IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card review: Full ...

The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (see rates and fees) is IHG’s no-annual-fee card possibility. With this card, you can earn as much as 17 factors per greenback spent at IHG accommodations and resorts. Plus, cardholders can even 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 gives some helpful IHG-related perks, it might not be your best option. Card Score*: ⭐⭐½

*Card Rating is predicated on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.

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

One among these is the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card. It is aimed toward vacationers who need to earn IHG factors on their purchases with out incurring an annual fee. Nonetheless, in the event you regularly keep at IHG properties, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees) is probably going a greater possibility.

We suggest candidates have a credit score of 670 or greater to extend their probabilities of approval. Let’s take a better take a look at the IHG One Traveler Card so you possibly can determine 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 best offer we’ve got seen on the cardboard, and the inclusion of free nights as a part of the welcome supply has by no means been supplied earlier than for this no-annual-fee card. The free nights, together with the bonus factors, provide you with 140,000 bonus factors, price $700 primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations.

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

You could be eligible for the IHG One Traveler Card (and its welcome bonus) in the event you fulfill the entire following necessities:

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Associated: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions

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

Fourth reward night time profit

Every time you redeem factors for a keep of 4 or extra nights, every fourth night will cost zero points. As soon as you are a cardholder, this low cost can 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 buy IHG points together with your card. However you possibly can’t mix this low cost with different promotions, corresponding to when IHG factors are on sale. And IHG generally gives 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 worth to 0.5 cents per level, however she would not discover the 20% low cost interesting.

Automated 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 lodge stays and factors that do not expire.

As well as, you should buy your strategy to Gold Elite standing by the top 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 lodge stays and rollover elite nights for standing the next 12 months.

No overseas transaction charges

Many mid-tier bank cards do not cost foreign transaction fees; nonetheless, there are only a few playing cards on that record that do not cost an annual price. Should you journey overseas regularly, it is price having a minimum of one bank card that does not cost overseas transaction charges.

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

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

• 5 factors per greenback spent at IHG accommodations 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 complete, which is an 8.5% return, primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations)
• 3 factors per greenback spent at dining (together with eligible takeout), gas stations and utilities (cable, web, telephone and choose streaming providers) (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 fee cards that supply stable perks on prime of nice incomes charges, which equate to better returns on spending, in numerous classes.

For instance, the $95 annual price Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) earns 2 factors per greenback spent on travel purchases, whereas the $95 annual price Capital One Venture Rewards Credit 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 Cash® Card (see rates and fees) — offer a 2% return on all purchases (1% whenever you purchase and 1% whenever you pay).

Associated: The best credit cards for each bonus category

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

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

Nonetheless, it is doable 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 it is best to extra rigorously contemplate when to make use of your points versus cash for a keep.

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

You may as well e book stays utilizing a mix of Factors + Money. For a given room, you may sometimes see a chart with reductions from the total nightly award fee in increments of 5,000 factors.

On a Factors + Money reserving, you are primarily shopping for the additional factors wanted to finish the redemption. So, in the event you cancel your room, your refund can be given solely in factors. Lead author Katie Genter, not often e book Factors + Money charges because it’s normally a greater worth to make use of simply factors. Nonetheless, it is price 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 Business Credit Card, he will get the fourth night time free on award redemptions.

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

Associated: Chase credit cards: Best time to apply based on offer history

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

You may as well transfer your points to other 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: How to earn IHG points via stays, credit cards and more

For extra choices, take a look at our full lists of the very best hotel credit cards and the very best playing cards for IHG stays.

The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card is not a foul possibility for the occasional IHG visitor, as you may get a couple of IHG-related perks for no annual price. Nonetheless, in the event you’re in search of additional perks throughout your IHG stays, you may be dissatisfied with this card’s restricted advantages.

Apply right here: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card