If you have an upcoming trip to any of the IHG brands – including Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, InterContinental and Hotel Indigo – the IHG combined card can save you hundreds of dollars a year and year.
And that doesn’t even include these new welcome bonuses.
Let’s check out these welcome offers and decide which IHG One Rewards card is right for you.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
If you stay at IHG properties at least a few times a year, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card may be the right choice for you.
Welcome bonus: New cardholders can earn 170,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.
According to TPG statistics for January 2025, this bonus is worth up to $850. This offer is very close to the highest offer we have seen on this card.
Annual fee: $99
Salary level: 10 points per dollar on IHG stays, 5 points per dollar on all other travel, 5 points per dollar on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and gas stations and 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Why we love it: This card comes with a free night worth 40,000 points for each account anniversary and the option to top up your reward to spend on the most important nights.
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Other key benefits include automatic IHG Platinum Elite status (with a path to Diamond), up to $50 in United TravelBank cash per calendar year, reimbursement of your Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fees every year four and more — all for a $99 annual fee.
Adding the card’s free fourth night perk (when you use points to pay for three nights and get the fourth as a bonus) is an important consideration when thinking about the potential value you can get out of it. Reward nights start at just 10,000 points, from luxury options in the US to accommodations abroad in Berlin, Brazil and beyond.
To learn more, check out our full IHG One Rewards Premier card review.
Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
If you only stay with IHG once or twice a year, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card may make more sense for you than IHG’s premium option.
Welcome bonus: New cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months from account opening.
According to TPG statistics for January 2025, this bonus is worth $500.
Annual fee: $0
Salary level: 5 points per dollar on IHG stays, 3 points per dollar on amenities, dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), select streaming services and gas stations, and 2 points per dollar on all other qualifying purchases.
Why we love it: IHG’s annual card, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, offers automatic Silver Elite status and the ability to get a fourth night free on bookings where you pay with points. Plus, the current welcome bonus is solid on a card with no upfront, annual fee.
To learn more, check out our full review of the IHG One Rewards Traveler card.
Apply here: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
If you own your own business, you may want to consider the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
Welcome bonus: New cardholders can earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.
TPG estimates for January 2025 peg those 140,000 IHG points at $700.
Annual fee: $99
Salary level: 10 points per dollar on IHG stays, 5 points per dollar on travel, dining, electronics, social media and search engine advertising and office stores, and 3 points per dollar on all other qualifying purchases.
Why we love it: The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card mimics many of the same benefits as the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.
For example, the free annual award (worth up to 40,000 points) can be completed with an unlimited number of points, and you will enjoy higher benefits thanks to the automatic status of IHG Platinum Elite.
Cardholders will also receive an additional free night award of up to 40,000 points (which can also be topped off with additional points) after spending $60,000 each calendar year.
Other benefits include a refund of your application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus once every four years, a free fourth night for an award stay and up to $50 in United TravelBank credit each calendar year.
To learn more, check out our full review of the IHG One Rewards Premier business card.
Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Reasons to get the IHG One Rewards card beyond the bonus
Earning a share of bonus points by adding a new card to your wallet is very tempting, but these three cards offer a lot of potential value beyond the initial points deduction.
Elite status
Each IHG One Rewards card offers some level of automatic elite status.
For example, IHG One Rewards Premier and IHG One Rewards Premier Business cardholders will automatically earn IHG Platinum Elite status. You should be able to recoup the $99 annual fee for the consumer or business version of the Premier card if you spend a few nights a year at IHG properties with Platinum Elite benefits.
Benefit of the fourth night prize
All IHG One Rewards cardholders automatically receive a fourth consecutive nightly award. In short, the fourth night is flatter when you use points for four or more stays.
The amount of this benefit depends on your travel style. This is not only useful for travelers booking short hotel stays, but it can be incredibly valuable for travelers staying long enough to use this perk. And this benefit has no end to how many points you can save.
TPG estimates for January 2025 pegged IHG points at 0.5 cents each. So, one fourth night reward stay at a property with 20,000 points saves you $100 worth of IHG points.
Category bonuses
IHG One Rewards cards help you rack up points quickly, thanks to their bonus categories — including gas, which can be an expensive recurring purchase for many families.
But it gets better than that. Since IHG One Rewards Premier and IHG One Rewards Premier Business give you automatic Platinum Elite status, you’ll also earn 60% bonus points on IHG hotel stays.
IHG One Rewards members earn 10 points per dollar spent at most destinations, so the 60% elite bonus offers 16 points per dollar at IHG destinations. Add that to 10 points per dollar earned on either card and you’ll get 26 points per dollar spent on these cards at IHG hotel stays.
20% discount on purchase points
Finally, if you need to top up your IHG points balance, you can get a 20% discount when you buy points with your card. Combined with the ability to add free night certificates, this benefit can come in handy if you’re looking to save on your award stays eagerly.
Application rules
You can have multiple IHG credit cards, but know that IHG One Rewards cards, like all other Chase cards, are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. This means that if you’ve opened five or more personal credit card accounts across all banks in the past 24 months, Chase is less likely to approve you.
Note that you are also ineligible if any of these exclusions apply to you:
- For personal cards: If you currently have an IHG One Rewards personal credit card (including a legacy IHG One Rewards Select Credit Card that is no longer available to new applicants) or if you received a new cardholder bonus on any IHG personal credit card in the past 24 months.
- With the IHG business card: You received a new card member bonus on this card in the last 24 months.
Information for the IHG One Rewards Select Credit Card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card information on this page has not been updated or provided by the card issuer.
Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application limits
Bottom line
Even casual travelers can benefit from the IHG credit card thanks to the automatic elite status and free night certificate you earn each year. And once you’ve zeroed in on this solid acceptance offer, now would be a good time to apply.
Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Apply here: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
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