Chase and IHG's mid-tier hotel credit card, the IHG One Rewards Premier, sits between the no-fee basic card and the $350 Premier Select — and according to a recent review by One Mile at a Time, the $150 annual fee is one of the easiest in the hotel card world to justify. A refreshed limited-time welcome offer is running through applications until November 18, 2026: 180,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. At a valuation of half a cent per IHG point, that's roughly $900 in free stays.

The real story is the ongoing perks, which stack up well beyond the fee. Cardholders get an anniversary free night worth up to 50,000 points each year — and IHG lets you top off that certificate with extra points, so even a 100,000-point property is reachable if you're willing to add 50,000 of your own. On its own, a free night at a 50,000-point hotel covers the annual fee with room to spare.

There's more: up to $100 per year in IHG food and beverage rewards (paid out as $25 quarterly vouchers you apply to room charges, drinks and gratuities included), a $100 statement credit when you spend $250 or more on flights booked directly with an airline (currently available through December 31, 2027), and $50 in United TravelBank cash deposited twice yearly in $25 chunks — though those deposits expire within about two weeks of the half-year mark, so register once and use them promptly.

On status, the card includes Gold tier automatically, Platinum after $15,000 of annual spending, and Diamond at $40,000, plus 15 elite night credits each year to help you climb. Earning rates are respectable rather than thrilling: 10x points at IHG hotels, 5x on dining, groceries, gas, direct airline tickets and car rentals, and 3x everywhere else. The review rates those returns as mediocre against the broader card market — this is a card you get for the perks, not the points-per-dollar. There's also a 15,000-point bonus for hitting $15,000 in annual spend, no foreign transaction fees, and free authorized users.

One catch on eligibility: you can't get the bonus if you currently hold any personal IHG card, or if you've earned a bonus on one in the past 24 months. Business IHG cards don't count against you, and Chase's in-application pop-up will flag ineligibility before a hard credit pull. Chase's 5/24 rule may still apply, though enforcement has become inconsistent. Existing cardholders can also product-change between IHG cards after 12 months if a different tier suits them better.

Who is this for? Anyone who stays at IHG properties — Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental and the rest — even a couple of nights a year. The free night certificate alone outpaces the fee, and the airline credit and F&B vouchers are close to pure profit if you remember to use them. Points collectors chasing the best raw earn rates should look elsewhere, but as a low-cost annual hotel perk bundle, it's hard to beat.

Reviewed by One Mile at a Time