Compare the Features and Benefits of IHG One Rewards Credit Card and
Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card

The IHG One Rewards Credit Card (formerly the IHG Rewards Traveler Card) is IHG’s no-annual-fee credit card.

As such, it doesn’t offer the excellent perks that come with the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card or the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card — like a free night each account anniversary, automatic Gold Platinum Elite status, or the 15-20 automatic elite night credits the annual fee cards enjoy.

However, the IHG One Credit Card still offers some good benefits for a no-annual-fee card.

You’ll get IHG Rewards’ intro level Silver Elite status, fourth night free on rewards stays (after $5,000 in spend in a calendar year), and a 30% discount on purchases of IHG Rewards points.

Silver Elite status doesn’t offer too many perks — 20% bonus points at IHG hotels and resorts, a shot at late checkout, and not having to worry about point expiration. Cardholders can spend $15,000 in a calendar year to upgrade to Gold Elite status. Gold Elite status includes 40% bonus points at IHG hotels and resorts.

In addition to the sign-up bonus and 5 annual Elite Night Credits, IHG One Rewards Credit Card cardholders will earn bonus points on IHG hotel stays, dining, grocery stores, and gas stations. Cardholders earn 2 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Considering the IHG Rewards point value is only around 0.4 cents per point, that’s not the best possible return on your other purchases.

So, you might just want to limit using your IHG One Rewards Card to IHG hotels and resorts. By charging IHG hotel stays to their IHG Traveler Card, cardholders will earn a total of at least 17 points per dollar spent:

• 5 points per dollar spent by charging the IHG hotel stay to their IHG Traveler Card
• 10 points per dollar spent as an IHG Rewards member.
• 2 bonus points per dollar spent at as Silver Elite (or more if you have a higher tier of IHG Rewards elite status)

For those unfamiliar, the IHG Rewards loyalty program includes a wide range of hotel brands. On the luxury side, you can earn and redeem IHG points at InterContinental Hotels, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Six Senses, and Regent Hotels. On the flip side, you can earn and redeem IHG points for stays at Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites, and Staybridge Suites. That range of earning and redemption options is truly impressive.

However, while every brand needs a no annual fee card, if you will stay with IHG even a few times a year, I strongly suggest you read up on the benefits of the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card or the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. They come with so many statement credits and benefits to offset their annual fees many times over and are, to me, the better value. Still, if you aren’t comfortable with an annual fee credit card, the IHG One Rewards Credit Card is a solid choice.

It’s easy to look at this card and wonder how it differs from the American Express Blue Business Cash® card, with no annual fee, and wonder why you’d pay a $295 annual fee on this card.

The primary two reasons are:

1) This card is a No Preset Spending Limit card. If you put heavy spend on a business card, you would max out the credit limit on the Blue Business Cash® very quickly.

2) Importantly, that card only earns 2% on the first $50,000 spent annually on eligible purchases and just 1% thereafter. Terms apply.

This card will earn you the full 2% on unlimited spend. You’ll earn back the $295 annual fee (in Rewards Dollars) after the first $14,750 in eligible spend. If you are spending $500,000 on the card annually, that is a rounding error on the way to 2% cash back on everything else.

Previously, you had few options for such high spend, with the Business Platinum Card® as the obvious choice.

However, the Business Platinum  earns just 1% in Membership Rewards points on all spend outside select categories. Specifically, it earns 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar on up to $2 million in eligible purchases in the U.S., per calendar year, in the following select business categories combined:

• Electronic goods retailers
• Software & cloud system providers
• Construction materials and hardware supplies.
• Shipping providers.
• Purchases of $5,000 or more

The Business Platinum card also earns 5X per dollar on airfare and prepaid hotel purchases with American Express Travel. Terms apply.

So the cash back from an unlimited 2% on this Graphite Business Cash Unlimited may be far more worthwhile to you, especially if you don’t play the “points game.”

And don’t forget you’ll also get an unlimited 5% Cash Back on American Express Travel® on flights and prepaid hotel bookings through Amex Travel®. That can really add up for business travel collectively booked on the Amex Travel platform.

Card Members can get metal Employee Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Cards for $95 per year for the first 5 Cards, and $95 for each thereafter, with the ability to earn Reward Dollars on purchases and receive alerts to help Card Members know who’s spending and where.

This card competes squarely against the Capital One Spark Cash Plus and the Venture X Business which earns 2X Capital One Miles.

Rates & Fees for the Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card

Rates and Fees for The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Rates and fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express