IHG Rewards Credit Cards Guide

Key Differences

• Annual fee
• How many points per dollar you can earn on different purchases
• What level of status you get automatically
• Extra perks like annual free nights and TSA precheck credit
• Welcome offers

Annual Fees

IHG offers three different credit cards: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, and IHG One Rewards Premier Business credit card.

The Traveler card has no annual fee. The other two cards each have a $99 annual fee. Don’t let that annual fee scare you though, those cards come with a lot of extra perks that can easily offset the fee.

Extra Perks

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and the IHG One Rewards Premier Business credit card both come with:

An annual free night certificate. The redemption value of the free night is up to 40,000 points. If you use your night at the full 40,000 value, you should be able to get a $200-$300 hotel room, completely offsetting the $99 annual fee on the card.

Credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck once every four years. You can use the credit for anyone, so if you already have Precheck, you could use the credit for a friend or family member.

$50 in United Airlines TravelBank Cash per year. You must register for the benefit here. This is a nice benefit that will add to the value of this card if you regularly fly United Airlines.

Status

All of the IHG credit cards come with automatic status with the IHG One Rewards loyalty program.

The Traveler Card gets Silver Elite status. This is the lowest elite tier of the IHG One Rewards loyalty program.

The Premier and Business Premier both come with automatic Platinum Elite status. This is the second highest level of status with IHG and comes with some really nice perks such as:

• • Early check in, subject to availability
  • 2 pm checkout, subject to availability
  • Complimentary room upgrades, subject to availability.
  • Welcome amenity at check in. This could be things like free drinks, snacks, or extra points
  • Priority check in

Card Similarities

Standard benefits for all three IHG cards include:

• Lost and delayed baggage reimbursement
• Trip cancellation/interruption coverage
• 4th night free benefit
• Extended warranty protection
• Purchase protection
• Auto rental collision damage waiver

The 4th night free is a really nice benefit that can lower the total cost for a hotel stay by quite a bit. When you book a standard room Reward Night for 4 or more nights, every 4th night is free. If you have any of the IHG credit cards, you are eligible for this benefit.

This benefit only applies to stays booked fully with points. Note that this benefit does not average the cost per night, but applies to the 4th night. Because of this, you will get the most benefit if the 4th night is the most expensive night of your stay.

Personal Credit Cards

If you’re looking for a personal card, these are the two to choose from:

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

Annual Fee: None

Key Benefits:

• Automatic Silver Elite Status
• Up to 17 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels
• 3x points on gas stations and dining

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

Annual Fee: $99

Key Benefits:

• Annual free night certificate
• Automatic Platinum Elite status
• Credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck once every four years
• $50 United Airlines TravelBank credit per year
• up to 26 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels
• 5x points on travel, dining, and gas stations

The IHG Rewards Premier card was the first hotel card I opened, and one we plan to keep. With a free anniversary night and fourth night free on award bookings, this card continues to pay for itself after the first year.

Business Credit Card

Business credit cards are a useful part of an overall credit card strategy. You don’t need to have a large business or an LLC to get a business credit card.

Small businesses and side hustles also count as a business! Things like selling items on Facebook marketplace, tutoring, babysitting, consulting, and selling on Etsy all qualify you for a business credit card.

To learn more about business cards and how to apply, check out our post on business credit cards.

IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

Tables Comparing the IHG Rewards Cards

IHG Rewards Cards Eligibility

The 5/24 Rule

Chase has something that the points and miles world likes to call the “5/24 rule”. What this means is that if you have opened 5 cards in the last 24 months (from any issuer), Chase likely won’t approve you for any of their credit cards, including the Southwest cards.

Most business cards don’t count towards that 5 (though there are some exceptions). Being added as an authorized user to a personal card does count.

The 24 Months Rule

Personal Cards: You can earn a bonus on an IHG Rewards personal card once every 24 months. If it’s been less than 24 months since you earned a bonus on any IHG Rewards personal card, you won’t be eligible to earn a bonus on another IHG personal card. Even if it’s a different card than you held previously.

The 24 months is calculated from when you earned the bonus, not when you signed up for the card. If you’re not sure when you last earned a bonus on an IHG personal card, you can call Chase and ask. They’ll be able to tell you over the phone.

Business cards: You’re eligible to receive a sign up bonus on a business card as long as you haven’t earned the bonus for that particular card in the last 24 months. It’s okay if you’ve earned a bonus on an IHG personal card within that 24 month window.

Holding Multiple IHG Rewards Cards

You are only allowed to have one IHG personal card account open at a time.

You can hold the business card and a personal card at the same time.

Where to use your IHG One Rewards Points

IHG has a large footprint and it’s useful to have a stash of IHG points for lots of kinds of trips. IHG has a large number of hotels in Europe that sleep 4 (which is rare!). You can also check out my map of Holiday Inn Vacation Clubs — they have villas with kitchens and some sleep 6.

We often use IHG points everywhere from Holiday Inn Express, avid, or Staybridge Suites on road trips. And for a little upgraded stay, we love the Kimpton brand.