IHG One Rewards Premier Business card review: The annual fee is justified

IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card overview

The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card offers sufficient perks that, if utilized, can easily justify the card's annual fee of $99. However, business owners who aren't loyal to IHG One Rewards may be better off with another business card. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG's editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

Considering that the IHG One  Rewards Premier Business Credit Card has an annual fee of only $99, it offers a surprising number of perks for travelers and small-business owners who frequently stay with IHG. Compared to other hotel-branded business credit cards, the IHG Premier Business card has one of the lowest annual fees and may prove attractive simply for that reason.

Benefits include automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you're a cardholder, a unique fourth-night-free reward perk when redeeming points for hotel stays and a generous welcome bonus.

However, there's one key perk on the card — the free night certificate received each year — that can easily cover the annual fee on the IHG Premier Business card. To be approved for this card, we recommend a credit score of at least 670.

Not every credit card is ideal for everyone, though. Let's look at the details of the IHG Premier Business card to see if it's right for your company.

Related: Who qualifies for a business credit card?

IHG Premier Business pros and cons

IHG Premier Business welcome offer

New applicants for the IHG One Premier Business card can earn 140,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.

Your bonus will come in the form of IHG points, which TPG pegs at half a cent each per our October 2024 valuations. Thus, this bonus is worth a healthy $700.

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As the card was launched in early 2022, most people should be eligible for the welcome bonus. However, it's worth noting that there is a warning on the application page that you are not eligible for this bonus if you've received a welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months.

This card is ideal for those who are under 5/24 with Chase. While most business credit cards will not add to your 5/24 status, you do need to be under 5/24 to apply for this card.

Related: The ultimate guide to tracking your progress toward a credit card welcome bonus

IHG Premier Business card benefits

The IHG One Premier Business card has a modest $99 annual fee, but is it worth it? The card's value depends on whether you'll use its benefits frequently enough to justify that annual fee.

First, each year on your cardmember anniversary (starting at the one-year mark and continuing each year after that, for as long as you keep the account open), you'll receive a free night award valid for a single night, worth up to 40,000 points.

Cardholders also enjoy IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status automatically, as long as their account remains open. Platinum members receive 60% bonus earnings on paid stays booked directly with IHG One Rewards, space-available room upgrades, a welcome amenity (in the form of points or a drink/snack) and a handful of other perks.

For those interested in earning top-tier Diamond Elite status, you can attain this by spending $40,000 on your card in a calendar year. The status will be valid through Dec. 31 of the following year after meeting the spending threshold.

You'll also pay zero points for every fourth night when redeeming IHG points for stays of four nights or longer. This is an automatic perk that should be reflected when booking. On stays of exactly four nights, this is essentially a 25% discount, so it's a great way to get even more value out of the card.

That said, if you rarely redeem IHG points for stays of four nights or more, this perk may be of limited value.

Available each account anniversary year, you'll also earn 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after spending $20,000. TPG's October 2024 valuations peg these bonus points at $50, and with the statement credit, that translates to a total value of $150.

IHG Premier Business cardholders have a handful of other perks to utilize when you swipe your card:

• Government security program application fee credit: You can be reimbursed up to $120 every four years when you charge a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee to your card.
• Save 20% on the purchase of IHG points when you pay with your card.
• Up to $50 in United TravelBank credit each calendar year when you register your IHG One Premier card with your MileagePlus account.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver: When you decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card, you'll get coverage against theft and collision. However, coverage is secondary when renting within the U.S., though coverage is primary when renting for business purposes.
• Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance: You can be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and up to $6,000 per trip for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses if your trip is canceled or cut short for a covered reason.
• Purchase protection: Your new purchases are covered for 120 days against damage or theft; there is a limit of $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account.

These benefits can be nice to have when things go wrong.

Earning points on the IHG Premier Business card

Generally speaking, you won't get fantastic earning rates on most hotel credit cards — especially on broad categories like dining and groceries. That said, the IHG One Premier Business card could be a solid option, especially at participating IHG properties.

