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IHG Hotels and Resorts has upped the welcome bonuses on its cobranded Chase cards—IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card and IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card—to their highest introductory offers yet.
The no-annual-fee IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card has revived its best-ever offer from early 2022: You’ll earn 120,000 IHG points after spending $2,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership.
Even better, its big sister—the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card—has boosted its welcome bonus to 175,000 IHG points, the highest this card has ever seen. This card commands an annual fee of $99 but comes with the type of benefits usually associated with cards with high annuals. Think: five points per dollar spent on travel and dining, up to a $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and Platinum Elite status within the IHG portfolio.
At press time, the greater portfolio of IHG Hotels and Resorts spans 17 brands, including Intercontinental, Kimpton, Six Senses, and Indigo Hotels, with 6,600-plus properties globally. IHG points can be redeemed for stays at any of these hotels, depending on award availability. IHG uses dynamic pricing for its award nights, with the number of points required based on factors like peak versus off-peak season and the property’s going rate in dollars.
That said, in the most general sense, standard rooms cost between 10,000 and 190,000 points per night, depending on the hotel. For example, we found rooms in March 2023, at the Kimpton St. Honoré Paris for 81,500 points per night (versus 413 euros per night) and at the Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown for 35,000 points per night (versus $225 per night). In June 2023, rooms at the InterContinental New York Times Square are going for 63,000 points per night (versus $408 per night). Meanwhile, the Six Senses Shaharut in Israel’s Negev Desert requires between 154,000 and 190,000 points per night, in February and May 2023, respectively (versus $850 per night and $1,050 per night).
Keep reading to find out more about the two IHG cards and their huge limited-time welcome bonuses.
IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card
Best for: The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card is best for IHG loyalists (or even those who occasionally stay at properties within the IHG portfolio) who can take advantage of the card’s great perks and earnings potential.
Welcome offer: Earn 175,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months. (The standard offer ranges between 125,000 and 140,000 points.)
Annual fee: $99
Earn points: Earn 26 points per dollar (yes, you read that correctly) on purchases made at IHG hotels and resorts and five points per dollar on all non-IHG travel, dining, and gas. Earn three points per dollar on everything else. Put in perspective, the previous version of the card only allotted one point per dollar spent on non-IHG travel and everyday purchases and two points per dollar on dining and gas.
Credits: Get a credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee (worth up to $100) once every four years. Thanks to a partnership with United Airlines, get up to $50 United TravelBank Cash each calendar year when you link your United Mileage Plus and IHG Rewards accounts. Receive your fourth night free, when booking four consecutive nights with points.
Key perks: You’ll automatically gain Platinum Elite status, which usually requires either 40 nights each year or earning 60,000 qualifying points at IHG properties. Top perks of Platinum Elite status include late checkout, complimentary room upgrades (space available), complimentary Wi-Fi, and 60 percent bonus points on hotel purchases. Also earn an Anniversary Free Night certificate every year of card membership, valued at 40,000 points.
For hotels costing more than 40,000 points per night, cardholders can top off the certificate by pulling from their existing points balance.
IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Best for: The IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card is best for those who want to amass IHG hotel points for future stays through a great limited-time offer but simply don’t want to carry another card with an annual fee.
Welcome offer: Earn 120,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months. (The standard offer is typically 60,000 to 80,000 points.)
Annual fee: $0
Earn points: Earn 17 points per dollar on purchases made at IHG hotels and resorts (up from the five points per dollar of its predecessor). Earn three points per dollar on utilities, internet, cable, phone, and select streaming services purchases (up from one point per dollar), dining, and gas stations. Earn two points per dollar on everything else.
Credits: None
Key perks: With the card, you’ll automatically gain Silver Elite status, which usually requires 10 nights each year. Perks of this status include complimentary Wi-Fi and 20 percent bonus points on hotel purchases.
Takeaways
Chase’s IHG credit cards are highly competitive with today’s most popular travel cards, and new mega-bonuses are branding them more attractive than ever. While many will gravitate to the no-fee IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card, we recommend the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card for its excellent earnings structure and valuable benefits that far outweigh the $99 annual fee. A 175,000-point introductory bonus ain’t bad, either!
This article was originally published in 2022; it was updated with current bonus offers on January 30, 2023. While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time, and may have changed or may no longer be available.
