IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card Review [2026]: Free Hotel Stays, No Annual Fee

Card basics

Is the IHG One Rewards Traveler card right for you?

The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card could be good for you if you travel a handful of times per year and reliably stay at IHG properties. IHG points are solid, if not the highest-value hotel rewards points out there, and it can be a smart strategy to stick with one brand for maximum savings. Plus, you can transfer IHG points to a lot of airline partners, including American Airlines, United MileagePlus, JetBlue, British Airways, and a swath of others. Just be mindful of transfer ratios before you convert points, because they aren't great for every partner.

You should be able to use the majority of this card's perks without a lot of spending, but you'll likely want to limit using this card to spending on IHG hotels most of the time.

When you should choose a different card

This card won't cover all of your bases for travel spending beyond IHG hotels. For booking flights and other travel accommodations, you'll want a more well-rounded travel credit card. And for spending on everyday expenses, like restaurants and bills, consider a cash back or rewards credit card.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card benefits and perks

Generous welcome offer, if you're an IHG fan

This card's welcome bonus is very high, but you have to remember that all of those points are going to stay within the IHG points ecosystem (unless you transfer them). They don't translate directly to cash value, so you can't exactly compare this card's welcome offer to a card that earns cash back or rewards that can be redeemed for cash.

Also, the spending requirement to qualify is high, and you won't earn much in rewards on purchases that aren't on IHG stays during that time.

Booking discounts + bonus points

If you are short on points to book your next vacation, you can save 20% off the retail price of IHG points when you use your IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card to make your points purchase.

When you book a consecutive four-night stay at an IHG property using points, the fourth night is free.

Plus, you can earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 on purchases each account calendar year. This type of benefit is pretty common among hotel credit cards.

Elite status boosts

With this card, you'll get member rates when you book directly with IHG, as well as a 20% bonus on base points, complimentary internet, late check-out, and your points do not expire.

If you spend $20,000 in a calendar year, you can earn Gold Elite status a little more easily than everyone else. Gold Elite status comes with several perks, including no blackout dates on using your points for free rooms.

Decent travel insurance

If your trip goes awry, you will have plenty of insurance coverages, including trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, travel and emergency assistance services, and travel accident insurance.

You have the option to decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage is provided for theft and collision damage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad. In the U.S., coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.

Purchase protection

Purchase protection, especially in travel cards, has become one of those things that's all but expected. Still, it's worth noting when a card has it. This card offers:

• Purchase protection: Covers your eligible new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Extended warranty protection: Extends the time period of the U.S. manufacturer's warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less.

Drawbacks: What you might not love about this card

Non-flexible rewards

If you won't be spending most of your travel nights at an IHG property, then this isn't the card for you. IHG points aren't easily used for travel redemptions outside of IHG award stays. Our list of the best travel credit cards has an array of options with more flexible reward programs.

Lower points value

IHG points are often considered to be among the least valuable in comparison to other hotel rewards programs. It isn't necessarily bad as long as you earn enough points to make up for the lesser value, but it's something to keep in mind as you compare loyalty programs.

Fewer perks

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers one free night's stay each year, along with up to a $120 application fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS every four years, which you won't find on the IHG One Rewards Traveler Card.

Earning & redeeming IHG One Rewards points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your points can add up with the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 0.5 cents apiece.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $1,402

Year two earnings: $709

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

Keep in mind that these values account for general travel purchases, and do not include the up to 17X points you could receive if you stay at IHG hotels and resorts. It's also important to note that you get a fourth night free when you book a stay of four consecutive nights at an IHG property using points, and the value of that free night is not considered in the amounts above.

Best ways to earn

The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card can be an excellent option if you frequent IHG properties, as you can earn a whopping up to 17X total points per dollar spent at IHG Hotels & Resorts. You'll also earn 3X points per dollar spent at on monthly bills, at gas stations, and restaurants, and 2X points on all other purchases.

IHG One Rewards bonus points are redeemable at hotels such as Holiday Inn®, Kimpton®, InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, EVEN® Hotels, and Hotel Indigo®. Use your IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card to book an eligible IHG hotel room, and you'll earn five points per dollar spent.

If you're an IHG One Rewards Club member, you'll earn 10 points per dollar spent. Keep in mind that stays at Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites will earn only 5 points per dollar, not 10.

Maximizing your redemptions

Once you are ready to redeem your IHG points, it is important to keep the value of these points in mind. The value is not officially given by IHG or Chase directly, but many credit card rewards experts online have calculated IHG points to be worth 0.5 cents per point.

When you're considering redeeming your IHG points for a hotel stay, you can use this valuation plus the equation below to determine the cash equivalent:

(Price of room in IHG points) x .005 = the cash value of the redemption

You can then compare the cash value of your points to the cost of booking the room the regular way with cash. If the value of your points and cash are close, you should consider using your IHG points. If the cost to book is considerably less than the cash value of your points, then you may want to save your points for another purchase.

IHG One Rewards transfer partners

You can transfer your IHG points to over 40 different airline partners. These include American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Airlines, AirFrance, and more. Most exchanges are 10,000 IHG points for 2,000 miles, but these numbers vary depending on the partner you choose.

Typically, transferring your IHG points to a travel partner doesn't yield the best value. Unless you absolutely need to make a transfer to pay for airfare, it may be best to avoid this route.

Other cards to consider

If the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card is not a good fit for your travel needs, there are other options for earning hotel rewards points.

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is a similar card to the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card as it has a $0 annual fee. Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. You'll also earn complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver Status by simply being a cardmember.

Find out more in our Hilton Honors American Express Card review.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is another great travel rewards card to get started with. A favorite among Chase fans, this card does carry a $95 annual fee, but it has no foreign transaction fees, and new cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's up to $1,125 in travel rewards if you redeem through Chase Travel℠. You'll also enjoy up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel℠, which helps to offset the annual fee.

Take a look at our full Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card review for more details.

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IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

4.5

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

Earn 90,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening and up to 30,000 more points by earning 3 additional points in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that earn 2x and 3x on up to $10,000 spent (limited-time offer)

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

Up to 17 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts; 3 points per $1 spent on purchases on monthly bills, at gas stations, and restaurants; and 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Very high earning rate on IHG spending
• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees
• Good welcome offer, if you can qualify

Drawbacks

• High spending requirement to qualify for the welcome bonus
• Poor earning rates on everything outside of IHG spending
• IHG rewards points are relatively low value compared to other loyalty programs

Card Details

• Limited Time Offer! Earn up to 120,000 Bonus Points
• No Annual Fee
• Earn up to 17 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
• Earn 3 points per $1 spent on purchases on monthly bills, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• Redeem 3 Nights, Get the 4th Night Free
• IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Hotel Indigo® & Holiday Inn®
• Member FDIC