What are the top 10 reasons to get the IHG Rewards Club Premium credit card?

Why should you get the IHG Rewards Club Premium credit card?

Today, in our ‘Top 10 Reasons’ series, I want to look at the top 10 reasons to apply for an IHG Rewards Club Premium Mastercard credit card.

If you want to check your credit record before applying for a new card, click here to get your free Experian Credit Score.

EDIT:  Unfortunately, this card was withdrawn from the market in April 2020 and you can no longer apply for it.

The serious legal stuff about the IHG Rewards Club Premium credit card:

You can apply here:  IHG Rewards Club Premium Mastercard application form

What does it cost?  £99 annual fee

What is the interest rate?   The representative APR is 41.5% variable, including the annual fee, based on a notional £1,200 credit limit.

The top 10 reasons to get the IHG Rewards Club Premium credit card:

There is a generous sign-up bonus of 20,000 IHG Rewards Club points

You will receive 20,000 IHG Rewards Club points when you sign up and spend £200 within the first three months.

On our standard valuation of 0.4p per IHG point, these should get you around £80 of free hotel rooms.

IHG Rewards Club is the loyalty scheme for Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton, voco, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

You receive two IHG Rewards Club points for every £1 you spend on the card

There are a few exceptions (cash withdrawals do not earn points) but in reality virtually every £1 you spend will earn another two IHG Rewards Club points.

Points earned from credit card spending count for status

IHG Rewards Club is the only loyalty scheme which allows the points you earn from credit card spending to count towards status.

This means that, if you were a heavy spender, you could receive top-tier Spire Elite status without ever setting foot in an IHG hotel!

Note that the points earned from the sign-up bonus do NOT count towards status.

You receive a voucher for a free night when you spend £10,000 in each card year

This is a VERY valuable benefit.  Your free night voucher is valid at ANY IHG property, even the top InterContinental hotels which can sell for £250+.

As long as standard reward availability is available, you can use your free night voucher.

Getting a £250 hotel room for free is an excellent return on £10,000 of credit card spending.

You receive DOUBLE POINTS when you spend in a foreign currency

Unfortunately, the IHG Rewards Club credit card adds a 3% foreign exchange fee when used outside the UK.  This means that the double points offer is not as generous as it appears.

If you want a dedicated credit card to use abroad, take a look at the Virgin Money Travel Credit Card (click here).  This card is free and charges NO foreign exchange fees.  It also offers 0% interest on purchases for 12 months and 0% interest on balance transfers for 12 months.  Representative APR 21.9% variable.

You receive DOUBLE POINTS when you spend in IHG hotels

You cannot double-dip, unfortunately!  Spending in a foreign currency in an IHG hotel still only gets you double points, not quadruple points.

You receive Platinum Elite status in IHG Rewards Club

For as long as you hold the card – which is free – you will have Platinum Elite status in IHG Rewards Club.

This is IHG’s mid tier status.  You will receive bonus points or a drink at most properties in Europe, and potentially an upgrade.  To be honest, if you stay at IHG hotels on a regular basis it is worth paying £99 per year for this card just to receive Platinum Elite status.

As a Mastercard, it is far more flexible than an Amex card

Many of the travel rewards credit cards we cover are American Express cards.  The problem with these is that they are not universally accepted.

As a Mastercard, the IHG Rewards Club credit card is accepted virtually everywhere that cards are taken.

You don’t need a high income to apply

There is a minimum income requirement of just £10,000 to apply.

You pay 0% interest for 12 months on balances transferred from other credit cards

This offer is valid for three months after opening your account.

Conclusion

The IHG Rewards Club Premium Mastercard is a very generous card.  As long as you can spend £10,000 per year to earn the free night voucher, the combination of 2 points per £1 and free Platinum Elite status makes this an EXCELLENT package.

You can sign up for the IHG Rewards Club Premium Mastercard on the official website here.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

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IHG One Rewards update – April 2024:

Get bonus points: IHG One Rewards is offering 2,000 bonus points for every two cash nights you stay (not necessarily consecutive) between 1st April and 31st May 2024. You can read our full article here and you can register here.

New to IHG One Rewards?  Read our overview of IHG One Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG One Rewards points worth?’ is here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG One Rewards points, you can buy them here.

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.