IHG Rewards Traveler Card Review: No Annual Fee, Solid Perks

Link: Apply now for the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

There are lots of reasons it can make sense to have hotel credit cards, including the ability to earn elite status, free nights, and more. However, not all hotel credit cards are created equal.

In this post, I wanted to take a look at the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, which is a no annual fee hotel card that offers some valuable perks. In IHG’s credit card portfolio, this is the only card to not have an annual fee.

IHG Traveler Card Details For March 2024

For those wanting a no annual fee hotel rewards card, the IHG Traveler Card is one of the best options out there. The card has an excellent welcome bonus and perks, but I do think there’s a better approach to take than applying outright for this card. First, let’s cover some of the basic details of the IHG Traveler Card.

No Annual Fee & No Foreign Transaction Fees

Nobody likes paying fees, so one huge positive of the IHG Traveler Card is that it has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. While there’s an increasing number of no annual fee cards with no foreign transaction fees, it’s still relatively rare.

Welcome Bonus Of 100,000 IHG Points

For applications through April 3, 2024, the IHG Traveler Card is offering a limited time welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 within the first three months:

• I value IHG points at 0.5 cents each, so to me, the bonus is worth $500, which is excellent for a no annual fee card
• You aren’t eligible for the IHG Traveler Card if you currently have a personal IHG credit card, or have received a new cardmember bonus on a personal IHG credit card in the past 24 months; however, you are eligible if you have the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (review)
• The IHG Traveler Card is issued by Chase, so standard credit card application rules apply

Earn Up To 5x IHG Points Per Dollar Spent

The IHG Traveler Card offers anywhere from 2-5x points per dollar spent, as follows (and again, I value IHG points at 0.5 cents each):

• Earn 5x IHG points for spending at IHG hotels, which I value at a 2.5% return
• Earn 3x IHG points for spending on dining, gas stations, utilities, cable, internet, phone, cell, and select streaming services
• Earn 2x IHG points for spending in all other categories

That’s still not a terribly lucrative return on spending, as there are better cards out there for most categories.

Fourth Night Free On IHG Award Redemptions

One of the most valuable benefits of the IHG Traveler Card is that you get a fourth night free on award redemptions. There’s no limit to how often you can use this benefit, so this is essentially a way to save up to 25% on points redemptions, assuming you stay in increments of four nights. This benefit is also offered on the more expensive IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.

Receive IHG Silver Elite Status

The IHG Traveler Card offers Silver Elite status for as long as you’re a cardmember. This status ordinarily requires 10 elite nights in a year, and offers perks like a 20% points bonus. While this status isn’t going to be life-changing, it’s better than nothing.

IHG Gold Elite Status With Spending

The IHG Traveler Card offers Gold Elite status when you spend $20,000 on the card in a calendar year. Gold Elite ordinarily requires 20 elite nights in a year, and offers perks like a 40% points bonus. It’s probably not worth spending that much on the card purely for that status, though, since the benefits are fairly limited.

Should You Apply For The IHG Traveler Card?

For a no annual fee card, the IHG Traveler Card is quite solid — it has an excellent welcome bonus, no foreign transaction fees, and even has useful perks, like a fourth night free on award redemptions.

However, for just about anyone, I think the better strategy is to apply for the IHG Premier Card (review):

• The card has a $99 annual fee, which is higher than $0, but still reasonable
• For applications through April 3, 2024, the card has a limited-time welcome bonus of 165,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 within the first three months
• The card offers incremental perks in the long run that make it worthwhile, including IHG Platinum status for as long as you have the card (with no spending requirement), a free night certificate on your account anniversary every year, up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash every year, and much more

I’m by no means an IHG loyalist, but this card more than pays for itself year after year, as I consistently redeem the free night certificate at properties costing $250+ per night.

I think many will find that they get more value with the IHG Premier Card than the IHG Traveler Card, but if you don’t, there’s good news:

• After a year you could downgrade the IHG Premier Card to the IHG Traveler Card, if you don’t want to pay the $99 annual fee
• However, I think many will find the IHG Premier Card worthwhile after getting it, and may not want to downgrade

Bottom Line

The no annual fee IHG Traveler Card is offering an excellent limited-time welcome bonus of 100,000 points and valuable perks, like a fourth night free and IHG Silver status. This isn’t a card I would spend much on, though, as there are more rewarding cards for everyday spending.

Personally, I think the better move is to apply for the IHG Premier Card for the better bonus and far superior perks. If you like the card, you can keep it for years, while if you don’t, you can always downgrade it to the IHG Traveler Card.

If you want to learn more about the IHG Traveler Card or apply, follow this link.