☝️ *UPDATE 3.18.2022:* The new IHG Rewards program & refreshed credit card lineup has been delayed, potentially into April 2022. Also, the IHG Premier Card will maintain the TSA PreCheck / Global Entry credit after the refresh 👍
Great! This is perfect timing as I just got my first ever hotel card, the IHG Premier. Just saw my 150,000 pt bonus pop into my account. This should be a more viable card although if you have Chase and Amex I think those cards are better for most purchases right? This card is basically only used for the 4th free night certificate after the first year realistically. Am I missing something?
@@wanderingdoc5075 - Congrats on getting the card & earning the bonus! 💯 In general, yes, the 'general travel cards' by Chase, Amex, and Citi tend to be better for earning points. However, I like to use hotel cards when paying for hotel stays out of pocket since they pair nicely with base points + elite bonuses to earn very quickly. Other than paid nights at hotels, all other purchases are typically better suited for other cards.
Plus one additional purchase! Also Mark, I'm loving these conversational videos where you just discuss news from the internet. Really nice for those of us with long work days.
Looking forward to that IHG business card! Especially if it has the same perks as the personal. Just looking to get that 4th night free and a card to use for paid stays (road trips, Holiday Inns, etc), and now can do it without burning a 5/24 slot!
Was planning on canceling this card in March prior to hearing this info, and now…still planning on canceling. The changes are decent but i fell out of love with most IHG properties. Kimptons are great but not enough of them.
Yep, that's why I let my IHG Rewards Club Select card go awhile back ✌️ Once IHG's luxury & lifestyle brands expand their footprint, it'll be a more interesting program.
I see a lot of criticism of the ihg program. As an employee who travels more than a little but less than a lot, holiday inn seems to be the hotel we always target to try to land in the $100-$150 range. Therefore, I got the premier card and get reimbursed for my stays. I’ve done it enough to get diamond status. When it comes to personal travel, it seems like the redemptions at places like kimptons have a ton of value and we always get upgraded. I also stay at Marriotts and hyatts when I can and build points, but it seems like ihg’s are perfect for value of the purchase of the hotel vs value of the redemption. Am I missing something?
If there were an objective answer to this, then most people would probably agree on it. It all depends on the lens through which you see the things you value. If IHG gives you what you want...at the price you want...in the locations you want...then it's a phenomenal program for you.
I believe that they have improve the room upgrade feature for the card. Now when you book online, some hotel already feature a room upgrade selection for the same price, although it is usually just a better view
This is a massive boost I don't think anyone was expecting. Looks like they're trying to attract the card to a more casual customer. Enough so for it to be a daily spend card rather then something you sock drawer for most of the year.
I prefer World of Hyatt as my Primary card for short or weekend trips. The only time I use my IHG Premier is for a week long vacation, to get the 4th Free Night with points combined with the Free Night Certificate to get the Max Value 😎.
I would say that the only highlight of IHG is the ambassador program. That's where you get those benefits like upgrades and late checkout that other hotel groups normally have.
Still got the old one and I just keep it because I use the one free night a year. I don’t think chase has charged me the annual fee for 2 yrs now 🤷🏻♂️
In general, I do not recommend buying points without a specific itinerary in mind that you know will give more value per point than the cost, regardless of if there's a promotion.
Mark, Always bringing in the new stuff and always explaining the programs and features very well. I don't here many people talk about IHG all that much. I stayed at a IHG property once I was not impressed. But hey new cards and new rewards are great. Hopefully they make the points more valuable to. I guess we wait and see. Appreciate the video as always.
I wonder if IHG is trying to make a stronger relationship with United. I saw on the United Club card that it gives IHG status and a hotel credit. I don’t remember seeing that before but I could had missed it. I don’t like Holiday Inns but I do love Intercontinental and Kimptom. This may change up my strategy on getting the Aeroplan card beyond the Feb. 15th deadline. Great video as always.
Unfortunately no. Here's what the terms say on the Traveler Card: _"This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any IHG® Rewards credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any IHG® Rewards credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months. This does not apply to cardmembers of the IHG® Rewards Premier Business credit card."_
No guarantees about waived AF, I haven't seen any data points about that at the moment. Up to you if you want to get the card now or later. If you get it now, you'd lock in the lower annual fee for 1 extra year before it goes up. That said, I don't know what the new welcome offer will be.
@@MarkReese yea that's the thing they could humb it up to like 2 free nights or maybe make it like 150+ free night or something but what are chances they lower the bonus with a new upgrade and AF, I assume they would want people to apply with the new benefits
@@onuohafamily - Anything could happen ✌️ The only guarantee is the annual fee increase. However, even current cardholders can only lock in the lower fee for 1 year, and that would only be a one-time $10 savings.
