IHG One Rewards, the loyalty program attached to the InterContinental Hotels Group, might pique your fancy if you’re eyeing a night at the ritzy InterContinental London Park Lane in the heart of London or you’re dreaming of escaping to a private island at the InterContinental Maldives Maunganui Resort.
But the IHG One Rewards loyalty program encompasses more than just the luxurious InterContinental hotels.
With a family of 19 brands, including more affordable hotels like Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites, IHG One Rewards is actually one of the best hotel loyalty programs for the frugal traveler who wants options. After all, IHG has about 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, not to mention it is still rapidly growing — 1,800 more IHG properties are due to open over the next five years.
IHG One Rewards launched in April 2022 as an overhaul to its previous loyalty program, IHG Rewards Club, adding new benefits including a milestone rewards incentive, free breakfast for elite members and a faster earn rate.
IHG Rewards Premier Business Mastercard
The IHG Premier Business card is a good choice if you have a small business and enjoy staying at IHG properties. You’ll earn bonus points on IHG stays and select business-related spending when using your card for purchases. Plus, you’ll get Platinum Elite status and a free night worth up to 40,000 points after each account anniversary.
You’ll also get access to the fourth reward night free perk, which lets you redeem zero points for every fourth night when you redeem IHG points for stays of four consecutive nights or more.
IHG Premier Business welcome offer
As the card was launched in early 2022, most people should be eligible for the welcome bonus. However, it’s worth noting that there is a warning on the application page that you are not eligible for this bonus if you’ve received a sign-up bonus on this card within the past 24 months.
This card is ideal for those who are under 5/24 with Chase. While most business credit cards will not add to your 5/24 status, you do need to be under 5/24 to apply for this card.
IHG Rewards Premier Business Mastercard
IHG Premier Business card benefits
The IHG One Premier Business card has a modest $99 annual fee, but is it worth it? The card’s value depends on whether you’ll use its benefits frequently enough to justify that annual fee.
First, each year on your cardmember anniversary (starting at the one-year mark and continuing each year after that, for as long as you keep the account open), you’ll receive a free night award valid for a single night, worth up to 40,000 points.
Cardholders also enjoy IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status automatically, as long as their account remains open. Platinum members receive 60% bonus earnings on paid stays booked directly with IHG One Rewards, space-available room upgrades, a welcome amenity and a handful of other perks.
For those interested in earning top-tier Diamond Elite status, you can attain this by spending $40,000 on your card in a calendar year. The status will be valid through Dec. 31 of the following year after meeting the spending threshold.
You’ll also pay zero points for every fourth night when redeeming IHG points for stays of four nights or longer. This is an automatic perk that should be reflected when booking. On stays of exactly four nights, this is essentially a 25% discount, so it’s a great way to get even more value out of the card.
Available each account anniversary year, you’ll also earn 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after spending $20,000.
IHG Rewards Premier Business Mastercard
IHG Premier Business cardholders have a handful of other perks to utilize when you swipe your card:
- Government security program application fee credit: You can be reimbursed up to $100 every four years when you charge a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee to your card.
- Save 20% on the purchase of IHG points when you pay with your card
- Up to $50 in United TravelBank credit each calendar year
- Auto rental collision damage waiver: When you decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card, you’ll get coverage against theft and collision. However, coverage is secondary when renting within the U.S.
- Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance: You can be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and up to $6,000 per trip for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses if your trip is canceled or cut short for a covered reason.
- Purchase protection: Your new purchases are covered for 120 days against damage or theft; there is a limit of $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account.
These benefits can be nice to have when things go wrong, especially as other cards have dropped shopping and travel protections in recent years.
Earning points on the IHG Premier Business card
Generally speaking, you won’t get fantastic earning rates on most hotel credit cards — especially on broad categories like dining and groceries. That said, the IHG One Premier Business card could be a solid option, especially at participating IHG properties.
When you use your card at IHG hotels and resorts, you’ll earn 10 points per dollar spent on your stay. This is in addition to the 10 base points that all IHG One Rewards members accrue at most participating brands. And since you have automatic Platinum Elite status with the card, that’ll give you another 60% bonus on top of the base points. When combined, that translates to a total of 26 points per dollar spent on most IHG stays — or a 13% return on spending.
IHG Rewards Premier Business Mastercard
Beyond IHG purchases, cardholders of the IHG Premier Business will earn points at the following rates:
- 5 points per dollar spent on travel, dining and gas purchases
- 5 points per dollar in select business categories, such as social media and search engine advertising and at office supply stores
- 3 points per dollar spent on all other purchases
Redeeming points on the IHG Premier Business card
Like many competitors, IHG One Rewards doesn’t publish an award chart; instead, it uses dynamic award pricing. The program’s website indicates that free nights start at 10,000 points, although it’s possible to find rooms priced as low as 5,000 points.
IHG Rewards Premier Business Mastercard
On the other end, there’s no published maximum rate, although for IHG’s core brands, the highest we’ve seen is 120,000 points per night. However, properties in partner brands like Six Senses and Mr and Mrs Smith frequently exceed this.
Despite this award pricing model, there are still ways to maximize IHG One Rewards redemptions. In fact, you may be able to redeem IHG One Rewards points for significantly more value if you spend some time searching.
You’re not limited to only using points for your stay. You can also book rooms using a combination of points and cash, which can offer decent value in certain circumstances.
However, it’s worth noting just how these reservations are confirmed. IHG effectively sells you the extra points (for cash) and then uses the full number of points for the stay. You usually pay 0.63 to 0.66 cents for each IHG point used to make up the difference. IHG frequently sells points at this price (or cheaper), which can be another way to top up your account.
As noted above, when you redeem points for a stay of four nights or longer, every fourth night of that stay will cost zero points. There’s no limit to how often you can use this benefit — though it only applies to full award stays, not those booked using cash and points.
Don’t forget that IHG offers cobranded personal credit card as well
IHG One Rewards Premier Mastercard
