Link: Learn more about the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Hotel credit cards are incredibly underrated. Even if you don’t spend much money on them, they can offer huge perks, including elite status and free night certificates. When you combine these two factors, a lot of these cards offer outsized value.
In this post, I’d like to take a closer look at a hotel credit card that I think just about everyone should have, for the anniversary free night certificate, if nothing else. This is an especially good time to apply, given the welcome offer that’s currently available.
IHG One Rewards Premier Card welcome offer & fee basics
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is the premium Chase and IHG co-branded personal credit card. Even if you don’t plan on putting much spending on the card, this card can be worth having for the anniversary free night certificate, fourth night free on award redemptions, elite status, and much more.
For those of you not familiar with IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the group owns InterContinental, Six Senses, Regent, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, and more.
Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about this card.
Limited time welcome bonus of 175K IHG points
The IHG Premier Card is currently offering a limited time welcome bonus where you can earn 175,000 IHG One Rewards bonus points after spending $5,000 within the first three months. Previously, the card offered a bonus of up to 140,000 points, so this is 35,000 points bigger.
For what it’s worth, I value IHG One Rewards points at 0.5 cents each, so I’d consider this bonus to be worth $875. This is among the best offers that we’ve seen on this card.
IHG credit card eligibility restrictions & rules
The welcome bonus on the IHG Premier Card isn’t available to those who currently have a personal IHG One Rewards credit card, or those who have received a new cardmember bonus on a personal IHG One Rewards credit card in the past 24 months. So you aren’t eligible for the card if you have the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (review).
However, you are eligible if you have the business version of the card, which is the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (review).
$99 annual fee & $0 authorized user fee
The IHG Premier Card has a $99 annual fee. You can add additional cardmembers to your account at no extra cost. As I’ll explain below, the annual fee is well worth it even if you don’t spend money on the card, since you get an anniversary free night certificate.
IHG Premier Card points earning structure
The IHG Premier Card has a solid points-earning structure, and it very well could be worth spending money on the card. That’s especially true when you consider the spending threshold bonuses.
10x IHG points at IHG properties
If you have the IHG Premier Card, you can earn 26x IHG One Rewards points per dollar spent at IHG properties. However, in reality, not all of those points come from the credit card. Here’s how this breaks down:
- You earn 10x points from IHG for being an IHG program member
- You earn 6x points from IHG with Platinum status, which is a benefit of this card
- You earn 10x points for paying with your IHG Premier Card
5x IHG points on travel, gas stations, and dining
The IHG Premier Card offers 5x IHG One Rewards points for purchases made on travel, gas stations, and dining. Those are some well-rounded bonus categories, and based on my valuation of IHG points, that’s like a ~2.5% return on that spending. In and of itself, that’s not so amazing, but there are further incentives to spend money on the card.
3x IHG points on other purchases
For categories in which you can’t earn 5-10x points, the IHG Premier Card offers 3x IHG One Rewards points per dollar spent. While there are potentially better cards for everyday spending, there could be value in using the card in the right spending increments.
No foreign transaction fees
The IHG Premier Credit Card has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s a good card for purchases abroad. That’s especially true when staying at IHG properties abroad, as well as for dining and commuting outside the United States.
$100 statement credit & 10K bonus points with spending
As a further incentive to spend money on the card, the IHG Premier Card offers a $100 statement credit plus 10,000 IHG One Rewards bonus points when you spend $20,000 on the card in a calendar year.
As I mentioned above, I value IHG points at 0.5 cents each, so between the statement credit and points, that’s like $150 of additional value, making it an incremental 0.75% return on $20,000 worth of spending. When you stack it with the card’s other perks, that could add up.
IHG Diamond status with spending
The IHG Premier Card offers IHG Diamond status if you spend $40,000 or more on the card in a calendar year. This is IHG’s top tier elite status, which offers perks like complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, late check-out, and more.
With the Milestone Rewards program (which you can unlock based on how many elite nights you earn with IHG per year), you can receive benefits like confirmed suite upgrades, club lounge access, food & beverage credits, and more.
IHG Premier Credit Card benefits & perks
What truly makes the IHG Premier Card exceptional is the benefits and perks that it offers, which in my opinion more than offset the annual fee on the card.
IHG anniversary free night award
Every year on your account anniversary you get a free night certificate, valid at any property costing up to 40,000 IHG One Rewards points per night. Best of all, you can use points to top off your award and redeem at a more expensive property, with no limit. In other words, you could book a hotel costing 60,000 points per night by using the certificate and redeeming an additional 20,000 points.
This free night certificate will be issued shortly after your anniversary and is valid for 12 months. I’ve consistently gotten huge value with these certificates, and have been able to redeem them at properties costing $250+ per night, without even taking into account the ability to top off these certificates with points.
Fourth night free on award redemptions
Just for having the IHG Premier Card you get a fourth night free on award redemptions. When you book four consecutive nights on an award redemption then you only have to redeem points for the first three nights.
