlanta)?
IHG’s Denial of Points:
A reader forwarded us their case where IHG clearly states that the qualifying reservations should have been booked per Zulu time (GMT for those of us not in the military).
UPDATE from the reader:
After I consulted with the call center. They cannot do anything. But the admin of IHG Facebook helped me and finally adjusted points to my account.
Conclusion
When I wrote about this offer, I knew there would be issues with the booking window definition because it was not clearly spelled out and only referred to as an “Activation Period” and “Local Standard Time.”
IHG has another massive mess on its hands after being hacked this autumn and forced to take systems down for days.
How is it so difficult for IHG to clearly spelled out promotion rules so there wouldn’t be never-ending issues with their offers?
How are IHG One Rewards members supposed to read IHG’s mind that they were referring to Zulu military time when it was written as Local Standard Time on the promo T&Cs?
The reader should contact IHG One Rewards customer support and demand that these points are posted. If they are not, they should open a complaint with their local consumer ombudsman against InterContinental Hotels Group.
