The 25 Top Benefits of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a popular card, appealing to both world travelers and local road warriors alike.

With more than 7,000 properties worldwide and a strong domestic footprint in North America, the IHG Hotels & Resorts brand has something for everyone, and cardholders get additional perks and benefits that make IHG stays even better.

The IHG One Rewards loyalty program is excellent with a simple path to elite status, engaging promotions for earning extra IHG One Rewards points, and plenty of ways to redeem those rewards points.

The IHG Premier card supports the rewards program with exponential earnings at IHG properties, a reward hotel night at each card anniversary, and automatic elite status. If you stay at IHG properties even a few times a year, you’ll easily benefit by having the card.

Here’s a list of all the key benefits of the IHG Premier card so you can decide if this card is a good match for you.

Card Overview

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Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

An excellent card for IHG fans, offering a free night every year, automatic Gold Elite status, and your fourth night free on award stays.

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The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

An excellent card for IHG fans, offering a free night every year, automatic Gold Elite status, and your fourth night free on award stays.

Welcome Offer

Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

180,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$900

Annual Fee

$150

APR

19.24% - 27.74% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

If you regularly visit IHG hotels throughout the year, then the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is probably a perfect card to have in your wallet.

The IHG Premier card offers a great bundle of perks and benefits, including automatic Gold elite status, an annual free night certificate, and travel protections.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Up to 24x points on IHG stays
• 5x points on flights booked directly and car rental agencies, dining, gas stations, and grocery stores
• 3x points on all other purchases

Cons

• $150 annual fee
• Does not earn transferable points

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Card Highlights

• Limited Time Launch Offer! Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn up to 24X total points on stays at IHG Hotels & Resorts
• Earn 5X points on flights booked directly, car rental agencies, at gas stations, grocery stores (new!) and restaurants. Earn 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Get an Anniversary Free Night each year. Plus, redeem 3 nights, get 4th night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
• NEW! Enjoy up to $100 in Food & Beverage Rewards annually at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
• This card offers over $700 in value your first year!
• Automatic Gold Elite Status as long as you remain an IHG One Rewards Premier cardmember. Plus, get 15 Elite Night Credits each year (new!).
• IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental^®, Kimpton^®, Hotel Indigo^®, Crowne Plaza^®, EVEN^® Hotels, & Holiday Inn^®
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.24% - 27.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Earning IHG One Rewards Points

1. Generous Welcome Offer

When you get approved for the IHG Premier card, you have the opportunity to earn a generous welcome offer after meeting minimum spending requirements within the first 3 months after card approval.

The welcome offer jump-starts your earnings, allowing you to start booking reward hotel nights anywhere in the world as soon as the bonus is deposited into your IHG One Rewards account.

Presently, the card has the following welcome offer: Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

2. Earn Big at IHG Hotels and Resorts

Earn up to 24 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel and use your card to pay. That breaks down as:

• 10x points with your card
• Up to 10x points from IHG on stays for being an IHG One Rewards Member
• Up to 4x points from IHG on stays with Gold Elite Status

Hot Tip:

Read about the changes to IHG’s credit cards that took effect on October 1, 2026.

3. Earn With Bonus Categories

Use your IHG Premier card to earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on flights book directly, for car rentals, at gas stations, and at grocery stores.

4. Earn Extra on Every Purchase

All other purchases you make with your IHG Premier card earns 3 points per $1 spent.

5. Earn Bonus IHG One Rewards Points Each Anniversary Year

Earn 15,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases each calendar year.

6. Save 30% on Point Purchases

You’ll earn lots of IHG One Rewards points on your IHG Premier card, but if you’re short of a redemption goal, you can purchase points and receive a 30% discount if you purchase the points using your card.

7. Promotions To Earn More Points

IHG One Rewards offers several promotions throughout the calendar year with opportunities to earn tens of thousands of points. When you sign up for the IHG One Rewards program, you’ll receive emails alerting you to the latest promotion.

One common requirement for earning bonus points during the promotions is to book and pay for your hotel room with your IHG Premier card, making it an easy way to score some extra IHG One Rewards points.

It’s worthwhile to register, as some of the promotions can be lucrative and simple to achieve.

8. Get Points for Adding an Authorized User

Earn an additional 10,000 points for adding an authorized user on your card within your first 3 months of card membership.

