One of the best ways to get a lot of miles and points is through the welcome bonus that is offered by signing up for new credit cards. And since it is generally difficult-to-impossible to get multiple bonuses on most cards, you want to make sure and maximize the points you get from your welcome offers. Right now the IHG Rewards Club Premier card has a welcome offer that is at an all-time high, and I’ve been told that it will be expiring on January 13, 2021.
IHG Rewards Club Premier card overview
The IHG Rewards Club Premier card currently has the following offer:
- Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Reward Night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide.
- 4th night free on any award stay of four nights or longer.
- Earn up to 25 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants.
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- IHG Platinum Elite status.
- Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® Fee Credit of up to $100 every 4 years
- $89 annual fee, waived the first year.
IHG Rewards Club Premier 140,000 points welcome offer
140,000 points is an amazing offer for this card. I value IHG points at around half a cent each, which makes the welcome offer worth around $700. This is a card that is one of the few that I will pay the annual fee on, because the free night you get is generally worth the $89 annual fee, though I’m not a fan of the concepts of free nights in general. Getting the 4th night free on award redemptions is another great perk and reason to keep this card long term.
Maximizing your free night
IHG has changed how these free night certificates work in the past several years. The certificates you get now are only good on nights where the hotel is 40,000 points or less. One nice part about this is that due to their change to more dynamic pricing, you still can use your free night certificates at most hotels if you’re willing to be flexible on your dates.
It is also worth noting that IHG has extended the expiration date of many of these free night certificates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
My wife and I used our most recent IHG free night certificates at the Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay Jamaica and had a great time.
IHG Platinum elite status
One other perk on the IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card is that you’ll get mid-tier IHG Platinum elite status as long as you have the card. While Platinum status isn’t nothing, it’s not particularly useful either to most travelers. You will get a bonus on points earned when staying, but you’re unlikely to get breakfast, even at a Holiday Inn.
(SEE ALSO: Why I hate Holiday Inns)
(SEE ALSO: Why do I keep staying in Holiday Inns?)
In my experience, Platinum status will not get you very many room upgrades as well. So while it’s better than a kick in the head, it’s not super-compelling either.
Other perks of the IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card
Another nice perk of the IHG Rewards Club Premier card is the reimbursement for either Global Entry or TSA Pre. Many cards offer this perk, so you may already be enrolled, but remember that you can get the reimbursement for ANY traveler, not just yourself. You can get up to $100 as a statement credit toward application fees for either of those two programs. I would recommend signing up for Global Entry, since that also includes TSA Pre. You can get this $100 credit every four years.
Alternatives to the IHG Rewards Club Premier card
There are a few other cards that are similar to the IHG Rewards Club Premier card. Here are a few others you might consider:
- Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless – 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $3,000. $99 annual fee, and a free night each year.
- American Express Hilton Surpass – 130,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $2,000. $95 annual fee and a free weekend night each year.
- Chase World of Hyatt card – 50,000 Hyatt points as a bonus – 25,000 after spending $3,000 in 3 months and 25,000 more after spending $6,000 in 6 months. Free night each year and a $95 annual fee.
If you’re looking for an all around solid travel card, you could also consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred — currently with a welcome offer of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000. The CSP earns bonus points on dining and travel.
Are you planning on signing up for the IHG Rewards Club Premier card with the increased bonus?
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Recent Comments