Credit Cards

The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card Review

a building on stilts on water

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The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

IHG just overhauled their credit card portfolio adding new benefits to their personal cards, and unveiling the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Mastercard. IHG Rewards has certainly piqued my interest with their commitment to improve the program this year, and if their credit cards are any sign of what’s to come… it’s look good.

I already have 2 IHG Rewards personal cards: The IHG Rewards Premier and the now retired IHG Rewards Select. I keep them for whenever I stay at IHG properties, but they also give me a free night every single year on my cardmember anniversary date, valued at up to 40k points. This alone recoups my annual fees, but IHG has improved those nights by allowing members to add points to them to stay at properties pricing about 40k.

I used the 4th night free benefit at the Six Senses Maldives for my honeymoon

a bed on a dock

IHG One Rewards Premier Business Mastercard

If you’re a business or sole proprietor and you’re looking to gain exposure to the IHG Rewards portfolio, I think this is a really compelling card for you. Without even considering the welcome offer, you can easily recoup the annual fee via these two benefits:

  • 4th night free on award bookings
  • free night on account anniversary
    • up to 40k points ( you can add points to this tho for more expensive properties )
a close up of a credit card

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IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

4.6
4.6/5

For $99 a year, this small business card yields IHG One rewards Platinum Status, a free night award certificate every year, 4th night free on award stays of 4 consecutive nights, and a $50 United Travel Bank. 

Limited Time offer!

Earn up to 175,000 Bonus Points. See below in Card Benefits

Annual Fee

$99

Points Earned

IHG One Rewards

 

  • Limited Time offer: Earn up to 175,000 Bonus Points.
    • Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
    • Plus, earn 35,000 Bonus Points after spending a total of $7,000 in the first 6 months from account opening.
  • Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts
    • These are currently valid at properties 40k points and below
    • You can now add points to these nights should you want to stay at a pricier property
    • Spend $60k on the card + 1 purchase and get another anniversary night
  • 4th night free when redeeming points on a 4 consecutive night point redemption
  • 10x at IHG Hotels & Resorts worldwide ( this is on top of the bonus you get as a IHG Rewards member )
    • 5x
      • travel
      • gas stations
      • dining/restaurants
      • social media and search engine advertising
      • office supply stores
    • 3x everywhere else
  • Spend your way to Diamond with $40k in annual purchases
  • Get a 10k bonus points and $100 statement credit when you spend $20k + one additional purchase in a year
  • $50 United Travel Bank credit
  • 20% off purchased points
    • Can’t be stacked with points sales tho
  • Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® Fee or NEXUS Statement Credit –
    • The primary cardholder receives a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Fee Credit of up to $100 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the Card
  • Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier Business cardmember
  •  
  • No Foreign Transaction
  • $99 annual fee
  • Member FDIC

140k after $3k spend in 3 months is the best we’ve seen

We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists what the highest offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

It’s so easy to see how the annual fee is recouped. I don’t have this card quite yet, but it’s on my list to pick up in the near future.

  • A free anniversary award night every year you keep the card, worth up to 40k IHG One Rewards ( you can add unlimited points to this award night as well ) This easily offsets the annual fee for me.
  • 4th night free when redeeming points on stays of 4 consecutive nights
  • Cardholder award night sales where you get notice to book in advance or exclusively for cardholders
  • The United credit offset roughly half the annual fee

Is this the best ever offer?

The highest we’ve seen is 165k after $3k in 3 months

A free night issued after your cardmember anniversary date

Every year, on your anniversary date, you’ll be issued a free night certificate valid on award stays 40k or less. However… IHG now allows you to add points to that free night award to make the difference if you want to stay at a property that was more expensive than 40k points.

For instance, if you wanted to stay at the new Kimpton Seafire in April you’d be looking at 70k for a single night vs $1234 cash. Ouch. Prior to the update, you couldn’t use your free night here, but now you could just add 30k points and redeem.

a screenshot of a hotel

But I don’t have a small business, Miles. You may, and not know it… Keep reading.

Chase is very friendly to entrepreneurs and small business owners. In fact, if you haven’t been in business for long, or you haven’t established yourself with an EIN, you can still apply as a Sole Proprietor ( fill in your SSN ). If you run a small side business (think bloggers, ebay sellers, tutors, consultants, etc) and want a card to segregate your business income from your personal income at tax time…this is a great opportunity to earn a load of points and help yourself out.