Redeeming Your Points

9. There Are 11 Ways To Redeem the Reward Points Earned on Your Card

You can redeem your IHG One Rewards points for just about anything, but keep in mind that not all options result in a good value for your points. Here’s a look at the choices you have at redemption time.

Redeem for Reward Hotel Nights

With IHG’s nearly 6,000 properties worldwide, it’s easy to redeem your reward points for hotel nights. Reward nights can cost as few as 10,000 IHG One Rewards points per night (or less during promotions) and are an excellent use of your points.

Use Cash and Points

If you don’t have enough IHG One Rewards points to completely book your reward stay, you can use a combination of points and cash.

Move Up to InterContinental Ambassador

The InterContinental Ambassador program comes with a complimentary buy one, get one weekend night certificate, complimentary room upgrades and hotel credits, late checkout, and bonus IHG One Rewards points each year when renewing your Ambassador status.

To purchase your InterContinental Ambassador membership, you can redeem 45,000 IHG One Rewards points or pay $225.

Redeem for Airline Miles

If you’re short on airline miles for a specific award redemption, you could transfer your IHG One Rewards points to any of the many airline transfer partners available.

Most transfer rates are 10,000 IHG One Rewards points to 2,000 airline miles, although there are a few exceptions. This translates to needing 100,000 IHG One Rewards points to equal 20,000 frequent flyer miles, so this isn’t the best value for your points.

Magazines

It’s possible to receive 1 cent in value or better per point when redeeming IHG One Rewards points for e-magazine subscriptions. Subscriptions start at 200 IHG One Rewards points.

Gift Cards

There are dozens of ways to redeem your points for gift cards, but you may receive less than 0.5 cents per point, so this isn’t the best use of your hard-earned points.

Digital Rewards

You can spend your IHG One Rewards points on digital downloads such as movies, music, eBooks, games, and software. Prices start at 367 IHG One Rewards points.

Redeem for Shopping

Using your IHG One Rewards points for shopping doesn’t provide the best value. For example, you could spend 50,000 IHG One Rewards points for a personal translator device or use the 50,000 points for 2 nights at a posh InterContinental hotel and buy a personal translator for less than $100 on Amazon. However, the option is available when you shop on the IHG shopping portal.

Redeem for Access Experiences

Use your points for concerts, amusement park admission, and more with IHG One Rewards Access Experiences. You can also bid on unique VIP experiences such as backstage passes, better seats at concerts, weekend getaways, and other VIP events.

Redeem for TSA PreCheck Fee

You could use 30,000 IHG One Rewards points for a certificate good for $78 toward TSA PreCheck. Since you get a statement credit for the TSA PreCheck fee when charged to your IHG Premier card, as detailed above, don’t spend your points on this benefit.

Donate to Charity

Donate as little as 2,500 IHG One Rewards points to charities such as the American Red Cross, CARE, Goodwill, Prince’s Trust, and the Youth Career Initiative.

Bottom Line:

You can redeem IHG One Rewards points for just about anything, but that doesn’t mean you should. Aim to get at least 0.5 cents per point in value (our valuation), and consider 1 cent per point or higher an excellent redemption.

Reward Hotel Nights, Elite Nights, and IHG One Rewards Elite Status

10. Annual Reward Hotel Night

Each year on your card anniversary, you receive a reward night certificate good for a room of your choice worth up to 50,000 points. The certificate can be used worldwide.

This benefit alone is worth the $150 annual fee on the card.

11. Use Reward Points To Supplement Your Free Night Certificate

Your annual free night certificate can be redeemed for a free hotel night that costs up to 50,000 points. If you find a room that requires more points, you can redeem points to make up the difference as an IHG Premier cardholder.

12. Fourth-Night-Free Reward

Book 4 or more consecutive award nights and you won’t be charged points for the fourth night. There is no limit to how many times you can use this benefit, and you can even use it multiple times in a single stay.

For example, book 8 consecutive award nights and you receive the fourth and eighth nights as reward nights without charge. It’s easy to book the reward nights online, as the reward night is automatically calculated during the booking process.

13. Automatic Elite Status

IHG Premier cardholders receive automatic Gold Elite status for as long as they hold the card. Gold Elite status, which normally requires staying 20 qualifying nights or earning 40,000 elite-qualifying points in a calendar year, comes with benefits that include:

• 40% bonus points
• Rollover nights
• Milestone Rewards

14. Spend Your Way to Higher Elite Status

Spend $40,000 on your card in a calendar year and receive top Diamond Elite status with IHG One Rewards. Diamond Elite status normally requires staying 70 nights or earning 120,000 points in a calendar year.

