New IHG Premier cardholders will earn 165,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on qualifying purchases on the card in the first three months from account opening, an increase of 25,000 points compared to the previous sign-up bonus.
New IHG Traveler cardholders will earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on qualifying purchases on the card in the first three months from account opening. That’s a 20,000-point jump from the old welcome offer.
Notably, while the number of points increased for both sign-up bonuses, the spending requirements stayed the same.
NerdWallet values IHG points at 0.8 cent each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 0.8 cent or more in value from your IHG points.
The IHG cards are solid options for travelers who frequent IHG properties. The IHG Premier and IHG Traveler cards offer massive rewards rates on IHG bookings — 26x and 17x, respectively — and the fourth night’s stay free when cardholders use points to book a hotel. However, the IHG Premier has an annual fee, while the IHG Traveler does not.
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IHG® One Rewards Traveler Credit Card |
IHG® One Rewards Premier Credit Card |
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Annual fee |
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Sign-up bonus |
Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. |
Earn 165,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
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Rewards rate |
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Other perks |
Fourth night free when redeeming rewards for four or more nights. Earn Gold status when you spend $20,000 or more on your card in a calendar year. |
Free anniversary night each year (up to 40,000 point value). Fourth night free when redeeming rewards for four or more nights. Automatic Platinum status. |
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Foreign transaction fees |
Source: nerdwallet.com