IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card review: Ideal for IHG One stays

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

  The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the most highly-recommended travel cards on the market. Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to IHG One Rewards, ideally to top off your account for bookings. You can use the Sapphire Preferred to book travel to get to your destination, earning better rewards and covering your trip with better travel protection. Once on-property, use the IHG One Premier to take advantage of the amazing 26X rate.

• IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card

  Although the IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card* is not available for new applications, those who still have this card can greatly benefit from pairing this card with the IHG One Premier. The Select earns a free night that’s also worth 40,000 points, although you can’t top off the value of those certificates. However, it also gives you a 10 percent rebate on all award bookings. You can stack this benefit with the IHG One Premier’s fourth night free benefits. For stays of four nights or more, the value of this combination can’t be beat and makes keeping the discontinued Select worth it.

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5

4.6

Annual fee

$99

Intro offer

Earn 5 Free Nights

Earn 5 Free Nights after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Rewards rate

3X - 26X

Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5

4.2

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

Earn 120,000 Bonus Points

Earn 120,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Rewards rate

2X - 17X

Earn up to 17 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on purchases on monthly bills, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5

4.7

See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply

Apply now

on American Express's secure site

Annual fee

$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.

Intro offer

Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points

Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 8/13/2025.

Rewards rate

3X - 12X

Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio. Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations. Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases. Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

• IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card vs. IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

  The no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card* might be a better choice for occasional travelers, since it doesn’t come with the same level of benefits. You won’t get the free night reward and only earn 17X on stays — which is still great — as opposed to 26X with the Premier. Earning rates are lower for everyday spending, but you still get automatic Silver Elite status and the same fourth night free benefit offered with the Premier.

• IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card vs. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

  If you’re looking for a different brand with a large global footprint and plenty of options from budget to luxury, you might consider the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. This card is Hilton’s mid-tier offering, with a higher annual fee than the Premier. Both cards have valuable welcome offers and solid property earning rates. The Premier earns a higher value and awards a free night automatically, while you need to spend $15,000 on the Surpass to earn its free night. However, the free night on the Surpass doesn’t have a cap on its value, meaning you could cover the cost of a room at a top property costing over a thousand dollars without paying extra points to top it off.

   

• Can I transfer my IHG points to airlines?

  Yes, you can transfer IHG points to any of the 40 partnering airlines but the value is not good. You can transfer a minimum of 10,000 IHG points to earn 2,000 miles. The 5:1 ratio further diminishes the value of points that already lag towards the bottom of hotel point values.

• Is the IHG Premier subject to the 5/24 rule?

  Yes, the IHG Premier falls under the Chase 5/24 rule. This means that if you have opened five or more credit cards from any bank in the past 24 months that you won’t be approved for the card. You’ll also be ineligible if you have earned a welcome bonus from this card in the past 24 months.

• Should I transfer Ultimate Rewards to IHG One Rewards?

  While IHG One Rewards is one of three hotel partners for Chase Ultimate Rewards, transferring points gives you the worst value of those partners. You should only transfer points to top off your account if needed.

• Rewards value

  The primary criteria for a rewards or cash back card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

   

  To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

  The most recent BLS data estimates average total spending in 2023 was $77,280 per consumer. We then narrow our focus to which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards, subtracting expenditures like housing, vehicle purchases and education. This gives us a total “chargeable” annual spend of around $22,500.  

  Some of the major spending categories that contribute towards the annual spend include:

  • Groceries: $6,000
  • Dining out: $3,900
  • Entertainment: $2,500
  • Gas: $2,400
  • Apparel and services: $2,000

  Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 26 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

  This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases, as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value.

  With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.

• Rates and fees

  We also rate cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance. 

  To start, each rewards or cash back card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other rewards or cash back cards. 

  We also score each card based on how its annual fee influences its overall value. 

  We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value, but if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score even if it carries a high annual fee. 

  With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against other cards in the category when you subtract its annual fee.

• Flexibility

  We rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards and factor this rating into a card’s overall score. 

  Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you redeem for some options versus others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

• Perks

  We also score each card’s set of features — its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. 

  We break down these tiers as follows: 

  • Tier 1 has less than standard card features (an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits.
  • Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges.
  • Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection.
  • Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs.
  • Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.

What cardholders think

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

4.3

61 ratings

In May 2024 and March 2025, Bankrate collaborated with a third-party vendor to survey 8170 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and our vendor collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder's product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate's own reviews of these cards.

92% of customers recommend this card

Score breakdown

5 stars

43%

4 stars

49%

3 stars

7%

2 stars

2%

1 star

0%

Score by category

Overall 4.3 / 5

Extra perks 4.2 / 5

Meets financial needs 4.4 / 5

Privacy and security 4.4 / 5

Customer service 4.2 / 5

Online portal or mobile app 4.4 / 5

In May 2024 and March 2025, Bankrate collaborated with a third-party vendor to survey 8170 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and our vendor collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder's product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate's own reviews of these cards.