[Expired] Why You Should Apply for the IHG Premier Card Before Summer 2026

If you’ve been eyeing a hotel credit card with meaningful perks and a low annual fee, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a strong fit for your upcoming summer plans.

With a new, limited-time welcome offer of 175,000 points — the largest sum of bonus points we’ve seen on this card in several years — the value is hard to ignore. Pair that with a $150 annual fee and a reasonable minimum spending requirement, and it’s an easy way to stockpile points for multiple hotel nights.

Let’s take a closer look at how this new card strategy pans out.

Score Welcome Offer for Summer 2026 Travel (175K Points)

The elevated 175,000-bonus point offer on the IHG Premier card is back. Through March 18, 2026, eligible new applicants can earn this massive sum after spending $5,000 on purchases with the card in the first 3 months of account opening.

While hotel points typically carry lower value than airline miles or transferable credit card points, we estimate this welcome offer alone is worth approximately $900 for hotel stays. However, we’ll demonstrate below how doubling this (or more) is achievable.

LIMITED-TIME OFFER

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

19.49%- 27.99% 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: 19.49%- 27.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

The first-year cardholder benefits and value are tremendous considering the $150 annual fee. After each account anniversary, IHG Premier cardholders also receive a free night certificate worth up to 40,000 points, though you could add points to book a more expensive room.

It’s unclear how long this higher welcome offer will stick around, but applying for the card this spring gives you plenty of time to plan ahead and maximize where you’d redeem IHG One Rewards points.

Maximize 5x and 3x Bonus Categories (15K or More Points)

You’ll want to strategize, since you also earn points on your purchases as you try to meet the 3-month spending requirement. Therefore, understanding where the IHG Premier card earns the most bonus points can help you rack up even more rewards beyond the welcome offer.

For instance, cardholders earn up to 26x points on eligible IHG purchases, which is a strong return if you have upcoming stays while waiting for the welcome offer to post. Still, where the card really shines is in its everyday earning potential.

The IHG Premier card offers 5x points on travel, gas stations, and restaurants, and 3x points on all other purchases. Taking our valuations into mind, that’s approximately a 2.5x return and a 1.5x return, respectively.

Therefore, earning between 3x and 5x points on the $5,000 minimum spend could add about 20,000 points, pushing your total to nearly 200,000 points.

How To Redeem 200,000 IHG Points (Up to $1,750 in Value)

If you’re sitting on a balance of around 200,000 IHG points, it’s worth understanding the best ways to redeem them.

IHG Premier cardholders receive automatic Platinum Elite status, along with one of the program’s most valuable perks: Every fourth consecutive award night is free. In practice, this means you redeem points for 3 award nights and receive the fourth at no additional cost.

4 Nights in Northern Italy

IHG has an extensive footprint in Italy, but one standout option is Hotel Indigo Verona, about an hour from Venice. This upscale property is priced at roughly 60,000 points per night this summer — meaning a 4-night stay would cost about 180,000 IHG One Rewards points when you factor in the fourth-night-free benefit.

For those same June dates, cash rates come in close to $1,250, delivering nearly triple our valuation of IHG points, or roughly 1.5 cents per point.

This redemption is a prime example of how redeeming points for higher-end properties during peak summer travel and getting an amazing return.

12 Nights in Utah’s National Parks

If you feel like stretching your points even further, did you know you can book as many as 12 nights near Utah’s famed national parks?

This summer, you can book the voco Moab hotel for less than 21,000 points per night, and the property is centrally located to restaurants and shops and near Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. This means a 4-night stay would cost you just 63,000 IHG One Rewards points.

Then you can make the drive over to Zion National Park, where the Holiday Inn La Verkin – Zion Park costs 23,000 points per night this summer. Less than 140,000 points gets you an 8-night stay to explore all of Zion National Park’s wonders.

All in all, you’d redeem just around 200,000 points and save over $1,500 in cash costs from a single welcome offer.

4 Nights at a Florida Beach Resort

If a beach vacation is more of your speed, look no further than the Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, with direct beach access, sprawling pools, and best of all, a kids-eat-free policy.

With room rates as low as 66,500 points per night, it’s possible to book a consecutive 4-night stay for under 200,000 points.

The cash cost is eye-watering at nearly $1,800, so this is another amazing example of a property that yields well above our valuations for IHG One Rewards points.

Use Statement Credits (Up to $170 in Value)

The IHG Premier card includes a statement credit of up to $120 every 4 years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS. While each trusted traveler program offers different benefits, all can be incredibly useful for upcoming trips.

Even better, you don’t have to be the one using the benefit to receive the credit. You can pay the application fee for a child, family member, or even a friend with your IHG Premier card and still receive the statement credit.

The IHG Premier card also offers up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash each calendar year. After linking your IHG Premier card to your United MileagePlus account, you’re eligible to receive up to $25 from January 1 to July 15 and another up to $25 credit from July 15 to January 15, which can be used toward future United flights.

As a new cardholder, you can take advantage of the 2026 allotments and then receive more credits starting January 1, 2027.

Final Thoughts

In total, the IHG Premier card can deliver nearly $2,000 in value with its limited-time welcome offer that ends on March 18, 2026, and that could be huge for summer travelers. With this elevated welcome bonus offer, you can stretch points across multiple-night stays and receive meaningful perks when staying at an IHG property.