The
IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card is a good credit card to apply for if you own a business, have
good credit personally (
700+ credit score) and regularly stay at IHG hotels such as Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza. The card is worth its
$99 annual fee thanks in large part to its initial bonus of
140,000-point initial bonus offer. It also has solid ongoing perks, such as a free night after each account anniversary and
3 - 10 points per $1 spent on purchases.
There are some downsides to this offer, though. For one thing, IHG points aren’t worth as much as most credit card points. You only get
0.66 cents per point, so 1,000 points are worth just
$6.60. In addition, the
IHG Premier Business Card is not a good choice for financing. It has a regular APR of
19.24% - 27.74% (V) and no low-interest introductory promotion.
Below, you can find more information to help you decide whether to apply for the
IHG Premier Business Card.
What I Like About the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
140,000-point initial bonus
New cardholders can earn
140,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. That bounty isn’t worth quite as much as you might expect, but it still returns a lot of value. You’ll get an average of
$924 when redeeming the bonus points toward free nights at IHG properties.
According to our research, the average initial bonus among new credit card offers is
35,124 points/miles or
$236, depending on the kind of rewards the card provides. So, this deal is well above average.
10 points / $1 spent at IHG hotels
This earning rate, which amounts to 6.6% back, applies to purchases made directly through IHG or authorized travel agents. Third-party booking sites don’t count. In other words, you can’t really shop around for the lowest room rates, but you’ll earn excellent rewards on your bookings.
5 points / $1 spent in several popular spending categories
The
IHG Premier Business Credit Card gives 5 points per $1 spent on travel as well as social media and search engine advertising. Cardholders also get 5 points per $1 spent at office supply stores, gas stations and restaurants, including takeout and delivery services.
If these types of purchases are among your biggest business expenses and you redeem your points for IHG nights, you can save a lot of money.
3 points / $1 spent on all other purchases
This is about three times higher than the standard base earning rate for a rewards card. So, even though IHG points are worth less than average, you’re still coming out ahead.
Free nights
In addition to the free nights you can earn with rewards, you’ll get a free night after each account anniversary. You’ll also get a free night when you redeem points for at least four consecutive nights.
Platinum Elite status
IHG Platinum Elite status gets you
benefits such as complimentary room upgrades and guaranteed room availability. Normally, you’d have to spend 30 nights in IHG hotels in a year to qualify, but you get Platinum Elite status automatically with this card.
Airport screening credit
Every four years, you can get a credit of up to $120 by charging the application fee for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS to your
IHG Premier Business Card. A lot of credit cards are offering this perk these days, but it’s a benefit nonetheless.
What I Don’t Like About the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
$99 annual fee
The
IHG Premier Business Card’s
$99 annual fee makes it several times more expensive than the average credit card offer. The
IHG Premier Business Card is by no means expensive for a business credit card, though, and it’s easy to get your money’s worth.
19.24% - 27.74% (V) APR
The exact rate you’re assigned from this range depends on your overall creditworthiness. It can be higher than average, though, considering the average APR among new business credit card offers is
21.03% right now. In any event, you don’t want to carry much of a balance from month to month with this card because it will get very expensive.
700+ credit score needed
The
IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card requires at least
good credit for approval, which means you need a credit score of
700 or higher to have good odds of approval. You can
check your credit score for free on WalletHub.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.
