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3. IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: Plenty of value for frequent hotel guests

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15

reviews

2.9

Rating: 2.9 out of 5.

Great for regular IHG guests

Annual Fee: $99

This content is curated by Intuit Credit Karma’s Editorial team using data from members who were approved for this card or similar cards, or who self-matched this card or similar cards. Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse this content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Here’s the average credit limit of members who matched their IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or similar cards.

% of members by credit limit range

The average credit limit for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is $15,821, with $5,000 being the most common.

Here’s the average credit score of members who matched their IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or similar cards.

% of members by credit score range

The average credit score for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is 722, with 819 being the most common. Note this is just one of the deciding factors when it comes to getting approved.

Member stats

Updated daily

24.9%

Average credit utilization (or what percent of the card’s credit limit is being used) of members who matched with this card or similar cards.

45 years

Average age of members who matched this card or similar cards.

$112,742

Average annual income of members who matched this card or similar cards. Note: Income may be estimated for some members by Credit Karma and may differ from members’ actual incomes.

Pros and cons

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Generous hotel night awards

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Strong sign-up bonus offer

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Automatic Platinum Elite status

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Annual fee: $99

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Points have a low value (according to Credit Karma point valuations)

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You have to commit to IHG hotels to maximize value

What you need to know about the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

If you frequently stay at IHG hotels like Holiday Inn, InterContinental and Crowne Plaza, you’ll enjoy some significant perks with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.

Two ways to earn hotel nights

Cardholders will have two opportunities to receive free night awards at eligible hotels.

First, you’ll get one free night after your account anniversary each year. On top of that, you can earn a fourth hotel night when you redeem points for a hotel stay of four or more consecutive nights.

Just keep in mind that the free anniversary night applies only to hotel stays that would add up to less than 40,000 points.

Either way, these hotel night offers could help you offset the card’s $99 annual fee.

Earn 140,000 points as the sign-up bonus

New cardholders will qualify for 140,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months after opening the account. We think that’s a fairly attainable sign-up bonus — but consider what you’d have to spend every month to earn it. We don’t recommend spending more than you normally would just to earn a sign-up bonus.

You’ll also have the opportunity to earn an additional 10,000 points every calendar year, although it will take a whopping $20,000 in purchases to earn it.

Load up on points with IHG stays

If you’re looking for another way to earn points with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, the easiest way is by booking hotel stays and making other purchases at IHG Hotels and Resorts using the card.

With this card, you’ll be able to earn a total rate of 26 points for every $1 spent on purchases at IHG hotels and resorts. That’s 10 points with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, 10 points for your IHG® Rewards Club membership and six points for holding IHG’s Platinum Elite status (more on that in a bit).

You’ll also earn five points for every $1 spent on travel, purchases at gas stations and restaurants and three points per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Depending on how you spend, you could end up with a massive number of points in a short amount of time. Just keep in mind that you should only buy what you can comfortably repay using the card.

Points aren’t worth much individually

You can redeem your points for hotel stays for as little as 10,000 points per night, depending on where you stay and when.

Based on those redemption options, our 2023 point valuations estimate that IHG Rewards Club points are worth just 0.65 cents per point. That’s one of the lower values on our list, so keep that relative value in mind when considering what your points are really worth.

Automatic IHG Rewards Club Elite status

When you become a cardholder, you’re automatically granted Platinum Elite status with the IHG Rewards Club.

In addition to a point-earning bonus, this status gives you access to guaranteed room availability when reservations are made 72 hours in advance, complimentary room upgrades and more perks when you stay at IHG hotels.

More travel perks to consider

These perks could make the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card worth your time, too.

• If you apply for Nexus, TSA PreCheck^®  or Global Entry, you’ll receive an application fee credit every four years. While some cards with annual fees below $100 include this perk, it’s more commonly associated with premium credit cards with higher annual fees.
• There are no foreign transaction fees.
• Cardholders can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses when a trip is canceled or cut short by a few days for eligible reasons. Read our guide to credit card trip insurance to learn more about trip insurance.

Who this card is good for

People who regularly stay at IHG hotels and don’t mind giving up some flexibility in where they choose to stay could stand to get a lot of value out of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. As long as you stay at these hotels often enough to offset the annual fee ($99), you’re likely to appreciate features like room upgrades, earning hotel nights and the ability to earn lots of points during your stays.

If you aren’t sure if you’ll use the card often enough to cover the annual fee after the first year, you might still get value out of the card thanks to its annual free night award, but a hotel credit card that offers hotel rewards at no annual fee could be a better fit.

Not sure this is the card for you? Consider these alternatives.

If you’re not ready to commit to the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, consider these travel rewards cards.

• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card:
This card could be a better option for people who want to earn and redeem rewards for a number of different travel expenses.
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card:
This card offers plenty of flexibility with no annual fee.