The
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card is worth considering if you regularly stay at InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza or one of the other popular hotel brands owned by IHG but do not want to pay an annual fee in order to earn extra rewards points with an IHG credit card. In addition to a
$0 annual fee, the IHG Traveler Card offers an initial bonus of
80,000 points to new cardholders who spend at least
$2,000 within
3 months of opening an account. It also rewards users with
2 - 5 points per $1 normally. The exact earning rate depends on the purchase category. IHG reservations and purchases made at gas stations, at restaurants and on monthly bill payments all generate bonus rewards.
There are tradeoffs that come with the combination of low fees and solid rewards that the IHG Traveler Card provides, however. The card’s high APR is one obvious shortcoming. Plus, the Traveler Card is not as rewarding as the
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, or the best all-around travel rewards credit card offers. So it’s likely to be the best choice only for a select group of potential applicants.
Below, we’ll highlight the IHG Traveler Card’s biggest benefits, along with its biggest shortcomings, to help you decide whether or not to apply.
IHG Traveler Card Review Highlights: - Initial Bonus: 80,000 points – New cardholders can earn this bonus by spending $2,000 within 3 months of opening an account. The bonus points should appear in your account 6-8 weeks after you meet the spending requirement. They are worth approximately $640 in IHG reservations, according to our calculations. The average initial bonus among current credit card offers is roughly 31,964 points/miles or around $228 cash back.
- Ongoing Rewards Rates: 2 - 5 points / $1 – The IHG Traveler Card gives 5 points per $1 spent through IHG; 3 points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, restaurants, and on monthly bill payments (utilities, internet, cable, phone services, select streaming services); and 2 points per $1 spent on everything else. For context, the average rewards card gives a bit more than 1 point per $1 spent on all purchases.
- Notable Benefits: 4th reward night free – This does not mean that every fourth night you book with points is free. Rather, if you book at least four consecutive nights with points, the fourth night won’t cost you.
- Annual Fee: $0 – This is what sets the IHG Traveler Credit Card apart from the IHG Premier Card in a good way. It also means the IHG Traveler Card is about $22.29 per year cheaper than the average credit card offer.
- Foreign Transaction Fee: $0 – This is to be expected for a hotel credit card associated with a company that owns hotels and resorts in more than 100 countries. It also enables you to save as much as 9% on foreign currency conversion overall.
- APR: 21.49% - 28.49% (V) – Each applicant who gets approved is assigned an APR from that range, based on their overall creditworthiness. The average credit card offer currently has an APR of 22.89%.
- Credit Requirement: Good credit or better – You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub to get a sense of your approval odds.
If you know that you want to apply for an IHG credit card but aren’t sure which to go for, you can compare the
IHG Rewards Traveler Card vs. the IHG Rewards Premier Card side by side on WalletHub. Hopefully, this will help you make the right choice for your wallet.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.