InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is one of my favorite hotel chains, as they own both EVEN Hotels and Hotel Indigo, two of my favorite brands (Check out my rave review of EVEN Hotels Time Square South). There are two IHG credit cards that you can hold to help you earn FREE stays at your favorite IHG hotel chains.
The IHG Rewards Club Premier is offering a bonus of 175,000 points after a $3,000 spend in the first 3 months with an annual fee of $89 per year.
You can ALSO get between 4 to 8 free hotel nights with these points, depending on the level of the hotel you choose and considering that the card also affords you 1 free anniversary night AND your fourth night free with you book three nights.
The other card, the IHG Rewards Club Traveler card, lets you earn 120,000 points after a $2,000 minimum spend in 3 months with no annual fee EVER.
It may be a better choice if you want a lower minimum spend, though its benefits are not nearly as good as the Premier card.
To review or apply for any of the cards in this post, please use the links within this post or the CREDIT CARDS links in the main menu above (shown in the image below). This allows us to earn a commission—at no cost to you—to support our small business. Thanks so much for taking that step!
IHG Credit Cards Breakdown
Here’s a complete look at each of the IHG credit cards to help you decide which is the right one for you.
IHG Rewards Club Premier Card
Bonus: 175,000 points after a $3,000 spend in the first 3 months
Annual Fee: $89 annual fee
- Up to 25X points on IHG purchases
- 2X points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants
- 1X points on purchases everywhere else
- Account anniversary free night
- Fourth reward night free on point redemptions of four or more nights
- Automatic Platinum Elite IHG® Rewards Club member status
- Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check credit up to $100 every four years
- No foreign transaction fees
IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Card
Bonus: 120,000 points after a $2,000 minimum spend in 3 months
Annual Fee: NONE
Benefits:
- Up to 15X points per $1 spent at IHG hotels
- 2X points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Fourth reward night free on point redemptions of four or more nights
- No foreign transaction fees
Remember, that Chase will not approve you for any cards if you’ve opened FIVE cards of ANY type within the last 24 months, excluding Chase, Citi and AMEX business cards.
Additionally, Chase will only approve you for one of their cards every 30 days, so once you apply for this card, you will not be able to apply for another Chase card for 30 days.
However, if there is another Chase card you need to apply for BEFORE 30 days have passed, you can go ahead and apply, likely get declined and then simply call the Chase Reconsideration Line once the 30 days have passed from your IHG card sign up.
Chase WILL honor the offer that was in place when you originally applied and were declined.
IHG Hotel Brands
Here is a complete list of IHG hotel brands that you can book using your IHG Rewards points.
- Regent Hotels and Resorts
- InterContinental Hotels and Resorts
- Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants
- HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts
- Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts
- voco
- Hotel Indigo
- EVEN Hotels
- avid hotels
- Holiday Inn
- Holiday Inn Express
- Holiday Inn Resort
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations
- Staybridge Suites
- Candlewood Suites
Why I Like IHG Rewards
I really like the IHG Rewards program, as it has some unique FREE benefits for all members like earning DOUBLE points on gas expenditures when you hold one of these cards and earning up to 500 points when you order food from GrubHub through this IHG site.
Hotel room nights range from about 10,000 points per night at smaller hotels to 100,000 points per night at properties like the InterContinental or Kimpton.
You can also book stays at boutique hotels through their partnership with Mr. & Mrs Smith hotels.
So 100,000+ points could get you between four to 8 room nights and with the added benefit of your fourth night free when you hold either credit card AND a free night every year on your card anniversary.
Thanks again for using the links in this post for any card reviews or applications!
Cancelled both of our cards last week and reapplying tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up!