Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information.
Sign-up bonuses come and go, but one new offer from IHG is pretty enticing — especially with a busy few months of travel ahead.
And since IHG Rewards recently revamped its credit card portfolio — with new earning rates, benefits and an all-new business card to boot — now could be a great time to consider adding an IHG card to your wallet.
If you frequently stay at participating brands — those include Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, InterContinental and Hotel Indigo — or if you’re a frequent IHG guest, these cards can easily save you hundreds of dollars year after year.
And if you apply for the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card today, you’ll take home 140,000 bonus points plus one free night (worth up to 40,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Let’s take a look at these welcome offers and see which IHG Rewards card is the best fit for you.
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IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card
Sign-up bonus: Earn 140,000 bonus points plus one free night (worth up to 40,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Earning rate: 10 points per dollar on IHG stays, 5 points per dollar on all other travel, restaurants and gas stations, and 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Annual fee: $99.
The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card‘s new welcome offer is notably higher than before. It not only includes 140,000 bonus points; you’ll also enjoy a free-night certificate worth up to 40,000 points (plus the ability to use additional points to top up to snag higher-priced properties).
Normally, the card only comes with a free night worth up to 40,000 points when you renew your card, so earning one as part of the sign-up bonus is a great deal sweetener.
In addition, the card vastly improved its earning rates earlier this year to encompass common everyday categories.
Factoring in the card’s fourth-night award perk (when you use points to pay for three nights and get the fourth as a bonus), you could get up to 19 award nights at IHG hotels with this one sign-up bonus. Reward nights start at just 10,000 points apiece, ranging from practical options in the U.S. to lodgings abroad in Berlin, Brazil and beyond.
Other important perks include automatic IHG Platinum elite status (with a pathway to Diamond), up to $50 of United TravelBank cash per calendar year, a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every for years and more — all for a $99 annual fee.
Official application link: IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card.
IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Sign-up bonus: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Earning rate: 5 points per dollar on IHG stays, 3 points per dollar on utilities, internet, cable, phone and select streaming services, restaurants and gas stations and 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Annual fee: $0.
IHG’s no-annual-fee card, the IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card, got a lot more valuable earlier this year with a fantastic rewards rate and automatic Silver elite status. And the current sign-up bonus (pegged at $400 based on TPG’s valuations) is solid for a card with no up-front, yearly cost.
Like the Premier card, the IHG Rewards Traveler card also offers a fourth-night award perk, further stretching the value of the 80,000-point welcome offer.
Official application link: IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card.
IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Sign-up bonus: Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Earning rate: 10 points per dollar on IHG stays, 5 points per dollar on travel, dining, gas, social media and search engine advertising and at office supply stores, and 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Annual fee: $99.
The new IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card mimics many of the same great perks on the consumer version, the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card.
For instance, the annual free night award (worth up to 40,000 points) can also be topped off with an unlimited number of points, and you’ll also enjoy elite perks thanks to automatic IHG Platinum status. IHG Premier Business cardholders will also receive an additional free night award worth up to 40,000 points (that can also be topped off with additional points) after spending $60,000 each calendar year — though note that the current sign-up bonus does not include a free night.
But beyond all the excellent benefits that come with this $99-annual-fee card, you’ll also earn lots of points thanks to the business-centered rewards rate on the IHG Rewards Premier Business.
Official application link: IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
Reasons to get an IHG Rewards card beyond the bonus
Earning up to 140,000 points plus a free night for adding a new card to your wallet is very enticing, but these three cards offer a lot of potential value beyond that initial haul of points.
Elite status
Every IHG Rewards card grants cardholders some level of automatic elite status.
For example, IHG Rewards Premier and IHG Rewards Premier Business cardholders will earn automatic IHG Platinum elite status. TPG currently values Platinum elite status at $880 for those who earn it through stays. Obviously, that value is going to be less for those who stay at IHG-branded hotels less frequently, but you should be able to recoup the $99 annual fee on the consumer or business version of the Premier card if you spend more than a few nights a year at IHG properties.
Fourth-night-reward benefit
All IHG Rewards cardholders automatically get a fourth consecutive night reward. In short, when you redeem points for stays of four nights or more, the fourth night is complimentary.
This benefit’s value is going to depend on your travel style. For travelers who only book short hotel stays, this isn’t very useful. But for travelers who stay around long enough to utilize this perk, it can be incredibly worthwhile. And there’s no cap on how many points you can save with this perk.
TPG values IHG points at 0.5 cents each. To look at it one way, a single fourth-night reward stay at a 20,000-point property saves you $100 worth of IHG points.
Related: The incredibly easy way of redeeming IHG’s 4th-night reward
Category bonuses
The IHG Rewards cards help you rack up points fast, thanks to an expansion of bonus categories — including gas, which is an expensive recurring purchase for most households.
But, it gets better than that. Since the IHG Rewards Premier and the IHG Rewards Premier Business both grant you automatic Platinum Elite status, you’ll also earn a 50% points bonus on IHG hotel stays. IHG Rewards members get a base earning rate of 10 points per dollar spent at most properties, so after the 50% elite bonus, you’ll earn 15 points per dollar spent directly from IHG Rewards. Add that to the 10 points per dollar rate on the card, and you’ll get (at least) 25 points total per dollar spent on the card on IHG hotel stays.
20% discount on buying points
Finally, if you need to top off your IHG points balance, you can get a 20% discount when you buy points with your card. Combined with the ability to top off free night certificates, this perk could come handy if you’re looking to save up your awards for aspirational stays.
Application rules
You can have multiple IHG credit cards, but know that the IHG Rewards cards, like all other Chase cards, are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule.
This means if you’ve opened five or more personal credit card accounts across all banks in the last 24 months, Chase is unlikely to approve you.
Note that you also aren’t eligible if one (or both) of the following is true:
- You currently have a personal IHG Rewards credit card — which includes the legacy IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card (no longer available to new applicants).
- You received a new cardmember bonus in the last 24 months.
Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions
Bottom line
The portfolio of IHG Rewards cards are even more enticing once you factor in these excellent new welcome offers — so this is as good of a time as any to apply, especially as you look ahead to plan award travel for the remainder of the year.
Official application link: IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card.
Official application link: IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card.
Official application link: IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox and Benji Stawski.
Featured photo by Benji Stawski/The Points Guy.