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Earn 10X points per dollar spent at IHG brand hotels and resorts booked directly; otherwise earn 2X.
Limited Time Launch Offer! Earn 125,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
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:
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.