Best credit cards for IHG in 2023

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We’ll help you select the best credit card for IHG stays—but first, a little history. In 1963, IHG-owned Holiday Inn made a deal with Gulf Oil that if the hotel chain would start taking Gulf Oil credit cards, the oil giant would start placing gas stations right next to Holiday Inn locations. 

This brilliant move created a “one-stop shop” where middle-class Americans could eat, rest and fill up the tank as they journeyed across Eisenhower’s new highways. The partnership ended in 1980, but it set a precedent for how hotels and credit cards could collaborate for our benefit. 

Fast forward 61 years and IHG fans have several cards to choose from to make their stays more convenient and rewarding. From a card that offers instant Platinum Elite to another that can cover a $900 stay for no annual fee, here are the best credit cards for IHG in 2024.

Overview of the 5 best credit cards for IHG in 2024

Best overall: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

This card is our top overall pick for IHG loyalists. Between a whopping rewards rate on IHG spending and a free anniversary night, there’s a lot of value here.

Why we like this card: If you’re looking to rack up IHG points this year, the card you’re looking for is the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, bar none. The card comes with a whopping 165,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s potentially worth over $1,100 in IHG credit.

Plus, the card provides a free certificate for a rewards night each year on your card anniversary worth up to 40,000 points and what we think is a highly underrated perk—the ability to redeem points for three consecutive nights and score your fourth night in the same stay for free. 

The Premier card also grants you instant Platinum Elite status with IHG, which is a big deal because it’s the first status tier where you unlock all the “good stuff” including free upgrades, early check-in, welcome amenities and more. One of our biggest criticisms of the IHG One Rewards program is that Gold Elite and Silver Elite don’t really do much for you, but that won’t be a problem if you have the IHG One Rewards Premier card. 

As for points, the card offers 10X on IHG purchases, which stacks with the 10X you get for being a basic IHG One Rewards member and the 6X you get for having Platinum Elite status. So in total, you’ll earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts. You’ll also get 5X points on travel, gas stations, and restaurants, and 3X points on all other purchases, which will help you rapidly earn IHG points from everyday spending.  

To recap the highlights, you’re getting the chance to earn a 165,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, plus a free night each year, Platinum Elite status just for holding the card and a 26X rewards rate on IHG purchases—that’s a heaping pile of benefits for a card charging a mere $99 per year. 

Check out our full review of the IHG One Rewards Premier card.

Best no-annual-fee IHG card: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

Maybe you like IHG properties, but don’t stay frequently enough to justify an annual fee. That’s OK, because this card is surprisingly rewarding for one that doesn’t cost you anything to hold.

Why we like this card: In our full review of the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, we called it the Liam Hemsworth to the Premier card’s Chris Hemsworth. Sure, Liam never played Thor on the big screen—but he’s still a fine actor in his own right. 

In a similar vein, the Traveler is still a worthy little brother to the Premier. You’ll get a 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, worth potentially around $700 in IHG redemptions—which is insane for a card charging no annual fee. 

For rewards, you’ll earn up to 17X points when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts (5X of that comes from using the card, 10X from being a base member of the loyalty program and 2X for having Silver Elite status, which comes free with the card). Plus, 3X points on dining, utilities, internet, cable, and phone services, select streaming services, and at gas stations, and 2X points on all other purchases. 

Naturally, you won’t get a free night every account anniversary like you would with the $99 Premier card, but you do get to keep that sweet redeem-three-get-the-fourth bonus. One way you could use it is by redeeming your 100,000-point welcome bonus for a three-night stay somewhere nice (e.g. the Hotel Indigo: Atlanta Midtown at 32,000 points per night) and instantly get a fourth night free, effectively stretching the value of your welcome bonus to nearly $900. 

The cherry on top of the Traveler sundae is the added travel insurance. The card includes baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase protection and even trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance. That list in a card that costs you $0 per year to hold competes with some more expensive travel cards. For instance, the even $150 American Express® Green Card doesn’t include that last form of coverage.

All things considered, the IHG One Rewards Traveler is a surprisingly robust package for a card charging no annual fee—and a no-brainer for anyone intending to stay at an IHG property this year, particularly if they aren’t ready to spring for its big sibling card. 

Check out our full review of the IHG One Rewards Traveler card.

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Fortune Recommends™ .

Best for luxury benefits: The Platinum Card® from American Express

It’s expensive, but there’s a reason. Between the wide-ranging airport lounge access and the numerous statement credits, the The Platinum Card® from American Express offers luxury many other travel cards can only dream of.

Why we like this card: For the moment, IHG doesn’t have a $500+ premium rewards card like the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. So if you’re looking for a top-tier rewards card with a waterfall of IHG-related benefits, the best you can do for now is the Premier. 

