Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier: Our Review & Things to Consider

In this review of the Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card, we take a look at its features and how it can be of benefit to frequent travelers with loyalty to IHG hotels. The card comes with a free anniversary night, a generous welcome bonus offer of 150,000 reward points, a free reward night when you redeem reward points for a stay of four nights or more and high reward rates on travel purchases made with the card.

Card Details to Know Up Front

Bonus, Fee or Feature
Has or Not
Has Annual Fee
Has Balance Transfer Offer
Has APR Offer
Cash Back Rewards
Travel Rewards
Hotel Benefits
Airline Benefits
Has Rewarding Welcome Offer
Has Foreign Transaction Fee
Credit Needed
Good–Excellent

Click to see this card’s rates, fees and how they compare to other cards in our dataset.

Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier at a Glance

The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card is a travel-focused card with many benefits that can come in handy for customers with frequent travel needs and loyalty to IHG properties. It comes with a generous welcome offer of 150,000 reward points and a free anniversary night every year, along with a complement of travel-focused features and perks. You can get Platinum Elite status with IHG with this card and get up to 25x reward points for every dollar spent with IHG.

Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier
A fantastic card for earning rewards when you stay at IHG hotels and resorts.
- Good–ExcellentCredit Needed
- $89Annual Fee
- 1–25 Points per $1*Rewards Rate
- 25xRewards Rate at Hotels
- 2xRewards Rate on Groceries
Pros
Annual fee waived for the first year
Significant number of bonus points for the taking
Complementary IHG Rewards program’s Platinum Elite status
Use your points for reward nights or redeem them for other awards
Reward nights
Pay no foreign transaction fees
Fee credit toward Global Entry/TSA PreCheck

Cons
Annual fee of $89 (waived for the first year)
Balance transfer and cash advance fees
Penalty APR may apply if you make a late or returned payment
The earn rate is not the same across all IHG properties
Anniversary reward nights are valid only at IHG Hotels with a current point redemption level of 40,000 points or less
Earn 150,000 bonus points by spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months.
Stand to earn 10,000 bonus points each year by spending $20,000 on purchases and making one additional purchase.
Earn up to 25x points when you stay at IHG hotels (10x points as an IHG Rewards Club Premier cardholder, 10x points as an IHG Rewards Club member and 5x points as a Platinum Elite status holder).
Earn 2x points when you spend at gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores.
Get elevated to IHG Rewards Platinum Elite status automatically.
Get a free reward night after every account anniversary.
Qualify for an added free night when you use reward points to pay for stays of four or more nights.
Get protection when you’re traveling through trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance, lost luggage reimbursement and baggage delay insurance.
Safeguard your purchases against damage and theft (up to $500 per claim) for 120 days through purchase protection.
Get a $100 credit as reimbursement for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fees every four years.
Disclaimer: Credit card offers are constantly changing. We work hard to stay updated with the latest information, but the offers listed on our site may no longer be available.
Terms, rates and fees apply
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Pros & Cons Explained

If you need to evaluate the Chase IHG Reward Club Premier credit card and see if the benefits are in line with your planned use case, it’s a good idea to take a look at the pros and cons of the card.

Pros

Benefits
Description
Generous welcome offer
Card holders can earn 150,000 rewards points as a welcome offer by spending $3,000 or more in the first three months. In addition, you can earn a further 10,000 bonus points each year you spend $20,000 or more with your card.
High IHG rewards
With this card, you can earn up to 25x reward points per dollar spent at IHG properties. This is broken down into 10x reward points as a cardholder, 10x reward points for being a member of the IHG Rewards Club and 5x reward points for having Platinum Elite status with IHG.
Free nights
You get a free anniversary night each year with the card. You can also earn an additional reward night if you book a stay of four or more nights with your reward points.
Platinum status
You get a complimentary Platinum Elite status with IHG when you qualify for this card. This opens the doors to many more benefits and perks.

Cons

Drawbacks
Description
Points value
Excluding expenses at IHG, you will earn a low rate of points for everyday purchases. There is also a very limited option to redeem rewards points, except for expenses at IHG properties.
Annual fee
While the annual fee is waived for the first year, you will have to pay an $89 annual fee for every subsequent year.
IHG rewards chart
Generally, the IHG rewards chart that governs how much value you get out of your reward points tends to be quite expensive compared with other hotel co-branded cards.

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Bonuses & Rewards Explained

The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card comes with many benefits. You can earn rewards at a 25x rate for purchases with IHG. You earn 10 reward points for every dollar spent at IHG hotels and resorts as a cardholder and up to 10 points per dollar for being a member of the IHG Rewards Club. You can earn a further five points for every dollar on account of your Platinum Elite Status with IHG. The welcome offer of 150,000 bonus points is contingent on spending at least $3,000 in the first three months, and you can earn a further 10,000 points if you spend $20,000 on purchases in a calendar year. You also get one free anniversary night every year and another free night when you redeem your rewards for a stay of four or more nights.

You can redeem your points in the following ways:

1

You can redeem reward points directly with IHG by exchanging them for reward nights, or use them to upgrade your stay.

