IHG One Rewards Premier: Hotel Rewards with Free Night and Elite Perks

Card Update – October 2026: Chase and IHG^® Hotels & Resorts announced significant changes to the IHG One Rewards credit card portfolio on October 1, 2026. We’ve updated this review to reflect the changes. For a closer look at the new benefits and what they mean for cardholders, read our IHG credit card portfolio update.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Sign-up bonus
• Up to 24X points on IHG hotel stays
• 5X points on flights, car rentals, dining, groceries, and gas
• 3X points on all other purchases
• 30% discount on points purchases
• Every fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a stay of four or more consecutive nights
• No foreign transaction fees
• Free night at eligible IHG properties every account anniversary
• Annual spending bonus
• Annual Food & Beverage credit
• Annual airline statement credit
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck^®, or NEXUS credit
• Up to $50 United^® Airlines TravelBank Cash each calendar year
• Automatic Gold Elite status
• 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year
• Travel protections
• Purchase protection

Cons:

• Limited redemptions outside of IHG hotels & resorts
• Points have a low value
• $150 annual fee
• No intro 0% APR

Welcome offer

Launch Offer:

• Earn 180,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months.
• Earn an additional 10,000 bonus points after adding an authorized user within the first three months.

Welcome Bonus Eligibility: This offer is available to applicants who do not currently have a personal IHG One Rewards Credit Card and have not received a new cardmember bonus within the past 24 months. These restrictions do not apply to IHG One Rewards Business Credit Cards.

Rewards

• Up to 24X Points at IHG^® Hotels and Resorts: 10X points with the IHG One Rewards Premier Card + up to 10X points as an IHG One Rewards member + up to 4X point with Gold Elite Status, a benefit of being an IHG One Rewards Premier cardmember.
• 5X Points Categories: 
  • Gas Stations
  • Dining
  • Flights booked directly
  • Car Rentals
  • Grocery Stores
• 3X Points on all other purchases.
• 30% Discount on Points Purchases: Save 30% when you purchase points with your IHG One Rewards Premier credit card.

Redemption Options

• Redeem rewards for free nights at IHG^® Hotels and Resorts, travel, and more.
• Redeem 3 Nights, Get 4th Night Free: Redeem points for a consecutive four-night stay at the same IHG^® hotel and get the 4th night free.

Big4credit Tip: Redeem points for IHG hotel stays to get the best value. IHG One Rewards points typically provide the highest value when redeemed for free nights, often exceeding 0.7 cents per point, especially during promotions or when using the card’s Fourth Reward Night Free benefit. Other redemption options generally provide a lower value per point. Before redeeming, compare the cash price with the points required to ensure you’re getting good value from your rewards.

Fees and APR

• Annual Fee: $150.
• Regular APR: 19.49% - 27.99% Variable APR.
• Balance Transfer Fees: $5 or 5% of each transfer amount, whichever is greater.
• Foreign Transaction Fee: None.

Big4credit Tip: The $150 annual fee can be easy to justify for frequent IHG guests. The card offers several benefits that can help offset its cost, including an anniversary Free Night Certificate (redeemable for a night costing up to 50,000 points, with the option to add points), automatic IHG One Rewards Gold Elite status, 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, up to $100 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards, a $100 annual airline statement credit, up to $120 in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck^®, or NEXUS fee credits every four years, and up to $50 in United Airline TravelBank Cash annually. Cardholders can also get the fourth reward night free when redeeming points for a consecutive four-night stay at an IHG property. Combined with a strong welcome offer, these benefits can provide substantial value for cardholders who regularly stay at IHG hotels and use the available credits. However, the actual value depends on travel habits, eligible purchases, and how much of each benefit the cardholder can realistically use.

Annual Credits & Statement Credits

• Anniversary Free Night: Receive a free night at eligible IHG properties each account anniversary (up to 50,000 points), with the option to top off using additional IHG One Rewards points for higher-value stays.
• Up to $100 in Annual Food and Beverage Rewards: Receive a $25 Food and Beverage Reward voucher each quarter to use at participating IHG hotels, for up to $100 in annual value.
• $100 Airline Statement Credit: Earn a $100 statement credit after spending at least $250 on flights purchased directly from an airline each calendar year through December 31, 2027.
• Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck^®, or NEXUS Credit: Receive a statement credit (up to $120 every four years) as reimbursement for your Global Entry^®, TSA PreCheck^®, or NEXUS application fee.
• Annual Spending Bonus: Earn 15,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 in purchases each calendar year.

