Best cards at IHG Hotels & Resorts

Good to know at IHG Hotels & Resorts

IHG Hotels & Resorts accepts every major card network, so this ranking comes down to earning power alone. The co-branded IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card sits on top at 10x points per stay dollar, which SwipeCaddy conservatively values around 5% back. The catch is standard hotel-card fine print: a $150 annual fee, and rewards arrive as IHG points instead of flexible cash back.

The runner-up matches it in cash terms. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Visa Card earns 5x on hotels, and because we count a Wells Fargo point at a full cent, that is also about 5% back, for a $95 annual fee. Next come two U.S. Bank cards at 4x on travel, hotels included: the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card with no annual fee, and the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card, whose 4x drops to 1x after $150,000 a year of combined travel, gas and EV charging spend. The order holds whether you book online or pay at the front desk.

That structure makes the decision straightforward. If IHG stays are a regular line in your budget, the Premier card's 10x and its IHG perks are worth weighing against the $150 fee. If you want the same roughly 5% without tying your rewards to one hotel group, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Visa Card earns its 5x at hotels generally for $95 a year. If you stay a few nights a year, skip the fee entirely; the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card's 4x captures most of the value with zero commitment.

The math

Spend $250 a month at IHG Hotels & Resorts and IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card returns about $150 a year at our valuations — a flat 2% card returns $60.