4 Marriott cards + World of Hyatt card. Marriott Cards are as follows: - Bonvoy Boundless (currently the Ritz-Carlton card) - Bonvoy Brilliant - Bonvoy Business (Amex) - Bonvoy Business (Chase, discontinued to new applicants)
Quick question and I apologize if you talked about this but, do you know if you can use your free night certificate as part of using your points to get a 4th night free? I’ve tried to research it and can’t find out if that is an option.
I noticed there’s a utility rewards section on there for the travelers card however I do not see it on there for the premiere elite. Does the premiere elite offer the same rewards benefit on the utility portion like the travelers card? Also on the 3X points on all other purchase, is this the equivalent of 3% “cash back” but instead it’s received in points? Just curious on that. Thanks!
Hey Jeremy - the utility rewards category is only on the Traveler card. However, it's a 3X-point category. With the Premier Card, you'll earn 3X on _all purchases,_ which would include utilities. So with either card, you can earn 3X points on utility transactions. And the value would not be equal to 3%. IHG points have an average value of 0.5¢ each, so... (3X points)*($0.005) = 1.5% return. Again, that's the average. If you can redeem IHG points for an expensive stay that has a high cash rate but only moderate point rate, then you could get significantly more value.
@@MarkReese Very insightful thanks again. Based on the new changes to the IHG premier elite card what would be the better card to put utilities like car insurance, phone, cable, light bill, haircut, gas? Amex gold/rose gold or the IHG card? Thank you for all the value you put out!
@@Jaycee612 - 2 different cards for very different purposes. Do you value flexibility, or are you ok with earning rewards that only work well at 1 hotel company?
@@MarkReese I am okay with having 2 cards for flexibility. With the Amex Gold, I’ll be using it primarily for Grocery and dining expenses. IHG would be more for the bonus, then after that I’m looking on ways to still utilize the card. At first glance the rewards seem very underwhelming unless you book hotels often which I don’t. But I’m planing on a trip so the bonus was a plus. Now with the changes to their rewards, I’m not sure if it’s still lackluster to use for everyday spending like I mentioned previously. Or continue using Amex gold for Grocery, gas, bills , utilities etc. Your awesome and I appreciate your timely responses!
@@Jaycee612 - In general, I recommend the following: - Use credit cards that issue bank-issued points (Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TY, etc.) for every day spend. - Get hotel cards for their initial welcome offers. Then going forward, only use them for spend at that specific hotel chain if you value that hotel's currency. If you don't value the currency, go back to focusing on bank-issued points for hotel spend too. And exception would be if a hotel card offers a meaningful opportunity to spend towards status that you value.
No news on the IHG® Select card. Currently, you can have it and still apply for the IHG Premier. It’s rumored that you will no longer be able to do that after March 24.
@@MarkReese I do use a free night every year but you can't use it at intercontinental in the last couple of years do you think that will change with this card coming up with the changes or do I upgrade this card to the premiere. I do want to use it at intercontinental
@@saab931 - It's my current understanding that the IHG Select Card will not be eligible for the "Top Off" feature to combine the certificate with points. That's the reason I got rid of my Select card...the inability to use the certificate at IC or Kimpton properties. The decision is yours though! The 10% points rebate could be useful if you do award night stays each year.
So when would you recommend applying for this card? Right before the change? Also do you think there will be a new better sign up bonus than the current 125k points on $3k spend in 3 months?
It's up to you. I personally don't see a need to apply before the change since the annual fee difference is only $10, and I don't know what the new signup bonus will be in the future. The current offer is quite good though at 125K points + 1 Free Night Certificate at a 40K-point value.
Oh yeah and the first year annual fee is waived. But yeah I’m trying to debate because the extra point categories are really nice and I may overall get more points. Tough debate
If you look a little bit you'll find the 150k bonus. It's what I did when I applied for the card in december, and just saw my 150k added to my account. Good luck!
Great video Mark! The program for IHG should be more competitive. Im wondering if I should get the card. I've accumulated over 489,000 IHG points this year through using my amex blue business plus(getting those MR points as well) for hotels I pay for other employees from out of town. Getting reimbursed from my company. What do you think? I'm thinking I should go out and the amex green for this.
Nice IHG point balance, Franklin! For the credit card spend, is your goal to earn more IHG points exclusively, or do you prefer to keep earning a mix of IHG + Amex MR points?
@@MarkReese my thought is I like the mix, insofar I am gaining alot of IHG points even without the card. And I also have the CS platinum, so I have a another avenue to cash out points for good value if needed. So I think the green would be better at this time. The upside is that it's not my money paying for my rewards.
