8 Reasons to Get the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

If you’re planning to stay at an IHG hotel at least once a year, then you’ve already got a pretty strong reason to hold the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.

Every account anniversary, this card gives you a free night certificate, redeemable for stays up to 40,000 points. That benefit alone can more than make up for the annual fee of $99.

But if you’re still not convinced, here are some other reasons this card is worth a look.

1. The welcome offer could be worth more than a week of free stays

You have an opportunity to earn a giant pile of points in one punch thanks to the card’s new limited-time welcome offer: Earn 165,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

IHG point redemptions start at just 10,000 points, so this offer could get you pretty far.

2. Your anniversary free night lets you book a room worth more than the annual fee

On each anniversary as a cardholder, you'll receive a certificate good for a night at any eligible IHG hotel or resort up to 40,000 points. If the room you want costs more, you can top off the award with additional points, giving you more flexibility to max out this benefit.

You're on the hook for incidental charges such as parking fees and mandatory resort fees if applicable. Still, that’s a sweet deal.

3. Rewards bookings include a fourth night for free

If one night free isn’t enough for you, here’s a chance to earn more: When you book a stay on points for four or more consecutive nights, your fourth night is free.

If you take advantage of this benefit, you’ll be charged the point redemption rate for the first three nights and 0 points for the fourth night. As long as you’re booking on points, there’s no cap to this perk either. You can use it as many times as you want.

4. The card offers automatic Platinum elite status

The card comes with automatic Platinum status in the IHG One Rewards Club program. Though Platinum status isn’t the highest tier (that's Diamond) and doesn’t come with extras like free breakfast, it still has plenty of decent perks, like:

• 60% bonus points on paid stays.

• Complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability).

• Late checkout at 2 p.m.

5. You can rack up points fairly quickly

If you don’t have enough IHG points to actually book on points, here’s a way to rapidly earn them.

Use this card, and you’ll earn 26 total points per $1 spent on most IHG hotel stays. Here’s how that breaks down:

• 10 points for paying with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.

• 10 points from your free IHG Rewards Club membership at most properties. You'll be automatically enrolled when you're approved for the card if you previously weren't a member.

• 6 points from Platinum Elite status, an automatic benefit of card ownership.

A two-night stay at a $200-per-night hotel could get you more than 10,000 points. And yes, room redemptions start at 10,000 points. By paying with this card, you don’t have to work too hard to start earning free nights.

6. Cardholders can get a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus credit

If you hate waiting for airport security, this card has a slick benefit that’ll help speed you through those winding lines: As a cardholder, you’ll receive a statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for Global Entry, Nexus or TSA PreCheck application fees charged to your card.

7. It has no foreign transaction fees

Travel credit cards worth adding to your wallet usually don't charge foreign transaction fees, and this one's no exception. If you make purchases internationally, you want to avoid these fees, which can add 1% to 3% to your total. Keep that money for your own travel fund.

8. It includes travel protections

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card comes with a slew of travel protection and trip insurance-related benefits when you pay for the trip with your card.

These include:

• Trip cancellation and interruption.

• Lost luggage reimbursement.

• Baggage delay insurance.

These protections could potentially save you thousands of dollars.

For example, if your trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations, such as sickness or severe weather, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses, like tours or hotel rooms. Also, if you or an immediate family member checks luggage that's damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger.

Reasons to skip it

This card is a winner in many cases, but it's not for everyone. Here's why you might want to pass on it.

You hate paying annual fees

Some people refuse to pay annual fees for credit cards — and that’s fine. While we think this card is worth its annual fee, that’s still money you have to part with upfront. You might not want to front money for a free-night certificate you’ll never end up using.

If you don't like the annual fee but still want an IHG credit card, consider the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card.

You don’t want to be committed to IHG

Once you hold the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, it might be tough to justify staying at a different hotel brand or even alternative lodging like a short-term vacation rental. If you don’t like that level of commitment, you might be better off with a more general travel rewards credit card.

If you stay at IHG, the card's well worth it

If you tend to choose IHG hotels when you travel, this card can provide a powerful rewards boost. When you add up the benefits, including elite status, bonus points earning, free-night certificates, and free fourth nights on rewards stays, plus other travel benefits like a Global Entry application fee credit and trip insurance, you're looking at some pretty significant value. For many travelers, these perks could make the card well worth its annual fee.