The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card is a good choice for small business owners who spend at least a few times per year at IHG Hotels, including Holiday Inn, Kimpton, Intercontinental, and more.
The card has a $99 annual fee, but you get a lot for it, including a free anniversary hotel night, IHG Platinum Elite status, and $50 of United Airlines TravelBank cash.
This article will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
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- 10x at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- 5x Points on Travel, Dining, Select Business, and at Gas Stations
- Free Anniversary Free Night
- IHG Platinum Elite Status
- $99 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The IHG Premier Business currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Earning Points
The IHG Premier Business earns IHG Rewards points at the following rates:
- 10 points per dollar on IHG Hotels and Resorts;
- 5 points per dollar on travel and hotels;
- 5 points per dollar on gas stations;
- 5 points per dollar on dining;
- 5 points per dollar at office supply stores;
- 5 points per dollar on social media and search engine advertising; and
- 3 points per dollar on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
The IHG Premier Business card has a $99 annual fee, which you can offset with the annual free night certificate, fourth-night free on award stays, and IHG Platinum Elite status.
Card Benefits and Perks
The IHG Premier Business offers the following benefits and perks:
Anniversary Free Night
Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you’ll receive a free night award valid for a single night, worth up to 40,000 points.
Since many hotel nights cost more than $100 a night, this is a really valuable benefit.
Plus, if you want to use your free night award at a property that costs more than 40,000 points per night, you can use an unlimited number of points to top off this certificate.
For example, if you find a room for 50,000 points, you can combine the free night with 10,000 points from your IHG account to confirm the reservation.
IHG Platinum Elite Status
This card offers automatic IHG Platinum Elite status, which gets you a 60% points bonus on stays, complimentary upgrades (subject to availability), a welcome amenity, early check-in, and late checkout.
Fourth Night Free on Award Stays
You can save a lot of points on award stays by taking advantage of this card’s fourth night free on hotel stays using points.
For example, if you had a 4 night stay at 50,000 points per night, it would cost only 150,000 points instead of 200,000 points.
Extra Perks for High Spenders
The IHG Premier Business offers several milestones for reaching certain levels of spend each calendar year:
- You will receive a $100 Statement Credit + 10,000 Points if you spend $20,000 in a calendar year.
- You will receive IHG Diamond Elite status if you spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year, which offers lots of valuable perks, like complimentary breakfast, room upgrades (including suites), 100% bonus points, access to the Milestone Rewards program, and much more.
- You will receive a second-anniversary free night certificate if you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year.
$50 United Airlines TravelBank Cash
You can receive up to $50 in United Airlines’ TravelBank credit each calendar year after registering your IHG Premier Business card with your United MileagePlus account.
Save 20% on Points Purchases
You can save 20% when you purchase points with your IHG Rewards Premier Business credit card.
The downside is that the 20% savings is on the standard price and does not provide additional savings on when IHG points are on sale.
Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit
This card offers a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee credit of up to $100 every four years.
TSA PreCheck is a membership program offering dedicated airport security lines and faster security screening (typically 5 minutes or less) at more than 200 airports across the United States and includes over 81 airlines.
Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck and expedited immigration upon arrival from an international trip back to the United States.
The NEXUS program is designed to facilitate expedited travel between the United States and Canada by providing pre-approved individuals with streamlined border clearance and enhanced security measures.
Purchase Protection
Purchase protection can save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 120-days.
For example, if accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if it was purchased within the last 120 days.
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance reimburses you for non-refundable expenses if your trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason such as illness, severe weather, or an accidental injury when you pay for your travel expenses with this card.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
Pros and Cons
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
- Free anniversary hotel night.
- IHG Platinum Elite status and fourth night free on award stays.
- $50 in United TravelBank cash.
- 10x points at IHG Hotels and Resorts.
Cons:
- Annual fee of $99.
- IHG points are not as valuable as transferrable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards.
Alternatives to the IHG Premier Business
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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- 3X Points on Travel, Shipping, Advertising (Social Media and Search Engines), Internet, Cable, and Phone on the First $150,000 Each Account Year
- 25% Additional Points Value in Travel Redemption
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
- Cell Phone Protection
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) is an excellent choice for business owners looking for a card that offers valuable rewards and benefits.
With this card, you’ll earn:
- 3 points per $1 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per account anniversary year).
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases, with no limit on the number of points you can earn.
Beyond the rewards, the Ink Business Preferred provides valuable benefits, including:
- Primary rental car insurance (when renting for business purposes).
- Cell phone protection (up to $600 per claim against theft or damage, with a maximum of three claims per year and a $100 deductible per claim).
- Purchase and extended warranty protection.
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
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- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status
- 12X Points at Hilton Properties
- 6X Points at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Restaurants
- 10 Complimentary Priority Pass Lounge Visits
- $95 Annual Fee (rates & fees)
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (review) offers complimentary Gold status with the chance to upgrade to Diamond status upon hitting the $40,000 spending threshold.
For a low annual fee of $95, this business card earns 12x Hilton Honors points at Hilton properties and 6x points in several categories:
- U.S. restaurants
- U.S. gas stations
- U.S. shipping purchases
- Wireless phone services with U.S. service providers
- Flights booked directly with airlines or with amextravel.com
- Car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
The Hilton Honors Business card also offers a free night reward after spending $15,000 and a second free night reward after spending $45,000 per year.
Plus, you receive 10 free Priority Pass visits to airport lounges worldwide.
Is the IHG Premier Business Worth It?
The IHG Premier Business is worth it if you can make the most of its perks.
The card has an annual fee of $99 and offers an annual free night award that can easily be redeemed for more value than that.
The card is best for small business owners who stay at IHG properties at least a few times per year. It offers generous earnings for stays within IHG, which includes Intercontinental, Kimpton, and Holiday Inn hotels.
If you’re only a casual IHG customer, you’ll get more value from a general travel car like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review)
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- 10x at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- 5x Points on Travel, Dining, Select Business, and at Gas Stations
- Free Anniversary Free Night
- IHG Platinum Elite Status
- $99 Annual Fee
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please click here.
