Plenty of Hilton credit cards have received the limited-time increased sign-up bonus treatment lately, and now another hotel co-branded product is getting its time in the spotlight. Currently, you can earn 70,000 IHG Rewards Club points when you spend $2,000 in the first three months of account opening with the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card. Read on for more details on this offer, including a look at whether it's worth it for you.
Offer Details
It's unclear how long this increased sign-up bonus will last, but it's a solid opportunity to earn 10,000 more points than the usual offer (60,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first three months). We've seen similar 70,000-point offers in the past and it's even gone up to 80,000 points, but as always it's unclear if and when a higher offer will become available in the future.
Here are the highlights of the current offer:
- Earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
- Enjoy a free night each year of card membership at over 4,900 hotels worldwide
- Earn 5 points for each dollar spent at our hotels
- Earn 2 points per dollar spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants
- Bonus points redeemable at hotels such as Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn
- Automatic Platinum elite status, as long as you remain a cardmember
- $0 introductory annual fee the first year, then $49
Other features include no foreign transaction fees and a 10% rebate on points redemptions up to 100,000 points per year. You can also earn an additional 5,000 points by adding an authorized user in the first three months and making a purchase within this same timeframe.
Is It Worth It?
Based on TPG's latest monthly valuations, 70,000 IHG points are worth $490 — $70 more than the usual 60,000-point sign-up bonus. If you add an authorized user and make a purchase in the first three months, the additional 5,000 points will boost the total value to $525. That's pretty solid for a card that waives the annual fee for the first year and includes automatic Platinum elite status, which we value at $770 due to benefits like priority check-in, a 50% point bonus and complimentary upgrades.
Of course, you're probably wondering how you can redeem those 70,000 points toward free travel. You have a variety of options, but one of the first places worth looking is IHG's PointBreaks list, which includes properties that are bookable for just 5,000 Rewards Club points per night. The current list is valid through the end of April (at which point a new batch of hotels will take the slots), and it includes the Holiday Inn Bursa in northwest Turkey and the Crowne Plaza in Greater Noida, India along with more than a hundred other properties around the globe. PointBreaks options may not be the most convenient depending on your destination and travel plans, but if you can maximize this redemption option the sign-up bonus could get you 14 free nights.
On the other end of the spectrum are IHG's higher-end properties, including many in the InterContinental brand. These typically cost 60,000 points, so you could book a free one-night stay at a hotel such as the InterContintental San Francisco or the InterContinental Paris - Le Grand (seen in the post's featured image) and have 10,000 points left over for two PointBreaks award nights or a one-night low-level award. The card's free anniversary night (awarded upon each account renewal anniversary date) could help you book a longer stay — especially handy when your plans take you to a higher-end IHG property. For more ideas on how to use 70,000 IHG points, see Nick Ewen's post, 10 IHG Properties That Make for Awesome Award Redemptions.
Finally, note that you can also rack up IHG Rewards Club points by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio, earned with cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred. This option could come in handy if you need more than 70,000 points to book your award stay.
Bottom Line
If you've been considering adding the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card to your wallet, now's as good a time as any to apply. The opportunity to earn 10,000 more points than the usual sign-up bonus is worth taking advantage of, and the card's perks like automatic Platinum Elite status, a free anniversary night and a 10% rebate on points redemptions could be quite valuable depending on your travel plans. While IHG points aren't necessarily the most valuable loyalty currency, if you maximize the points at PointsBreak properties or at hotels with high cash rates, this sign-up bonus could take you far.
How would you use 70,000 IHG Rewards Club points?
