IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card review
Use this card for your hotel stays and everyday purchases and watch the points add up. You will also enjoy a free reward night after each account anniversary; a nice incentive that helps offset the reasonable annual fee.
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- Rewards
- points_per_dollar
- Welcome Bonus
- bonus_miles bonus_miles_disclaimer
- Annual Fee
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Key Features
descriptionEditor Analysis:
- Earn signup_reward Free Nights after spending signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for any consecutive four-night stay at an IHG hotel; your fourth night will be free.
- Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel. Earn 5X points on travel and at gas stations and restaurants and 3X points per $1 on all other purchases.
- Like with any co-branded card, this card is really only a great bet for those loyal to the card's brand. If you don't regularly stay at IHG properties, this probably isn't the card for you.
card_name basics
You’ll get great rewards with the CardName in exchange for your devoted loyalty. Stay at one of the Intercontinental Hotel Group’s properties, which include the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Hotel Indigo, and you’ll earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel. The welcome bonus is also solid: earn signup_reward Free Nights after spending signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
CardName‘s best features:
- Earn signup_reward Free Nights after spending signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Earn a reward hotel night every year after your account anniversary.
- Enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for any consecutive four-night stay at an IHG hotel.
- Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
- Earn 5X points on travel and at gas stations and restaurants and 3X points per $1 on all other purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Receive up to a $120 reimbursement every four years for your Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application reimbursement.
What do our editors like best about this card? Let’s start with the basics: a good size chunk of bonus points for every $1 spent with a particular hotel brand is a pretty standard feature of hotel credit cards. Most competitor hotel groups have similar points structures. Same goes for the annual reward night in one of IHG’s hotels. These incentives are the price of admission for any hotel that wants to be competitive in the credit card market.
However, a couple of things differentiate the CardName. In particular, that free night when you redeem your rewards for a consecutive four-night stay; the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or Nexus fee credit; some bonus points for everyday purchases and the Platinum Elite Status offered to cardholders. Let’s take a closer look.
When CardName cardholders redeem points for at least a consecutive four-night stay, you’ll be docked points for three nights and your fourth night will be free. That’s a highly unusual perk – most hotel rewards cards offer you a once-annually free night reward, but this card goes a step further and offers you that annual reward night as well as a reward night whenever you redeem for any consecutive four-night stay. The reward night opportunities should more than offset the card’s annual_fees annual fee.
Further helping you offset the fee is the once-every-four-years reimbursement of up to $120 for your Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee – a perk usually reserved for cards with much higher annual fees.
Lastly, and worth noting, is CardName cardholders receive an automatic upgrade to Platinum Elite status. Typically, you’d have to stay at qualifying hotels a minimum of 40 nights a year to get this status – which is really only feasible for perpetually jetlagged business travelers. Some of the perks of platinum include extended check-out, no blackout dates on reward nights, complimentary room upgrades and guaranteed room availability. But the best perk is 60% bonus earnings on top of your base points.
Potential downsides of the card_name
The biggest rewards with the CardName come when you stay at IHG hotels and resorts. For everything else, the rewards rate is on the low side: five points per $1 spent on purchases on travel and at gas stations and restaurants and three points for every $1 spent on all other purchases is comparable to other rewards cards, but you can do better than that if you don’t plan to use your rewards for IHG stays.
How the card_name compares to other hotel credit cards
CardName vs. CardName
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This is an interesting comparison because, while the CardName is a general travel rewards card, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points earned with the card to your IHG One Rewards account and redeem them directly through the hotel’s loyalty program. In other words, both cards could technically help you earn discounted stays at IHG properties; it’s just that the CardName offers you the flexibility to use your points for lots of other discounted or "free" travel as well.
New CardName members can earn signup_reward bonus points after you spend signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases in the first three months from account opening. You could choose to transfer your bonus points to one of several Ultimate Rewards airline or hotel partners (including IHG, as mentioned above) or you could redeem them directly through Chase Travel℠. If you redeem through Chase Travel, your points are worth 25% more!
All that said, you’re still dealing with a general travel rewards card and not a brand-specific card, so you will miss out on those loyalty perks offered by the CardName.
CardName vs. CardName
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The CardName isn’t a hotel-branded card but it does give you the chance to earn rewards that you can redeem for hotel stays – and any number of other travel-related purchases for that matter.
What you’ll get with the CardName is the opportunity to earn unlimited two miles per $1 spent on every purchase and five miles per $1 spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. What you won’t get is the perks that go along with loyalty, like free annual night stays or a free night when you redeem a certain amount of rewards.
New CardName cardholders can enjoy a one-time bonus of signup_reward miles once you spend signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases within three months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. You can fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime and not have to worry about blackout dates. Plus, you can transfer your miles to multiple leading travel loyalty programs. Cardholders are also eligible for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee reimbursement.
Ultimately, you’ll need to decide whether your loyalty to the IHG brand is strong enough that you’ll be satisfied earning the bulk of your rewards through purchases with that hotel group and redeeming your rewards for stays there as well.
Who should apply for the CardName?
Loyal customers of IHG and business travelers who only stay at its hotels every time they travel should definitely consider the CardName. The perks that come with Platinum Elite Status, the free night opportunities, the hefty welcome bonus and the ongoing rewards earning should entice customers who are looking for a hotel they can call a home away from home.
Frequently asked questions
What credit score do you need for IHG Premier?
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Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.
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