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Is the IHG One Rewards Premier card worth the annual fee?
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Every year, you should evaluate what’s in your wallet and decide which cards you’re keeping. Typically, it’s best to make that decision before the next annual fee is due. Among the things you should consider are how much the annual fee …
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Every year, you should evaluate what’s in your wallet and decide which cards you’re keeping. Typically, it’s best to make that decision before the next annual fee is due.
Among the things you should consider are how much the annual fee costs and what kind of value you’re getting out of a card. And remember, even if a card has a lower annual fee, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s worth keeping.
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a popular hotel card with a $99 annual fee — but is it worth a place in your wallet? Here’s what you should know before choosing.
Welcome offer
New applicants for the IHG Premier card can earn 170,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This bonus is worth $850 according to TPG’s February 2025 valuations.
Note that you can’t get this bonus if you currently have a personal IHG credit card (such as the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card) or if you’ve received a welcome bonus on any IHG personal credit card in the past 24 months.
You can redeem your points for luxury stays at hotels like the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort or budget-friendly properties like the Holiday Inn Agra — the city where you can visit the Taj Mahal. The price you see when searching for hotels will be the number of points required per night.
Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions
Annual free night award
On each account anniversary, you’ll receive a free night award worth up to 40,000 points, valid for bookings with IHG One Rewards. If you want to redeem it for a hotel that costs more, you can also purchase points.
This free night award can be used for $200 in value, meaning this benefit alone could justify the card’s annual fee of $99.
Related: How to use the IHG Rewards anniversary night certificate
$50 in United TravelBank credit
In January and July, you’ll receive $25 credits to your United TravelBank balance. These funds can be used to purchase flights operated by United and United Express.
These credits can reduce your out-of-pocket costs when buying cash fares, but they do have limitations. For instance, you can’t use these funds to pay taxes and fees on award travel, and you can’t combine TravelBank funds with vouchers from canceled flights. You also can’t use these funds for inflight purchases.
Still, if you can maximize this benefit, you’ll easily justify over half the card’s annual fee.
Automatic status
Cardholders will enjoy complimentary Platinum Elite status with the IHG One Premier card, which is the second-highest tier in the IHG One Rewards program.
Benefits at this level include complimentary upgrades at check-in (based on availability), guaranteed room availability, a welcome amenity of snacks or drinks, early check-in, use of a priority check-in desk and more.
Fourth night free on award stays
IHG cardholders also can use the fourth night free benefit when redeeming points for award stays with IHG.
When using points to cover a stay of four nights or more, each fourth night is free. The value of this benefit will vary, based on how often you use it and the price of the hotels where you use it.
Other perks
Cardholders can earn 10 points per dollar spent at IHG when paying for a stay with the IHG Premier card — and can even net up to 26 points per dollar spent when they earn an additional 10 points per dollar spent for being IHG One Rewards members and another 6 points per dollar spent thanks to their Platinum elite status (a benefit that comes with this card).
What’s more is that you’ll earn 5 points per dollar spent on travel, hotels, gas stations and dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and 3 points per dollar spent on other purchases. That amounts to a 5%, 2.5% and 1.5% return on spending, respectively, based on TPG’s February 2025 valuations.
Other key benefits include reimbursement (once every four years) for your application fee to Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus and a 20% discount on points purchases, though this can’t be added to other sales on IHG points.
You’ll also earn a $100 statement credit and 10,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases on your card in a calendar year.
The IHG One Premier card also offers valuable travel and shopping protections. You’ll enjoy trip cancellation/interruption insurance, purchase protection, rental car insurance (which is secondary in the U.S. but primary coverage elsewhere), lost luggage reimbursement and extended warranty coverage.
Bottom line
If you can use this card’s perks for average value (or better), you should have no problem justifying its annual fee and keeping it in your wallet. But if your IHG stays are infrequent and you don’t take advantage of the cardholder benefits that come with the IHG Premier card, then the $99 annual fee may not be worth it.
For more details, check out our full review of the IHG One Rewards Premier.
Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
