2 IHG credit cards have welcome bonuses of up to 140,000 points and a $100 statement credit, but the offers are ending soon

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• Chase is offering improved welcome bonuses on the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Product Name Only and IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Product Name Only for a limited time.
• The biggest bonus is on the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Editorial Name Only: IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Intro Bonus.
• The offers will end at 9 a.m. EST on September 28, 2023, so you don't have much time left to apply.
• Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.

Opening and using any of the best hotel credit cards is a smart move if you find yourself on the road frequently and want to earn points for free stays. We've seen lots of travel rewards credit cards launch elevated offers in recent months, and now two IHG credit cards from Chase are offering higher-than-normal bonuses for a limited time.

Chase IHG cardholders can earn the following:

• IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Product Name Only: IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Intro Bonus
• IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Product Name Only: IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Intro Bonus

Normally, these cards don't offer a statement credit as part of their welcome bonuses. If you have an IHG hotel stay planned for the next year, these offers could put a bit of extra cash (and a boatload of points) in your pocket.

But don't wait too long if you're interested in nabbing one of these offers; they're ending at 9 a.m. EST on September 28, 2023, so keep that date in mind.

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 Credit Card Offers

The IHG right card for you depends on your spending habits, how often you stay with IHG, and whether or not you're willing to pay an annual fee for upgraded benefits.

Here's a look at both cards to help you decide which is a good fit for you.

Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Card: 140,000 Points and up to $100 Statement Credit

The IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Product Name Only is the best choice for most frequent IHG guests. Although it charges a IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Annual Fee annual fee, it's packed with benefits that can easily get you a value many times that amount each year.

Its new welcome offer of IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Intro Bonus isn't the highest bonus we've seen on the card, so if you don't have an urgent need for IHG points, you may want to wait for a better offer. Insider's points and miles valuations peg IHG points value at 0.65 cents apiece, on average, making this bonus worth around IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Featured Reward Value in travel (not counting the potential $100 in statement credits).

Beyond the bonus, the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Product Name Only offers an impressive list of perks you don't often see on mid-tier hotel cards. The most noteworthy (and valuable) is the card's free anniversary night each year, valid for use at any IHG hotel worldwide that costs up to 40,000 points per night — with the option to top up the certificate with points for more expensive hotels.

This benefit alone can easily offset the annual fee (and then some) and makes the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Editorial Name Only a terrific long-term keeper card for award travelers.

The card also offers excellent travel and shopping perks, including:

• Automatic IHG Platinum elite status (room upgrades where available, late checkout, complimentary internet, a welcome gift, 60% bonus points on paid bookings) with an upgrade to top-level Diamond elite status after spending $40,000 on purchases in a calendar year and making one additional purchase
• Fourth night free on point stays of three or more consecutive nights (effectively a 25% savings on four-night award stays)
• Up to $50 per year in United Travel Bank cash
• 10,000 bonus IHG points and a $100 statement credit each account anniversary year you spend $20,000 on purchases (and make one additional purchase at least one day after you spend $20,000)
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit 
• 20% discount on IHG points purchases made with your card
• Secondary car rental insurance
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Baggage delay insurance
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty
• Travel and emergency assistance services
• No foreign transaction fees

Cardholders can also take advantage of $10 per month in Gopuff credits (through December 31, 2023) and a year of complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership (activation required by December 31, 2024). Here's our full IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card review with all the details.

Chase IHG One Rewards Travel Card: 80,000 Points and up to $50 Statement Credit

If you're completely opposed to paying an annual fee, or just don't stay with IHG that often but still want to earn IHG points, the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Product Name Only is worth considering, especially now. It's offering IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Intro Bonus — worth about IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Featured Reward Value in travel (not counting the statement credit), based on Insider's valuations. That's a terrific deal for a no-annual-fee travel credit card.

The IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Product Name Only doesn't come with as many perks as its annual-fee counterparts, but it's got decent benefits, especially considering it doesn't have an annual fee. Although it doesn't come with an anniversary award night, cardholders receive:

• Automatic IHG Silver elite status (late checkout when available, 20% bonus points on paid bookings) with an upgrade to Gold elite status after spending $20,000 on purchases in a calendar year and making one additional purchase
• Fourth night free on point stays of three or more consecutive nights 
• 10,000 bonus points when you spend at least $10,000 and make one additional purchase with the card
• 20% discount on IHG points purchases made with your card
• Secondary car rental insurance
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Baggage delay insurance
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty
• No foreign transaction fees

Like the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Editorial Name Only, the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Editorial Name Only also comes with $10 per month in Gopuff credits (until December 31, 2023) and a year of complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership (activate by December 31, 2024). Check out our IHG Rewards Club Traveler card review for a closer look at what the card offers.

Compare IHG Credit Cards

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the two personal IHG credit cards for a quick look at the differences:

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

What Can You Do With IHG Points?

You'll typically get the best return by using IHG points for stays at over 6,000 hotels across 18 brands worldwide. IHG doesn't publish an award chart anymore, so the number of points required for a free stay will vary based on hotel, time of year, demand, paid price, and other factors.

Most hotels charge 10,000 to 70,000 points per night, though some high-end resorts can charge up to 120,000 points. IHG sometimes runs award sales that can save you up to 20% on these prices, and remember, if you have one of the IHG cards listed above, you'll get the fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a stay of three or more nights.

IHG has other options for redeeming points, with varying values, including:

• Points and Cash awards
• Transfer to airline partners 
• Donate points to charity
• Redeem points for merchandise, magazines, gift cards, and digital rewards
• Use points for exclusive experiences like concerts and sporting events

Other Options for Earning IHG Points

If you don't want to lock yourself into a single loyalty program by opening an IHG credit card, there's another, more flexible option. When you have a card that earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, you can transfer your points to IHG — along with over a dozen other hotel and airline partners — at a 1:1 ratio.

The ability to transfer to partners is why Insider values Chase Ultimate Rewards points as worth 1.8 cents apiece, on average. You can earn transferable Chase points from the following cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Product Name Only: Earn Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Intro Bonus, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Annual Fee annual fee
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Product Name Only: Earn Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Intro Bonus, Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Annual Fee annual fee
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card - Product Name Only: Earn Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card - Intro Bonus, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card - Annual Fee annual fee

In addition, IHG is a Bilt Rewards transfer partner. When you earn points by paying rent through Bilt or spending on the Bilt Mastercard® - Product Name Only, you can transfer them to IHG at a 1:1 ratio.

Be sure to read Insider's beginner's guide to using credit card rewards for free travel for more ideas on how to see the world on the cheap.