Changes are coming to the Chase IHG® credit card portfolio and they’re almost all positive! Beginning on March 24, 2022, the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Card is being rebranded as the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card. Along with the name change are several other exciting enhancements. The first is remarkably better earnings rates on non-hotel spending. In addition, there’ll be more flexibility when redeeming free night certificates and $50 in United® TravelBank cash each calendar year. The only negative is the annual fee, which increases from $89 to $99. Let’s dive into the details.
Prior to these updates, I never recommend the card to anyone but IHG enthusiasts. The terrible earnings rates on everyday spending made this a poor choice for most people. However, the rebranded card benefits are good enough that virtually anyone can find adequate value from owning this card. The new version still provides valuable perks like complimentary IHG Platinum Elite status, an annual free award night and the fourth night free on award stays.
The card has some other secondary benefits that also add value like a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit, no foreign transaction fees and a host of other travel-related benefits.
Who is this card for?
This card is a great option for people who love IHG hotels. IHG boasts popular brands like InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton and Holiday Inn. Frequent visitors will reap benefits way more than the $99 annual fee from perks likes Platinum Elite status and the annual free award night. Cardholders also benefit from high earning rates on stays with IHG.
Although better suited to the frequent IHG guest, this card may be worth it even for those who stay at an IHG property only once a year. The annual free night is worth enough to offset the yearly fee.
You can apply for the IHG® Rewards Premier Card here.
Card Features
Bonus Offer
You’ll earn 125,000 bonus points and a free night award certificate after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months. That’s good enough for 5 free nights at a top-tier property like the InterContinental Koh Samui Resort in Thailand or 10-14 nights at many lower-tier properties.
Annual Fee
The card comes with a $99 annual fee.
Earning Rates
The earnings rate on stays at IHG properties is great, and now the card has great earnings rates in other useful categories.
| Benefit | Prior to March 24, 2022 | Starting March 24, 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Points earned per $1 on travel | 1x | 5x |
| Points earned per $1 on dining | 2x | 5x |
| Points earned per $1 on gas purchases | 2x | 5x |
| Points earned per $1 on all other purchases | 1x | 3x |
| Points earned per $1 at IHG® Hotels & Resorts | 10x | 10x |
So they’re increasing the 2x categories to 5x and replacing groceries with travel. Plus they’re increasing the all other spending category from 1x to 3x. I still wouldn’t recommend using this as an everyday card, but it’s certainly not as bad an idea any longer.
The IHG® Rewards Club Premier Card also comes with complimentary IHG Platinum Elite status, which further enhances the earnings rate on IHG hotel stays. Regular members earn 10 additional points per $1 spent and Platinum Elite members earn an additional 5 points per $1 spent (50% bonus) on paid stays. So when you combine the earnings rates from the card, being a member and having status, you’ll earn 25 points for every dollar spent at IHG properties.
Redeeming Points
IHG uses a variable award chart, so you can never be totally sure how much an award night is going to cost. I’ve seen nights from 10,000 points all the way up to 100,000 points. The only way to know for sure is to look into some of your desired properties.
When searching a property, you can change the Rate Preference field to “Reward Nights” to see results by points instead of cash.
You can also just leave “Best Available” selected and then on the results page, you can use the Display Price filter to select to see the results by Money, Points or Points + Cash.
To see the various options available using a mix of points and cash, select the hotel and room type. Then, you’ll see several options that show you how much cash would be needed if you spend less points.
Also remember the IHG Premier Card’s fourth night free perk. When you book an award stay of four nights or longer, every fourth night of that stay is free (will cost zero points). Just note that this is not eligible on Points + Cash stays.
Card Benefits
IHG Platinum Elite Status
As long as your account is open and in good standing, you’ll receive complimentary IHG Platinum Elite status. The perks of this status are the increased earnings rate on paid stays, room upgrades, a welcome amenity and several other perks.
Annual Free Award Night
You’ll receive one free night award, valid at hotels costing up to 40,000 points a night, on your card-opening anniversary each year. Beginning March 24, 2022, you’ll be able to add points from your IHG Rewards account to redeem your free night award at hotels above the 40,000 point redemption limit. Even better, there’s no restrictions on this. So you can add as many points as you want and book at any property worldwide.
Fourth Night Free
When redeeming points for a stay of four nights or longer, you’ll pay zero points for every fourth night.
10,000 Bonus Points and $100 Statement Credit
You’ll earn 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after spending $20,000 on purchases each calendar year.
$50 United TravelBank Credit
Receive $50 in United® TravelBank cash each calendar year after registering your card with your United MileagePlus account.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit
Receive a statement credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card. Remember that Global Entry includes PreCheck®, so going with Global Entry is the smarter choice.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
For those who travel internationally, this card does not charge foreign transaction fees.
Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance
If your trip can’t start, is cut short or interrupted by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations, you can be reimbursed for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per covered trip.
Baggage Delay Insurance
If you experience baggage delays over 6 hours by passenger carrier, you can be reimbursed for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing, up to $100 a day for 3 days.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement
If you or an immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger.
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)
Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card, and coverage is provided for theft and collision damage. This coverage is secondary to your own personal coverage.
The vast majority of credit cards offer some type of coverage when it comes to auto rentals. However, there are two different coverage categories (primary and secondary) and knowing the difference is key. Secondary coverage is what most credit cards offer and it applies after your own personal auto insurance policy. Typically it means that your auto insurer pays the claim, but the card will reimburse your deductible and potentially other costs not covered by your personal policy.
There are only six consumer credit cards that offer primary auto rental CDW coverage:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred®
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- United℠ Explorer Card
- United Quest Card
- United Club Infinite Card
- Capital One Venture X Card
Purchase Protection
This benefit covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account. As always, make sure you read the fine print for benefit terms and conditions. But you’ll sleep easy knowing your new, big purchases are covered.
Extended Warranty Protection
With this benefit, you can extend the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by one additional year. This applies to eligible warranties of three years or less.
Cell Phone Protection
When you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card, you can get up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year if your cell phone is damaged or stolen. Coverage is limited to 2 claims in a 12 month period and each claim has a $50 deductible.
Who should look for another card?
While you can get great value out of this card, people who are adverse to paying annual fees may want to opt for the no-fee IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Card instead. It comes with an 80,000 point welcome bonus after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months. Although it has less perks than the Club Premier Card, it still gives you the fourth night free on award stays and IHG Gold Elite status.
If the annual fee doesn’t bother you, other hotel brands offer competing products. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card comes with a $95 annual fee and a welcome bonus of 75,000 Marriott points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. Whereas the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card also comes with a $95 annual fee and a welcome bonus of 130,000 Hilton points after spending $2,000 in the first three months.
If you don’t want to be locked into one program, then a flexible points card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card may be a better fit. It also has a $95 annual fee and comes with a 60,000 Ultimate Rewards point bonus after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. These points can be used in a variety of ways, including transferring to Hyatt, Marriott and IHG for hotel stays.
Bottom Line
Overall, the makeover on the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Card is almost entirely a positive one. It now comes with new benefits and enhanced earnings rates on popular spending categories like travel, gas and dining. Even though the annual fee is increasing by $10, that cost is more than made up for by the $50 in United TravelBank cash that you’ll get each year. Finally the ability to top off free night certificates with points is a wonderful enhancement.
With a lucrative sign-up bonus and several valuable perks, this card is a great option for almost anyone, even those who visit IHG properties only once a year. Plus it’s an easy way to build a big IHG points balance rather quickly. While it doesn’t offer the flexibility of a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, it could make your next stay at an IHG property even more rewarding.
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