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We know that changes as coming to the IHG Rewards program as of March 2022. To coincide with that, there are also changes coming to IHG Rewards’ co-branded credit cards, and I’d say the news is overwhelmingly positive. I wanted to cover all those changes, and also talk about why this might be the ideal time to pick up the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card.
IHG credit card changes as of March 2022
Changes are coming to the portfolio of Chase & IHG Rewards credit cards as of March 24, 2022. Often when there are changes to credit cards it’s not good news, though in this case it seems to be almost entirely good news.
Not only are we seeing changes to the two existing personal credit cards, but we’ll also see the introduction of a new business credit card. Let’s go over the details.
IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card changes
The IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card (review) will be rebranded as the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card. The bad news is that the annual fee will be increasing by $10, from $89 to $99, as of 2023 for existing cardmembers. Everything else is positive.
For one, we’ll see the rewards structure on the card improve considerably. The IHG Premier Card will earn:
- 5x points on travel (vs. 1x points previously)
- 5x points on purchases at gas stations and dining (vs. 2x points previously)
- 3x points on all other purchases (vs. 1x points previously)
On top of that, the card will be getting several additional new perks, including:
- Anniversary free night certificates will have more flexibility; while they’re capped at 40,000 points per night, you’ll be able to redeem them at more expensive hotels by paying the difference in points (in other words, you could book a 50,000 point hotel for a free night certificate plus 10,000 points)
- You’ll receive $50 in United TravelBank Cash each calendar year, after registering your IHG Rewards Premier Card with your United MileagePlus account
- You’ll earn 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement credit after spending $20,000 on the card in a calendar year
- You’ll continue to receive complimentary IHG Rewards Platinum status, and will be able to earn IHG Rewards Diamond status after spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year
Except the $10 annual fee increase, these changes are fantastic across the board. You’ll get a $50 United Airlines credit annually, and free night certificates will be much more flexible. We’ll have to wait to learn the benefits of IHG Rewards Diamond status, but some might consider it worth spending to earn that, especially with the improved points earning structure and threshold bonus on the card.
The other existing benefits not mentioned will continue to exist, including a fourth night free on award redemptions, a Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check credit, etc.
