IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card review
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card is IHG’s no-annual-fee card alternative. With this card, you’ll gain 5 factors per buck at IHG resorts and hotels along with 3 factors per buck at gasoline station, month-to-month costs and dining establishments with this card. While the IHG Traveler Card uses some valuable IHG-associated benefits, it might not be the very best selection for you. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐1/2
*Card Rating is based upon the viewpoint of TPG’s editors and is not affected by the card provider.
IHG uses 2 individual cobranded Chase cards to assist clients acquire factors and optimize their keeps. One of these cards is the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card. The IHG One Traveler Card absolutely has even more to provide to IHG followers than a lot of no-annual-fee resort cards, however it might not be your finest selection.
In certain, if you’re mosting likely to make use of among your Chase 5/24 ports on an IHG One Rewards bank card, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a far better alternative for most individuals. However, if you currently have the IHG Premier Card and wish to gain one more sign-up reward, or you decline to pay any type of yearly charges, you could wish to grab the IHG Traveler Card.
So, allow’s take a more detailed check out the IHG One Traveler Card so you can make a decision whether it is best for you.
Who is this card for?
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card is for vacationers that desire a method to gain IHG factors on their acquisitions without sustaining a yearly charge. Specifically, this card is finest if you stick with IHG often and will certainly make use of the card’s 4th benefit evening advantage.
But, if you desire automated elite standing with IHG, you might be much better off with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. The IHG Premier Card features Platinum Elite standing and a multitude of various other benefits. Plus, the IHG Premier Card’s wedding anniversary evening can quickly warrant the card’s $99 yearly charge.
Like most Chase bank card, the IHG Traveler Card is limited by Chase’s 5/24 regulation. So, Chase will certainly decline your application if you have actually opened up 5 or even more brand-new cards throughout all companies in the last 2 years. Plus, if you obtain this card, it will certainly use up among your 5/24 ports. So, if you have various other Chase cards you wish to contribute to your budget, you might not wish to request the IHG Traveler Card currently.
Related: Earn additional factors at your favored dining establishments with IHG Rewards Dining
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Sign-up reward: Worth $500
Currently, the IHG Traveler Card uses a sign-up reward of 100,000 reward factors after investing $2,000 on acquisitions within 3 months of account opening.
Related: The finest time to request these preferred Chase bank card based upon deal background
While IHG factors are several of the least important factors in TPG’s month-to-month appraisals (worth simply 0.5 cents per factor), these 100,000 reward factors deserve $500 — really strong for a card without yearly charge.
You might be qualified for the IHG One Traveler Card (and its sign-up reward) if you please every one of the list below demands:
- Don’t presently have an individual (not organization) IHG Rewards card.
- Haven’t made a sign-up reward on an individual IHG card in the last 24 months.
- Are under Chase’s 5/24 regulation.
Related: The best overview to bank card application limitations
Main advantages and benefits
As holds true with also the very best no-annual-fee cards, the IHG One Traveler Card does not provide several high-end benefits. Here’s a fast review of the card’s primary advantages and benefits.
Fourth benefit evening advantage
Each time you retrieve factors for a remain of 4 or even more evenings, every 4th evening will certainly set you back no factors. Once you’re a cardholder, this discount rate will certainly be immediately used when you retrieve IHG factors for qualified keeps.
Related: How to take full advantage of longer resort keeps by utilizing a complimentary evening advantage
Save 20% on factor acquisitions
You’ll obtain a 20% reward whenever you purchase IHG factors with your card. But you can not incorporate this discount rate with various other promos, such as when IHG factors get on sale. And, IHG often uses a far better 100% reward when you acquire factors. So, although I usually purchase IHG factors when the 100% reward goes down the acquisition cost to 0.5 cents per factor, I do not discover the 20% discount rate appealing.
Related: When does it make good sense to purchase factors and miles?
Automatic Silver standing (with a course to Gold)
IHG One Traveler cardholders will certainly appreciate automated Silver Elite standing in the freshened IHG One Rewards program This rate consists of a 20% reward on resort keeps, concern check-in and factors that do not run out.
In enhancement, you can purchase your method to Gold Elite standing when you invest $20,000 on your card each fiscal year. This rate consists of a 40% reward on resort keeps and rollover elite evenings for standing in the list below year.
Related: What is IHG One Rewards elite standing well worth?
No international purchase charges
Many credit cards do not bill international purchase charges; nevertheless, there are couple of cards on that particular checklist without a yearly charge. If you take a trip abroad often, it deserves contending the very least one bank card that does not bill international purchase charges.
Related: Here’s why you still gain factors on acquisitions made in an international money
How to gain factors
When you utilize your IHG One Traveler Card to make acquisitions, you’ll gain:
- 5 factors per buck at IHG resorts and hotels (2.5% return, based upon TPG’s appraisals).
- 3 factors per buck at gasoline station, month-to-month costs and dining establishments (1.5% return).
