New IHG 80K Offer, AF waived 1st year

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Chase has a new public offer today on the IHG Rewards Mastercard, good for 80,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first three months. The annual fee is waived for the first year.

a card with text and numbers

The sign up offer

  • 80,000 IHG Rewards Club points after spending $1,000 in the first three months
  • 5,000 points for adding an authorized user and making a purchase
  • Annual fee is waived the first year ($49 thereafter)

Key card benefits

  • 5X at IHG hotels
  • 2X at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants
  • 1X everywhere else
  • Platinum Elite status (this includes 10% back on point redemptions up to 100K points back each year)
  • One free night at any IHG hotel on each anniversary date
  • No foreign transaction fees

Quick Thoughts

This offer is about as good as it gets. The only better offer I remember was one triggered by a dummy booking for 80K + a $50 statement credit (presumably plus the 5K AU points). I tried to make a dummy booking several times just now and the offer I saw was for 50K + $100 statement credit, which is not as good as the 80K offer. According to our Reasonable Redemption Values, IHG points are typically worth about $0.0054 per point — though we have occasionally posted about opportunities to buy them for closer to half a cent each. That makes the 85K signup bonus worth at least $425 — though you can certainly do better when strategically redeeming IHG points at peak times and locations.

Furthermore, the ongoing value of this card makes it an absolute keeper in my book. The annual free night in exchange for a $49 annual fee makes this card a great value as the free night can be used at any IHG hotel in the world. I used my last two at the Intercontinental Barclay in New York City and the Intercontinental Sydney. Both times, rates were well over $50 a night (in fact, rates at the Barclay were starting at $552.53 the night that I used my free cert there). I’m happy to keep this one year after year. As a couple, I suggest timing apps so that both partners get the free certificate around the same time — thus enabling you to book back-to-back nights for a free weekend stay.

A link to this offer has been added to our Best Offers page, where you can find the best public offers on a wide assortment of cards.

H/T: reddit/r/churning

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