IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card Review 2023

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The IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card is a decent option if you stay at IHG hotels occasionally and don’t want to pay an annual fee — and updates to the card, plus a solid welcome bonus, have made it even more valuable. However, you’ll get a much better deal with the annual-fee personal Chase IHG card, the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card.

IHG Rewards Traveler Card Review: Is It the Best Card for You?

The IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card earns bonus IHG points on paid stays, and provides a fourth night free benefit when you redeem your points for award stays. However, the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card is a stronger choice overall if you like staying at IHG hotels. The only reasons to get the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card are if you don’t want to pay an annual fee or want to earn the welcome bonus points. 

New cardholders can earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That’s worth around $520 in hotel stays, based on Insider’s valuation of IHG points at 0.65 cents each — though it’s possible to get an even higher rate of return.

You’ll also earn 5 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels (in addition to points you’d normally earn from a stay), 3 points per dollar on dining, gas stations, utilities, internet, cable, phone, and select streaming services, and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. There’s no annual fee, and you won’t pay foreign transaction fees for making purchases abroad. 

In addition to receiving automatic IHG Silver elite status, you’ll also get a path to earn IHG Gold elite status when you spend $20,000 on purchases and make one additional purchase in a calendar year, and a 20% discount on IHG points purchased through Points.com. 

The IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card also comes with decent travel and purchase coverage, such as trip delay and cancellation insurance and purchase protection on items bought with the card. These benefits are nice to have on any card, especially from a no-annual-fee card.

But if you like staying at IHG hotels, you’ll get more meaningful benefits with the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card. With it, you’ll earn up to 26 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels (10x points from the card, 10x points for being an IHG member, and 6x points from the automatic Platinum elite status that comes with the card) and get a free award night worth up to 40,000 points every cardmember anniversary. The card also has a welcome offer of 140,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, which is much more than what the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card offers.  

Though there’s an annual fee of $99 for the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card, the anniversary free night award is easily worth more. Plus, having IHG Platinum elite status can get you room upgrades and late checkout when available, on top of bonus points for paid stays. For most IHG loyalists, it’s a better option, even with the annual fee factored in. Here’s our Chase IHG Premier card review for comparison.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

IHG Traveler Card Rewards

Welcome Bonus

The IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This isn’t the highest bonus we’ve ever seen on this card, but based on Insider’s valuation of IHG points at (0.65 cents each), it’s worth around $520 in hotel stays.

How to Earn Points

The IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card earns 5 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels. In addition to up to 10 points per dollar you earn for being an IHG member and up to 2x points for having Silver elite status from the card, that’s up to 17x points total for IHG stays. 

You’ll also earn 3 points per dollar at gas stations, restaurants, utilities, internet, cable, phone, and select streaming services, and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. 

Keep in mind not all streaming services are eligible for bonus points. Qualifying subscriptions are:

How to use IHG Points

It’s easy to redeem IHG points for free hotel stays directly on IHG.com. You can search for a hotel by location, but keep in mind IHG doesn’t have an official award chart and award nights are dynamically priced. Prices vary by hotel, and can even fluctuate day-to-day, based on demand.  

However, you’ll generally pay 10,000 to 25,000 points per night at budget-friendly hotels like Holiday Inn and Candlewood Suites, all the way up to 70,000 points per night for high-end brands like InterContinental and Kimpton. A few luxury resorts in places like Macau and the Maldives can cost 75,000 to 120,000 points per night. 

You can stretch your points further with Points + Cash rates. Here too, redemption options vary, but you’ll need to use a minimum of 5,000 points with this option. It typically isn’t a great value but can be worth checking if you’re low on points or have an expensive stay planned. 

You can redeem IHG points for merchandise, gift cards, magazine subscriptions, or digital rewards like games and e-books, but the value you’ll receive is usually much less than you’d get for a free hotel night. IHG also allows you to transfer your points to airline miles, but again, the ratio is poor and only worthwhile if you have a very specific reward in mind. 