Travel Benefits

• Up to $50 United^® Airlines TravelBank Cash: Get up to $50 in United^® TravelBank cash each calendar year after registering your card with your MileagePlus^® account.

Hotel Elite Status

• IHG One Rewards Gold Elite Status: Enjoy automatic Gold Elite status, including rollover nights toward next year’s status, Hertz Five Star^® status, and 40% bonus points on eligible stays.
• Automatic Elite Night Credits: Receive 15 Elite Night Credits when you open your account and at the start of each calendar year thereafter, helping you progress toward Milestone Rewards and higher IHG One Rewards elite status tiers.
• Additional Elite Night Credits: Earn 2 Elite Night Credits for every $5,000 spent on eligible purchases with your card, helping you progress toward higher elite status tiers and Milestone Rewards.
• Annual Spending Bonus: Earn an additional 5 Elite Night Credits after spending $15,000 on purchases each calendar year. These credits are awarded on top of the 2 Elite Night Credits earned for every $5,000 spent with your card.
• IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status: Earn Platinum Elite status when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year, valid through December 31 of the following year.
• Diamond Elite Status: Earn Diamond Elite status when you spend $40,000 in a calendar year, valid through December 31 of the following year.

Travel Protections

• Auto Rental Coverage: Get reimbursement for theft and collision damage when you decline the rental company’s coverage and pay in full with your card. Coverage is secondary and provides reimbursement up to $60,000.
• Baggage Delay Insurance: Get reimbursed up to $100 per day for up to 3 days for essential purchases if your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours.
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Get up to $3,000 per covered traveler to repair or replace checked or carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged, or stolen during a covered trip.
• Travel Accident Insurance: Receive up to $500,000 in coverage for accidental death or dismemberment while traveling on a common carrier when you pay with your card.
• Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance: Get reimbursed up to $5,000 per person, $10,000 per trip, and $20,000 per account per year for prepaid, nonrefundable fares if your trip is canceled or interrupted due to covered reasons like illness or severe weather.

Travel & Emergency Assistance

• Roadside Assistance: Dispatch service available; service fees apply.
• Travel & Emergency Assistance: Access to emergency referral and coordination services while traveling (service referrals only; costs not covered).

Purchase Protections

• Purchase Protection: Covers new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft, up to $500 per item and $50,000 per account.
• Extended Warranty: Extends warranty coverage by one additional year on original eligible warranties of three years or less, up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per account.

Lifestyle Perks

• DashPass Membership (DoorDash & Caviar): Get complimentary DashPass membership (a $120 value for 12 months), which gives you $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. Activate by December 31, 2027 to enjoy at least one year of benefits.
• $10 Off DoorDash Non-Restaurant Orders: Get up to $10 off per month on non-restaurant DoorDash orders through December 31, 2027.
• Up to $120 in Annual Instacart Credits: Receive a $10 Instacart credit each month for eligible purchases made directly through Instacart with your IHG credit card. Benefits end 12/31/2027.
• 3-Month Instacart+ Membership: Get 3 complimentary months of Instacart+ with unlimited $0 delivery fee orders on eligible purchases. Benefits end 12/31/2027.

Buy Now, Pay Later Options

Chase Pay Over Time^®: Split eligible purchases into fixed monthly payments with no interest, just a fixed monthly fee shown upfront.

Ratings

• Net Value & Cost Efficiency: 8.3/10
• Rewards & Earnings Power: 7/10
• Welcome Bonus Value: 9/10
• First-Year Earning Boost: 0/10
• APR & Interest Structure: 2.8/10
• Simplicity & Transparency: 7/10
• Perks, Benefits & Protections: 7/10
• Issuer Credibility & Stability: 8.2/10
• Installment & BNPL Features: 7/10
• Eligibility & Approval Accessibility: 7/10

Big4Credit ratings are based on our independent analysis of each card’s features, value, fees, rewards, and benefits. Card issuers do not influence our ratings.

Terms and Conditions

Click Apply Now to see the terms and conditions.

Related Cards

Business owners: If you’re looking to earn IHG rewards on business expenses, consider the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card, which offers similar hotel perks plus business-friendly features.

» MORE: Chase Updates Entire IHG Credit Card Portfolio

The information about the credit cards has been collected independently by big4credit.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

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