IHG Rewards Premier Business Card Review, Plus 175K Bonus

Full Review of IHG Rewards Premier Business Card

Chase and IHG launched the IHG® Rewards Premier Business Mastercard in March of 2022. This is the first new business card to market from Chase and IHG in over a decade, featuring both the enhanced benefits of the Premier consumer card and the ability to earn more points on business-related expenses. This IHG business card also has a great welcome bonus and it’s definitely a keeper long term with a fee of $99.

Check out the pros and cons of the Chase IHG Rewards Premier Business card and the full review below.

Welcome Offer

• When you sign up for the IHG Rewards Premier Business Card, you can earn a bonus of 175,000 IHG Rewards points;
  • Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Plus, earn 35,000 Bonus Points after spending a total of $7,000 in the first 6 months from account opening.
• Annual Fee: $99
• Offer will end on May 15, 2024.
• LEARN MORE

Considering that you can get an average value of about 0.4 cents cent per point, this bonus is worth at least $660. This is the highest ever bonus offered for this credit card and you can certainly get even more value out the the points, if you aim to maximize them.

Eligibility

This new cardmember bonus offer is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this business credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this business credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this business credit card within the last 24 months.

This card also falls under the Chase 5/24 rule as well, although Chase has been more lenient with co-brand cards recently.

Card Details

The IHG® Rewards Premier Business Mastercard offers cardmembers good earning opportunities and other ongoing benefits.

Earning with Spend

You can earn points on both business-related and everyday categories:

• 5X points on travel and at gas stations, restaurants and dining, social media and search engine advertising and at office supply stores
• 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Up to 26X points when staying with IHG® Hotels & Resorts

Automatic Elite Status

Cardmembers get automatic IHG® Rewards Platinum Elite status. That will get you a 60% bonus earn on qualifying stays with IHG Hotels & Resorts and a few other benefits. Then there’s the option to earn IHG® Rewards Diamond Elite status after spending $40,000 on qualifying purchases and making one additional purchase each calendar year.

Anniversary Free Night

Cardmembers earn an Anniversary Free Night certificate on their account anniversary date each year. The Anniversary Free Night certificate is redeemable at IHG® Hotels & Resorts with a current point redemption level of 40,000 points or less, and now this industry-leading offer allows cardmembers the ability to add unlimited points from their IHG® Rewards account to redeem the Anniversary Free Night at hotels above the 40,000 point level. 

After spending $60,000 on purchases and making one additional purchase each calendar year, cardmembers earn an additional Free Night certificate with a current point redemption level of 40,000 points or less to use at IHG® Hotels & Resorts.

Fourth Night Free on Award Stays

This is a great benefit for all IHG cardholders. With the IHG Rewards Premier Business card you get your fourth night free on all award stays. That’s equal to a 25% discount for every IHG award stay of four nights. Just this perk alone can save you tons of points every year.

Other Benefits

• Earn 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after spending $20,000 on qualifying purchases and making one additional purchase each calendar year.
• Free Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit. The primary cardholder receives a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit of up to $100 every four years. You are reimbursement when the application fee is charged to the card.
• Up to $50 United® TravelBank Cash each calendar year – Cardmembers can use TravelBank Cash on United Airlines purchases. Customers have to register their IHG® Rewards Premier Business card with their United MileagePlus® account.
• World Elite Mastercard for Business benefits, including
  • Complimentary 24/7 Business Assistant
  • Access to Mastercard Priceless® Experiences and Mastercard Easy Savings
  • Exclusive offers from popular brands for services like ride-sharing as well as marketing and cash flow management tools

About IHG One Rewards

The recently-overhauled IHG One Rewards program can offer great value for the right traveler. IHG has a variety of brands, from luxurious to very affordable. You can choose from more than 6,000 properties in 100+ countries. Here’s some basic information about the program, so you have an idea of the value that you might expect.

• IHG Rewards Club points are worth about half a cent each but you can sometimes get a value of up to 0.7 or 0.8 cents per point.
• Standard award nights typically start at 10,000 according to the IHG award chart, though you might see properties that cost as high as 100,000 points. You can also combine points and cash for your stays. Cardholders get the 4th Night Free when redeeming points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
• IHG One Rewards members earn points on qualifying stays at IHG properties. You typically get 10 points for every $1 spent at most IHG hotels, but you earn only 5 points per $1 spent at Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites. You then earn bonus points based on your IHG Elite status. Spire Elite and Kimpton Inner Circle (invite only) members earn a 100% bonus on base points.
• IHG has partnerships with over 40 airlines, allowing you to exchange IHG points for airline miles in frequent flyer programs including United, American, Delta, British Airways and Qantas. In the other direction, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio to IHG One Rewards.

Guru’s Wrap-up

The Chase IHG Rewards Premier Business Card features more ways to earn points. This includes purchases on business-related categories like search engine advertising and office supplies stores. The card also offers a simplified way to reach the next IHG One Rewards Elite status level, added flexibility on Anniversary Free Night certificates, and more.

This can be a good option for business owners who often stay at IHG hotels. Looking at all of the benefits that you receive, even with the $99 annual fee, the IHG Premier Business card can be a very good product for frequent IHG guests.

With that said, the bonus is still worth just less than $600 when you take the annual fee into account. If you want a general travel card, then there are few other cards on the market that would be a better choice.