Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card Review
IHG and Chase have been in the news a lot lately. Chase has shuddered the old IHG card that was a mainstay in many people’s credit card portfolio. They decided to release two new cards in it’s place. Chase recently announced the IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card and the IHG Rewards Club Traveler card. We will take a look at the Premier card in detail today.
Current Sign Up Bonus Vs The Historical High
The sign up bonus for the IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card is as follows:
- 80,000 IHG points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months
- 40,000 bonus points after spending a total of $5,000 on purchases within 6 months of account opening
- $89 annual fee is NOT waived
This offer is 40,000 points better than the historical high.
Bonus Restrictions
This card falls under Chase’s 5/24 rule.
Chase also has a 24 month rule for every credit card:
This product is not available to either current cardmembers of this credit card, or previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.
From the terminology old Chase IHG credit card holders should be able to get the bonus right away. They shouldn’t be disqualified since this is a new product.
Earning Structure
The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card comes with the following earning structure:
- 10x at IHG hotels
- 2x at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants
- 1x on everything else
Click Here to compare this an other hotel credit cards
Cardmember Perks
The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card offers the following perks of cardmembership:
- Free night annually at any hotel, capped at 40,000 points for the night
- Fourth night free when you redeem points for a stay of 4 or more nights
- IHG Platinum status
- Earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 and make one additional purchase each cardmember year
- Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ Application Fee Statement Credit
- Save 20% on points purchases
There are a few changes from the old IHG credit card. The annual free night is now capped at 40,000 point or less hotel nights. And the 10% back in points is gone.
There are a few additions. The 4th night is now free on award stays of 4 nights or more. That can be a 25% rebate if you have a lot of 4 night stays. The Global Entry or TSA credit is also new, as well as the 10,000 point big spend bonus.
Fees
The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card comes with an $89 annual fee which is NOT waived.
Sign Up Bonus Value – $480 ($391 Net)
The value of IHG rewards points hovers around $0.006 per point. That puts the value of 80,000 points at $480. When you subtract the $89 annual fee you are left with a net value of $391.
Summary
It is hard to look at this card without comparing it to what used to be but that is probably the best way to go about it.
The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card comes with a decent sign up bonus, a few decent perks, and a competitive annual fee when comparing it to other hotel credit cards. The card offers people with a lot of paid stays at IHG properties a nice return.
The earning structure is better than most hotel cards. But, since the points don’t hold a lot of value it makes it hard to see everyday regular spend being put on the card.
The annual free night, even if capped at 40,000 point stays, should more than offset the annual fee. The 4th night free on award stays is a great new perk that puts it ahead of it’s competitors that offer the 5th night free.
The TSA/Global Entry credit and 20% off points purchases will probably not be used by most people.
If this card was launched on it’s own merits it would be a decent offering and one that many could find value in. But since it will always be compared to the old version it will always be looked at in a negative light.
Click Here to compare this an other hotel credit cards
Long Term Keep or Cancel?
The old version of the IHG card was always pegged as a long term keeper since the annual free night was uncapped and you could get a lot of value out of the $49 annual fee. With the Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card it is a little more difficult to discern if the value is there or not.
The free night can be used at hotels that cost up to 40,000 points per night. Let’s say that you are able to easily find a hotel for 30-40,000 points per night every year. That offers a value of $150-200 based on IHG point’s worth. That gives you a better return than the $89 annual fee. The question is if you can easily use this each year or would you just book a room somewhere that you normally wouldn’t have booked in order to use it. If you have an IHG hotel near family that you normally stay at etc. then this would be a good option.
IHG loyalists may want to keep this long term if they have a lot of IHG paid stays. Earning 10X points on paid stays is a pretty great return on that spend. That is a 5-6% return on every paid stay. That is on par, if not slightly better, than the Chase Sapphire Reserve for the same stay.
The 4th night free perk is something else to consider. If you find yourself having 4-5 night award stays at IHG properties than this would be a great perk for you.
Conclusion
While there isn’t “extreme” value like with the old IHG card the Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card still offers value for most people.
The sign up bonus is average, the earning structure is better than most hotel cards (although the return rate isn’t), and the card has some good perks. If you are unable to easily use the free night each year, since it is capped at 40,000 point stays, then this card offers significantly less value for you.
If IHG is your favorite brand and you have a lot of paid stays for work etc. then this card is actually an improvement for you. This is a downgrade overall for anyone who carried the old card simply for the free night. Having said that it doesn’t necessarily mean the card doesn’t still offer value.
Let us know what you think about the changes? Do you still see the IHG card as a long term keeper?
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I have both the old and new card. I did receive the sign-up bonus on the new one. I applied when the card was first released though. Guess I slipped through the cracks?
Yeah when the card first launched it was not under 5/24 so people were able to get it.
Applied, Approved and called to cancel my old IHG Card. I was informed that I was not eligible for any signup bonus on the new IHG card. Sent Chase a secure message and got a similar response. Sucks !
Wow that is surprising. The terminology doesn’t seem to be worded that way. Unless they are adding a Southwest or Sapphire type restriction to the cards.
Well, that made me nervous, Bill 🙁 I sent Chase an SM last night asking if, as a current cardholder, I would definitely be eligible or not, and here’s how they responded:
I am happy to assist you with your inquiry regarding the
enrollment bonus on the new IHG® Rewards Club Credit Card.
Let me share that offers keep changing, and your account
will receive the bonus offer that is available at the time
of application. Thank you for your interest in Chase! You
can check out the most current offers, compare cards, view
terms, and apply online at creditcards.chase.com.
Eileen, you’re eligible for the bonus as long as:
– You haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on this
account in the past 24 months.
– Your account is open and not in default when we post the
bonus.
We appreciate your business and thank you for being a
Chase customer.
Evania
Chase Email Servicing
1-800-436-7927
***************************
The “You haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on this account” part seems pretty clear that I WOULD be eligible for the bonus, since this would be a whole new account.
I wonder if you cancel your old card if any remaining points you have stay with IHG? I guess they should, but….
Yeah your points should be fine
Applied and was immediately approved for 24K in credit line. I’m over 5/24 so you are correct this is not included in that restriction. I’ll be calling and cancelling my other IHG card.
Thanks for the DP – congrats!
If I have the old IHG card, will it convert to the new product automatically or stay as it forever until I cancel?
Could I apply the new card even if I am holding the old version one?
For the time being they are allowing people to keep the old card. I would imagine a few years down the line they will convert people.
Unknown at this point if you can get both.
If I have old IHG card, I could get this and have 2 free (capped) nights a year?
Sounds like Bill’s data point below says no. The terms don’t really exclude it but no one really knows at this point.