UPDATE: This offer has expired.
Back in April, IHG launched a new Premier credit card with better benefits and just a slightly higher annual fee – IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. And just few months after the launch of the new card, they even increased the welcome offer to 100,000 points! This is 20,000 points more then the initial offer and my best guess tells me the highest offer we’ll see for this card for awhile. This offer is set to expire October 4, 2018 so you have exactly a week to snag this great offer!
Key Link:
- IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card: 100,000 points (plus 5,000 points if you add on an authorized user) after you spend $3,000 on the card within the first 3 months. $89 annual fee
Card Benefits
IHG credit cards have always offered some of the best benefits where the value you receive is significantly more then the annual fee you pay. With this card you’ll receive:
1. Free Night Certificate
With this card you’ll receive a free night certificate on every anniversary year at eligible hotels. Unfortunately though, IHG is now capping the awards at 40,000 points. So while you can still get a great value out of the free night certificate, it is definitely not as great as it used to be. The great thing about this certificate is that even though it expires a year after it is deposited to your account, you just need to book by that date, you do not actually have to stay by that expiration date. The one downfall to doing this though is that you cannot change your reservation after the expiration date.
2. 4th Night Free on Award Stays
If you commonly stay 4+ nights at hotels, this is actually an awesome perk. When you book with your IHG points, you’ll receive your 4th night free just by being a cardmember. This is definitely a unique benefit amongst cards and one that can definitely save you a ton of points throughout the years as there is no maximum number of times you can take advantage of this benefit.
3. Global Entry or TSA Precheck Fee Credit
This is a popular benefit amongst many cards but typically only appears on the very expensive credit cards. So to have this benefit on a normal annual fee card is pretty rare and awesome! Essentially you pay for your Global Entry application fee and you’ll receive a $100 statement credit – ultimately giving you free Global Entry. While you can also use the fee credit on TSA Precheck instead (which is only $85) you might as well get Global Entry as it comes with TSA Precheck. The good thing about this credit is that the application doesn’t have to match the name on the credit card. So if you already have Global Entry all you have to do is pay for another friend or family members application and you’ll still get the $100 statement credit. You can receive this statement credit every 4 years.
4. Platinum Elite Status
While IHG Platinum status won’t get you too much when staying at their properties, there are a few benefits to having this status. Having Platinum status means your points will never expire. Typically IHG points expire if there is no activity in the account for a 12 month period. This is definitely one of the shorter expiration periods amongst hotel chains, so not having to remember to keep your account active is nice. Platinum status also matches to Kimpton’s “Tier 3” status which will get you a $10 Raid the Bar credit. The last benefit of IHG Platinum status is that you’ll save 6 cents per gallon at Shell Gas stations due to the Fuel Rewards partnership (Learn more about saving money on Shell gas with IHG)
5. 20% Discount on Purchasing Points
While this is a good discount to have in your back pocket if you have have to purchase points on a whim, typically IHG offers promotions where you can purchase points for way more then a 20% discount. And this discount is not on top of any other purchasing points promotions that might be running at the time. It is one or the other. So probably not a benefit most folks would take advantage of – unless they need them that moment.
6. 10,000 Bonus Points a Year
Again, not a benefit most of you will take advantage of, but if you spend $20,000 on your card within the year, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus points. This is not a card I suggest using for your everyday spend as there are other cards out there that will get you more value for the points earned. And this is a ton of spend for not that many points!
Who is Eligible?
It seems like fortunately this card does NOT fall into Chase’s “5/24” rule. So this is a great card to get if you are well above 5 approved credit cards within the past 24 months. However, if you fall under this number, then I suggest getting other cards first that are subject to the “5/24” rule and then this card. You can typically apply for two Chase cards within 30 day time period and many times if you apply for two cards within the same day it typically counts as just one hard pull (usually, not always).
Fortunately, you are also eligible for this card if you have any other IHG credit cards! So let’s say you already have the long standing IHG card that comes with a $49 annual fee, you can still get this card and then receive 2 free certificates per year (one one per card)!
Overall…
This is definitely a card I recommend getting as the benefits outweigh the annual fee and there is an extremely strong sign up bonus. Just keep in mind that there have been many increased offers recently in the points and miles world so take that into consideration with your application strategy!
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