by Daniel | Last Updated December 13th, 2021
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links, at no cost to you.
Are interested in adding a credit card to your wallet that has a good sign-up bonus, a generous points earning structure, and a relatively low annual fee?
Then one of the following cards might interest you.
In this article, I’m going to review and compare the IHG Rewards Club Credit Cards.
Basically, I’ll go over what each card costs on an annual basis, the benefits and user perks, and then I’ll decide which card offers the most value.
Who Are These Cards Good For?
The IHG Rewards Club Credit Cards are specifically targeted at people who like to travel and stay at IHG hotels and resorts.
And it’s reassuring to know that there are more than 6,000 hotels and resorts all over the world where you can make use of the points and benefits that come with these cards.
Both cards offer a generous sign-up bonus and the ability to earn points through everyday use of the cards.
The only thing that is worth considering is that besides using points at IHG properties, they don’t provide much value elsewhere.
APR
Now let’s take a look at the APR of each card, and for this section, both cards have the same APR which is a variable rate of between 15.99% and 22.99%, and this is based on what your creditworthiness is, and will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. And finally, the cash advance APR for both cards is 24.99%.
Balance transfers are either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
And finally, cash advances will cost either $10 or 5% of each transaction, again depending on which is greater.
Annual Fee
So next up, let’s take a look at what these cards will cost you on an annual basis.
And starting with the entry-level IHG Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card there is no annual fee, which is always nice, but means that the card most likely won’t offer as much value as the Premier card.
Next up, with the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card, there is an annual fee of $89.
So it’s not really a lot for the annual fee of a credit card, especially seeing that cards like the Platinum Amex card cost $695 per year.
But let’s take a deeper look at both cards to see if it’s worth paying the annual fee for the Premier card.
Sign up Bonus
So now let’s take a look at what sign-up bonus you will get with each card.
And just note that IHG points are worth approximately 0.5 cents per point, and are most valuable when redeemed through IHG properties.
So starting with the entry-level IHG Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card you will earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 within the first 3 months of opening the account.
And these points are worth about $400, which is pretty decent considering there is no annual fee.
Next up with the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card you will earn 125,000 bonus points and a free night at a hotel that has a redemption level of up to 40,000 points, and this is available to you after you spend $3,000 within the first 3 months of card ownership.
So the 125,000 points are worth about $625, and the free night is worth about $200.
So all up, the sign-up bonus is worth approximately $825, which I think is really good value and worth paying the annual fee for.
So for this section, the Premier card is the more valuable card as it offers more than twice the value from its sign-up bonus.
Earning Points
Next up, let’s take a look at how you can earn points with each card.
Starting with the standard Traveler card you will earn up to 15x points per dollar spent at IHG hotels and resorts.
Next up, you will earn 2x points for purchases at grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations.
And finally, all other purchases will receive 1 point per dollar spent.
Now with the Premier card, you will earn up to 25x points for purchases that are made at IHG hotels and resorts.
And finally, you will earn the same 2x points for purchases at restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations, and then 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
So for this section, the Premier card offers a higher points earning potential from bookings that are made at IHG Hotels and resorts.
Benefits and User Perks
Next up, let’s go through all of the benefits that come with each card.
And starting with the Traveler card you will receive a 12-month DashPass that is worth almost $120, and this will give you free deliveries on orders that are over $12.
Next up you’ll be able to receive the 4th night free on hotel bookings that are more than four nights in length and are redeemed with points.
You will also earn Gold Elite status if you spend $10,000 or more in a calendar year.
And finally, there are no foreign transaction fees.
Next up, with the Premier card, you will automatically receive an anniversary night free at IHG hotels worldwide each year of card membership.
You will also get the fourth night free when you use points to pay for at least 4 or more nights in a row at an IHG property.
You get the same DashPass as the Traveler card which is worth approximately $120.
Next up you will receive a $100 credit that can be used towards either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
You will get Platinum Elite Status as long as you keep your account active.
When you purchase IHG rewards points with the card you will get a 20% discount.
And finally, there are no foreign transaction fees.
So for this section, the Premier card clearly offers more value in the way of benefits, specifically with the $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, the free anniversary night, and the discount when purchasing IHG reward points.
Insurance-Related Benefits
Next up, let’s go over what benefits come with each card, and for this section, both cards offer the same coverage.
So first of all you will get Purchase protection that provides you with 120 days of coverage against damage or theft for up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Next up you will get trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance which provides up to $5,000 per person and up to $10,000 per trip if your flight or trip is canceled due to sickness, severe weather, or any other covered situations.
And for this to be valid you must have pre-paid for non-refundable travel expenses that can include airline fees, hotels, or tours.
You will get baggage delay insurance of up to $100 a day for 3 days that covers essential purchases such as clothing or toiletries if your bags have been delayed for more than 6 hours by a passenger carrier.
And finally, you will have lost luggage reimbursement that covers up to $3,000 per passenger if you or an immediate family member has their checked or carry-on luggage damaged or lost by the carrier.
Final Thoughts
So what are my thoughts about the IHG Rewards Club Credit Cards?
Both of these cards offer some decent value from all aspects of the card, I think it just comes down to a couple of factors as to which card to choose.
If you don’t have the budget to cover the annual fee or the spend requirement of the Premier card, Then the entry-level Traveler card is a perfectly good option.
Its sign-up bonus is worth about $400, it offers a reasonable ability to earn points from using the card and it has so nice insurance-related benefits.
In my opinion, if you can afford the additional $89 per year and the extra $1,000 spend requirement to receive the sign-up bonus, the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card
would be my choice.
Its sign-up bonus is worth more than twice as much as the Traveler card, you can earn more points assuming you stay at IHG hotels or resorts regularly.
And finally, you also get a free anniversary night each year and a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.