IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card overview: Earn a best-ever 175,000-point bonus

Editor’s notice: This is a recurring put up, often up to date with new info.

The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card provides many useful perks for frequent IHG vacationers and an enormous welcome bonus. With an annual charge of $99, nevertheless, you might not get sufficient ongoing worth from this card if IHG One Rewards isn’t your main lodge loyalty program. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Card Rating relies on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.

The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card provides a whole lot of perks for vacationers who ceaselessly stick with IHG. For instance, you’ll get computerized Platinum Elite standing so long as you’re an IHG Premier cardholder. The card additionally provides a singular fourth-night-free reward perk that enables cardholders to pay zero factors for each fourth evening when redeeming factors for award stays of 4 nights or longer.

Plus, the cardboard at present has its best-ever welcome bonus: 175,000 bonus factors after spending $3,000 on purchases inside the first three months of account opening.

But, one perk alone — the anniversary free evening annually, legitimate for an evening costing as much as 40,000 factors — can simply present sufficient worth so that you can justify paying the IHG Premier’s annual charge annually. Premier cardmembers may high off their award nights with factors, permitting you to make use of the certificates to remain at higher-priced inns just like the Six Sense Laamu within the Maldives.

So, let’s take a look at whether or not the IHG Premier Card is an effective selection for you.

The IHG Premier Card is well-suited to vacationers who can take full benefit of the cardboard’s perks. These perks embody complimentary Platinum Elite standing, a fourth-night-free reward if you redeem factors for a keep of 4 or extra nights and an anniversary reward evening annually and extra.

With a beneficiant sign-up bonus, stable return on IHG spending and loads of perks, IHG One Rewards loyalists will profit from this card. Even vacationers who solely stick with IHG a number of instances a 12 months might get ample worth from the IHG Premier Card.

Related: Why I’m completely satisfied to pay the annual charge on the IHG Premier Card

Right now, the IHG Premier Card is providing its best-ever welcome bonus. You can earn 175,000 bonus factors after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

TPG values IHG factors at 0.5 cents every. Based on this valuation, the bonus is value $875 alone.

Note, nevertheless, that you simply received’t be eligible for this card (or its bonus) when you at present have any IHG private bank card or have earned a welcome bonus on one other IHG private bank card inside the final 24 months. This rule does not apply to holding the IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card or bonuses earned on that card, nevertheless.

Related: The greatest time to use for these in style Chase bank cards primarily based on supply historical past

The IHG Premier Card carries a comparatively modest $99 annual charge. However, the cardboard’s precise worth hinges on whether or not you’ll use the advantages ceaselessly sufficient to justify that annual charge. Here’s an outline of the cardboard’s essential IHG-related perks:

Anniversary free evening: Cardholders obtain a reward evening certificates legitimate for a one-night lodge keep at a property costing as much as 40,000 factors. This profit is annual, beginning on the primary account anniversary. Although IHG makes use of dynamic award pricing, it isn’t tough to seek out an interesting redemption possibility on your certificates. For instance, I’ve redeemed anniversary free evening certificates for stays on the InterContinental Buenos Aires, InterContinental Madrid and Kimpton De Witt.

Note that you need to use an infinite variety of factors to high off this certificates and use it for higher-priced properties. For instance, a room priced at 55,000 factors will be booked utilizing the free evening plus 15,000 factors out of your IHG One Rewards account.

Complimentary IHG Platinum Elite standing: IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite members get pleasure from 60% bonus earnings on paid stays when reserving straight with IHG One Rewards, room upgrades primarily based on availability at check-in, a welcome amenity and a number of different perks.

Fourth-night-free reward: When you redeem factors for a keep of 4 nights or longer, you’ll pay zero factors for each fourth evening. If yow will discover 4 nights of consecutive award house at a property you want, this may be a good way to stretch your factors even additional. Of course, the worth of this perk is dependent upon how ceaselessly you redeem IHG factors for stays of 4 nights or extra.

10,000 bonus factors after spending $20,000: You’ll earn 10,000 bonus factors and a $100 assertion credit score after spending $20,000 and making one further buy in an account anniversary 12 months. Based on TPG’s valuations, these bonus factors are value $50; mixed with the assertion credit score, this bonus will be value as much as $150. However, contemplate whether or not you’ll realistically spend $20,000 in your card throughout your account anniversary 12 months — particularly when you can in any other case put these purchases on a stable on a regular basis spending card.

20% off when shopping for IHG factors: Save 20% in your buy of IHG factors if you pay together with your IHG Premier Card. However, this low cost doesn’t stack with different reductions when IHG places factors on sale. Also, these factors are thought-about non-qualifying factors and won’t depend in the direction of elite qualification, so the worth might be minimal for many cardholders.

Additionally, IHG Premier cardholders get pleasure from the next common perks when utilizing their card:

• Application charge credit score for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus: You can get reimbursed as much as $100 each 4 years if you cost a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus utility charge to your card.
• Auto rental collision injury waiver: When you decline the rental firm’s collision insurance coverage and cost the complete rental price to your card, you’ll get protection in opposition to theft and collision. However, protection is secondary when renting inside the U.S.
• Baggage delay insurance coverage: You will be reimbursed as much as $100 a day for as much as three days for necessities if a typical service delays your baggage for greater than six hours.
• Lost baggage reimbursement: You will be reimbursed as much as $3,000 per passenger in case your checked or carry-on baggage is broken or misplaced by a typical service.
• Trip cancellation and journey interruption insurance coverage: You will be reimbursed as much as $5,000 per individual and as much as $10,000 per journey for pay as you go, nonrefundable journey bills in case your journey is canceled or lower quick for a lined purpose.
• Purchase safety: Your new purchases are lined for 120 days in opposition to injury or theft, as much as $500 per declare and as much as $50,000 per account.
• Extended guarantee safety: Get a one-year extension on eligible purchases with a U.S. producer’s guarantee of three years or much less.

