Which IHG-Branded Credit Card Is Best for You? [Detailed Comparison]

IHG Hotels & Resorts has always been innovative. The brand was the first hotel group to ever franchise their brand and also the first to receive an online hotel booking.

Its worldwide footprint is diversified, with everything from basic accommodations to unique specialty hotels and high-end luxury resorts. With a collection of more than 7,000 properties across 21 brands, it’s easy to find a hotel room that fits both your style and your budget.

You don’t have to stay frequently or be an IHG loyalist, however, to appreciate the value of an IHG co-branded credit card. These Chase-issued cards are packed with rewards earning possibilities, easy free hotel night redemptions, and benefits such as elite status and travel and shopping perks. And the lineup just got a major refresh: Chase and IHG reworked the earning rates, benefits, and annual fees across the board, added a brand-new premium card, and renamed 2 cards along the way.

There are now 4 IHG credit cards in total: 3 personal cards and 1 business card. In this article, we’ll cover all 4 of them: the IHG One Rewards Credit Card, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card, and the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card. We’ll talk about how each card earns rewards, your redemption options, how the cards work in harmony with the IHG One Rewards program, and what’s changed with this refresh.

Best IHG-Branded Cards: Overview

Before we detail each card, let’s pause and review with a snapshot of the core benefits. We think you’ll find a level of value in every IHG credit card, but here’s how they compare side by side:

Value of a Welcome Bonus Offer

The IHG One Rewards cards we’re featuring here each have a welcome offer that rewards you with points once you are approved for the card and complete minimum spending requirements within the first 3 months after approval.

We value IHG points at 0.5 cents each on average. However, with free hotel nights starting at just 10,000 points, it’s possible to get more value than that.

Earning Rewards With IHG Credit Cards

IHG-branded cards offer higher earnings at IHG properties but also reward those everyday purchases you make. In fact, every purchase you make on your IHG-branded card earns IHG One Rewards points.

Earning on IHG-branded credit cards is enhanced by your membership in the IHG One Rewards program. We’ll cover more shortly on how membership and having an IHG credit card work together to deliver these earnings.

Bottom Line:

Redeeming IHG One Rewards Points

Although there are nearly endless ways to redeem IHG points, the best value for your rewards is redeeming them for free hotel nights and using points combined with cash to purchase free hotel nights.

Here are your options for redeeming points earned on any IHG-branded card:

In addition to the above, the IHG Premier card, IHG Premier Select card, and IHG Business card let you use your rewards points to supplement your Anniversary Free Night if you find a hotel that costs more than the certificate’s redemption cap.

Bottom Line:

How IHG Credit Cards and IHG One Rewards Work in Tandem

The combination of having an IHG credit card and being a member of IHG One Rewards creates the best scenario for earning, redeeming, and receiving elite benefits. Before applying for an IHG-branded credit card, sign up with IHG One Rewards.

This is because the points you earn on your IHG credit card are deposited into your IHG One Rewards program account each month when your credit card statement closes. The points are then ready for you to redeem.

Each card also comes with a level of automatic elite status. The IHG One Rewards card includes Silver Elite status, the IHG Premier card includes Gold Elite status, and both the IHG Premier Select card and IHG Business card include Platinum Elite status. That’s a change worth calling out: The IHG Premier card previously came with automatic Platinum Elite status, and it now provides Gold Elite status instead. If you’re an existing Premier cardmember, you’ll keep your Platinum Elite status through December 31, 2027.

IHG One Rewards Elite Status

You would normally need to stay 40 nights or earn 60,000 base rewards points to achieve Platinum Elite status each calendar year, but that status is included automatically with the IHG Premier Select card and IHG Business card. With Platinum Elite status, you can expect benefits such as:

• Bonus point earnings on IHG stays
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Confirmable Suite Upgrades
• Late checkout
• A welcome amenity

Gold Elite status on the IHG Premier card and Silver Elite status on the IHG One Rewards card deliver a smaller set of perks, such as bonus points on stays and member rates, with the specific benefits increasing as you climb the tiers.

On the IHG Premier card, you can spend $15,000 on the card to qualify for Platinum status and $40,000 to reach Diamond status. Holders of the IHG Premier Select and IHG Business cards attain Diamond status after spending $25,000 and $50,000, respectively. When holders of the IHG One Rewards card spend $15,000 on the card to get Gold Elite status and 10,000 points.

Elevated Earnings at IHG Properties

Those big earning rates at IHG properties are built from 3 pieces: the points you earn from the card itself, the points you earn as an IHG One Rewards member, and the bonus points that come from the elite status your card provides. Here’s how each card gets to its total:

• IHG One Rewards card: 17 points per $1, earned as 5 points per $1 spent on the card, 10 points per $1 as an IHG One Rewards member, and 2 points per $1 from Silver Elite status.
• IHG Premier card: 24 points per $1 spent, earned as 10 points per $1 spent on the card, 10 points per $1 as an IHG One Rewards member, and 4 points per $1 from Gold Elite status.
• IHG Premier Select card: 28 points per $1 spent, earned as 12 points per $1 spent on the card, 10 points per $1 as an IHG One Rewards member, and 6 points per $1 from Platinum Elite status.
• IHG Business card: 26 points per $1 spent, earned as 10 points per $1 spent on the card, 10 points per $1 as an IHG One Rewards member, and 6 points per $1 from Platinum Elite status.

