Link: Apply for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
The $99 annual fee IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a popular Chase credit card that I think is worth holding onto long term, thanks to the great perks that it offers. If you don’t yet have this card and are eligible, now is a great time to apply, as the card is offering a massive limited time welcome bonus, among the best we’ve seen on the card.
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IHG Premier Card five free nights welcome bonus
For applications through Wednesday, July 23, 2025, the IHG Premier Card is offering a welcome bonus where you can earn five free nights awards after spending $5,000 within the first three months, with each free night award being valued at up to 60,000 points. Free night awards are valid for 12 months from when they’re issued.
For what it’s worth, I value IHG One Rewards points at 0.5 cents each, so I consider this bonus to potentially be worth up to $1,500. Admittedly I’d apply a discount, given that free night awards offer less flexibility than points. While it’s not explicitly stated in the terms, I suspect that these free night awards can’t be topped off with more points, as that has historically been IHG’s policy for free night awards earned as part of welcome offers.
This is being marketed as the card’s best offer of 2025, and as a point of comparison, previously the card offered a bonus of up to 140,000 points.
Who is eligible for the IHG Premier Card bonus?
When it comes to eligibility for the IHG Premier Card, you can get approved and receive the bonus on the card if you don’t currently have an IHG personal credit card, and/or haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on an IHG personal credit card in the past 24 months.
So eligibility does factor in whether you have or have had the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (review), but it’s unrelated to whether you have or have had the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (review).
Note that this is based on whether you’re the primary cardmember on such a card, as it’s okay to be an authorized user on someone else’s card. That never precludes you from earning the bonus on a card.
Also keep in mind the general rules of applying for Chase cards, including the 5/24 rule (though there are increasingly reports of people being approved in spite of being over the 5/24 limit).
Why you should get the IHG Premier Card
With my hotel strategy, IHG isn’t my primary hotel group, but I still strategically find lots of value with the program, given IHG’s huge global footprint. There are many reasons to have the IHG Premier Card, including:
- IHG One Rewards Platinum status just for having the card; IHG elite status can be valuable for room upgrades and other perks, and you can unlock even more value with the Milestone Rewards program
- The ability to earn IHG One Rewards Diamond status when you spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year; this won’t be worth it for everyone, but does offer some valuable perks
- An anniversary free night certificate every year, valid at a property costing up to 40,000 points; you can top that off with points to redeem at more expensive properties
- Up to $50 in United TravelBank credit annually, in the form of up to a $25 credit every six months
- A fourth night free on award redemptions
- A Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit once every four years
Read a full review of the IHG Premier Card, and learn more about how the benefits of the IHG Premier Card work.
Bottom line
The IHG Premier Card currently has an excellent limited time welcome bonus where you can earn five free night awards upon completing minimum spending, each valid for a night costing up to 60,000 points. That means the bonus is potentially worth up to 300,000 points (though reasonably I’d value it at less than that).
Not only is this a great bonus, but the card’s value proposition is excellent. This is a card that should be worth holding onto in the long run, given the anniversary free night award, fourth night free on award redemptions, IHG Platinum status, United TravelBank credit, and more.
Anyone plan on picking up the IHG Premier Card with this bonus?
I’m not so sure this bonus is all that great. The value really depends on where you redeem the free night, and if you are optimizing the redemption. For example, if going to, say, an Intercontinental in Asia where you nights can be had for around 20,000 points/night, then the original bonus would cover a 7 night stay, whereas the current bonus would only cover 5. I’m ready to churn this card, but I’ll probably wait until a strong points offer returns.
Weren't the SUB free nights previously only available for up to 40,000 night stays?
I currently have the old IHG select card, would I be eligible for this premier card bonus?
Hey Ben, your intuition was correct. From the terms:
"Each Free Night is valid for a one night hotel stay at a property with a redemption level up to 60,000 points, and cannot be supplemented with points from your IHG One Rewards account to redeem for a night hotel stay above that point redemption level."
FWIW, this kind of ruins the offer for me! Oh well.