Chase IHG Business Credit Card: 200,000-Point Welcome Bonus and Various Credits; $200 Annual Fee

This card has undergone a major refresh. The redemption value of the annual free night certificate has increased, the welcome bonus has gone up to 190,000 + 10,000 for adding an employee card, and new airline and IHG dining reimbursements have been added. However, the annual fee has also increased to $200. If you can make use of the new credits, this card can still be worth keeping long term: the annual free night certificate alone can offset the annual fee.

• IHG Business 200,000 welcome bonus

Here is a summary of the changes:

• The anniversary free night certificate increases from 40,000 → 50,000. IHG Points Top-up is still allowed.
• You will also receive 15 Elite Night Credits every year, plus 2 additional Elite Night Credits for every $5,000 in purchases.
• Up to $100 in IHG Food & Beverage Rewards each year, $25 per quarter;
• $100 airline reimbursement: spend at least $250 directly with airlines each year. This benefit currently runs through the end of 2027;
• Up to $100 in Expensify reimbursements each year. (expensify.com)
• IHG: 10X; dining, gas, and Social Media / Search Engine Advertising: 5X; through the end of 2026, Travel and Office Supply will also remain 5X;
• Starting in 2027, Travel 5X will be narrowed to airfare purchased directly from airlines and purchases with car rental companies. Other Travel and Office Supply purchases will return to 3X; other purchases: 3X.
• Spending bonuses: spend $25,000: 20,000 points + an additional 5 Elite Night Credits; starting in 2027, spend $50,000: Diamond Elite; spend $60,000: an additional 50,000 Free Night.
• Personally, I think these changes are acceptable if you can use the airline reimbursement. In effect, you are still paying a $100 net annual fee for a 50,000-point free night certificate, so it should have no problem covering the annual fee.

This offer is excellent, and we have also added it to our credit card welcome bonus rankings:

• Best U.S. Small Business Credit Cards

The old version of this card offers 140,000 IHG points and still has the old $99 annual fee. If you are interested in the old annual fee with the new benefits, you may want to consider applying for the old version!

• IHG Business 140,000 application link

Chase IHG Premier Business Credit Card Overview

“Note” If this is your first time applying for a business credit card, please carefully read “Introduction to Business Credit Cards” first.

Benefits

• 1 free night certificate every year, worth keeping long term: This card gives you one annual free night at an eligible IHG hotel, limited to hotels requiring 40,000 points or fewer (list of IHG hotels that cannot be booked). There are some restrictions, but it is still fairly easy to redeem it for more than the annual fee, since hotels at the 40,000-point level often cost $150+. You can now also top up with points to book higher-category hotels, which adds a lot of flexibility.
• $50 UA Travel Bank credit every year: $25 from January through June, and $25 from July through December. The credit expires after 6 months.
• High-spend bonus: Spend $20,000 each year to earn an additional 10,000 points and $100 cash back.
• Fourth night free on points redemptions: Once you hold this card, when you redeem IHG points for three consecutive nights, you can get the fourth night free. In other words, a four-night stay only requires 75% of the points.
• 20% discount on buying points: When buying IHG points on the IHG website, you can receive a 20% discount. This 20% discount cannot be stacked with IHG points purchase promotions, which are often 80%. In addition, buying points through C+P bookings can also keep the cost around 0.6 cents per point. So this 20% off is completely meaningless. Points purchase promotion roundup
• Complimentary IHG Platinum status: Enjoy IHG hotel benefits such as bonus points on stays and room upgrades. You can also get extra fuel discounts through Fuel Rewards. Spend $40,000 to receive Diamond status.
• High-spend bonus: Spend $20,000 to earn an additional 10,000 points.
• Global Entry/TSA Pre reimbursement for the $100 application fee

Drawbacks

• IHG points are worth only about 0.6 cents each, so this card is not suitable as an everyday spending card unless you are staying at IHG hotels.

Introduction to IHG Points

• Point value: The average value is 0.5 c/p, so 100 IHG = $0.5 (Points Value and Analysis). In other words, a hotel night worth $50 would generally require about 10k IHG points.
• How to redeem: You can search and book directly on IHG.com. Hotels are divided into 11 award tiers, with redemption rates ranging from 10k to 70k points. Cash + Points redemptions are also available. If you have the IHG Premier credit card, when redeeming points for three consecutive nights, you can get the fourth night free. That means four nights cost only 75% of the points normally required.
• Point expiration: If there is no activity in your IHG account for 12 months, your points will expire. If you hold a co-branded credit card or have IHG Gold status or higher, your points will not expire.
• My take: If you want to get strong value from IHG points, they are often best used for hotels near major attractions or during special high-demand periods, such as New Year’s Eve in Times Square, New York. IHG’s strength is its broad footprint and large number of properties across the U.S., so it is usually easy to put your points to use.
• Related credit cards: Chase IHG Premier, Chase IHG Rewards Club (older version)
• Detailed analysis: Introduction to IHG Points and Elite Status

My Take

This card is basically similar to the personal version of the IHG Premier, except that it is a business credit card. For bonus categories, it adds advertising and office supply purchases, but unfortunately they earn only 5x, equivalent to about 3% back. That still falls short of the Chase Ink cards’ 5x Ultimate Rewards earning. However, the card gives an annual Free Night plus a $50 airline reimbursement each year. If you can use those, they cover the annual fee, effectively making the card free to keep. Also, combining Free Nights from multiple cards works well for real-world travel needs.

Application

• If this is your first time applying for a business credit card, please carefully read “Introduction to Business Credit Cards” first.
• The minimum credit line for approval on this card is $2,000.
• Because this card is co-branded with IHG hotels, if you already have an IHG member number, you can enter it when applying. If you do not, one will be assigned automatically.
• If you hold the old version of the IHG credit card, it will not affect your application for this card or your eligibility for the welcome bonus.

• Chase application status check link (login required). Or call: 888-338-2586
• The 5/24 rule: if you have opened more than 5 new cards in the past 2 years (including cards from other banks), you will not be approved for a new Chase card
• You can be approved for at most two Chase credit cards within any 30-day period
• If you have received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months (48 months for the Sapphire family), your application will be automatically denied
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-453-9719) to expedite credit card approval or request another review of a denied application.
• Having a Chase Checking account can help with getting approved for a credit card
• More information on applying for Chase credit cards

Application Link