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- The IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card offers a free night certificate each year on your account anniversary date, which you can use at any eligible Category 1-7 hotel.
- Right now, the card is offering its highest-ever sign-up bonus: up to 120,000 points (80,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months, and 40,000 points after spending a total of $5,000 in the first six months).
- Here's what you need to know about the IHG Premier free night certificate.
One of the benefits with the IHG Premier credit card's benefits is an annual free night certificate on each card-member anniversary.
It's a fairly simple benefit, but one that can offer a lot of value to cardholders.
Each year when you renew the card - so starting after your first 12 months with the card - you'll get anniversary free night certificate that can be used at any category 1-7 hotel (hotels that cost 40,000 points per night or less).
It's worth noting that a previous version of the card's free night certificate didn't have a category cap and effectively worked at any IHG property in the world. However, the certificate is still useful even with the limitation. While the category cap means that some of IHG's most premium locations are excluded, the certificate is still valid at a ton of locations all around the world.
For instance, I had no trouble finding properties in major cities like New York and Chicago during peak travel season, all charging well upward of $200, which accept the free night certificate.
Read more: Most people probably haven't heard of the FoundersCard - but its members have access to excellent VIP benefits and exclusive discounts
Using the certificate is easy, with the steps outlined on this IHG landing page. Just log in to your account, go to "My Account" at the top-right of the page, click the "Free Night" link, select the certificate, and then follow the normal booking steps. Each certificate is good for one year from the date it's issued.
Personally, I have nothing against paying an annual fee for a credit card, but as a rule, I make sure that I'm getting enough value from the card to outweigh that fee. The IHG Premier's annual fee is $89, so after the first year, the free night certificate alone should more than cover that - and that's without factoring in any of the card's other benefits.
For the first year, the cost of the annual fee is significantly outweighed by the card's sign-up bonus.
When you open a new account, you can earn up to 120,000 bonus IHG points, broken into two sections. First, you'll earn 80,000 points if you spend $2,000 in the first three months. Then, you'll earn the remaining 40,000 points when you spend an additional $3,000 within the first six months for a total of $5,000.
120,000 points can be redeemed for everything from 12 nights in a Holiday Inn in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to two nights at the luxurious InterContinental hotels in Sydney, Australia or Los Angeles.
Looking toward Europe, where IHG has centrally located hotels in most major cities, the bonus could cover five nights in the central Holiday Inn Alexanderplatz, Berlin, or three nights in the luxurious InterContinental Budapest.
Between the sign-up bonus and the anniversary free night certificates, the card offers more than enough value to outweigh its annual fee. Be sure to read up on the card's other benefits, too, and check out a few of the best places to use the free night.
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Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
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