IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card overview: Full particulars

The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card (see charges and charges) is IHG’s no-annual-fee card choice. With this card, you can earn as much as 17 factors per greenback spent at IHG resorts and resorts. Plus, cardholders may earn elevated reward charges at gasoline stations, on a few of their month-to-month payments and at eating places. Nonetheless, whereas the IHG Traveler Card presents some helpful IHG-related perks, it is probably not your most suitable option. Card Ranking*: ⭐⭐½

*Card Ranking relies on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.

IHG presents two private cobranded Chase playing cards to assist clients rack up factors and maximize their stays.

One in every of these is the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card. It is aimed toward vacationers who need to earn IHG factors on their purchases with out incurring an annual price. Nonetheless, in case you incessantly keep at IHG properties, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card (see charges and charges) is probably going a greater choice.

We advocate candidates have a credit score rating of 670 or increased to extend their possibilities of approval. Let’s take a better have a look at the IHG One Traveler Card so you possibly can resolve if it is best for you.

New candidates for the IHG Traveler Card earn two free nights (every night time valued as much as 50,000 factors) plus 40,000 bonus factors after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

That is the finest supply we now have seen on the cardboard, and the inclusion of free nights as a part of the welcome supply has by no means been offered earlier than for this no-annual-fee card. The free nights, together with the bonus factors, provide you with 140,000 bonus factors, value $700 based mostly on TPG’s September 2025 valuations.

We advocate making use of anytime the welcome supply is above 80,000 factors.

Chances are you’ll be eligible for the IHG One Traveler Card (and its welcome bonus) in case you fulfill the entire following necessities:

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Associated: The last word information to bank card software restrictions

As with the finest no-annual-fee playing cards, the IHG One Traveler Card does not supply many luxurious perks. Here is a fast overview of the cardboard’s predominant advantages and perks.

Fourth reward night time profit

Every time you redeem factors for a keep of 4 or extra nights, each fourth night time will price zero factors. As soon as you are a cardholder, this low cost shall be routinely utilized whenever you redeem IHG factors for eligible stays.

Save 20% on level purchases

You may get a 20% low cost everytime you purchase IHG factors along with your card. However you possibly can’t mix this low cost with different promotions, equivalent to when IHG factors are on sale. And IHG typically presents a a lot better 100% bonus whenever you buy factors.

Lead author Katie Genter usually buys IHG factors when the 100% bonus drops the acquisition value to 0.5 cents per level, however she does not discover the 20% low cost interesting.

Computerized Silver standing (with a pathway to Gold)

IHG One Traveler cardholders take pleasure in computerized Silver Elite standing within the IHG One Rewards program. This tier features a 20% bonus on resort stays and factors that do not expire.

As well as, you should purchase your method to Gold Elite standing via the tip of the subsequent calendar 12 months whenever you spend $20,000 in your card every calendar 12 months. This tier features a 40% bonus on resort stays and rollover elite nights for standing the next 12 months.

No overseas transaction charges

Many mid-tier bank cards do not cost overseas transaction charges; nonetheless, there are only a few playing cards on that checklist that do not cost an annual price. Should you journey overseas incessantly, it is value having at the very least one bank card that does not cost overseas transaction charges.

Associated: Maximize your rewards by getting a fourth or fifth night time free on award stays

While you use your IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card to make purchases, you may earn:

• 5 factors per greenback spent at IHG resorts and resorts, plus 10 factors per greenback for being an IHG One member and a pair of factors per greenback due to Silver elite standing (17 factors whole, which is an 8.5% return, based mostly on TPG’s September 2025 valuations)
• 3 factors per greenback spent at eating (together with eligible takeout), gasoline stations and utilities (cable, web, telephone and choose streaming companies) (1.5% return)
• 2 factors per greenback spent on the whole lot else (1% return)

These returns aren’t nice, even in comparison with different no-annual-fee playing cards.

Nonetheless, there are a number of sub-$100 annual price playing cards that provide stable perks on prime of nice incomes charges, which equate to larger returns on spending, in numerous classes.

For instance, the $95 annual price Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (see charges and charges) earns 2 factors per greenback spent on journey purchases, whereas the $95 annual price Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card earns 2 miles per greenback spent on virtually all purchases.

The IHG One Traveler Card additionally is not a good selection for on a regular basis purchases. In any case, it solely supplies a 1.5% return at gasoline stations and eating places, plus a 1% return on different purchases. A number of cash-back bank cards — just like the no-annual-fee Citi Double Money® Card (see charges and charges) — supply a 2% return on all purchases (1% whenever you purchase and 1% whenever you pay).

Associated: One of the best bank cards for every bonus class

There are numerous choices for redeeming IHG One Rewards factors. Not surprisingly, you may get the perfect worth out of your factors whenever you redeem for IHG resort stays.

TPG’s September 2025 valuations peg IHG factors at simply 0.5 cents every, which is paltry when you think about that options just like the Chase Sapphire Most popular card earn factors value over 2 cents apiece.

Nonetheless, it is attainable to maximize redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program and get worth out of your factors. Listed below are a couple of methods you are able to do so.

IHG has dynamic award pricing — which means that the price of reserving a reservation fluctuates with demand and seasonality — however there are some good offers to be discovered. Nonetheless, one draw back to dynamic pricing is that you must extra rigorously think about when to make use of your factors versus money for a keep.

At TPG, we attempt to use our factors once we know we are able to get higher than face worth for any given redemption. With a card just like the IHG Traveler, it makes probably the most sense to e-book stays of 4 nights or longer to make the most of the fourth reward night time profit.

It’s also possible to e-book stays utilizing a mixture of Factors + Money. For a given room, you may sometimes see a chart with reductions from the total nightly award price in increments of 5,000 factors.

On a Factors + Money reserving, you are basically shopping for the additional factors wanted to finish the redemption. So, in case you cancel your room, your refund shall be given solely in factors. Lead author Katie Genter, not often e-book Factors + Money charges because it’s often a greater worth to make use of simply factors. Nonetheless, it is value checking whether or not the maths works out on every reserving.

TPG contributing editor Matt Moffitt likes to make use of his IHG One Rewards factors for four-night award stays. Since he has the IHG One Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card, he will get the fourth night time free on award redemptions.

He often targets Vacation Inn and Vacation Inn Specific properties to stretch his factors, however often splashes out on a Kimpton or InterContinental property.

Associated: Chase bank cards: Greatest time to use based mostly on supply historical past

The switch course of will be cumbersome, particularly in case you’re calling the IHG One Rewards Service Heart that will help you kind out a switch. IHG is mostly sluggish to course of transfers, with some reporting that it took as much as six weeks for his or her factors to switch.

It’s also possible to switch your factors to different IHG One members beginning at $5 per 1,000 factors and free for Diamond and IHG Enterprise Rewards Program members as much as 500,000 factors per calendar 12 months.

Associated: The right way to earn IHG factors through stays, bank cards and extra

For extra choices, try our full lists of the perfect resort bank cards and the perfect playing cards for IHG stays.

The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card is not a nasty choice for the occasional IHG visitor, as you may get a couple of IHG-related perks for no annual price. Nonetheless, in case you’re on the lookout for further perks throughout your IHG stays, you may be dissatisfied with this card’s restricted advantages.

Apply right here: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit score Card