6 Perks of the the IHG Credit Card

The IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card is a new-ish card in the points and miles credit card and definitely one that should be on everyones radar. While some credit cards are great for the sign up bonus and then have minimal benefits year after year, this is one of those cards where the benefits surpass the annual fee.

Top 6 Reasons You Want the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card:

1. Free Night Every Single Year

With this card you’ll receive a free night certificate on every anniversary year at eligible hotels. Although IHG is now capping the awards at hotels that cost 40,000 points or less, this perk alone should pretty much pay for the yearly annual fee, if not work! 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 (although if you do this the one downfall is that you cannot change your reservation after the expiration date). For example, you can use this free night certificate at the Holiday Inn Aruba which is right on the beach and can easily go for $300+ a night during peak season.

2. 4th Night Free on Award Stays

If you commonly stay 4+ nights at hotels, this is an awesome perk. When you book with your IHG points, you’ll receive your 4th night free just by being a cardmember. With many other chains, such as Marriott and Hilton, your free night doesn’t appear until the 5th night, so getting the 4th night free is big. 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, such as:

• Your points will never expire. Typically IHG points expire if there is no activity in the account for a 12 month period. When you have Platinum status (even if it is just earned from having the credit card), your points will not expire even if there has not been any activity in 12 months. This is definitely one of the shorter expiration periods amongst hotel chains, so not having to remember to keep your account active is nice.
• Raid the Bar Credit. Platinum status also matches to Kimpton’s “Tier 3” status which will get you a $10 Raid the Bar credit when staying at Kimpton properties.

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!

Overall…

The benefits of this card absolutely outweigh the annual fee. While it might not be a card I suggest for your everyday spend, it is a card I suggest to have year to year. The benefits can absolutely help you travel for less!

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