IHG credit card free night

[walace]

I’m struggling to find details for the Creation IHG Rewards Premium Card as it’s no longer a current product. I’m trying to establish when the free night reward is issued – was it on reaching the £10,000 spend or at the end of the fee year after hitting the spend target?

I’m looking to close the card down and want to do this before being charged for the next £99 annual fee. Is there a way of doing this if the reward night is only issued at the end of the fee year?

[Peter K]

It’s an older article but sums it up:

https://www.headforpoints.com/2017/07/04/ihg-rewards-club-premium-mastercard-free-night-question/

Of course, Creation have been playing fast and loose since the end of last year, so who knows exactly how things will go?

[NorthernLass]

Haven’t a couple of readers spotted something on the IHG website to the effect that the free night benefit is being withdrawn at some point next year? Depending on when your card year end is, Creation may well try to wriggle out of giving you anything! But the free night was issued with the first statement after the anniversary IIRC. Someone else was successful in getting the card closed without paying the next year’s fee, but only because they didn’t spend any money in the new card year.

[walace]

Thanks for the link – nice to see Creation are as vague as ever (partly the reason behind me wanting to close the card).

I’m only about half way towards my spend target this year so have decision – keep spending to get the reward night but risk paying an additional £99 fee (which is probably cheaper than the value I would get from the reward night) or just cut my losses and close the card and direct my spend elsewhere. I’m likely to keep until the new year either way to try and keep the Platinum status with IHG.

[JDB]

walace wrote:

Thanks for the link – nice to see Creation are as vague as ever (partly the reason behind me wanting to close the card).

I’m only about half way towards my spend target this year so have decision – keep spending to get the reward night but risk paying an additional £99 fee (which is probably cheaper than the value I would get from the reward night) or just cut my losses and close the card and direct my spend elsewhere. I’m likely to keep until the new year either way to try and keep the Platinum status with IHG.

That link is from five years ago. There is no lack of clarity – the T&Cs specify the voucher is earned on the anniversary date, provided you have made £10k of eligible spend in the period. The only unclear bit is that Creation will say the fee is also chargeable at anniversary and doubts as to whether you can get it refunded after receiving the voucher is what has changed since the 2017 article.

[walace]

I used to spend enough on the card to get Spire Elite with IHG (legitimate spend, hence why I’ve been able to keep the card going!), however it’s not enough to get Diamond Elite and the benefits with IHG One are now based on nights rather than spend alone.

It’s also frustrating with no Apple Pay and I’ve getting a little bored of having to request points get added correctly for hotel and/or international spend.

All of this combined is pushing me away from the card.

[walace]

NorthernLass wrote:

Haven’t a couple of readers spotted something on the IHG website to the effect that the free night benefit is being withdrawn at some point next year? Depending on when your card year end is, Creation may well try to wriggle out of giving you anything! But the free night was issued with the first statement after the anniversary IIRC. Someone else was successful in getting the card closed without paying the next year’s fee, but only because they didn’t spend any money in the new card year.

I haven’t heard anything about the free nights being withdrawn, where have others seen this?

[alig4th]

I haven’t heard anything about the free nights being withdrawn, where have others seen this?

See this thread https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/end-of-ihg-premium-credit-card-reward-night/

[walace]

alig4th wrote:

I haven’t heard anything about the free nights being withdrawn, where have others seen this?

See this thread https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/end-of-ihg-premium-credit-card-reward-night/

Thanks for the link. I’ve followed this and checked my offers and have two, the first under ‘Premium Credit Card Free Night’ which does indeed show as ending on 31st July 2023, but then I also have ‘UK Credit Card Free Night’ which ends on 31st December 9999 so I’m not sure how much to read into this as its not amazingly clear!

I’d be surprised if IHG aren’t looking at a different card issuer for (another) new IHG credit card in the future.