This is an awesome perk, since it can be used an unlimited number of times (you can even use it to book multiple rooms at the same hotel). If you usually redeem points for stays in increments of four nights, this is like getting 25% off all your redemptions.
IHG Platinum status
You receive IHG Platinum status for as long as you have the IHG Premier Card. Among other things, IHG Platinum members receive:
- Complimentary room upgrades, subject to availability
- 60% bonus points
- Late check-out, subject to availability
- Priority check-in
- Complimentary internet
- Welcome amenity
- Access to award sales throughout the year
- Access to the Milestone Rewards program based on how many elite nights are earned, offering perks like confirmed suite upgrades, club lounge access, and more
Up to $50 United® TravelBank Cash per year
The IHG Premier Card offers up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash per year:
- Each calendar year you’ll receive one $25 United® TravelBank Cash deposit around January 1, and another around July 1
- Deposits made between January 1 and June 30 expire on July 15, and deposits made between July 1 and December 31 expire on January 15
- You must complete one-time registration to receive this benefit
If you fly United with any frequency, then this is like $50 worth of travel on United per year, which is awesome.
Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit
The IHG Premier Card offers a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit once every four years. Just charge the membership fee of up to $120 to your card, and it will automatically be reimbursed. It doesn’t matter who the fee is being paid for, as long as you charge it to your eligible card.
Secondary rental car coverage
The IHG Premier Card offers auto rental collision damage waiver coverage. Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card.
Coverage is provided for theft and collision damage for most cars in the United States and abroad. Do note that domestically the coverage is secondary to your personal insurance, though.
Protection with trip delays, lost luggage, and more
The IHG Premier Card offers a variety of other protection when traveling. Among these features is:
- Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance — be reimbursed up to $5,000 per trip when your trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather, etc.
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement — be reimbursed up to $3,000 per passenger if you or your immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost by an airline
- Baggage Delay Insurance — be reimbursed up to $100 per day for three days for essential purchases when your bag is delayed by over six hours
Make sure you check your cardmember agreement for all of the details, since there are terms & conditions.
Is the IHG Premier Card worth it?
I think the IHG Premier Card is absolutely worth having, plain and simple, regardless of how loyal you are to IHG, and regardless of how much you plan on spending on the card.
The card’s $99 annual fee is easy to justify based on the perks that it offers. The card offers an anniversary free night certificate, a fourth night free on award redemptions, IHG Platinum status, up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash per year, a Global Entry fee credit, and more.
Everyone in my family has an IHG Card, if for no other reason than that we consistently redeem the free night certificates at hotels that would cost $250+ when paying cash (and potentially even more with the ability to top off with points).
Even if you’re not an IHG loyalist, the group has thousands of hotels around the world, so you’ll likely find yourself in a situation where an IHG property is convenient. If you’re trying to decide between cards, let’s just compare a couple of different options.
$99 IHG Premier Card vs. no fee IHG Traveler Card
Above I’ve written about the $99 annual fee IHG Premier Card, though there’s also the no annual fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (review). The IHG Premier Card is absolutely worth the annual fee. Why?
- The IHG Premier Card offers an anniversary free night, while the IHG Traveler Card doesn’t
- The IHG Premier Card offers IHG Platinum status, while the IHG Traveler Card offers IHG Silver status
- The IHG Premier Card offers up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash per year, while the IHG Traveler Card doesn’t
- The IHG Premier Card offers a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit, while the IHG Traveler Card doesn’t
- The IHG Premier Card offers a larger welcome bonus
Like I said, the single best benefit of the IHG Premier Card is the anniversary free night certificate, and to me that’s worth way more than its annual year. I think the IHG Premier Card is the obvious choice between the two.
IHG Premier Card personal vs. business version
In addition to two personal cards, Chase and IHG also have the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (review). How do the two cards compare? Well, the benefits are largely very similar:
- Both cards offer an anniversary free night certificate, IHG Platinum status, a fourth night free on award redemptions, up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash each year, etc.
- The major differences are that the business card has a few more bonus categories, and offers an additional free night award if you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year
Both of these cards are excellent, and personally, I think it’s worth picking both up, so that you can earn two free night awards per year without having to spend anything.
Bottom line
The IHG Premier Card is a product that I highly recommend getting. The card’s $99 annual fee is really easy to justify, thanks to the anniversary free night award, up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash, IHG Platinum status, and much more.
This free night certificate is the single biggest benefit of the card, and consistently offers outsized value. That’s especially true with the ability to top off the certificate with points, to redeem at a more expensive property.
I know some people are opposed to having a lot of credit cards, but often it can make sense to have some cards just for the perks they offer, even if you don’t necessarily plan on spending much money on the card. This is one of those products.
If you want to learn more about the IHG Premier Credit Card, follow this link.
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