IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

Rewards by category

Our take

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is built for people who actually sleep in IHG beds. The card itself earns 10x points on IHG stays, 5x on dining, gas and grocery stores, and 3x everywhere else. Travel also earns 5x through December 31, 2026; after that only airline tickets bought directly from the airline and car rentals keep 5x, while non-IHG hotels, cruises and other travel drop to the 3x base. If your trips center on one hotel group and your everyday spend leans toward restaurants, groceries and the pump, one card covers most of it.

The tradeoff is the currency. We value IHG points at a conservative half a cent, so 5x works out to about 2.5% back and the 3x base rate to about 1.5% — decent, not spectacular. The $150 annual fee has to earn its keep through the perks: an Anniversary Free Night good at hotels costing up to 50,000 points (you can top up with points above that) and automatic Gold Elite status, with Platinum after $15,000 in calendar-year purchases. Both only matter if you keep staying at IHG.

Smaller perks can offset part of the fee. The card lists up to $100 a year in IHG food and beverage rewards ($25 a quarter) and a $100 airline statement credit after $250 in flights bought directly from an airline each calendar year through 2027. Award stays of four or more nights get the fourth reward night free, and there is a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit of up to $120 every four years. With no foreign transaction fees it travels well; pair it with a strong flat-rate card for non-bonus spend and let this one handle IHG stays and its 5x categories.

The math

Run $400 a month of dining through this card and you're earning about $120 a year at our conservative valuations. Against the $150 annual fee, that top rate needs roughly $2,500 a month of dining spend before it beats a no-fee flat 2% card.

Store bonuses

• IHG Hotels & Resorts10x

Key benefits

• Anniversary Free Night at hotels up to 50,000 points (top up with points above that)
• Automatic IHG Gold Elite status (Platinum after $15,000 in calendar-year purchases)
• Fourth Reward Night free on award stays of 4+ nights
• Up to $100 a year in IHG food and beverage rewards ($25 quarterly) and a $100 airline statement credit after $250 in flights bought directly from an airline each calendar year through 2027
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS credit up to $120 every 4 years

Common questions

Does IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card have an annual fee?

Yes — $150 per year.

What does IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earn on dining?

5x on dining.

What rewards does IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earn on everything else?

3x on all other purchases, in IHG One Rewards.

Why does the card earn 10x at IHG when Chase advertises up to 24x?

The card itself earns 10x points at IHG Hotels & Resorts. The advertised 24x total layers in up to 10x base IHG One Rewards member earning and up to 4x from Gold Elite status — points you would collect regardless of which card you pay with. When comparing cards, count only the 10x the card actually adds.

Does the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card charge foreign transaction fees?

No. The card has no foreign transaction fees and runs on the Mastercard network. Outside IHG stays, which earn 10x, travel purchases earn 5x through December 31, 2026; from 2027 only airline tickets bought directly from the airline and car rentals keep 5x, and other travel earns the 3x base. Either way you keep the full earning abroad without a surcharge, so it is a sound default card for travel purchases outside the US.

Related reading

• How we value points and miles (and why our numbers are lower than everyone else's)SwipeCaddy ranks cards by reward rate × a conservative cash value per point: 1¢ for cash back and transferable points (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt), 1.1–1.3¢ for airline miles, 0.4–1.4¢ for hotel points, and 0.8–0.9¢ for store currencies. Optimistic transfer values are recorded for context but never ranked, because most people never achieve them.