When you use your card at IHG hotels and resorts, you'll earn 10 points per dollar spent on your stay. This is in addition to the 10 base points that all IHG One Rewards members accrue at most participating brands. And since you have automatic Platinum Elite status with the card, that'll give you another 60% bonus on top of the base points. When combined, that translates to a total of 26 points per dollar spent on most IHG stays — or a 13% return on spending, based on TPG's October 2024 valuations.

Beyond IHG purchases, cardholders of the IHG Premier Business will earn points at the following rates:

• 5 points per dollar spent on travel, dining and gas purchases
• 5 points per dollar spent in select business categories, such as social media and search engine advertising and at office supply stores
• 3 points per dollar spent on all other purchases

That translates to a 2.5% return on the bonus categories based on TPG's October 2024 valuations, though it drops to 1.5% on everyday purchases — a rate of return lower than many other cards.

Related: 13 ways to earn IHG One Rewards points

Redeeming points on the IHG Premier Business card

Like many competitors, IHG One Rewards doesn't publish an award chart; instead, it uses dynamic award pricing. The program's website indicates that free nights start at 10,000 points, although it's possible to find rooms priced as low as 5,000 points.

On the other end, there's no published maximum rate, although for IHG's core brands, the highest we've seen is 120,000 points per night. However, properties in partner brands such as Six Senses frequently exceed this.

Despite this award pricing model, there are still ways to maximize IHG One Rewards redemptions. In fact, you may be able to redeem IHG One Rewards points for significantly more value if you spend some time searching.

You're not limited to only using points for your stay. You can also book rooms using a combination of points and cash, which can offer decent value in certain circumstances.

However, it's worth noting just how these reservations are confirmed. IHG effectively sells you the extra points (for cash) and then uses the full number of points for the stay. You usually pay 0.63 to 0.66 cents for each IHG point used to make up the difference. IHG often sells points at this price (or cheaper), which can be another way to top off your account.

As noted above, when you redeem points for a stay of four nights or longer, every fourth night of that stay will cost zero points. There's no limit to how often you can use this benefit — though it only applies to full award stays, not those booked using cash and points.

Related: How to redeem points with the IHG One Rewards program

Which cards compete with the IHG Premier Business card?

As the IHG Premier Business card is a hotel credit card aimed at small-business owners, it's worth looking at how it stacks up against other hotel-branded business credit cards.

• If you're looking for a card with Hyatt status and perks: The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card offers automatic Discoverist status with World of Hyatt (the lowest tier) and a path toward higher status levels through credit card spending. It does have a higher annual fee at $199 but offers perks like up to $100 in spending credits with Hyatt each cardmember year and the ability to get 10% of your redeemed points back if you meet a minimum spending threshold in a calendar year. For more information, check out our full review of the World of Hyatt Business card.
• If you're looking for a card with Hilton status and perks: The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card also has a higher $195 annual fee (see rates and fees) and comes with automatic mid-tier Gold status with Hilton Honors. For more information, check out our full review of the Hilton Honors Amex Business card.
• If you're looking for top-tier status with a low annual fee: The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card from Barclays comes with automatic top-tier Wyndham Rewards Diamond status for an annual fee of only $95. This card also carries perks like 10% points discounts on award stays and 15,000 bonus points on each cardmember anniversary. For more information, see our post on which Wyndham card is right for you.

The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For additional options, check out our full list of hotel credit cards and business credit cards.

Read more: The best hotel credit cards with annual fees under $100

Is the IHG Premier Business card worth it?

Yes — as long as you can make the most of the card's perks. The IHG Premier Business card has an annual fee of $99 and offers an annual free night award that can easily be redeemed for more value than that. Cardholders also earn points at solid rates when making purchases in bonus categories, though the earning rate on everyday purchases isn't fantastic.

The complimentary Platinum Elite status with IHG One Rewards, travel protections, United TravelBank credit and reimbursement for government security screening programs also provide value.

Bottom line

Small-business owners loyal to IHG or even those simply looking to diversify their travel strategy can find sufficient value to justify the card's annual fee each year. However, that requires using the perks, so make sure you can do that. Otherwise, you may struggle to justify keeping the card past the first year.

Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

For rates and fees of the Hilton Business Amex, click here.