@@franklin-qd1uy - Haha indeed you did! Pass on the IHG credit cards. Go get the Amex Green Card instead to earn 3X Membership Rewards points on those hotels 💯
Curious - if I apply and accepted now will the 125k bonus be locked in the card or will I only have until March 24th to spend the 3k? Additionally, if I apply for the card now and am accepted will the points system change automatically on the 24th?
(1) If you apply & get accepted now, you'll still have a full 3 months to meet the spend requirement. (2) Yes, the new benefits will automatically be added to your existing card on 3.24.2022.
What crap false information... There are multiple additional IHG cards in circulation that are just not open to NEW applicants. Changes affect those OLD cards as well. This video should be deleted. Terrible. 0/10.
☝️ *UPDATE 3.18.2022:* The new IHG Rewards program & refreshed credit card lineup has been delayed, potentially into April 2022. Also, the IHG Premier Card will maintain the TSA PreCheck / Global Entry credit after the refresh 👍
These changes needed to occur years ago, THE TIME HAS COME! 😄✌️ Now waiting on the new elite benefits…
Great! This is perfect timing as I just got my first ever hotel card, the IHG Premier. Just saw my 150,000 pt bonus pop into my account. This should be a more viable card although if you have Chase and Amex I think those cards are better for most purchases right? This card is basically only used for the 4th free night certificate after the first year realistically. Am I missing something?
@@wanderingdoc5075 - Congrats on getting the card & earning the bonus! 💯 In general, yes, the 'general travel cards' by Chase, Amex, and Citi tend to be better for earning points.
However, I like to use hotel cards when paying for hotel stays out of pocket since they pair nicely with base points + elite bonuses to earn very quickly. Other than paid nights at hotels, all other purchases are typically better suited for other cards.
Plus one additional purchase! Also Mark, I'm loving these conversational videos where you just discuss news from the internet. Really nice for those of us with long work days.
Thanks a bunch for the feedback, Mat! 😃👊 Fortunately, I'm enjoying the conversational news format, so I'll likely blend more of it in as time goes on.
Looking forward to that IHG business card! Especially if it has the same perks as the personal. Just looking to get that 4th night free and a card to use for paid stays (road trips, Holiday Inns, etc), and now can do it without burning a 5/24 slot!
For sure! 💥
Love the video. I feel IHG will just raise the point requirements needed to stay at places
While I hope not, it's a definite possibility ✌️
Thank you! Same day release, same day info for my ears on the drive home.
Glad it was timely for the drive! 🚙
Was planning on canceling this card in March prior to hearing this info, and now…still planning on canceling. The changes are decent but i fell out of love with most IHG properties. Kimptons are great but not enough of them.
Yep, that's why I let my IHG Rewards Club Select card go awhile back ✌️ Once IHG's luxury & lifestyle brands expand their footprint, it'll be a more interesting program.
I see a lot of criticism of the ihg program.
As an employee who travels more than a little but less than a lot, holiday inn seems to be the hotel we always target to try to land in the $100-$150 range. Therefore, I got the premier card and get reimbursed for my stays. I’ve done it enough to get diamond status. When it comes to personal travel, it seems like the redemptions at places like kimptons have a ton of value and we always get upgraded.
I also stay at Marriotts and hyatts when I can and build points, but it seems like ihg’s are perfect for value of the purchase of the hotel vs value of the redemption.
Am I missing something?
If there were an objective answer to this, then most people would probably agree on it.
It all depends on the lens through which you see the things you value.
If IHG gives you what you want...at the price you want...in the locations you want...then it's a phenomenal program for you.
I believe that they have improve the room upgrade feature for the card. Now when you book online, some hotel already feature a room upgrade selection for the same price, although it is usually just a better view
I like the sound of that!
This is a massive boost I don't think anyone was expecting. Looks like they're trying to attract the card to a more casual customer. Enough so for it to be a daily spend card rather then something you sock drawer for most of the year.
Indeed! 👍
I will never cancel my old IHG card. $49 is too good of a deal.
Great deal indeed! 👌
I prefer World of Hyatt as my Primary card for short or weekend trips. The only time I use my IHG Premier is for a week long vacation, to get the 4th Free Night with points combined with the Free Night Certificate to get the Max Value 😎.
That 4th-Night Free benefit is definitely awesome for those longer stays! 💯
Do you trigger the 4th night free while using the annual Free Night Certificate on the same stay?
@@billervin4715 - Nope, points only.
I would say that the only highlight of IHG is the ambassador program. That's where you get those benefits like upgrades and late checkout that other hotel groups normally have.
