The top IHG Rewards Club credit cards typically come with spend-based welcome offers that let you earn bonus points. Whether or not you need to pay an annual fee depends on the card you select.
MoneyGeek's Take
Best Hotel Credit Cards for IHG Loyalists in 2023
This article is part of our larger series on Best Hotel Credit Cards

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While Chase provides credit cards for IHG loyalists, its offerings are limited to personal users and not businesses. These cards offer higher-than-usual reward rates when you spend at IHG Hotels and Resorts and on a few bonus categories.
It is common for top IHG Rewards Club credit cards to provide bonus points through spend- and time-based welcome offers. IHG-specific perks vary from one card to the next. For example, while the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card comes with a free anniversary night each year, the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card does not.
Using any of the existing IHG Rewards Club credit cards outside of the U.S. is ideal as they come with no foreign transaction fees. Other factors you need to consider when selecting a suitable card include annual fees, APRs and added benefits.

This article is part of our larger series on
Best Hotel Credit Cards
MoneyGeek’s Take: Top 2 IHG Rewards Club Credit Cards
Quick Summary
You stand to earn high reward rates at IHG Hotels and Resorts as well as on bonus categories no matter which of the top IHG Rewards Club cards you select. However, the reward rates on offer are not the same. Selecting the right card requires that you also pay attention to other important aspects such as welcome offers, annual fees, IHG-specific perks and APRs.
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
- 1–25 Points per $1*Rewards Rate
- 21.49% – 28.49% VariableAPR
- $99Annual Fee
- Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit
- IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
- 1–2 Points per $1Rewards Rate
- 21.49% – 28.49% VariableAPR
- $0Annual Fee
- Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit
Summary of the Best Hotel Cards for IHG Loyalists
Go through the corresponding IHG Rewards Club credit cards comparison table to determine how these cards fare against each other based on parameters such as annual fees, reward rates and the credit needed to apply.
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- Credit CardBest ForAvg. Reward RateAnnual FeeCredit Needed
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit CardA fantastic card for earning rewards when you stay at IHG hotels and resorts.1–25 Points per $1*$99
- IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit CardGreat card for earning points fast for IHG loyalists1–2 Points per $1$0
While the IHG Premier Card charges an annual fee, it comes with automatic Platinum Elite status and includes an annual free night certificate worth up to 40,000 points. These two benefits easily justify the card's annual fee if you plan on staying at an IHG hotel this year. -- Lee Huffman, credit card expert at BaldThoughts.com
How to Compare Hotel Credit Cards & Intro Offers
While you don’t get many options to choose from, the IHG credit cards currently on offer come with varied features and benefits. As a result, selecting one requires paying attention to different aspects.
Rewards Rate
The IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card lets you earn up to 15x points at IHG Hotels and Resorts; 2x points at restaurants, grocery stores and gas stations; and 1x points on all other purchases. If you get the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card, you earn up to 25x points at IHG Hotels and Resorts. Reward rates on the other bonus categories are the same as the IHG Rewards Club Traveler Card.
Welcome offers
You might stand to earn bonus points if you meet some basic spend-based requirements as a new cardholder. For example, spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months might qualify you to earn 80,000 bonus points.
Annual fees
The IHG Rewards Club Traveler Card makes for a good no-annual-fee alternative. The IHG Rewards Club Premier Card charges an $89 annual fee.
IHG Elite status
These vary depending on the card you get. If you spend $10,000 or more on purchases by using your IHG Rewards Club Traveler Card, you get Gold Elite status that remains valid until the end of the following year. The IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card offers complimentary Platinum Elite status just for being a cardholder, which includes perks like 50% bonus points on paid stays, elite rollover nights and complimentary room upgrades.
Fourth night free on award stays
Both the Traveler and the Premier Card offer the fourth night free when booking a stay of four or more nights with your points. This benefit is a savvy way to get even more value from your rewards.
APRs
If you plan to roll balances over from one billing cycle to the next, you might be better off looking at what low-interest credit cards have to offer. This is because the interest you end up paying might overshadow the value of the rewards you earn.
Foreign transaction fees
The credit cards for IHG loyalists currently on offer come with no foreign transaction fees. However, this aspect requires your attention if you plan to get any other credit card that offers high reward rates on spending at hotels.
Additional benefits
Other card-specific benefits include purchase protection, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit.
Further Reading
About Rajiv Baniwal

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