If you’re like me and already have the now retired IHG Rewards Select…you’ll save even more by stacking.

Let’s take my honeymoon for example.

With the IHG Rewards Premier Business card we’re talking about 300k for a 4 night stay ( 4th night at 100k isn’t charged).

The now retired, IHG Rewards Select offers a 10% discount ( up to 100k points per year ) on IHG redemptions. That means I’d get another 30k points back, reducing the 4 night stay to just 270k points. Unreal!

a man standing on a dock with a bicycle

Power up your status with with Intercontinental Ambassador

Intercontinental Ambassador is a membership program that you buy for $200 a year or 40k points. It comes with several benefits for members – the biggest are listed below.

a couple of signs with textBut…there some really cool things that stack with Six Senses in particular. Since I mentioned Six Senses above – I figured it was worth pointing a couple out. These are valid on point bookings as well

  • Free breakfast ( very valuable at Six Senses )
  • Signature Amenity ( like a 50 min massage for two )
  • Room upgrade
  • Wellness platter

a white text on a white backgroundIf you’re thinking of going to a Six Senses property and using IHG points…it could very well be worth buying an Ambassador membership.

a close up of a credit card

Learn More

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IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

4.6
4.6/5

For $99 a year, this small business card yields IHG One rewards Platinum Status, a free night award certificate every year, 4th night free on award stays of 4 consecutive nights, and a $50 United Travel Bank. 

Limited Time offer!

Earn up to 175,000 Bonus Points. See below in Card Benefits

Annual Fee

$99

Points Earned

IHG One Rewards

 

  • Limited Time offer: Earn up to 175,000 Bonus Points.
    • Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
    • Plus, earn 35,000 Bonus Points after spending a total of $7,000 in the first 6 months from account opening.
  • Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts
    • These are currently valid at properties 40k points and below
    • You can now add points to these nights should you want to stay at a pricier property
    • Spend $60k on the card + 1 purchase and get another anniversary night
  • 4th night free when redeeming points on a 4 consecutive night point redemption
  • 10x at IHG Hotels & Resorts worldwide ( this is on top of the bonus you get as a IHG Rewards member )
    • 5x
      • travel
      • gas stations
      • dining/restaurants
      • social media and search engine advertising
      • office supply stores
    • 3x everywhere else
  • Spend your way to Diamond with $40k in annual purchases
  • Get a 10k bonus points and $100 statement credit when you spend $20k + one additional purchase in a year
  • $50 United Travel Bank credit
  • 20% off purchased points
    • Can’t be stacked with points sales tho
  • Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® Fee or NEXUS Statement Credit –
    • The primary cardholder receives a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Fee Credit of up to $100 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the Card
  • Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier Business cardmember
  •  
  • No Foreign Transaction
  • $99 annual fee
  • Member FDIC

140k after $3k spend in 3 months is the best we’ve seen

We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists what the highest offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

It’s so easy to see how the annual fee is recouped. I don’t have this card quite yet, but it’s on my list to pick up in the near future.

  • A free anniversary award night every year you keep the card, worth up to 40k IHG One Rewards ( you can add unlimited points to this award night as well ) This easily offsets the annual fee for me.
  • 4th night free when redeeming points on stays of 4 consecutive nights
  • Cardholder award night sales where you get notice to book in advance or exclusively for cardholders
  • The United credit offset roughly half the annual fee

Is it restricted by 5/24?

All Chase cards are now restricted by 5/24

Do you have this card?

Not yet, but I plan on adding it to my wallet. I picked the IHG Premier up during 2021 and hold it concurrently with the now retired IHG Rewards Select

Overall:

There are two big reasons I think this card makes sense for people

  • 4th night free benefit
  • Annual Free Night at 40k and under properties

These two alone easily recoup the $99 fee and then some.

 

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

a blue credit card with blue lines and white text

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card


4.8
4.8/5
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a great starter card that earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott.

Welcome Offer

60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months

Annual Fee

$95

Points Earned

Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards

  • 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
    • Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
  • 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
  • 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
  • 3x on select streaming services
  • 3x on online grocery purchases
    • (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
  • $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
    • The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
  • 2x on all other travel
  • 10% Anniversary Bonus
    • Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
  • Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
  • Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
    • Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
  • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
  • $95 Annual Fee

We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.

If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners

Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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