While the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has an annual fee, it also has a better sign-up bonus and more points-earning potential than other IHG cards, making it the best IHG credit card.
For frequent travelers who enjoy staying at IHG hotel properties, being part of IHG® One Rewards can help you earn free nights, perks and privileges. One of the best ways to accumulate those points is by getting one of Chase’s co-branded IHG credit cards: the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card or the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. Business owners and entrepreneurs can also earn valuable IHG rewards with the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. And while these cards are similar, they all feature differing annual fees, sign-up bonuses and rewards rates.
Choosing between the IHG cards really depends on how much traveling you do, and whether achieving status in the IHG Rewards Program is important to you.
Compare the best IHG Credit Cards
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card*
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card*
IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Which IHG credit card should you choose?
Choosing a hotel credit card should always start by figuring out your needs.
-
Choose the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card if ...
You want to earn rewards to put toward occasional hotel stays and you have a brand loyalty to IHG hotels, but don’t want to pay an annual fee.
-
Choose the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card if ...
You want to achieve tier status in IHG® One Rewards, and plan to travel enough to take advantage of the extra card benefits and outearn the annual fee.
-
Choose the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card if …
You’re a business owner or entrepreneur who wants to take advantage of business spending to earn rewards you can put towards hotel stays at IHG hotels.
-
Choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if …
You need flexible travel rewards to book hotels outside of the IHG umbrella.
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card vs. the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: Which personal IHG credit card is better?
The best way to describe how the two personal IHG cards compare is to think of the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card as an introductory product, and the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card as an upgrade for luxury perks. The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card is nearly identical to the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, but geared toward business owners.
For those who plan to get away a few times per year and enjoy IHG properties, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card should suffice. On the other hand, frequent travelers who want to score higher-end VIP travel perks will find the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card well worth the annual fee. Business owners can earn the same higher-end perks and rewards with the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
Here’s how the card features match up:
How much are IHG points worth?
The value of your IHG points can vary depending on how you choose to redeem them. With hotel co-branded credit cards, you’ll typically get the most value by redeeming them for award stays.
How many IHG points are needed for a rewards night?
The points needed to book a free night at an IHG hotel or resort will vary based on the property and other factors. You can book a room at select IHG properties for as little as 5,000 IHG points in some cases.
IHG hotel brands
IHG is home to 19 hotel brands at over 6,000 destinations around the world. Brands cover a multitude of travel needs and accommodation types from luxury and all-inclusive resorts to extended-stay suites and economy hotels. IHG brands include:
- Atwell Suites
- Avid Hotels
- Candlewood Suites
- Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts
- EVEN Hotels
- Garner Hotels
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations
- Holiday Inn Express
- Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
- Hotel Indigo
Tips for using an IHG credit card
To make the most of the IHG credit cards’ benefits, try to do the following:
- Spend the minimum amount required to earn the sign-up bonus for the card you choose, as it’s the biggest upfront reward you can get. Ideally, you should time your card application with a large purchase you were planning to make anyway.
- Use the card to book stays at IHG hotels and make purchases on the properties.
- If you don’t have other rewards cards with better rates on gas, groceries and restaurants, consider using the card for those purchases as well.
- Take advantage of perks and benefits (like the anniversary night on the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, or the fourth night free offer on both).
- If you’re a business owner, you can earn points faster by providing your employees with additional cards at no cost.
Is a co-branded IHG credit card right for you?
An IHG credit card isn’t necessarily right for everyone.
If you’re a frequent traveler or someone who prefers to stay at IHG properties when you do travel, an IHG card is a great option for earning and redeeming points for free stays.
It can also help you gain access to valuable travel and IHG brand benefits.
But if you aren’t a fan of IHG, or prefer to keep your options open, a general travel rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card makes more sense. The points that you earn with a flexible travel card can be used for travel with any hotel or airline — not just IHG.
Frequently asked questions
Before you apply for one of the IHG credit cards, here are some other things to know.
Methodology: How we chose the best IHG credit cards
To bring you the list of best credit cards for IHG, we use an objective rating and ranking system that compares features across a large set of credit cards (over 200 of them from over 50 issuers). We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.
We rank cards based on the following criteria:
- Average value over two years (80% of rating): We calculate the value of rewards and perks for the average cardholder using Bureau of Labor statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes the card’s sign-up bonus, annual bonus (including free night certificates) and travel perks like lounge access and travel credits. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
- Flexibility of rewards (15% of rating): We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates, minimum thresholds to redeem, blackout dates and the availability of flexible redemption options like travel statement credits and cash back.
- Other features (5% of rating): We also compare a card’s benefits, such as purchase protections, travel protections and elite status benefits against benefits from other cards.
Note, that our ratings are a starting point for comparing and choosing the best credit card for IHG. However, your needs may be different from the average cardholder’s. You should consider the amount you’re likely to spend in a card’s bonus categories and which benefits you value to choose the best card for you.
The information related to the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card and IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.