Yes, you can transfer IHG Points to airline miles. “But should you?” is the million-points question.

While there are times when this conversion from IHG points to air miles can be beneficial, it’s generally like trying to use a fork to eat soup.

IHG points to miles transfer partners.

IHG has buddied up with quite a few airlines for point transfers. Here’s a who’s who of airlines ready and willing to take your IHG points off your hands.

From Aeromexico’s Club Premier to Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer, you’ve got a veritable smorgasbord of airways to choose from.

IHG Points to Airline Miles transfer ratio.

The conversion ratio is 10,000 IHG points for a measly 2000 airline miles – not exactly the deal of the century if you ask me. Your IHG points are typically worth around 0.6 cents each, which means that 10,000 of these shiny gems are worth roughly USD 60.

It would be tougher than finding your bag in the lost luggage pile to find an airline that would give you more than $60 value for 2000 miles. However, it’s not impossible – e.g., some business class bookings with United might just surpass that value.

On the flip side, with programs like InterMiles, you will find it difficult to even get a $5 value for your 2000 hard-earned miles.

Choose wisely.

How to transfer From IHG Points To Airline Miles?

Unfortunately, transferring your points is not possible online. To transfer your IHG points to airline miles, you’ll need to call up IHG One Rewards Customer Care, and request for points transfer instead.

Remember, it could take up to 21 days for your points to show up in their new avatar as air miles. While some programs may be faster than others, it’s best to keep some buffer.

This is different from opting for miles vs. points.

Just a quick FYI – choosing to earn air miles instead of IHG points for your stays is not the same as transferring your existing IHG points into air miles. My advice? Stick with earning points.

The number of IHG points you can earn per stay is much more than the airline miles you get.

When it makes sense to transfer IHG points to miles?

There are a few situations where you may find transferring your IHG points to miles useful.

• If your points are about to expire due to inactivity for 12 months, converting a few of them can be a last-ditch effort to save them from oblivion. However, there are better ways to prevent your IHG points from expiring.

• If you’re not in the mood to spend cash on a trip (it happens) and have an abundance of IHG points lying around unused, handing over some of them for an air ticket might just make sense.

• If you’re tantalizingly close to booking your dream award flight but are just short of a few miles, IHG points can come riding in like a knight in shining armor.

• If you’ve had one too many terrible experiences at IHG hotels and have sworn off them forever, this conversion could be precisely the kind of cleansing ritual you need.

Bottom-line.

While IHG allows you to convert your IHG reward points to airlines miles with several programs, it’s not worth it in most cases. Except for a handful of situations where it may be desirable.