Starting today, new cardholders that sign up for the Chase IHG Rewards Premier card will earn 175,000 points after spending $3,000 in purchases within 3 months of account opening. According to Chase, this is the best points offer ever on the card, and for those of you that stay at IHG hotels even once a year, this is a great deal to take advantage of.
For folks who are unfamiliar with IHG, similar to Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton, IHG is one of the largest global hotel chains. With a family of 17 hotel brands and the IHG Rewards, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programs, IHG has nearly 6,000 hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 in the development pipeline. Under the IHG umbrella are the following brands you are likely familiar with: Kimpton, Six Senses, Intercontinental, Regent, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, and more.
For many of you out there, you may think that hotel credit cards like the Chase IHG card is something to immediately write off, but let me try and persuade you as to why this could be a great addition to your wallet.
With only a $99 annual fee, the recently refreshed Chase IHG Rewards Premier World Elite Mastercard offers the following elite status perks and travel benefits:
- 5X points on dining and at gas stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Up to 26X points on stays at IHG hotels and resorts
- Anniversary free night certificate redeemable up to 40,000 points
- Cardmembers earn an anniversary free night certificate on their account anniversary date each year. IHG’s loyalty program also allows cardmembers the ability to add unlimited points from their account to redeem the anniversary free night at hotels above the 40,000 point level
- Automatic Platinum Elite status
- Cardmembers can also earn IHG Diamond Elite status after spending $40,000 on purchases and making one additional purchase each calendar year with their card
- Redeem points for 3 award nights, and get the 4th night free
- NOTE: This is a perk ONLY available to cardholders and not a perk for general IHG Rewards loyalty program members
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS statement credit
- Cardmembers can earn both an additional 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after spending $20,000 on purchases and making one additional purchase each calendar year
- Up to $50 United® TravelBank Cash each calendar year
Given the global footprint of IHG alone, I think just about everyone should consider this card, for the anniversary free night certificate if nothing else. The 40,000 point anniversary bonus alone can be worth more than double the $99 annual fee, so to me, the Chase IHG Rewards Premier is kind of a no-brainer.
Plus, this card is more compelling than ever before, given its recent refresh, and also because IHG’s loyalty program was recently revamped to better compete with the likes of Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton.
For those of you out there who don’t like cards with annual fees, the Chase IHG Rewards Traveler card could be an option to consider, as this $0 annual fee card is also currently running a limited-time offer. New Chase IHG Rewards Traveler cardmembers will earn 120,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening. And while less lucrative in terms of the perks, this is still a great sign-up bonus for those looking to put some extra points into their personal travel bank and not pay an annual fee.
A similar product to the Chase IHG Premier Rewards personal credit card, the Chase IHG Premier Business credit card is basically a business version carbon copy of the personal card. And right now, new Chase IHG Premier Business cardmembers will earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening.
At the end of the day, I know some people are opposed to opening new credit cards and then having a lot of cards bulking up their wallets. But for some of you out there, the Chase IHG credit cards could really bolster your points balance and help you travel in style for pennies on the dollar.
In my opinion, more often than not, it makes sense to have some cards just for the benefits that they offer, even if you don’t plan on spending that much money on them. And for me, the Chase IHG cards are definitely worth your consideration.
What do you think of the new Chase IHG card sign up bonuses and recent refreshes? Drop a comment below and let us know!
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