IHG Friends & Family Rate: It Ended in 2025 — Here's What Replaced It

The popular IHG Friends & Family (F&F) Rate officially discontinued on December 31, 2025. It has been completely replaced by the new, invite-only IHG One Pass system. If you are looking for the public discount links from previous years, they are no longer active. Read on to see what changed and how you can still save on your next IHG stay.

What Was the IHG Friends & Family Rate?

For years, the IHG Friends and Family rate was one of the worst-kept secrets in the travel community. Originally designed as an internal perk for InterContinental Hotels Group employees to share with their loved ones, it quickly evolved into a massive, publicly accessible loophole.

Unlike employee rates that required strict ID verification at check-in, the F&F rate operated via public promotional links assigned to specific corporate employees. Anyone who clicked these links could access exclusive booking screens offering deep discounts of 15% to 30% off retail rates. The best part? Travelers could still earn elite night credits and IHG One Rewards points on these stays. Because of this rare combination of massive savings and points eligibility, it became a go-to strategy for budget-conscious travelers and points collectors worldwide.

What Happened: The Rate Ended December 31, 2025

All good things must come to an end. The IHG Friends & Family rate was officially discontinued on December 31, 2025.

This was a deliberate, structured sunsetting of the program by IHG corporate management rather than a sudden tech glitch. Over the years, the unrestricted nature of the public links led to widespread commercial abuse and heavy tracking issues for hotel owners, prompting IHG to thoroughly overhaul their employee-referred booking infrastructure.

If you managed to secure a booking using the old F&F rate before the December 31, 2025 deadline, your reservation will still be honored by the property. IHG has stated that existing bookings will remain valid under their original terms, so you do not need to worry about your upcoming stays being canceled or re-priced at check-in. However, modifications to those existing reservations are no longer permitted under the old rate codes.

What Replaced It: IHG One Pass

To fill the void left by the legacy program, IHG launched a modernized, much stricter framework starting January 2026: the IHG One Pass Friends Rate.

The new IHG One Pass program transitions the referral process away from open-ended web links and moves it entirely into a controlled dashboard. Under this new ecosystem, IHG employees must directly nominate and designate specific individuals as their "Friends" within their corporate portal.

While the barrier to entry is much higher, the rewards for actual friends of employees are significantly better. The table below outlines the major shifts between the old and new programs:

As you can see, the new program is a double-edged sword: it offers deeper discounts of up to 45% off, but it caps usage to prevent the rampant public sharing that defined the previous decade. For a complete, step-by-step breakdown of how the new verification system works, check out our full IHG One Pass guide.

Warning: Third-Party Access Sales

With the sudden restriction of these travel perks, a dangerous black market has emerged. Various third-party platforms, social media groups, and auction websites have begun selling "slots" or access codes to the new IHG One Pass platform.

We strongly warn our readers to avoid these paid access services. Purchasing a nomination slot explicitly violates IHG's corporate terms of use. IHG's compliance teams are actively auditing the newly formed One Pass employee networks. If a property or corporate audit catches an account linked to paid third-party access, IHG reserves the right to immediately cancel the reservation, strip you of your IHG One Rewards points, and blacklist your loyalty profile. It is a high-risk gray area that simply is not worth losing your account over.

What Are Your Options Now?

If you are an actual friend or family member of an IHG staff member, your path forward is simple: ask them to officially add your name to their corporate dashboard so you can unlock the superior 30–45% off rates.

If you are a regular traveler who used to rely on the old public links, you will need to pivot your booking strategies. Your best legitimate alternative is to maximize the standard IHG One Rewards loyalty program. By consistently booking direct as a member, you immediately secure Member Rates which offer a steady 2% to 10% discount. Furthermore, keeping an eye out for IHG's global seasonal promotions — such as their quarterly flash sales — often closes the gap on the old rates without violating any policy.

Additionally, if you work in the corporate travel sector, you may qualify for distinct professional rate structures. You can learn more about these specific criteria in our breakdown of the IHG Travel Agent Rates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still book the IHG Friends & Family rate in 2026?

No, you cannot. The traditional public-link booking method has been completely terminated. Any legacy links you find on forums or blogs will redirect to standard corporate homepages or return error codes. To get a referral discount now, an IHG employee must manually invite you into the closed One Pass ecosystem.

I had a reservation under the old F&F rate — will it still be honored?

Yes, IHG has confirmed that all stays booked under the legacy Friends & Family rate prior to December 31, 2025, will be fully honored at the hotel property. Your rate code, points eligibility, and room type will remain exactly as confirmed, provided you do not attempt to alter the dates or details of the stay.

What is IHG One Pass and how is it different from the old Friends & Family rate?

IHG One Pass is the direct replacement framework for employee referrals. The core difference lies in access and volume: the old rate was a public link open to anyone, whereas One Pass requires direct, individual employee nomination and caps total network usage to 50 nights per calendar year. You can read the full mechanics in our full IHG One Pass guide.

I'm not an IHG employee — is there still a way to get a discount at IHG hotels?

Absolutely. While the 45% employee-friend discount is out of reach, public travelers can leverage free IHG One Rewards memberships for immediate discounts, monitor regional flash sales, or utilize qualifying AAA/CAA and senior discounts to consistently reduce out-of-pocket costs.

Friends and Family Travel is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) or any of its subsidiaries. All program details are based on publicly available information and may change — always verify current terms at ihg.com before booking.