Or aim for Platinum status — you have to spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year. This status normally requires staying for 40 qualifying nights or earning 60,000 elite qualifying points in a calendar year.

15. Get Elite Night Credits

Get 15 Elite Night Credits upon account opening and then at the start of each calendar year, which gets you closer to a Milestone Reward and your next status tier.

16. Spend for More Additional Elite Night Credits

Earn 2 Elite Night Credits or every $5,000 spent on purchases. In addition to these 2 Elite Night Credits, you can also earn 5 Elite Night Credits after you spend $15,000 on purchases each calendar year.

Travel Perks, Lifestyle Benefits, and Statement Credits

The IHG Premier card comes with a solid list of travel benefits.

17. $50 United TravelBank Credit

Link your IHG Premier card with your United MileagePlus account and receive $25 deposited into your United TravelBank account twice each calendar year in January and July.

18. Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck Credit

Receive up to $120 when you pay your Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck fees with your IHG Premier card. This benefit is valid for one statement credit every 4 years.

19. Up to $100 in Annual Food and Beverage Rewards at IHG Hotels

Get a $25 quarterly voucher valid on treats and meals at IHG Hotels.

20. $100 Airline Statement Credit

Get a $100 statement credit when you spend at least $250 on flights purchased directly with the airline every calendar year (valid through December 31, 2027).

21. Door Dash Benefits

Get a 1-year complimentary DashPass by DoorDash ($120 in value annually), that provides unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders (activate by December 31, 2027).

You can also get up to $10 monthly off on DoorDash nonrestaurant orders (like groceries and essentials) through December 31, 2027 (valid for Chase DashPass sign-ups on or after September 1, 2026).

22. Instacart Benefits

The IHG Premier card offers a complimentary Instacart+ Membership for 3 months, including unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees on eligible orders. After that, you automatically stay enrolled in Instacart+ at 25% off the annual rate (through December 31, 2027).

You also get a $10 Instacart credit monthly, up to $120 in total each calendar year.

23. No Foreign Transaction Fees

Take your card on vacation with you, as you won’t incur any foreign transaction fees.

Hot Tip:

Remember that Chase has a 5/24 rule that can affect your approval chances for their cards. Brush up on this rule before you consider applying for the IHG Premier card.

Travel Protections

The card does offer some protections if your trip doesn’t go as planned.

24. Trip, Luggage, and Car Rental Insurance

If a trip you paid for in full or in part with your IHG Premier card is interrupted or canceled because of sickness, severe weather, or other covered situations, you could receive up to $5,000 per covered trip, per person. There’s a maximum of $10,000 per trip. Pay for your air, bus, train or cruise transportation with your card and receive up to $500,000 in the case of accidental death or dismemberment coverage. On your travels, the card can provide legal and medical referrals and access to other travel and emergency assistance services, though you must pay for any goods or services yourself.

If your luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged, you can get up to $3,000 per covered traveler in reimbursement. If it’s delayed over 6 hours, you can get up to $100 a day for up to 3 days for essentials.

If you charge a car rental entirely to your card and decline the rental company’s collision insurance, you get reimbursement for theft and collision damage for most rental vehicles. In the U.S., that coverage is secondary.

Shopping Protections

The IHG Premier card does come with shopping protection.

25. Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty, and Fraud Protection

Pay for your eligible item with your IHG Premier card and receive 120 days of protection for theft and damage from the date of purchase. Coverage is limited to $500 per item.

The card also extends the manufacturer’s U.S. warranty by an additional year when you purchase an eligible product with it that has a warranty of 3 years of less, up to 4 years from purchase.

The card comes with fraud protection, too.

Final Thoughts

The IHG Premier card is a solid hotel rewards card. It’s easy to earn IHG One Rewards points and even easier to redeem them. Plus, getting a reward hotel night at each card anniversary seals the deal.

The diversity of the properties offered in the IHG portfolio serves both the local traveler and the world adventurer. There’s always an affordable Holiday Inn Express around the corner when your family needs a place to stay during the holidays, as well as a luxury InterContinental sitting in the center of a grand international city or an all-inclusive Iberostar in a sunny beach destination.