Hotel credit cards are incredibly underrated. Even if you don’t spend much money on them, they can offer huge perks, including elite status and free night certificates. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) runs one of the better hotel card lineups out there, and I’d argue that just about everyone should have at least one of these cards, for the anniversary free night certificate if nothing else. Let’s dig into the full lineup.
Compare credit cards for IHG
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Earn 100,000 bonus points
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct
- 3x points on Dining
- $300 Annual Travel Credit
Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV and Apple Music for a minimum of one year when activated by June 22, 2027, a value of $288 annually.
- Member FDIC
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 75,000 bonus points
- 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel purchases
- 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining
- 3x on vacation homes
- 3x on gas & EV charging
- 3x on top streaming services
- 3x on online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation and more
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for 12 months when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Earn 140,000 Bonus Points
- Earn up to 26x at IHG Hotels
- Anniversary Free Night
- IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status
Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants.
Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Learn more from these OMAAT posts:
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG® Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier cardmember
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Hotel Indigo® & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Earn 140,000 Bonus Points
- Earn up to 26x at IHG Hotels
- Anniversary Free Night
- IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status
Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, select advertising, and restaurants.
Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Learn more from these OMAAT posts:
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG® Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels and Resorts
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, select advertising, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier Business cardmember
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at hotels such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Hotel Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Earn 80,000 Bonus Points
- Earn up to 17X at IHG Hotels
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Fourth Night Free On Award Redemptions
Earn up to 17 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Earn 3 points per $1 spent on purchases on monthly bills, at gas stations, and restaurants.
Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Learn more from these OMAAT posts:
- Earn 80,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
- No Annual Fee
- Earn up to 17 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on purchases on monthly bills, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Redeem 3 Nights, Get the 4th Night Free
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Hotel Indigo® & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
Earn 80,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Bilt Palladium Card
50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status offer
- 2X points on everyday purchases
- Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit
Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, and 2X points on everyday spend.
Learn more from these OMAAT posts:
- Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.
- Earn additional points through Bilt Neighborhood Benefits™ when you use your card at Bilt's network of 50,000+ merchant partners.
Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash. Up to $100 of Bilt Cash earned rolls over to the next year.
The IHG One Rewards credit card lineup
Chase and IHG offer two personal cards and one business card. For those not familiar with IHG, the group owns InterContinental, Six Senses, Regent, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, and more. Here’s how each card breaks down.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
This is the card I think just about everyone should have. The annual fee is really easy to justify based on what it offers, and frankly, the free night certificate alone makes it worth it even if you never put a dollar of everyday spending on the card.
Benefits and perks:
- Anniversary free night certificate valid at any property costing up to 40,000 IHG points per night. Best of all, you can use points to top off the certificate at a more expensive property with no limit. In other words, you could book a hotel costing 60,000 points by using the certificate and adding 20,000 points.
- Fourth night free on award redemptions. Just for having the card you get a fourth night free when you book four consecutive award nights. This can be used an unlimited number of times, and you can even use it to book multiple rooms at the same hotel. If you usually book four-night award stays, this is like getting 25% off all your redemptions.
- IHG Platinum status for as long as you have the card, with no spending requirement. Platinum members get complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability), a 60% points bonus, late check-out, priority check-in, complimentary internet, a welcome amenity, and access to award sales throughout the year.
- Up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash per year. If you fly United with any frequency, this is like $50 worth of travel on United per year, which is awesome.
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit once every four years. Just charge the fee to your card and it will automatically be reimbursed.
- $100 statement credit plus 10,000 bonus IHG points when you spend $20,000 on the card in a calendar year.
- IHG Diamond status (the top tier) when you spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year, unlocking complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, late check-out, and access to the Milestone Rewards program.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance up to $5,000 per trip, lost luggage reimbursement up to $3,000 per passenger, baggage delay insurance, and secondary rental car coverage.
Link: Learn more about the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
The IHG Traveler Card is the only IHG personal card with no annual fee. For a no-fee card, it’s quite solid.
Benefits:
- Fourth night free on award redemptions
- IHG Silver Elite status (20% points bonus) for as long as you hold the card
- IHG Gold Elite status (40% points bonus) when spending $20,000 in a calendar year
- No foreign transaction fees
I think the better strategy for most people is to apply for the IHG Premier Card instead. Yes, it has an annual fee, but the benefits are worth it.
Link: Learn more about the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
The IHG Premier Business Card is the only Chase and IHG co-branded business card.
Benefits and perks:
- Anniversary free night certificate valid at any property up to 40,000 IHG points, with the ability to top off with additional points
- A second free night certificate when spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year
- Fourth night free on award redemptions, unlimited use
- IHG Platinum status for as long as you hold the card
- IHG Diamond status when spending $40,000 in a calendar year
- Up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash per year
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit once every four years
- $100 statement credit plus 10,000 bonus points when spending $20,000 in a calendar year
If you stay at IHG properties with any frequency, I think the business card is absolutely worth having. The annual fee is easy to justify on the free night certificate alone.
