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Lots of changes to the IHG Rewards program and cobranded credit cards are coming in March 2022. Here is a recap of some changes that have already been announced:
- IHG program moving to 4 elite tiers (instead of 3)
- IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card earning structure is changing:
- 5X points on travel (previously 1X)
- 5X points on dining and gas (previously 2X)
- 3X points on all other purchases (previously 2X)
- New Card perks for IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card
- $100 statement credit and 10k bonus points after spending $20k and making one additional purchase
- $50 United TravelBank Cash per calendar year
- Ability to add on points on top of your Anniversary Free Night certificate to stay at hotels above 40k threshold
- Annual fee on IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card is increasing to $99 in 2023 (currently $89)
- The no-fee version of the card also has a few changes, including 3X and 2X earning
- IHG Premier Business Card will debut
Wow, that’s a lot of changes happening!
The Change I’m Most Excited About
I’ve said this before, but IHG is not my favorite hotel brand. I’m a Hyatt girl, through and through. However, my family plans to travel to Europe a few times in the future, and IHG points are valuable there.
I’m most excited about the upcoming ability to add points on top of the free night certificates to stay at higher-level hotels. This is a great new feature that will add flexibility! If you don’t have any “extra” IHG points, you can always transfer some Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Is Now a Good Time to Get the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card?
My husband and I already have the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. We used the sign-up bonuses to stay at a hotel in Sydney, Australia a few years ago. When we got the card, the bonus was 100k points. Right now, the bonus is 125k points. The card comes with a 4th night free on award stays as well as Global Entry/TSA Pre-check credit.
When the increased benefits come online in March, it will be easier to earn points from your everyday spending. The bonus (especially in 2-player mode or combined with the upcoming business version of the card) would make for a nice stash on a future trip. IHG has so many locations worldwide that the points would work for almost any destination.
What About the Legacy $49 Card?
Some of you may have the original $49 annual fee IHG card. This card is not open to new applications, but it’s also not going away. However, starting in March, owners of this legacy card will no longer be able to own both this card and the new version of the IHG card. So if you’re thinking about owning both, you will need to act soon.
Are you excited about these IHG changes coming in March?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Hello Nancy, can you please tell me how the $50 United TravelBank Cash per calendar year works. Where do I find it? How can I use it? Thank you for your assistance.
@Hilde This benefit is starting March 24, 2022. There aren’t too many details yet on exactly how to do it, but hopefully we will hear more before the benefit goes live. My letter just said “You can use your TravelBank Cash on your United Airlines purchases after you register your IHG Rewards Premier card with your United MileagePlus account. To learn more about this new benefit, sign in to your IHG Rewards account at ihg.com for more details after March 24, 2022.”
With this, IHG’s devaluation is complete. Not long ago, the absolute max cost for any IHG hotel was 40k points. Now it can be 70k. With this announcement, the free night certs that you used to be able to use at any hotel, you can again, but it’s gonna cost you the cert and 30k points. Everyone is saying how much of a win this is, no one has mentioned that IHG’s points have been devalued by 75% in just a few short years.
I agree 100%! Plus reward room availability is at an all time low. I have been loyal to IHG for almost 20 years, but in December I decided to cancel my IHG credit card and start focusing on Marriott. I am also not understanding all the positive reviews of these changes.
@Khati I agree that the program has devalued in the last few years. IHG used to have great deals for 5000 points, but now, not so much. I still think the ability to add points onto a certificate is a win, though.
Every hotel and airline reward programs devalue year-to-year. That’s ALWAYS been the case and WILL ALWAYS be the case. Just like nearly everything else in a free-market economy. There’s absolutely nothing productive to always comparing what your miles/points will get you today compared to what they could have gotten you just a few short years ago. The only thing that matters is what they ARE getting you today and compare that with what other hotels/airlines are getting you today. Nothing we can do about the great deals of yesterday.