[Expired] Some of the Best-Ever Welcome Bonus Offers Are Available Now on IHG Credit Cards

Listen up, IHG One Rewards fans: Two of the chain’s co-branded credit cards are now featuring elevated welcome bonus offers.

Right now, you can earn up to 125,000 points with the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card and up to 185,000 points with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. These are among the best offers we’ve ever seen on these cards, so if you’ve been considering adding an IHG card to your wallet, pay special attention to these details.

Here’s a closer look at each of these cards, the specifics of their welcome offers, and whether it’s worth submitting an application.

Earn up to 185k Points With These Limited-Time IHG Welcome Offers

Eligible new applicants for the IHG Traveler card can earn up to 125,000 bonus IHG One Rewards points with a 2-tiered welcome bonus offer:

• Earn 90,000 points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn 35,000 additional points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 6 months from account opening.

Moving up the hierarchy of IHG co-branded cards, the IHG Premier card is currently offering up to 185,000 bonus IHG One Rewards points:

• Earn 150,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn 35,000 additional points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months from account opening.

This is the best offer we’ve ever seen on the IHG Traveler card, and it’s among the best we’ve ever seen for the IHG Premier card. It’s offering the largest-ever points bonus in a single welcome offer, but previous offers have included as many as 5 free night certificates, which we consider to be stronger overall.

Regardless of where they stand in the history of IHG co-branded card welcome offers, each of these is impressive and worth considering if you’ve been wanting to add a new hotel card to your wallet.

Which IHG Co-Branded Card Is Right for You?

Either of these cards is a great fit for fans of the IHG One Rewards program, but there are key differences that may make more (or less) sense for your particular situation. Here’s a brief overview of each to help you decide.

IHG Traveler Card

The IHG Traveler card is the entry-level offering in IHG’s co-branded card lineup. However, it offers a solid earning structure, providing up to 17x points on IHG purchases, 3x points on monthly bills, gas stations, and restaurants, and 2x points on all other eligible purchases.

The card also confers a respectable suite of perks and benefits. Highlights include automatic IHG One Rewards Silver Elite status, a 20% bonus on points earned during IHG stays, and the fourth-award-night-free perk, which allows those with status to book 4 nights for the cost of 3 when using points.

The IHG Traveler card offers a path to elite status through spending. When cardholders spend at least $20,000 in a calendar year, they’ll achieve Gold Elite status, which provides a 40% points bonus on paid stays at IHG hotels.

The IHG Traveler card has a $0 annual fee.

IHG Premier Card

The IHG Premier card, as its name would suggest, is a higher-end offering for IHG One Rewards aficionados.

Anyone who stays at IHG properties often will love the strong earning structure, which awards up to 26x points per $1 spent on IHG stays, 5x points on travel, gas stations, and restaurants, and 3x points on all other purchases.

There are also plenty of high-end perks to take advantage of, including automatic Platinum Elite status. Platinum Elite members can expect room upgrades, a special welcome amenity, access to the fourth-night-free perk, a $100 statement credit after spending $20,000 in a calendar year, and more.

This card also offers a standout perk: the anniversary free-night award, which cardholders receive each year after paying the card’s annual fee. It’s capped at 40,000 IHG One Rewards points. However, it can be topped off with additional points from your balance if you want to redeem it at a hotel that costs more than 40,000 points per night.

The IHG Premier card comes with a $99 annual fee.

Final Thoughts

Right now, both the IHG Traveler card and the IHG Premier card have elevated welcome offers providing up to 125,000 and 185,000 bonus points, respectively. This is the best offer we’ve ever seen on the former and among the best we’ve seen on the latter.

If you’ve been thinking about picking up a new hotel card and you stay with IHG with some frequency, there may be no better time to apply for one of these cards.