Indeed, although the benefits only work at few select brands 💯
Still got the old one and I just keep it because I use the one free night a year. I don’t think chase has charged me the annual fee for 2 yrs now 🤷🏻♂️
Awesome! 🙌
Guess IHG and Chase finally felt like it was necessary to truly compete with Hilton and American Express
IHG has an opportunity to be relevant. The business card sounds miles better than the Hyatt Biz card offering.
They sure do! Let's see if they nail it 👊
Do u think the buy now and get 80% back in points is a good deal? Would love to hear what u think? Thanks
In general, I do not recommend buying points without a specific itinerary in mind that you know will give more value per point than the cost, regardless of if there's a promotion.
We need to find a time machine to help get the old IHG card back for the uncapped certificate!
Yeah those were the golden years for sure 🏆
Mark,
Always bringing in the new stuff and always explaining the programs and features very well. I don't here many people talk about IHG all that much. I stayed at a IHG property once I was not impressed. But hey new cards and new rewards are great. Hopefully they make the points more valuable to. I guess we wait and see. Appreciate the video as always.
Try a Kimpton hotel someday, way better 🏆
I wonder if IHG is trying to make a stronger relationship with United. I saw on the United Club card that it gives IHG status and a hotel credit. I don’t remember seeing that before but I could had missed it. I don’t like Holiday Inns but I do love Intercontinental and Kimptom. This may change up my strategy on getting the Aeroplan card beyond the Feb. 15th deadline. Great video as always.
Yep the United-IHG partnership seems to have gotten a bit more solidified 💯
I already have IHG premier, can I apply traveler card?
Unfortunately no. Here's what the terms say on the Traveler Card: _"This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any IHG® Rewards credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any IHG® Rewards credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months. This does not apply to cardmembers of the IHG® Rewards Premier Business credit card."_
If I apply in branch will they waive AF? Also should I jump on the card now or wait till new benefits and see the offer then.
No guarantees about waived AF, I haven't seen any data points about that at the moment. Up to you if you want to get the card now or later. If you get it now, you'd lock in the lower annual fee for 1 extra year before it goes up. That said, I don't know what the new welcome offer will be.
@@MarkReese yea that's the thing they could humb it up to like 2 free nights or maybe make it like 150+ free night or something but what are chances they lower the bonus with a new upgrade and AF, I assume they would want people to apply with the new benefits
@@onuohafamily - Anything could happen ✌️ The only guarantee is the annual fee increase. However, even current cardholders can only lock in the lower fee for 1 year, and that would only be a one-time $10 savings.
Out of curiosity, what are the hotel credit cards did you keep?
4 Marriott cards + World of Hyatt card.
Marriott Cards are as follows:
- Bonvoy Boundless (currently the Ritz-Carlton card)
- Bonvoy Brilliant
- Bonvoy Business (Amex)
- Bonvoy Business (Chase, discontinued to new applicants)
@@MarkReese thank you😊. Next is Hyatt after meeting the spending bonus for Marriott Amex. Thank again…😊😊😊
@@ritacristobal1285 - Hyatt card rocks 💯
Quick question and I apologize if you talked about this but, do you know if you can use your free night certificate as part of using your points to get a 4th night free? I’ve tried to research it and can’t find out if that is an option.
Nope. The 4th award night free is for points only.
@@MarkReese Thank you for your response and that was very helpful! I wasn’t sure how they viewed the reward night.
@@benbernthal4659 👍
Does the premiere card still have the tsa precheck credit?
Yes 👍 I'll add a pinned comment about that.
I noticed there’s a utility rewards section on there for the travelers card however I do not see it on there for the premiere elite. Does the premiere elite offer the same rewards benefit on the utility portion like the travelers card?
Also on the 3X points on all other purchase, is this the equivalent of 3% “cash back” but instead it’s received in points? Just curious on that. Thanks!
Hey Jeremy - the utility rewards category is only on the Traveler card. However, it's a 3X-point category.
With the Premier Card, you'll earn 3X on _all purchases,_ which would include utilities.
So with either card, you can earn 3X points on utility transactions.
And the value would not be equal to 3%. IHG points have an average value of 0.5¢ each, so...
(3X points)*($0.005) = 1.5% return.
Again, that's the average.
If you can redeem IHG points for an expensive stay that has a high cash rate but only moderate point rate, then you could get significantly more value.
@@MarkReese
Very insightful thanks again. Based on the new changes to the IHG premier elite card what would be the better card to put utilities like car insurance, phone, cable, light bill, haircut, gas?
Amex gold/rose gold or the IHG card?
Thank you for all the value you put out!