As different playing cards drop purchasing and journey protections, these advantages might be a severe issue when selecting a brand new bank card. However, as mentioned within the subsequent part, you received’t get a excessive return fee on most purchases with the IHG Premier Card.

Related: Register now: Complimentary IHG Platinum standing for choose United credit score cardholders

Hotel bank cards are usually weak on the incomes entrance, however this card’s potential earnings at IHG inns is fairly stable.

You’ll earn 10 factors per greenback spent at IHG inns and resorts. And, if you mix the ten factors per greenback spent earned by utilizing your card with the factors you’ll earn as an IHG Platinum Elite, you’ll earn 26 factors per greenback spent on most IHG stays.

In addition, cardmembers earn 5 factors per greenback spent on journey, eating and fuel purchases, plus 3 factors per greenback spent on all different purchases. Based on TPG’s valuation, this interprets to a 2.5% return when utilizing your IHG Premier Card in these bonus classes — although on on a regular basis purchases, the 1.5% return is well crushed by many different playing cards.

Related: 7 methods to earn IHG One Rewards factors

IHG One Rewards doesn’t have an award chart. Instead, it makes use of dynamic award pricing. IHG’s web site states that nights begin at 10,000 factors, though we’ve seen nights priced as little as 5,000 factors. And though there’s no said most, the best I’ve seen is 120,000 factors per evening (excluding Six Senses and Mr and Mrs Smith properties, which do ceaselessly price extra).

But, even with IHG’s dynamic award pricing, it’s nonetheless attainable to maximize IHG One Rewards redemptions. And, with a little bit little bit of looking, you usually can redeem IHG One Rewards factors for greater than TPG’s valuation of 0.5 cents per level.

You can also combine factors and money on your award stays. In some circumstances, this may increasingly present good worth. When you e book this manner, IHG sells you the additional factors after which debits your account for the total variety of factors. In this instance, you’d successfully buy IHG factors for 0.63 to 0.66 cents every. IHG ceaselessly sells factors at this worth (or cheaper), which will be one other technique to high up your account.

It’s additionally value mentioning the IHG Premier’s fourth-night-free reward perk once more. When you e book a reward evening of 4 nights or longer, each fourth evening of that keep will price zero factors. You can use this perk limitless instances annually, however factors and money stays aren’t eligible.

Finally, some vacationers consider IHG’s coverage on blackout dates makes it one of many weaker lodge applications for award evening availability. The phrases and situations of the IHG One Rewards program notice the next:

There are not any blackout dates for Reward Nights; nevertheless, room stock is restricted and topic to prior sale. In addition, Members might not be capable to redeem Points for Reward Nights at InterContinental Residences, IHG Army Hotels, choose Six Senses Hotels Resorts and Spas and choose Mr & Mrs Smith inns.

So whereas there are not any blackout dates per se, inns can restrict the variety of rooms they make accessible for award bookings.

Related: How to redeem factors with the IHG One Rewards program

Competing playing cards

If you’re loyal to IHG, a card from one other lodge model may not benefit your consideration.

However, IHG does have the IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card, which has no annual charge. The present welcome bonus on this card is its greatest ever too: 120,000 factors after spending $2,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening. The card earns 5 factors per greenback at IHG inns and resorts, 3 factors per greenback at fuel stations, utilities and eating places and a couple of factors per greenback on different purchases. Benefits embody computerized Silver standing with IHG One Rewards, a 20% low cost on IHG factors purchases and a fourth evening free on award stays.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a $95 annual charge and permits for 1:1 factors transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG One Rewards. Cardholders can earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. The card earns factors as follows: 5 Chase Ultimate Rewards factors per greenback spent on journey booked via the Ultimate Rewards Travel portal, 5 factors per greenback on Lyft rides via March 2025, 3 factors per greenback spent on eating, 3 factors per greenback spent on choose streaming providers, 3 factors per greenback spent on on-line groceries (excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment), 2 factors per greenback spent on different journey and 1 level per greenback spent on all different eligible purchases. The card additionally provides as much as $50 in lodge spending credit per 12 months.

Related: Why I usually select IHG and Choice inns, regardless of restricted elite perks

If you’re a loyal IHG traveler seeking to take advantage of IHG One Rewards, it is sensible to have the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card. After all, the cardboard gives perks like computerized Platinum Elite standing, a fourth-night-free reward on award stays of 4 or extra nights and a big bonus multiplier for IHG stays. Plus, it’s attainable to get a whole lot of worth when redeeming IHG One Rewards factors.

If you’ve got been on the fence about this card, receiving one of the best welcome bonus this card has ever supplied would possibly persuade you to use now.

Official utility hyperlink: IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card.

Additional Reporting by Ryan Wilcox, Christina Ly and Ryan Smith.