Get Free Nights, Elite Status & More With an IHG Credit Card

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Chase just rolled out exciting new offers on its pair of personal IHG co-branded credit cards. With these new offers, you can earn up to 140,000 points depending on which version of the card you go with.

Here's how the new bonuses shake out:

With the *ihg rewards club premier* you can bonus_miles_full
With the *ihg one rewards traveler* you can bonus_miles_full

Either of these cards would be a good choice for even occasional travelers, as there are tons of IHG properties throughout the world. Putting these big welcome bonuses to good use shouldn't be any trouble at all. With valuable perks like IHG Platinum Elite status, an annual free night award (for hotels costing up to 40,000 points each night), up to $50 a year in United TravelBank credit, and a fourth-night free benefit on award stays, there's a lot to like about these cards.

Read on for everything you need to know about Chase's IHG credit cards and these new limited-time welcome bonus offers.

Full Benefits of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

bonus_miles_full
Earn 5x points per dollar spent on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants
Earn 3x points per dollar spent on all other purchases
Free night award certificate starting in your second year of card membership
Link your United MileagePlus account and get up to $50 of United TravelBank cash each calendar year.
Receive 10,000 IHG bonus points and a $100 statement credit after spending $20,000 in purchases in a calendar year
Automatic IHG Platinum Elite status
IHG Diamond Elite status after spending $40,000 and making one additional purchase each calendar year
Up to a $100 Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
Get your fourth night free when booking with points
Cell Phone Protection Coverage
$99 Annual Fee

Learn more about the *ihg rewards club premier*.

Full Benefits on the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

bonus_miles_full
Earn 3x points per dollar spent on utilities, internet, cable, phone, and select streaming services purchases
3x points per dollar spent at gas stations & restaurants
2x points per dollar spent on all other purchases
Automatic IHG Silver Elite status
Receive 10,000 IHG bonus points after spending $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year
Get your fourth night free when booking with points
Cell Phone Protection Coverage
No Annual Fee

Learn more about the *ihg traveler*.

Who Are These Offers Good For?

The *ihg premier* offers a solid list of benefits for a card with an annual fee under $100. With hotel rates rising, the free night certificate alone (starting in your second full year with the card) could easily make this card a keeper for many travelers. That benefit, coupled with the IHG Platinum Elite status and semi-annual United TravelBank Credit, should make the IHG Premier card the easy choice for most despite the annual fee.

Still, with the *ihg traveler* you're getting a no-annual fee hotel card that will help you stretch your points further by offering a fourth-night free benefit on award stays. This benefit alone can make the card worth having in the long run.

They're both compelling cards for any traveler with an eye on IHG properties and an especially great fit for families who take a yearly road trip – or even those looking for a beachside vacation. Because of IHG's vast footprint, you shouldn't have any issue using these points no matter where your travels take you.

And while 140,000 points sounds like a really big number, just keep in mind: Points and miles are not created equally. These points are only good for hotel stays at IHG properties, which means they aren't worth nearly as much as transferrable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Venture Miles, or American Express Membership Rewards.

That said, IHG points are far from worthless. Given the reasonable rates you can often find to book free night stays, this 140,000-point bonus is a stellar offer.

Looking at a random two-night stay for the Hotel Indigo in downtown Minneapolis, the total cost with taxes and fees would be just over $355 per night.

Read our review of the Hotel Indigo in downtown Minneapolis for an idea of how you can put this big welcome offer to use!

But you could book that exact same two-night stay for just 45,000 IHG points per night.

Consider this: After spending the $3,000 required to earn the bonus on the IHG Premier Card, you'd have at least 149,000 IHG points. With IHG's fourth-night-free benefit factored in, that's enough points to cover four nights at this property that would otherwise cost you over $1,400.

That's just one example of how to use your points – and you could easily get more (or less) value out of them by cherry-picking where you stay. But at the end of the day, there is definitely value to be had within the IHG program and these new bonuses specifically.

Read more: What are points and miles worth?

Our Analysis

We've said it before and we'll say it again: There's value to be had with the IHG program and these are great offers on both the card_name and the no-annual-fee card_name.

Both of these cards were revamped in recent years and perhaps the best new benefit is how the anniversary free night certificate you'll receive in your second year with the Premier card works. For years, IHG Anniversary Free Night certificates had been capped for properties costing 40,000 points. You get one of these certificates each year you renew your card, starting in year two.

Now, IHG One Rewards Premier cardholders can add an unlimited amount of IHG Rewards points to redeem those certificates at hotels above the 40,000-point redemption limit. That means you could book a 50,000-point-per-night award stay using a certificate and kicking in another 10,000 points. Or put in another 30,000 points to book a 70,000-point award stay.

While it's far from the most luxurious of properties, you'd only need to add an extra 2,000 IHG points to your reservation to get a free night at the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. Considering many resorts in this tiny island nation go for upwards of $1,000 per night, this could be a great way to use your annual free night certificate.

Add in the Premier card's annual $50 United TravelBank cash you'll get each year, and we think it's a no-brainer as that alone can easily wipe out half of your annual fee.

It’s important to note that Chase’s 5/24 rule does apply to these cards. If you have opened more than five credit cards from any bank (not just Chase) in the last 24 months, you will not be eligible for card approval.

Bottom Line

Chase and IHG are out with big bonus offers on both the card_name and the no-annual-fee card_name.

In addition to all those points, these cards include added benefits like elite status, an annual free night certificate, and even United Travel Bank credit, making them worth having and holding for the long run.