@@Jaycee612 - 2 different cards for very different purposes. Do you value flexibility, or are you ok with earning rewards that only work well at 1 hotel company?
@@MarkReese
I am okay with having 2 cards for flexibility. With the Amex Gold, I’ll be using it primarily for Grocery and dining expenses.
IHG would be more for the bonus, then after that I’m looking on ways to still utilize the card. At first glance the rewards seem very underwhelming unless you book hotels often which I don’t. But I’m planing on a trip so the bonus was a plus. Now with the changes to their rewards, I’m not sure if it’s still lackluster to use for everyday spending like I mentioned previously.
Or
continue using Amex gold for Grocery, gas, bills , utilities etc.
Your awesome and I appreciate your timely responses!
@@Jaycee612 - In general, I recommend the following:
- Use credit cards that issue bank-issued points (Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TY, etc.) for every day spend.
- Get hotel cards for their initial welcome offers. Then going forward, only use them for spend at that specific hotel chain if you value that hotel's currency. If you don't value the currency, go back to focusing on bank-issued points for hotel spend too. And exception would be if a hotel card offers a meaningful opportunity to spend towards status that you value.
So what are they going to do with the IHG select card. And can you hold to two cards
No news on the IHG® Select card. Currently, you can have it and still apply for the IHG Premier. It’s rumored that you will no longer be able to do that after March 24.
@@MarkReese Mark should I get rid of the IHG select card or should I get both premiere as well
@@saab931 - How much do you use / value the (a) 10% rebate and (b) the free night certificate that the IHG Select Card offers?
@@MarkReese I do use a free night every year but you can't use it at intercontinental in the last couple of years do you think that will change with this card coming up with the changes or do I upgrade this card to the premiere. I do want to use it at intercontinental
@@saab931 - It's my current understanding that the IHG Select Card will not be eligible for the "Top Off" feature to combine the certificate with points.
That's the reason I got rid of my Select card...the inability to use the certificate at IC or Kimpton properties.
The decision is yours though! The 10% points rebate could be useful if you do award night stays each year.
So when would you recommend applying for this card? Right before the change? Also do you think there will be a new better sign up bonus than the current 125k points on $3k spend in 3 months?
It's up to you. I personally don't see a need to apply before the change since the annual fee difference is only $10, and I don't know what the new signup bonus will be in the future.
The current offer is quite good though at 125K points + 1 Free Night Certificate at a 40K-point value.
Oh yeah and the first year annual fee is waived. But yeah I’m trying to debate because the extra point categories are really nice and I may overall get more points. Tough debate
If you look a little bit you'll find the 150k bonus. It's what I did when I applied for the card in december, and just saw my 150k added to my account. Good luck!
I think that offer just ended in December
@@Jigglyman3001 - Is your goal to earn IHG points?
Great video Mark! The program for IHG should be more competitive. Im wondering if I should get the card. I've accumulated over 489,000 IHG points this year through using my amex blue business plus(getting those MR points as well) for hotels I pay for other employees from out of town. Getting reimbursed from my company. What do you think? I'm thinking I should go out and the amex green for this.
Nice IHG point balance, Franklin! For the credit card spend, is your goal to earn more IHG points exclusively, or do you prefer to keep earning a mix of IHG + Amex MR points?
@@MarkReese my thought is I like the mix, insofar I am gaining alot of IHG points even without the card. And I also have the CS platinum, so I have a another avenue to cash out points for good value if needed. So I think the green would be better at this time. The upside is that it's not my money paying for my rewards.
@@MarkReese I guess I answered my own question.
@@franklin-qd1uy - Haha indeed you did! Pass on the IHG credit cards. Go get the Amex Green Card instead to earn 3X Membership Rewards points on those hotels 💯
You're awesome 😎😎😎😎😎😎
Thanks Marites!
Curious - if I apply and accepted now will the 125k bonus be locked in the card or will I only have until March 24th to spend the 3k? Additionally, if I apply for the card now and am accepted will the points system change automatically on the 24th?
(1) If you apply & get accepted now, you'll still have a full 3 months to meet the spend requirement. (2) Yes, the new benefits will automatically be added to your existing card on 3.24.2022.
I don’t see myself spending $20,000 on this card.
Me neither 😄✌️
Why do you film from your kitchen? I'm not against it, just seems peculiar.
It was Plan B since the studio setup didn't work out...yet.
1
Raul won this round 😁🥈
What crap false information... There are multiple additional IHG cards in circulation that are just not open to NEW applicants. Changes affect those OLD cards as well. This video should be deleted. Terrible. 0/10.
Thanks for sharing your perspective! 👍
First
Congrats
😎🥇