IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card review: Strong perks for a $150 annual fee

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees) offers many perks for travelers who stay at IHG properties periodically.

The card was recently refreshed alongside the launch of a new premium IHG card. Now the card offers a more valuable anniversary free night certificate, annual elite night credits and some other new perks alongside a higher annual fee and a lower tier of automatic elite status.

This review considers the IHG Premier benefits available to new applicants, which may differ from those available to existing cardholders. Now, let’s look at whether the refreshed IHG Premier is a good choice for you. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

IHG One Rewards Premier: The basics

The IHG One Rewards Premier is a mid-tier hotel credit card with a $150 annual fee. The Chase-issued card earns IHG One Rewards points, with its primary bonus categories being for purchases involving IHG stays, grocery stores, gas stations, dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services), and select travel.

One perk alone — the anniversary free night, valid for a night costing up to 50,000 points — can provide enough value for you to justify paying the IHG Premier’s annual fee each year.

You’ll also get automatic IHG Gold Elite status, quarterly food and beverage reward vouchers, 15 elite night credits per year and an annual airline statement credit after spending at least $250 on flights booked directly with the airline in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll enjoy a free fourth night when redeeming points for stays of four nights or more.

IHG One Rewards Premier pros and cons

IHG One Rewards Premier benefits

The IHG One Rewards Premier carries a $150 annual fee. However, the card’s actual value hinges on whether you’ll use the benefits frequently enough to justify that annual fee. Here’s an overview of the card’s main perks.

Anniversary free night

Cardholders receive an anniversary free night certificate each year that’s valid for a one-night hotel stay at a property costing up to 50,000 points.

Although IHG uses dynamic award pricing, finding an appealing redemption option for your certificate isn’t difficult. For example, I’ve redeemed up to 40,000-point anniversary free-night certificates for stays at the Kimpton De Witt in the Netherlands, InterContinental Athenaeum Athens in Greece and the Kimpton Margot Sydney in Australia.

Note that you can use an unlimited number of points to top off this certificate and use it for higher-priced properties. For example, you can book a room priced at 55,000 points using the free night plus 5,000 points from your IHG account.

IHG food and beverage reward vouchers

Cardholders get up to $100 in annual IHG food and beverage reward vouchers, distributed quarterly as $25 vouchers, to use against eligible food and beverages charged to their room bill during stays at participating IHG properties.

Each $25 voucher expires at the end of the quarter in which it was issued and can only be redeemed once, so any unused value is forfeited.

Elite status and elite night credits

You’ll get automatic Gold Elite status as an IHG Premier cardholder. The primary perks of Gold Elite status include 40% bonus earnings on stays and Hertz Five Star status.

You’ll secure Platinum Elite status through the end of the next calendar year if you spend $15,000 on your card in a calendar year. And you’ll get Diamond Elite status through the end of the next calendar year if you spend $40,000 on your card in a calendar year.

You’ll get 15 elite night credits within six to eight weeks of opening the IHG Premier card, and by Feb. 1 of each subsequent calendar year you have the card. Plus, you’ll earn two elite night credits for every $5,000 that you spend on purchases and five additional elite night credits after spending $15,000 on your card in a calendar year.

These elite night credits can help you earn higher IHG elite status tiers and IHG milestone rewards.

Fourth night free

Each time you redeem points for a stay of four nights or longer, you’ll pay zero points for every fourth night. If you can find four nights of consecutive award space at a property you like, this can be a great way to stretch your points even further.

Of course, the value of this perk depends on how frequently you redeem IHG points for stays of at least four nights.

Other benefits

• Airline statement credit: You’ll get a one-time statement credit of $100 each calendar year when you use your card to make a purchase of at least $250 for flight tickets booked directly with an airline. This benefit is only available through Dec. 31, 2027.
• 15,000 bonus points after spending $15,000: Each calendar year in which you spend $15,000 in purchases with your card
• At least 30% off when buying IHG points: You’ll save at least 30% on your purchase of IHG points when you pay with your IHG Premier card. However, this discount doesn’t stack with other discounts when IHG puts points on sale.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Application fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus: You can get reimbursed up to $120 every four years when you charge a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee to your card.
• United TravelBank cash: You can get up to $50 in United TravelBank cash per calendar year after linking your IHG Premier card with your United MileagePlus account.
• Instacart perks: You can get three months of complimentary Instacart+ membership when you activate your membership for the first time with your card by Dec. 31, 2027. Plus, you can get $10 in Instacart credits monthly while you have an active Instacart+ membership.
• DoorDash benefits: You can get 12 months of complimentary DashPass when you activate your membership for the first time with your card by Dec. 31, 2027. As an active DashPass member, you’ll get a $10 off discount each calendar month at checkout on one qualifying non-restaurant order through DoorDash.
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance

How to earn and use your rewards

You’ll earn IHG points with the IHG One Rewards Premier. Here’s what you should know about earning and redeeming these points.

