Why the Nerds Give This Hotel Credit Card a Rare 5-Star Rating

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a powerhouse travel rewards card that can help you rack up free hotel nights at more than 6,000 hotel properties around the world in short order.

Whether you want to splurge on a luxurious bucket list resort, enjoy a uniquely-designed boutique property (and free happy hour!), grab a clean and well-appointed room at the airport before an early morning flight, or anything in between, IHG’s 19 hotel brands have got you covered.

Come for the incredibly valuable, limited-time bonus offer for new IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card holders:

Earn 5 Free Nights after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

But you’ll want to stay for the card’s generous rewards, unique money-saving perks and automatic elite status benefits.

Here’s why you’ll love the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.

A best-in-class hotel credit card

NerdWallet’s credit cards team has reviewed nearly all of the major cards on the market. Our teams of experienced writers, editors and researchers determine our star rating methodologies and meet strict editorial guidelines.

Less than 10% of all the credit cards that NerdWallet has reviewed receive a best-in-class 5-star rating (as of May 2025).

And the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is one of those cards.

It offers loads of benefits and perks, like:

✅ An anniversary free night (up to 40,000 points) each calendar year. This free night can be topped up with points for hotels above the 40,000-point redemption level. (Note: The free night awards you'll get as a welcome offer cannot be topped up, though).

✅ Eye-popping rewards earnings of up to 26 points total per $1 spent at IHG (10 from card, 10 from loyalty program, 6 from automatic elite status). Plus 5 points per $1 spent on travel, gas stations and restaurants and 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.

✅ Automatic Platinum Elite status, which gives perks like priority check-in, 2 pm late checkout (when available), complimentary internet access, complimentary room upgrades (when available) and a dedicated customer service phone line.

✅ Up to a $120 credit toward an application for travel timesavers Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus (once every 4 years).

✅ No foreign transaction fees.

✅ Up to $50 United® Airlines TravelBank Cash each calendar year when you register.

✅ Tons of travel protections, and much more.

More ways to rack up free nights and save a bundle

But here’s one of my favorite perks of the card that has helped me save big on hotel stays…

If you hold the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card , you’ll get the 4th night free when you pay with points for a stay of four nights or more (terms apply).

Yes, that means you’ll only pay the points for 3 nights and you’ll get the 4th night totally free!

And yes, this card charges an annual fee of $99. But I’m more than happy to pay that fee because of all the value the card brings me.

Plus, the IHG One Rewards loyalty program offers another great money-saving benefit when you redeem your points for hotel stays: Taxes and fees will be waived on all hotel stays when you pay with points.

(This applies to government-mandated taxes and fees and doesn’t cover additional resort fees or the government-imposed tourism fee you’ll incur at some properties.)

My $0 stay [Screenshot proof]

Here’s a real example from a trip my family took to a stunning Kimpton-brand Caribbean resort.

You can see the 4th night cost 0 points – that’s because I hold the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card .

Plus, because we redeemed IHG points (largely earned from this credit card), we didn’t pay any taxes or any fees.

By comparison, here’s what that same stay would have looked like if we booked with cash instead of points.

As you can see, we saved $1,459 in taxes and fees on this luxurious resort stay.

Not to mention the whopping $4,700 we saved by redeeming our points instead of paying cash!

(Now, we were on the hook for a steep $80 per night resort fee that provided things like kayak and paddle boat rentals, snorkeling gear, valet parking and more. But that fee is tacked onto each night of cash-paying rooms, too.)

The bottom line

Credit card points, miles and free night certificates can be incredibly valuable in helping to offset travel costs.

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card's multitude of perks, credits and protections make holding the card a no-brainer for me, and many other travelers.

I'm happy to pay its relatively low $99 annual fee for the value the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card brings my family each year.

The current bonus – one the card’s highest offers ever – is one you don’t want to miss out on: Earn 5 Free Nights after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

But this best offer of the year won't last long. Apply today to earn a nearly-free vacation later this year.