I received an email on my IHG account that the IHG Traveler credit card SUB has an end date of June 29th, in only 5 days:
6/30 Update
As of at least as early as 9:54 PM EST, I am seeing that while the Traveler Rewards card now has a diminished sign-up bonus of 80k, the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card has an increased offer (highest ever 140k + a free night certificate up to 40k) and the business card remains the same.
I suspect that other sign-up bonuses on IHG credit cards will have a similar deadline. The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card has a 140k SUB as does the IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
I called Chase business cards about it but the rep I spoke to didn't even want to look to check and see if an end date had been announced because he was so pessimistic about that being the case & visible on his end.
That SUB is notable since it's close to a historic high on the IHG Premier, is a historic high on the Traveler without any increase in spending required, & the initial offer on the business version:
140k points, when combined with 4th night free, can get you over a dozen nights at lower tier hotels that are often still well-rated or a few nights at a higher tier hotel. With some hotel chains like IHG or Hyatt, even lower-tier options still tend to be solid experiences. There are plenty of options around the globe where you can get a night for 15k points or less. Here they are the last time I checked:
The main reasons other than the SUB I like both cards are:
1. Another viable option for a relatively low annual fee and a strong incentive in the form of a 40k certificate (& the 40k certs on these newer cards can be added on with points, unlike the legacy card apparently). I've used these 40k certs, without adding any additional points on the nights with free certs, plus points from a previous SUB for 2 more nights, to stay during low season with my wife at the Willard (Intercontinental) in DC, the top hotel in the world out of IHG hotels on US News when we stayed there (#2 as of the time of this post). It's extremely difficult right now to find availability there under 40k, but we went in low season when hotel $ rates weren't very high not too long after the start of Covid (while taking plenty of Covid precautions).
While relatively low for the Willard, here's what we would have paid if paying in $:
2. 4th night free on points & recurring options to purchase points for half a cent each during promo periods. That means that a card like the no annual fee Alliant Visa Signature credit card that earns 2.5 cents per dollar spent on up to $10k/month in spending can effectively be a 5 IHG points per dollar card if you wanted it to be. While I don't do that (because higher value can be had with cards like the Capital One Spark Miles card), we still max out the points purchases on my wife's account during promo periods.
3. United Travelbank Credit - $25 every 6 months. While it expires and is difficult to work with at that level, it's still nice to have on a card with such a low annual fee if you want to take the time to use it.
4. Platinum status with IHG - it got us a free upgraded room in our stay at the Willard that was nicer than a standard room and where we had a direct view of the Washington Monument.
5. I'm not getting it for the elevated points earnings, since I still won't be spending much on them besides to keep them alive. That said, it's a lot better than it was on earning rates, especially if you actually do a lot of spending on the card ($40k) to reach Diamond status with IHG, which now provides lounge access when available etc.
For a more in-depth review, rather than reinventing the wheel, check out:
Surprisingly, I don't see anything about it online.
That might be because in order to get that email, it's likely that you can't have a current IHG credit card. I received the email, but my wife (my player 2) didn't, since she already has the legacy IHG credit card with the $49 annual fee and 40k certificate/yr credit with the 10% points rebate & the stackable $99/yr annual fee IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card with its own 40k certificate/yr & 4th night on points free. I suspect that a lot of those in the travel community already have an IHG credit card, but I currently don't. I'm hoping to change that in the next week before 6/29 by getting the IHG Rewards Premier business card. That said, I just got the Hyatt business card right before the 75k bonus was pulled,
ADD Moment - The Joys of a Player 2
That reminds me of how I love having a player 2 to enjoy traveling with. We're using her certificates (1 35k certificate & an old 25k certificate +2k points) for a 2-night staycation at the Glass Light Hotel in Norfolk (Marriott Autograph Collection) tomorrow through Monday. We're using my Platinum status to get free breakfast both mornings since she is only Silver. I called in advance to secure that & a manager gave it as a courtesy & attached it to the reservation. While I love to use miles to fly & am not running low on them, & still haven't used any Amtrak points after hitting the 50k SUB (worth around $1500 on Amtrak business class, excluding Acela, when you factor in the 5% points rebate), she gets motion sickness quite easily and greatly prefers something closer to home & driveable.
In Summary
If IHG has been on your horizon or is now that you know how solid of a deal is available compared to previous offerings, now is a great time to apply before June 29th.
To apply for the better personal version, go here. Do not use that link if going for the no annual fee version (that doesn't have as good of perks & which I didn't discuss much here) since the SUB is not as good as the public offer. For that, go here.
(if you apply on the link above, my wife & I may receive a referral incentive; thank you for supporting the page if doing so)