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For several years the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card from Chase has offered generous up front bonuses and has been worth keeping for its benefits – Platinum status, annual free night, and 4th night free on awards. And they’ve introduced a bigger limited-time initial bonus.
- Initial bonus offer: Earn 170,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Anniversary free night: You’ll enjoy a Reward Night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. That’s valid on nights that cost up to 40,000 points but there’s also a new top off option so you aren’t so restricted where you spend the night.
- Free night on redemption stays: Cardmembers enjoy a reward night free when you redeem points for any stay of 3 or more nights (e.g. 4th night free, better than competitor 5th night free on redemptions).
- Earn: I still don’t see the card as go-to for ongoing spend, but it’s compelling for IHG stays 10 points per dollar, plus you earn 10 points as a base member of the program and 6 bonus points as a Platinum (status comes with the card) so that means you can earn 26 points per dollar on IHG hotel spend. You also earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants.
- Elite status: The card comes with Platinum status, and IHG started getting serious about elite benefits about a year ago. In addition you can earn IHG’s new top tier Diamond status after $40,000 spend on the card in a calendar year.
- Credit: The card comes with $25 United Travel Bank funds twice a year to spend and there’s a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card as well. Finally there’s also 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after $20,000 spend on the card in a calendar year.
Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur
That’s all great value on a $99 annual fee card, well worth getting and well worth keeping in my view even if it isn’t going to be my everyday spend card. Naturally 5/24 applies so if you’ve had 5 or more new cards in the past 24 months you may not be eligible.
Meanwhile Chase has an elevated offer for the no annual fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card to earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. One of the best features is that cardholders can Redeem 3 Nights, Get the 4th Night Free. That’s outstanding on a no annual fee card that also has no foreign transaction fees.
I tried doing a referral and that gives the free nights and not the points