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IHG One Rewards Premier Review: Free Nights on a Gold Platter
The Bottom Line
5.0
The points on this card aren't worth as much as the points in some other hotel programs — but you can earn a lot of points per dollar. IHG is relatively generous with free nights, too.
Rates, fees and offers
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$150
Rewards rate
3x-24x
Bonus offer
Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 19.24%-27.74% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 28.49%, Variable
Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
$0
More details from Chase
More details from Chase
- Limited Time Launch Offer! Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn up to 24X total points on stays at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 5X points on flights booked directly, car rental agencies, at gas stations, grocery stores (new!) and restaurants. Earn 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Get an Anniversary Free Night each year. Plus, redeem 3 nights, get 4th night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
- NEW! Enjoy up to $100 in Food & Beverage Rewards annually at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
- This card offers over $700 in value your first year!
- Automatic Gold Elite Status as long as you remain an IHG One Rewards Premier cardmember. Plus, get 15 Elite Night Credits each year (new!).
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Kimpton®, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza®, EVEN® Hotels, & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
Pros and Cons
Pros
Anniversary perk
High rewards rate
Automatic elite status
Luxury perks
Cons
Has annual fee
Rewards have limited flexibility
Detailed Review
If it's free nights you want in a hotel card, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card delivers.
With a generous welcome bonus and rewards rate and a free night after each account anniversary — plus a free reward night when you meet redemption and length-of-stay requirements — you could be counting sheep in an IHG-branded property faster than you can count what you saved on the bill. And these perks, among others, can offset the card’s $150 annual fee as well.
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, issued by Chase, also grants you Gold Elite status, which includes perks like late checkout when available and bonus points on every booking.
The main question to ask yourself before applying is whether you'll be satisfied with your options within the IHG portfolio, whose brands include Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, EVEN Hotels and Indigo Hotels. Someone seeking greater flexibility or different hotel options might fare better with either a general-purpose travel credit card or a different co-branded hotel card.
In October 2026, Chase overhauled its IHG One Rewards hotel cards. As part of the updates, the portfolio added a new card: the $350-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Premier Select World Elite Mastercard. Read more about the changes here.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: Basics
Card type: Hotel.
Annual fee: $150.
Sign-up bonus: Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
24 total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel. Those points break down like this:
10 points for paying with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.
10 points from your free IHG One Rewards membership — you'll be automatically enrolled when you are approved for the card if you previously were not a member.
4 points from Gold Elite Status, an automatic benefit of card ownership.
5 points per $1 spent at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and travel (flights booked directly and car rental agencies).
3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
NerdWallet values IHG points at 0.6 cent each. This is drawn from real-world data, but it's not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 0.6 cent or more in value from your IHG points.
Perks and other benefits:
Get a free night at an IHG property after your account anniversary every year (up to a 50,000-point value).
Get the fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a stay of four nights or more. Terms apply.
Earn 15,000 bonus points and 5 Elite Night credits when you spend $15,000 on the card each year.
Receive up to $100 in food and beverage rewards per year, distributed as $25 each quarter, that can be used on your room bill at participating IHG hotels.
Get $100 in airline credit per year which can be used toward flight purchases. You must make a flight purchase of more than $250 directly with an airline to receive this credit.
Automatic Gold Elite status, which among other things gives you gives you 40% bonus earnings on top of the base points you earn through your IHG One Rewards membership, free internet access and more.
A path to Platinum and Diamond status: Earn IHG Rewards Platinum Elite status after spending $15,000 in a year and Diamond Elite status after spending $40,000 in a year and making one additional purchase each calendar year with the card.
Path to Milestone Rewards: Receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, plus 2 additional credits for every $5,000 you spend with the card.
Global Entry, TSA Precheck or NEXUS fee credit. (Details below.)
Get up to $50 United® Airlines TravelBank Cash each calendar year; registration required.
Travel and purchase protections, including baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase protection and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 19.24%-27.74% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fee: None.
One Rewards vs. One Rewards Premier vs. One Rewards Premier Select
IHG offers two other credit cards — the $350-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Premier Select World Elite Mastercard and the $0-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Credit Card. Here's a side-by-side comparison of the three cards:
| IHG One Rewards Credit Card | IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card | IHG One Rewards Premier Select World Elite Mastercard |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $0. | $150. | $350. |
Sign-up bonus | Earn 125,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. | Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Earn 200,000 Bonus Points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
Rewards rate |
|
|
|
Other perks |
|
|
|
Foreign transaction fees | None. | None. | None. |
Compare to Other Cards
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Benefits and Perks
Valuable welcome offer
The card comes with a generous offer: Earn 180,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That bonus alone could get you a nice long stretch at a hotel.
Eye-popping rewards rate
You'll earn 10 points per $1 spent just by using your IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card to book a stay at an eligible IHG property, plus an additional 10 points per $1 for being an IHG One Rewards member (enrollment is automatic upon signing up for the card). You'll get yet another 4 points per $1 spent from the Gold Elite status you're automatically granted with card ownership, swelling your potential earnings with each IHG booking to a sky-high 24 points per $1 spent.
Useful benefits
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers you an "Anniversary Free Night" each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels. Note that the free night award is valid only for rooms that cost 50,000 points or less per night and has to be used within 12 months of the date of issue. Beyond that, you'll also be eligible for a free award night when you redeem points for any stay of four or more nights at the same property.
These free night benefits, combined with the card’s $100 food and beverage rewards credit, can easily defray the annual fee.
Gold Elite status
The additional points boost that comes with Gold Elite status is hard to beat. Earnings aside, Gold Elite status also means perks like member promotions and rates, plus complimentary internet access.
Application fee credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck or NEXUS
You'll get up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card.
Drawbacks and Considerations
Lower point value
A low individual point value isn't necessarily bad if you earn enough points per dollar to make up for their lesser value. But it's still something to keep in mind when comparing hotel loyalty programs. This card can earn you a pile of points, but they may not go as far as the points from other hotel rewards programs or general travel rewards cards.
Limited earning/burning reward options
With any co-branded hotel card, you have to be willing to stay within the hotel group's brand family whenever you travel if you want to maximize your point-earning and -redeeming potential. This could be limiting if there isn't an IHG hotel convenient to your destination, or if the available hotels don't suit your needs. Although IHG does offer airline transfer partners, the value of points in transfers is far less than when you redeem points for hotel stays. You can also use your points for merchandise, gift cards and donations, but the transfer rate is also subpar.
Possible alternatives
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
If you value flexibility over brand loyalty, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can also get you free nights — or flights — fast. The card earns bonus rewards in a variety of popular spending categories, including dining and travel. It, too, offers a rich welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, when you redeem for travel booked through Chase, your points can take on greater value. The annual fee is $95.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
If you're a frequent traveler but the IHG portfolio simply doesn't work for you, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card might be a better fit. It also offers a free hotel night once a year and automatic elite status. And, thanks to the sheer size of the Marriott Bonvoy umbrella, you'll have no shortage of redemption options. The card's annual fee is $95.
You can visit NerdWallet's roundup of best credit cards to get to see how these options stack up.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card can earn you free nights fast, as long as you can stay loyal to hotels within the IHG portfolio and don't mind doing a little work to make sure you're maximizing your point value.
But beyond the upfront incentives, consider whether this card will be a good fit for the long haul. If you want to use your rewards for nights and flights, a general travel credit card will likely be a better option.
If you're concerned about finding IHG hotels in your desired locations to earn or redeem points, consider the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The Marriott family of hotel chains has more than 7,000 locations, from basic lodging options to ultra luxury brands. IHG, by comparison, has more than 5,000 hotels.
Looking For Something Else?
Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