Alternatively, you can go for the legendary Platinum Amex. While it may lack IHG-specific benefits and cost an eye-watering $695 per year, the Platinum Card unlocks a Pandora’s box of benefits that fans of any airline or hotel chain will appreciate. 

You can typically earn a welcome bonus of 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of card membership (sometimes higher if Amex shows you a targeted offer when visiting their site directly). That’s not bad considering 80,000 points is worth $800 toward booking flights through Amex’s travel portal. 

Where the Platinum really shines is its virtually unrivaled airport lounge access. The American Express Global Lounge Collection can get you into more than 1,400 lounges across 140 countries. This includes the Centurion Network, Delta SkyClub, Priority Pass and more. If the trips that have you staying with IHG require you to fly, you might want the Amex Platinum in your wallet so you’ll be comfortable on the way to your destination as well as once you get there.

Plus, this card comes with credits galore, including: up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card® (minimum 2-night stay required), up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal, up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your card, up to $200 in Uber Cash on rides or eats orders in the U.S. annually, up to $189 back per year on a CLEAR® Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®, and the list goes on. 

You’ll also earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and prepaid hotels booked via Amex Travel and $800 in cell phone protection with a $50 deductible, meaning if you drop your phone in the IHG lobby, the Platinum Card could instantly pay for itself. 

So until we get a premium-tier IHG One Rewards credit card, the Platinum serves as a benefit-rich substitute.

Check out our full review of the Platinum Card by American Express. 

To view rates and fees of the The Platinum Card® from American Express see this page 

Best for flexible travel rewards:

Maybe you like IHG, but you also want the flexibility to be able to use your credit card rewards with Marriott or Hyatt, or even transfer them to popular airline loyalty programs. You’re in luck, because the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card can do exactly that.

Why we like this card: If you’re not quite committed enough to the IHG brand for an IHG credit card—and you stopped reading about the Platinum Card after seeing the price tag—then the Chase Sapphire Preferred card might be a better overall fit. 

The “CSP,” as it’s known among its fanbase, has been a top-rated travel card for years due to its generous welcome bonus, robust rewards program, and valuable travel protections. Let’s start off with that welcome bonus, which is 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (that’s $750 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®). 

Next, the card earns 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit), 3x points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x points on travel purchases and

While this card lacks some of the features some travelers might look for (such as travel insurance) it does offer elevated rewards in a wide range of useful categories, as well as an annual hotel credit for bookings made through the Citi portal.

Why we like this card: Last but not least, IHG fans might also consider the Citi Premier® Card as an alternative to the Chase Sapphire Preferred. While the former lacks travel insurance and the welcome bonus doesn’t have the 25% boost you can get on the CSP ($600 in value versus $750), the Citi Premier card still makes up ground in other places that might intrigue IHG fans.

That welcome bonus is 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.

One feature that might attract travelers to the Citi Premier card is a promo where all hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel earn 10X points per dollar instead of 5X through June 30, 2024. While you could also earn 10X IHG One Rewards points by booking directly with IHG, those points would only be worth ~0.7 cents towards IHG while 10X Citi ThankYou points are worth 1 cent each toward cash back or general travel. 

In addition, you’ll also earn 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels (1x points on all other purchases), with that broad swathe of rewards categories arguably positioning the Citi Premier as a handier daily-use card than the Chase Sapphire Preferred. 

Lastly, IHG fans will like that the Citi Premier offers a $100 Annual Hotel Savings benefit good toward any single $500+ stay booked through Citi Travel. So while the Chase Sapphire Preferred and IHG One Rewards Premier cards may be better for frequent travelers, the Citi Premier might be better for folks who plan just one or two big vacations a year, and would prefer to earn points from everyday spending. 

Check out our full review of the Citi Premier Card. 

Frequently asked questions

Which credit card gives you IHG points? 

The IHG One Rewards Premier, IHG One Rewards Traveler and IHG One Rewards Premier Business cards all earn IHG One Rewards points on spending. 

Is it worth getting an IHG credit card? 

If you plan to stay at an IHG property at least once this year and you have a strong enough FICO Score (~700+) to be likely to qualify, applying for an IHG One Rewards card could be well worth it since the welcome bonus alone could potentially cover $700+ of your stay. 

How much is 165,000 IHG points worth? 

We estimate IHG One Rewards points are generally worth around 0.7 cents a pop towards IHG purchases. Based on this, 165,000 points would be worth around $1,155 in IHG value. 

How hard is it to get an IHG credit card? 

Chase doesn’t publish the exact required FICO Score needed to secure an IHG One Rewards card, but in general, applicants should have a score of 700 or higher to have a solid chance when applying for premier hotel rewards cards.

Which bank offers IHG One Rewards cards? 

All three IHG One Rewards cards are issued by Chase. 

Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying. 

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefits guide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company. 

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