Earn 75,000 IHG Rewards Points From A Credit Card That Costs Nothing


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It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of IHG or IHG Rewards right now (I haven’t been for some time) but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know a good IHG deal when I see one…and right now there’s a very good deal on offer for the IHG Rewards Club Traveler credit card.

I’ve been a fan of the IHG Rewards Club Traveler credit card for some time (I said as much when Chase reduced its annual fee to zero last year) and now that the welcome offer on the card has been increased to 75,000 points, it’s a better deal than ever.

Here’s what you need to know:

IHG Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card

a close up of a credit card

Annual Fee:

  • $0 (zero)

Welcome Offer:

  • Earn 100,000 IHG Rewards Club points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (more details).

Note: If you currently have an IHG Rewards Club Credit Card from Chase, or you earned a new cardmember bonus on that credit card within the last 24 months, you are not eligible to receive another of the same credit card.  

Earnings:

  • 5 points/dollar on spending at IHG hotels & resorts worldwide
  • 2 points/dollar on spending at gas stations
  • 2 points/dollar on spending at grocery stores
  • 2 points/dollar on spending at restaurants
  • 1 point/dollar on all other spending

IHG Rewards Club members using this card to pay for stays at full-service IHG properties will earn the following (when combined with their IHG Rewards Club status earnings):

  • Club Member – 15 points/dollar
  • Gold Elite Member – 16 points/dollar
  • Platinum Elite Member – 20 points/dollar
  • Spire Elite Member –  25 points/dollar

Key Benefits:

  • Get the 4th night free on IHG award bookings of 4 nights or more
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Get Gold elite status after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year
  • Save 20% on points purchases*

*Does not apply to IHG Rewards Club points sales

Why I Like The IHG Rewards Traveler Card

The key things to bear in mind when reading what follows are:

  • This is a card that costs nothing to hold
  • This is a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.

As long as you don’t carry a balance on this card and get charged interest (which no one should be allowing to happen) the IHG Rewards Traveler credit card will not cost you a dime.

The Welcome Offer

I value IHG Rewards Club points at 0.4 cents each based on how I earn my points, how much IHG Rewards sells them for in its promotions and how I tend to redeem them so, based on that valuation, the 100,000 point welcome offer that comes with the Traveler Card is worth $400…and that’s very good for a card that doesn’t cost anything.

100,000 points are more than enough for a 1-night stay at any top-tier IHG property in the world (including properties in exotic and expensive regions like Bora Bora and the Maldives) and, thanks to dynamic award pricing, it can also be enough for two nights at some of IHG’s best properties or 3 (or more) nights at IHG middle-tier properties.

An Excellent Benefit

The IHG Rewards Traveler credit card comes with one key benefit that can save a cardholder a substantial number of points when booking awards – the card offers cardholders a 4th night free on award bookings.

  • There is no cap to how many times this benefit may be used
  • The is no cap on the points value of the award booking (this can be used at top-tier IHG properties worldwide)
  • Every 4th night of an award booking is free (so an 8-night stay would see a cardholder receive two free nights).
  • This benefit cannot be used in conjunction with a Points & Cash booking

When you consider that on a single 4-night stay this credit card can save a cardholder up to 70,000 points (the cost of 1 night at IHG’s top-tier properties) and that there’s no cap on how often this benefit is used, the value of holding this card becomes obvious.

Base on my valuation of IHG Rewards points, the IHG Rewards Club Traveler credit card can save a cardholder up to $280 worth of points on a single 4-night stay and, once again, that’s pretty good going for a card that costs nothing to hold.

Make Sure You Check This

There are reports circulating that Chase is offering new cardholders (of various Chase-issued cards) a 3-month extension to the welcome offer earning period, so there’s a chance (nothing is guaranteed) that a new IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card holder may be given up to 6 months in which to earn the 75,000 point welcome offer.

Bottom Line

Right now the IHG Rewards Traveler credit card is offering a fantastic welcome bonus of 100,000 points, it comes with no annual fee, it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and it bestows upon the cardholder one of the best benefits available to IHG Rewards Club members – to my mind that all adds up to a very good deal.