IHG allows you to transfer your points to another member at a rate of $5 per 1,000 points transferred, or donate them to one of its charity partners. 

IHG Traveler Card Benefits and Features

Fourth reward night free

When you have the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card, any time you redeem IHG points for reward nights, you’ll get the fourth night free on stays of three or more nights. This benefit can be used an unlimited amount of times. 

Automatic IHG Silver elite status

IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card cardholders get automatic IHG Silver elite status, which is the chain’s lowest status tier. Silver members get a handful of perks, including 20% bonus points on paid stays and late checkout when available. In addition, having and maintaining any level of IHG elite status means your points won’t expire.

Opportunity to earn Gold elite status

You can earn IHG Gold elite status when you spend $20,000 on purchases and make one additional purchase with your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card in a calendar year. Your Gold status will be valid until December 31 of the following year.

Gold is the next tier up from IHG Silver and includes perks like 40% bonus points on paid stays and late checkout when available.

For comparison, the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card comes with automatic Platinum elite status with no additional spending required. 

10,000 bonus points each year you meet a spending threshold

Each calendar year when you spend at least $10,000 and make one additional purchase with your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus points.

20% discount on points purchases

If you’re close to an award stay and need to purchase additional IHG points, you’ll get a 20% discount when you pay with your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card. Note that you can purchase a maximum of 150,000 points per calendar year.    

Damage and theft purchase protection

New purchases made with your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card are covered against damage and theft for 120 days, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account. 

Extended warranty protection

You can extend a US manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less when you pay for the purchase with your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card. 

Auto rental collision damage waiver insurance

When you pay for a rental car with your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card and decline the rental company’s collision insurance, you’re covered for theft and collision damage. In the US, coverage is secondary to your personal insurance, but is primary insurance abroad. 

Baggage delay insurance

When you pay for your fare with the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card, if your baggage is delayed over six hours, you can get reimbursed for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing up to $100 a day for three days. 

Lost luggage reimbursement

If you or an immediate family member check or carry on luggage that gets damaged or lost, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger per trip when you pay with your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card. 

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

If your trip is canceled or cut short because of sickness, severe weather, or another covered situation, you can get reimbursed up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip for pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses like fares, tours, and hotels. 

Travel accident insurance

When you pay for air, bus, train, or cruise transportation with your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card, you can get accidental death or dismemberment coverage up to $500,000.

Gopuff credits

IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card cardholders can get $10 per month in Gopuff credits when they add their card as the default payment method in the Gopuff app. The Gopuff service sells everyday items like snacks, drinks, and household goods and delivers them quickly for a fee.

You’ll receive the credit shortly after you make a qualifying purchase with Gopuff. There’s a minimum order amount of $10 and a $3.95 delivery fee per order. This offer is good until December 31, 2023.

Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership

When you have the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card, you can activate a complimentary one-year DoorDash DashPass membership. DashPass offers free delivery and discounted service fees on orders of $12 or more with DoorDash and Caviar delivery services, and usually costs $9.99 per month. You’ll need to activate the benefit by December 31, 2024.

Fraud protection and alerts

Chase uses real-time fraud monitoring to protect your account. You can sign-up to receive a text, email, or call if there’s any unusual activity. 

IHG Rewards Club Traveler Card Annual Fee and Other Costs

The IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, so it’s an ideal card to keep long-term and carry abroad. It’s always a good idea to have at least one card with no foreign transaction fees. 

Like most other cards, the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card charges fees for cash advances, late payments, and returned payments. 

Comparison: IHG Rewards Traveler vs other Chase IHG cards

* Bonus points at IHG hotels are in addition to the points members would normally earn from a stay

*** The IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card and IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card offer an annual free night award each year after your account anniversary for participating IHG properties that cost up to 40,000 points

IHG Rewards Traveler card vs other no-annual-fee hotel credit cards

*Bonus points at IHG, Hilton, and Marriott hotels are in addition to the points members would normally earn from a stay

IHG Traveler Card Frequently Asked Questions