Review
Updated
Offer status
The information for the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card has been collected independently by The Ascent. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card offers hotel loyalty points on your purchases and a valuable sign-up bonus, all without an annual fee. But what are you sacrificing to skip the fee? As it turns out, it may be a lot. Read our full IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card review for more details.
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Best
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= Excellent
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= Good
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= Fair
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= Poor
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor
Credit Score
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
21.49% - 28.49% Variable
Rewards Earn up to 17X total points at IHG® Hotels & Resorts worldwide when you combine your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card benefits with your existing IHG® Rewards member benefits. Up to 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® Rewards member. 5X points at IHG® Hotels & Resorts. 3X points on dining, utilities, select streaming services and at gas stations. Up to 2X points from IHG® with Silver Elite Status. 2X points on all other purchases.
2x - 17x points
Annual Fee N/A
$0
Welcome Offer Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus up to $50 in IHG® statement credits on purchases at IHG® Hotels and Resorts during the first 12 months from account opening.
Earn 80,000 bonus points plus up to $50 in IHG® statement credits.
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Packs in a great sign-up bonus and no annual fee, but the perks mostly stop there. Unlike the annual fee version, this card doesn't have automatic elite status or an annual free night award.
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- Big sign-up bonus
- Purchase rewards
- Fourth night free
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- No automatic elite status
- No free night awards
- No 0% intro APR
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- Earn 80,000 bonus points plus up to $50 in IHG® statement credits.
- No Annual Fee
- Earn up to 17 points total 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, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
The information related to IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card has been collected by The Ascent and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
Full IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card review
This credit card is a good fit for: IHG® fans who want a big sign-up bonus and no annual card fee.
Top perks
There are a few decent perks with this card, but not as many as you'd get with an annual fee option.
Sign-up bonus
The key perk of the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card is its sign-up bonus. New cardholders can earn 80,000 IHG points for spending $2,000 in the first three months of account opening. IHG has variable award pricing -- meaning award costs vary based on the cash price, not a set chart. In general, though, 80,000 points is worth around $335 in hotel nights.
One thing to note is that you can only earn a sign-up bonus for the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card once every 24 months. You're also limited to one IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card at a time.
Earn up to 17x IHG points per dollar
Like most cobranded cards, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card offers the best rate on branded purchases. With this card, you'll earn 5x points per dollar on IHG purchases, plus up to 10x points per dollar as an IHG® rewards member, and 2x points per dollar with Silver Elite status.
But you'll also get bonus points in other categories, too:
- 3x points per dollar at gas stations
- 3x points per dollar on monthly bills
- 3x points per dollar at restaurants
- 1x point per dollar on other purchases
Read more: Best Rewards Credit Cards
Fourth night free on award stays
This is a perk offered by a few hotel credit cards and loyalty programs that can be very valuable. If you have the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card and book a stay of four nights or more with rewards points, you'll get a free award night. So, you could get four nights for three nights' worth of points. This can easily save you tens of thousands of points on your trip -- points you can use for a future trip.
No annual fee
In this case, this particular perk is both a pro and a con in some ways. While it's great that the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card doesn't charge you an annual fee just to keep your account open, you do lose out on some extra perks in exchange. The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, with its $0 annual fee, offers a number of benefits that help make that fee more appealing. It's worth comparing the two options to decide if having a no annual fee credit card is a perk or a drawback for you (more on this card below).
No foreign transaction fees
This is an extremely useful perk offered by most travel rewards cards, and with good reason. Foreign transaction fees are extra fees tacked onto purchases made in foreign currencies or that route through foreign banks. These fees can range as high as 3% of the transaction, which can really add up on a long vacation. Since the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card has no foreign transaction fees, you can use it on your travels without worrying about those pesky fees.
Alternatives to consider
If you want better IHG perks: The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is the go-to card for IHG® fans. It has an annual fee, but makes up for it in perks. In addition to IHG® points on purchases and a sign-up bonus, it also offers automatic Platinum Elite status, an annual free night award, and a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
If you want flexible travel rewards: The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees) earns an unlimited 1.25x miles per dollar on purchases, and those miles can be transferred to more than 15 hotel and airline partners. This no annual fee card also has a decent sign-up bonus and no foreign transaction fees.