- 2 factors per buck on every little thing else (1% return).
These returns aren’t wonderful, also for a no-annual-fee card.
The 2.5% return at IHG resorts and hotels isn’t poor. But, you can do better with many acquisitions utilizing a number of below-$100 yearly charge cards. For instance, the $95 yearly charge Chase Sapphire Preferred Card makes 2 factors per buck (for a 4% return) on traveling acquisitions. And, the $95 yearly charge Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card makes 2 miles per buck for a 3.7% return on nearly all acquisitions.
The IHG One Traveler Card additionally isn’t a great selection for a lot of various other acquisitions. After all, it just gives a 1.5% return at gasoline station, supermarket and dining establishments, plus a 1% return on various other acquisitions. Several easy, cash-back bank card provide a 2% return on all acquisitions. For instance, you can gain 2% per buck on all acquisitions — 1% when you purchase and 1% when you pay — with the no-annual-fee Citi Double Cash® Card (see prices and charges).
Related: 13 methods to stockpile on IHG Rewards factors
How to retrieve factors
There are several choices for compensatory IHG Rewards factors. Not remarkably, you’ll obtain the very best worth from your factors when you retrieve for IHG resort remains.
TPG worths IHG factors at simply 0.5 cents each. However, it’s feasible to take full advantage of redemptions with the IHG Rewards program and obtain a lot more worth from your factors. Here are a couple of methods you can do so.
IHG has vibrant honor rates, however there are some bargains to be discovered. However, one disadvantage to vibrant rates is that you must extra meticulously think about when to utilize your factors versus cash money for a remain. I often tend to make use of factors when I can improve than 0.5 cents per factor of worth. And I usually make use of factors when I reserve a remain of 4 evenings or longer to use the IHG One Traveler Card’s 4th benefit evening advantage. Conversely, I often tend to make use of cash money when IHG is supplying a profitable resort promo.
IHG Rewards factors can go a lengthy method in some areas. Here are several of my favored IHG residential or commercial properties in the U.S. bookable for 10,000 factors. And, if you prepare to take a trip worldwide, right here are several of the very best worldwide IHG residential or commercial properties bookable for 10,000 factors.
You additionally can make use of a mix of Points + Cash to publication keeps. For an offered area, you’ll commonly see a graph with discount rates from the complete every night honor price in increments of 5,000 factors.
On a Points + Cash reservation, you’re basically acquiring the additional factors required to finish the redemption. So, if you terminate your area, your reimbursement will certainly be offered only in factors. I seldom publication Points + Cash prices, considering that it’s generally a far better worth to make use of simply factors. However, it deserves inspecting to see whether the mathematics exercises on each reservation.
Related: How to gain and retrieve factors with IHG Rewards companions
Competing cards
For IHG followers, you might not be lured by resort bank card from various other chains. However, there are 2 various other cards worth taking into consideration as choices to the IHG One Traveler card.
Chase additionally provides the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, which has a $99 yearly charge and gives automated Platinum Elite standing, a complimentary evening honor each account wedding anniversary (well worth as much as 40,000 factors), $50 of United TravelBank credit yearly and compensation for your application charge to Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus (offered every 4 years). Cardholders additionally appreciate the fourth-night-free advantage when retrieving factors for IHG resort remains. With the Premier card, you’ll gain 10 factors per buck at IHG residential or commercial properties, 5 factors per buck on traveling, 5 factors per buck on eating and gas and 3 factors per buck on various other acquisitions.
It’s additionally worth taking into consideration the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. This card has a $95 yearly charge and makes Chase Ultimate Rewards factors, which you can move to IHG 1:1 for redemptions — plus usage them with various other airline company and resort programs. In truth, much of those various other choices supply much better worth than utilizing your Chase factors with IHG. With the Sapphire Preferred, you’ll gain 5 factors per buck on guidebook with the Chase traveling site, 5 factors per buck on Lyft adventures (with March 2025), 3 factors per buck on streaming solutions and on the internet grocery store acquisitions, 3 factors per buck on eating, 2 factors per buck on traveling and 1 factor per buck on various other acquisitions. Other essential benefits consist of a 10% wedding anniversary factors reward and as much as $50 in yearly resort investing credit reports.
Bottom line
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card isn’t a poor alternative. For no yearly charge, you’ll obtain a 2.5% return at IHG resorts and hotels and a couple of IHG-associated benefits. For vacationers that rarely go to IHG residential or commercial properties however desire accessibility to the fourth-night-free advantage, this is a strong enhancement to your budget. However, if you’re searching for additional benefits throughout your keeps, this card does not have costs advantages.
Of program, including a brand-new card to your budget might use up a beneficial Chase 5/24 port. If you do not have strategies to include greater than 5 cards to your budget within 24 months, you have absolutely nothing to fret about. But, if you’re including cards to your budget faster, you must have a prepare for which cards you desire.
Official application web link: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Additional coverage by Madison Blancaflor, Christina Ly and Ryan Smith.