- The IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card is now offering a sign-up bonus of 125,000 points to new cardholders who spend $3,000 in the first three months.
- The standard bonus for this card is 80,000 points, so with this new offer you can get 45,000 additional points. This earns the IHG Premier Card a place on our list of the best current credit card sign-up offers.
- Beyond a strong welcome bonus, the IHG Premier Card has a solid set of benefits, including a free night at hotels that cost up to 40,000 points each anniversary year, complimentary Platinum Elite status with IHG and an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
If you want to earn enough points to book a free hotel stay (or enough miles for a free flight), opening a rewards credit card and earning its sign-up bonus can be a great strategy. Most credit card sign-up bonuses get you at least 50,000 points, which can be enough for multiple hotel nights depending on where you want to use them.
IHG encompasses several hotel brands – including Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Kimpton, and Hotel Indigo – so you shouldn’t have trouble finding a property where you can use your points no matter where you’re traveling, though some brands are fancier than others.
IHG Rewards Club Premier Card sign-up bonus details
The IHG Rewards Club Premier Card just launched a new sign-up bonus that gets you 45,000 more points than the standard offer. You’ll earn 125,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months.
Based on travel website The Points Guy’s valuations, 125,000 IHG points are worth $625. That valuation is based on the range of options for using IHG points, from stays at lower-end properties like Holiday Inns to more expensive brands like InterContinental.
There's another interesting aspect to this elevated IHG sign-up bonus: You'll earn more points on your purchases for the first 12 months of cardmembership. You'll earn 25 points per dollar on purchases with IHG for the first 12 months, compared to the card's standard rate of 10x points on IHG purchases. Based on TPG's valuations, 25x IHG points equals a 12.5% return, so if you have any paid IHG stays on the horizon and you're a new cardholder, the IHG Rewards Club Premier Card is a great card to use.
Additionally, you'll earn 4 points per dollar on all other purchases for the first 12 months. After the first 12 months, you'll earn 2x points at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
There isn't a public end date for this sign-up offer, so if you're interested, don't wait.
The IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card has a $89 annual fee, and it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.
Long-term IHG Premier Card benefits
This card is appealing for more reasons than the sign-up bonus. It offers an anniversary free night that you can use at IHG properties that cost up to 40,000 points per night, and this alone can be worth more than the card's $89 annual fee.
The IHG Premier Card also comes with automatic Platinum Elite IHG status, which can get you perks like room upgrades and late checkout.
Two other card benefits are a fourth night free on IHG award stays, and a statement credit of up to $100 to cover the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years.
Know before you apply
If you already know that 125,000 IHG points won't be enough to book the hotel you have in mind, note that you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to the IHG loyalty program. So if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, the rewards you've earned can add to your stash of 125,000 points from the IHG Premier Card bonus.
Also, note that the IHG Premier Card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule. This means that if you've opened five or more credit cards (across all banks) in the last 24 months, Chase is unlikely to approve you for this card.