Earning points on the IHG Premier

When you make purchases with your IHG Premier card, you’ll earn as follows:

• 10 points per dollar spent on qualifying purchases made at hotels participating in IHG One Rewards
• 5 points per dollar spent on purchases at grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services), plus on all other travel through Dec. 31, 2026 (starting Jan. 1, 2027, flights booked directly with airlines and car rentals are the only travel purchases that will earn 5 points per dollar spent).
• 3 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

These rates are decent. But depending on the other cards in your wallet and how much value you usually get when redeeming IHG points, you may not find yourself using your card for many purchases.

When you combine the 10 points per dollar spent by using your card with the points you’ll earn as an IHG Gold Elite member, you’ll earn 24 points per dollar spent on most IHG stays. However, note that you’ll earn at a lower rate on stays at Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, IHG Army Hotels and IHG Residence properties.

Redeeming points that you earn with the IHG Premier

The best way to redeem the points that you earn with your IHG Premier is for stays at IHG One Rewards properties. IHG doesn’t have an award chart, as it uses dynamic award pricing. So, award prices will vary depending on the property you book, when you stay and when you book.

TPG’s October 2026 valuations peg the value of IHG points at 0.6 cents each. So, you’ll generally want to get at least this value when redeeming your IHG points.

But, as an IHG Premier cardholder who gets access to the fourth night free benefit on award stays, the best way to maximize your points is to use them on stays of four nights or more. I’ve recently gotten 1.11 cents per point when redeeming for a four-night stay in Toronto, Ontario. And I’m getting 1.05 cents per point for a four-night stay in Amsterdam during the annual Amsterdam Dance Event.

IHG also lets you redeem more points for elevated room types at some properties. However, note that the difference in award rates may be more than the difference in paid rates. For this example refundable rate stay, a king standard room costs 25,000 points or $589, while a king ocean view costs 45,000 points or $679.

You can also redeem points to book stays with points and cash. For example, you could redeem 30,000 points per night, pay $191 per night or select from a points and cash rate if you wanted to book a flexible rate for this stay.

You’re effectively buying points with the cash part of a points and cash booking. So, if you cancel a points and cash booking during the flexible cancellation window, you’ll get the entire cost (including the part you booked with cash) back in points.

Downsides to consider about the IHG One Rewards Premier

The primary downsides of the IHG One Rewards Premier are that it offers only Gold Elite status, that its annual $100 airline statement credit is available only in 2026 and 2027 and that its earning rates aren’t all that compelling compared to other rewards cards. I have the IHG Premier card, and I rarely use it for purchases because another card in my wallet always provides a better return.

IHG Premier vs. IHG Premier Select

If you want bigger benefits, the new IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card (see rates and fees) offers a larger food and beverage reward voucher each quarter, a more valuable anniversary free night certificate, a bigger annual airline credit, more elite night credits, higher IHG elite status and a quicker path to earn IHG Diamond Elite status through card spending.

The downside is a higher $350 annual fee.

Is the IHG One Rewards Premier worth it?

The IHG One Rewards Premier is worth it if you’ll redeem its anniversary free night each year for a night that would otherwise cost you at least $150.

Considering the anniversary free night award is valid for a night costing up to 50,000 points — which TPG’s October 2026 valuations peg at $300 — it should be easy to find a way to use the anniversary night that fits into your travel plans and provides enough value to justify the IHG Premier’s $150 annual fee.

Then, benefits like the $25 quarterly food and beverage rewards and fourth-night-free perk simply add to the card’s value without needing to justify the annual fee on their own.

When to apply for the IHG One Rewards Premier

The IHG One Rewards Premier is currently offering a welcome offer of 180,000 points when you make $3,000 in purchases during the first three months from account opening. Based on TPG’s October 2026 valuations, these points are worth $1,080.

This is a good welcome offer for this card, since our general advice is that any offer of more than 140,000 points on this card is good.

New cardholders can also earn 10,000 additional points when they add an authorized user within the first three months.

The card’s offer terms note that the IHG Premier isn’t available to current cardmembers of any personal IHG card and previous cardmembers of any personal IHG card who received a welcome offer within the last 24 months. You’ll also need to be eligible under Chase’s 5/24 rule before you apply.

Other cards to consider if you don’t want the IHG One Rewards Premier

If you’re considering the IHG One Rewards Premier, here are some other cards that might be a better fit.

• If you want IHG perks for no annual fee: The IHG One Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees) offers benefits like automatic Silver Elite status and five elite night credits per year. To learn more, read our full review of the IHG One Rewards.
• If you prefer more flexible rewards: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) has a $95 annual fee and allows for 1:1 points transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG One Rewards. To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
• If you want an IHG business card: The IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card (see rates and fees) has a $200 annual fee and offers many of the same benefits as the IHG Premier. But the IHG Business card also offers Platinum Elite status and an up to $100 annual statement credit toward Expensify purchases. To learn more, read our full review of the IHG One Rewards Business.

For additional options, check out our full lists of the best hotel credit cards and the best cards for IHG stays.

Bottom line

The IHG One Rewards Premier is a clear winner for travelers who can reliably use the 50,000-point anniversary night and value a head start toward IHG status and milestone rewards.

However, if you rarely book IHG stays or want more flexible rewards, you’ll likely be better off with a general travel rewards card. Likewise, if you frequently stay at IHG properties, the new IHG Premier Select card might be a better option.

Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Card

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Source: thepointsguy.com