If you follow other blogs, you may have seen the new IHG card offer of 120,000 points advertised. It’s true – it is an all-time high for this card on a public offer. But, is the offer worth considering, even at an all-time high?
New IHG Card Offer at 120,000 Points
Here are the details on this new IHG Premier credit card offer:
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Plus earn an additional 40,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening.
- Plus, earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases and make one additional purchase each account anniversary year.
- This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.
- Platinum Elite Status
- Fourth Night Free on Reward Stays
- Free anniversary night at hotels that cost 40,000 points per night or less
- 20% Discount on purchasing IHG points
- Annual fee: $89
- $50 statement credit
- Link: IHG Credit Card Offer (this is not an affiliate link)
Why Do I Think This Offer is Too Late?
One thing about the award hobby – we cannot really cry about spilled milk, otherwise known as Award devaluations and credit card devaluations. They happen, we move on.
But, because of these things, we do need to take a closer look at what offers are worth it for us to apply for in this current reward environment. Before you apply for this all-time high IHG Premier credit card offer, consider these things:
- IHG PointBreaks
- The IHG PointBreaks are a shadow of what they used to be and most of them cost 2x-3x what they used to
- IHG award categories
- IHG has added award categories so now the top hotels cost 70,000 points per night
- Free Anniversary Night
- The old one used to be available for any IHG hotel Now, it is only for hotels at the 40,000 point and below. This puts it at a mid-level redemption offer and something that may not present as good value for a keeper
- Platinum Elite status
- IHG has made the new top tier as Spire and that strips the Platinum status of some function
- Chase 5/24
- With this being a Chase card and Chase being as restrictive as they are on issuing new cards (and other issuers following suit), applying for a card that may not present great value to you should be one you pass on unless you have a compelling reason to get it.
If you have a reason for racking up the IHG points, go for this offer. It is the highest and it is a good one. But, IHG points are no longer worth getting just to have for good PointBreaks redemptions or spontaneous weekend getaways to major cities. Staying at a top tier hotel will mean you only get 1 night with this bonus (and have 50,000 points left over).
What do you think about this new IHG Premier card offer?
You hit the nail on the head pretty effectively. IHG has been hard at work Bonvoying their program. Sure, 120,000 points sounds nice, but that’s less than two nights at a top hotel, just as the offers a couple of years ago we’re similar but with a better annual night.
Thank you, Charlie. Totally agree. The Pointbreaks devaluation was very sad (but no surprise – we see miles&points programs come and go). I still have the old card. It would be the case that I can get the new card and keep the old one, yes? For those of us in that position, it possibly still could be a keeper. The old card with $49 annual fee has a free night attached (granted, top tier hotels not eligible) and the new card with its $89 annual fee has an annual free night. With my husband in the same situation, we could have 4 “free” nights for the cost of the annual fees. And Platinum Elite still does come with perqs.