See more options: Best Credit Cards
As of Apr. 16, 2024
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IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card |
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card |
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card |
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Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
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Apply Now for Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
On Capital One's Secure Website. |
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Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
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Welcome Offer: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus up to $50 in IHG® statement credits on purchases at IHG® Hotels and Resorts during the first 12 months from account opening. Earn 80,000 bonus points plus up to $50 in IHG® statement credits. |
Welcome Offer: Earn 165,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Earn 165,000 bonus points |
Welcome Offer: 20,000 Miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening 20,000 Miles |
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Rewards Program: Earn up to 17X total points at IHG® Hotels & Resorts worldwide when you combine your IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card benefits with your existing IHG® Rewards member benefits. Up to 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® Rewards member. 5X points at IHG® Hotels & Resorts. 3X points on dining, utilities, select streaming services and at gas stations. Up to 2X points from IHG® with Silver Elite Status. 2X points on all other purchases. 2x - 17x points |
Rewards Program: Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases. Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts |
Rewards Program: Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. 1.25X-5X miles |
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Intro APR: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: Purchases: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% intro on balance transfers for 15 months (Balance Transfer Fee Applies) |
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Regular APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable |
Regular APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable |
Regular APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) |
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Annual Fee: N/A $0 |
Annual Fee: N/A $99 |
Annual Fee: $0 |
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Highlights:
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Apply Now for Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
On Capital One's Secure Website. |
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The information related to IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card has been collected by The Ascent and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
What could be improved
It's worth noting that there are a number of serious gaps with this card. It seems like giving up an annual fee also means giving up many of the perks that make hotel cards worthwhile.
Must meet spending requirement for elite status
If you're looking for a shortcut to IHG® elite status, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card probably isn't the way. This card doesn't offer cardholders automatic status. Instead, you'll need to spend a whopping $10,000 on your card in a calendar year to earn Gold Elite status for the next year. That's a lot of spend for status just one tier above the free tier open to anyone. It's especially strange considering you could just pay the manageable annual fee for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and get Platinum Elite status for free -- status that's a tier above Gold Elite -- plus a range of other perks.
No annual free night awards
One of the great things about many hotel credit cards is that they'll often come with free night awards. The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, for example, gives you a free night award every year on your anniversary that can easily make up for the card's annual fee. The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card doesn't have an annual fee, but it also doesn't have the free night award. You can't even earn free night awards by meeting a spending requirement, as some other no annual fee hotel cards offer. Instead, you'll have to get your award nights the old-fashioned way by accruing points on your purchases.
No 0% intro APR
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card doesn't come with any kind of intro APR offer. Browsing through our credit card reviews, you can see that most no annual fee cards come with 0% intro APR offers that give you no interest on purchases for 12 months or more. But even the no annual fee travel cards skip over this particular perk. Given the cost of travel these days, this is a big drawback, as a 0% intro APR offer could make the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card an ideal option for financing a vacation. Without that offer, you should only use this card for hotel purchases you can pay off quickly.
Suggested credit score
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card is issued by Chase, so you'll probably need at least good credit to get approved. This usually means a FICO® Score of 670 and above. Chase will look at your entire credit history, not just your scores, when evaluating your application.
The IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card is right for you if:
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card has a great sign-up bonus that can get you a lot of value in free nights.
But outside of that, the perks are minimal. If you're a regular IHG® guest, you'll probably get way more out of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. At best, you may want to get the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card for the sign-up bonus, and pair it with the Premier for the hotel perks.
Our credit card methodology
At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.
Our Credit Cards Expert
Brittney started her writing career in the world of science, putting her physics degree to good use. Her journey into finance started with building her personal credit, but soon grew into a borderline obsession with credit cards and travel rewards. For the last 7 years, she has enjoyed the ability to share her expertise with readers, as well as the opportunity to interview companies and individuals making an impact on our financial lives. She wholly believe most problems can be solved with the right research -- and a good spreadsheet -- and she specializes in translating complex financial topics into actionable advice to help educate and empower readers.
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