Link: Learn more about the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
What to know about IHG cards
Eligibility rules
The welcome bonus on the IHG Premier Card is not available to anyone who currently has a personal IHG One Rewards credit card, or who has received a new cardmember bonus on a personal IHG card in the past 24 months. So if you have the IHG Traveler Card, you aren’t eligible. However, you are eligible if you have the business version of the card. The business card has its own separate eligibility rules, so holding the personal Premier Card doesn’t disqualify you from the business card bonus.
Chase 5/24
All IHG cards are issued by Chase and are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule: if you’ve opened five or more new credit card accounts in the past 24 months, you generally won’t be approved. Most non-Chase business cards don’t count toward that limit, though Capital One business cards are an exception. It’s worth keeping track of where you stand before applying.
You don’t need to be an IHG loyalist
I’m by no means an IHG loyalist, but this card more than pays for itself year after year. IHG has thousands of hotels around the world, from luxury InterContinentals and Six Senses resorts to everyday Holiday Inns, so you’ll likely find yourself in a situation where an IHG property is convenient. You really just need to find one good redemption per year to come out ahead.
How I value IHG points
I value IHG One Rewards points at 0.5 cents each. That’s on the lower end compared to programs like World of Hyatt. Where IHG points shine is in the sheer scale of the portfolio and the fourth night free benefit. If you redeem points in four-night increments, you’re effectively getting 25% off, which meaningfully improves your actual cost per point.
IHG transfer partner credit cards
You don’t have to earn IHG points exclusively through IHG co-branded cards. Two of the best transferable points currencies out there, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt, both transfer to IHG One Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. That creates some interesting strategic options worth thinking about.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of the most powerful and flexible points currencies available. What impresses me so much about Ultimate Rewards is how Chase has created an unrivaled credit card ecosystem. Points can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to IHG One Rewards, as well as to other airline and hotel programs including World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, United MileagePlus, and British Airways. If you put in the effort and know what you’re doing, you can get serious outsized value by transferring to the right partner at the right time.
Recommended card: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
For most people, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best starting point. The $95 annual fee is easy to justify, you get access to the full suite of transfer partners, and the 3x on dining and 2x on travel are solid earning rates.
Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Bilt Rewards
Bilt Rewards is a newer but increasingly competitive transferable points program, and in recent years it’s created a really competitive points currency. Bilt has airline and hotel travel transfer partners, with hotel partners including Accor Live Limitless, Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt. The IHG transfer is 1:1, same as Chase.
What makes Bilt genuinely differentiated is the ability to earn points on rent. Most people’s single largest monthly expense earns nothing on traditional credit cards. Bilt changes that. On the hotel transfer side, I’d say World of Hyatt is the most exciting Bilt partner, given all the great uses of Hyatt points and the fact that the only other program that transfers to Hyatt is Chase. IHG is a solid option too, especially if you have a specific redemption in mind.
Recommended card: Bilt Palladium Card
If you want to rack up Bilt points, I’d recommend the Bilt Palladium Card. Despite the high annual fee, the card earns 2x points on all eligible spending plus you can choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash (Up to $100 of Bilt Cash earned rolls over to the next year), which can be used to earn points on housing payments. As a general rule of thumb, you need to spend about 75% as much as your housing payment on the card to earn 1x points per dollar spent on housing.
Link: Apply for a Bilt credit card (Rates & Fees)
IHG co-branded cards vs. transfer partner cards: Which is better?
This is a question I get a lot, and honestly, I think framing it as an either/or is the wrong way to look at it. But let’s walk through the tradeoffs.
The case for the IHG Premier co-branded card:
- The anniversary free night certificate requires zero spending and consistently offers outsized value. No transferable points currency gives you that.
- The fourth night free on award redemptions is a genuinely awesome perk that you only get as an IHG cardholder.
- Automatic IHG Platinum status with no spending requirement is meaningful, especially for upgrades, late check-out, and the 60% points bonus.
- Up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash per year and the Global Entry credit add further value that a transferable points card won’t give you.
The case for Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt:
- Flexibility is the big one. You’re not locked into IHG. If a Hyatt property makes more sense, or an ANA first class flight comes up, you can redirect your points.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards has among the best welcome bonuses of any credit cards, so you can accumulate a large balance quickly.
- For renters, Bilt lets you earn transferable points on your housing payment every month, which is genuinely hard to beat.
My take: the two approaches complement each other well, and I think holding the IHG Premier Card alongside a Chase or Bilt card is a perfectly reasonable strategy.
Bottom line
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a product I highly recommend getting. The $99 annual fee is really easy to justify, thanks to the anniversary free night award, IHG Platinum status, up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash, and much more. This free night certificate is the single biggest benefit of the card, and it consistently offers outsized value.
If you have any sort of business activity, I’d also seriously consider picking up the IHG Premier Business Card. Two $99 annual fees for two free night certificates per year is a great deal, and the benefits are largely the same as the personal version.
For those who prefer flexibility, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt both transfer to IHG at a 1:1 ratio, and both have compelling card options of their own. The approaches work well together: the IHG Premier Card for its guaranteed annual value, and a Chase or Bilt card for the ability to earn flexible points and go wherever the best redemptions are.
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