Fourth Reward Night Free

Book 4 consecutive reward nights at the same property and receive the fourth night free. On the IHG Premier card, IHG Premier Select card, and IHG Business card, this benefit applies when you redeem points for a consecutive 4-night stay. On the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards card, the fourth night free kicks in beginning in 2027 after you spend $5,000 on purchases in a calendar year, and it’s then available for the remainder of that year and the following calendar year.

Rewards Nights Count Toward Elite Status

Both paid and reward stays count toward earning elite status with IHG One Rewards. On top of that, each card comes with annual Elite Night Credits to give you a head start toward your next status tier and IHG’s Milestone Rewards. The IHG One Rewards card provides 5 Elite Night Credits each year. The IHG Premier card and IHG Business card provide 15 Elite Night Credits each year, and the IHG Premier Select card provides 20. On the Premier, Premier Select, and Business cards, you also earn 2 additional Elite Night Credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card.

Promotions

The IHG One Rewards program runs frequent promotions that include additional bonus rewards incentives for using your IHG credit card to pay for your hotel room. These bonus points are in addition to the points you earn on your card and for being an IHG One Rewards member.

30% Point Purchase Discount

When you use your IHG Premier Select, IHG Premier, IHG One Rewards, or IHG Business card to purchase IHG One Rewards points, you receive a 30% discount on the price of the points. That’s an increase from the 20% discount this card offered previously.

Card Anniversary Free Night

The IHG Premier card, IHG Premier Select card, and IHG Business card each come with an Anniversary Free Night after your card anniversary. On the Premier and Business cards, the free night has a redemption cap of 50,000 points, and on the Premier Select card the cap is 60,000 points. Each of these cards also allows you to use points from your IHG One Rewards account to supplement the certificate if a free hotel night costs more than the cap.

The IHG Business card offers a second free night after you spend $60,000 on the card.

Bottom Line:

Travel and Shopping Benefits and Protections

When it comes to travel benefits and protections, IHG-branded cards will serve you well. First, none of the cards charge a foreign transaction fee, a real plus that can save you 3% or more on your foreign purchases.

Here is a sampling of the benefits and protections you can expect:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short because of a covered situation, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per covered traveler and $10,000 per trip for pre-paid, nonrefundable travel expenses.
• Baggage delay insurance: Reimburses you up to $100 a day for up to 3 days for essential purchases when baggage is delayed more than 6 hours
• Lost luggage reimbursement: Provides reimbursement up to $3,000 per covered traveler for checked or carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged, or stolen during a covered trip
• Purchase protection: Covers eligible new purchases for 120 days from the date of purchase against damage or theft, up to $500 per item
• Automobile rental collision damage waiver: Complimentary secondary car rental insurance for rentals of 31 days or less

There are plenty of travel and shopping benefits on IHG-branded cards, but please note that in this article we have abbreviated coverage descriptions and do not list all of the benefits and protections. You can find full coverage terms and conditions in the specific card’s guide to benefits.

Annual Credits for Cardholders

Cardholders can also take advantage of these benefits:

• Food and Beverage Rewards: The IHG Premier card and IHG Business card each offer up to $100 in annual Food and Beverage Rewards, delivered as a $25 voucher each quarter to use on a drink or meal at IHG hotels. The IHG Premier Select card offers up to $300 annually, delivered as a $75 voucher each quarter. These vouchers are issued quarterly and expire at the end of the quarter if you don’t use them, so plan to redeem them before they reset.
• Airline statement credit: The IHG Premier card and IHG Business card each provide a $100 annual airline statement credit, and the IHG Premier Select card provides $200. You earn the credit when you spend at least $250 on flights purchased directly with any airline each calendar year through December 31, 2027.
• United TravelBank Cash: The IHG Premier card and IHG Premier Select card provide up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash each year, deposited as $25 in January and $25 in July. This benefit requires a United MileagePlus membership and a one-time registration. The IHG Business card no longer offers United TravelBank Cash.
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit: The IHG Premier card, IHG Premier Select card, and IHG Business card each reimburse the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS, up to $120 every 4 years.
• Expensify credit: The IHG Business card adds a new statement credit of up to $100 per year toward Expensify purchases, a helpful perk if you already use it to track spending.

Everything Else You Need To Know

IHG-branded credit cards are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, so review the rule before applying for any Chase credit cards.

To be sure you earn maximum rewards and receive on-site elite benefits, book all of your stays directly with IHG. Third-party bookings, such as those with online travel agencies, will cause you to miss out on these perks.

Some IHG property brands earn fewer points per $1 spent. Stays at Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites earn 5 base points per $1 spent, versus 10 points per $1 spent at all other IHG properties.

Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt that an IHG credit card can be extremely useful and provide bottom-line economic value. For a personal card, we like the IHG Premier card for its annual Anniversary Free Night, up to 24x earning at IHG properties, new Food and Beverage Rewards, and 30% points-purchase discount, all for a midtier annual fee.

If you want the richest set of perks and don’t mind the $350 annual fee, the IHG Premier Select card steps things up with up to 28x earning at IHG properties, up to $300 in annual Food and Beverage Rewards, a $200 airline credit, and 20 Elite Night Credits a year.

If you own a business and frequently stay at IHG properties, the IHG Business card can help offset your travel expenses by rewarding your common business expenses and earning free hotel nights quickly, with automatic Platinum Elite status included.

If you absolutely do not want to pay an annual fee, the IHG One Rewards card still offers entry-level elite status, a solid earning structure, and good-value redemptions.

Even if you stay at an IHG property just a few times each year, you’d benefit from having any IHG-branded card. Whether you’re a day tripper, world traveler, or family vacationer, an IHG credit card is a hotel-branded card that offers value for nearly everyone.