2

You can also redeem your points at non-IHG hotels, but only through the IHG travel portal.

3

You can also redeem points to purchase gift cards, merchandise, digital downloads or flights through the IHG travel portal.

Other Features Explained

The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card comes with several other benefits and perks.

Card Feature
Description
Elite status perks
The card comes with a complimentary Platinum Elite status membership with IHG, which comes with several perks. You can enjoy guaranteed room availability, 50% increased bonus earnings on hotel stays, complimentary room upgrades on eligible stays, late checkout and free minibar access at eligible hotels.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
If you use your credit card to pay for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck applications, you are eligible for reimbursement of up to $100 once every four years.
Luggage protection
With this card, you can qualify for reimbursement of up to $100 per day for a maximum of three days for basic supplies if your luggage is more than six hours late. If your luggage gets damaged or lost, you can get up to $3,000 in compensation per passenger.
Travel insurance
With the Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier card, you have access to trip cancellation and interruption insurance, which reimburses up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip if your trip is canceled or shortened on covered incidents.
Purchase protection
New purchases remain covered against damage or theft for a period of up to 120 days from the date of purchase, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per card account. Also, you can activate a one-year warranty extension for new purchases made using the card for warranties of three years or less.
No foreign transaction fees
The card does not charge any foreign transaction fee and can be used during international travel without incurring extra cost.

MONEYGEEK EXPERT TIP

"The free night award helps this card make sense and there are some incredible international IHG hotels where you can use the free night certificate." - Alene Laney, Credit Card Journalist

Understanding the Fine Print

Card Feature
Amount or Rate
APR
15.99%–22.99%
Annual Fee
$89
Cash Back Rewards
Rewards Rate
1–25 Points per $1*
Airline Benefits
Rewards Rate on Groceries
2x
Rewards Rate on Gas
2x
Rewards Rate on Dining
2x
Rewards Rate on Entertainment
1x
Rewards Rate on Online Shopping
1x
Rewards Rate on TV, Phone, Internet Services
1x
Rewards Rate on Air Travel
1x
Rewards Rate at Hotels
25x
Balance Transfer Fee
5%
Balance Transfer APR
15.99%–22.99%
Late Fees
$40.00
Cash Advance Fee
5%
Cash Advance APR
24.99%
Foreign Transaction Fee
None

Regular APR
The card charges a variable APR of 15.99%–22.99% for both purchases and balance transfers.
Annual Fee
The annual fee for the card is $89. However, this fee is waived for the first year of use.
Other Fees
The card does not charge foreign transaction fees. For cash advances, the card charges either $10 or 5% of each transaction, whichever is higher.

FINDING YOUR CARD'S RATES AND FEES

To compare this card with other hotel co-branded cards or travel cards, look at essential factors like the APR, the rewards structure and all the fees and charges involved. To compare with an existing credit card, take a look at your last monthly billing statement or consult the website of the card provider. Alternatively, you can also get information from the credit card agreement database maintained by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Who Should & Shouldn’t Consider Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier?

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Other Considerations for Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier

Depending on your targeted use case, the Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier card might be the right choice for you. That depends on whether you plan to use this as your only card or want to add it to an existing collection of cards.

Things to Consider if This is Will Be Your First or Only Credit Card

We recommend using this as your only card only if you travel frequently and have an exclusive loyalty to IHG properties and partner hotels. Considering the steep price you need to pay to transfer balance to airline partners and other categories, redeeming at IHG properties is the most efficient way to use these reward points. If you are averse to an annual fee, look elsewhere.

Things to Consider if This is Will Be an Additional Card in Your Wallet

If you already have a travel- or rewards-focused card, this can be a good addition to your wallet if you have existing loyalty to the IHG brand, frequently travel to locations where there are IHG hotels or want to get loyalty status with IHG fast. The free stays alone can justify the annual fee of the card.

WHY TRUST OUR REVIEWS

At MoneyGeek, we follow a meticulous and detail-oriented process of reviewing credit cards. We collect data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau database, standardize data points for easy analysis, determine the long-term value of cards, analyze average spending profiles and re-rank our cards frequently.

How Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier Compares to Other Cards

The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card can present good value for frequent travelers with brand loyalty to IHG. However, to get a better idea about what might work best for you, you can take a look at viable alternatives.

Quick Comparison of Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier

Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier

Annual Fee: $89 (waived for first year)
Reward Rate: 1x–25x reward points
Free stays: Free night award on each card member anniversary
Platinum Elite status with IHG
Best for: Travelers with loyalty to IHG

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Annual Fee: $95
Reward Rate: 1x–17x reward points
Free Stays: Free night award on each card member anniversary
Silver Elite status with Marriott
Best for: Travelers with loyalty to Marriott

Other Helpful Decision-Making Q&As

Here are some important frequently asked questions about the Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card.

Still not sure about this card? Consider these options.

If you are still not sure about this card, take a look at our top picks for hotel co-branded cards and travel cards. If you are not interested in a travel card, you can consider a balance transfer card or a rewards card.