The IHG Rewards Club credit cards are half back
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It is now over six months since Barclaycard pulled the two IHG Rewards Club credit cards. It was meant to be a three month gap whilst Barclays took the administration of the cards in house. Existing cardholders like myself received new cards, but the cards remained closed to new cardholders.
Slowly things are moving!
Via this page on the Barclaycard website, you can now apply for the IHG Rewards Club Visa again.
The headline features of this card are:
No annual fee
10,000 IHG Rewards Club points for joining – worth about £50 of free hotel room or transferable to 2,000 Avios points or other airline miles
Gold status in IHG Rewards Club for as long as you hold the card. You won’t get much, frankly, for being Gold – usually a few hundred bonus points or a free drink. However, if you do a few Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza or Indigo stays then it is certainly better than nothing.
1 IHG Rewards Club point per £1 spent. I value IHG points at 0.5p so this is not a very good return.
2 IHG Rewards Club points per £1 when you pay at IHG hotels. This would be roughly a 1% return which is acceptable.
Representative APR is 18.9% variable
My verdict? Don’t apply now
If you are tempted to get this card, I would be tempted to wait for a couple of months.
Before the cards were suspended in the Spring, hotel receptions were promoting an improved deal with a 15,000 point sign-up bonus. There is a chance that a link with an improved deal may become available.
Note that there is no cashback deal available on this card. There is also no refer-a-friend deal available.
If you are tempted by this card, you should also consider the Hilton HHonors Visa card. My review of that card is here. Both cards are issued by Barclaycard so you are unlikely to get both at the same time.
The sign-up bonus on the Hilton card is substantially better – you get a free night (valid for 6 months, weekends only) at any Hilton family hotel. This could be worth £250+ if used at a Conrad or Waldorf-Astoria property.
Where is the £99 Premium Visa?
Good question. There is a 2nd version of the IHG card available.
Whilst it has a £99 fee, the benefits are pretty good:
20,000 IHG Rewards Club points for signing up
100% higher earnings rate than the free card
Double points for overseas spend
Platinum status in IHG Rewards Club – which often gets you an upgrade and/or other benefits
A free night voucher for any IHG hotel for spending £10,000. Use it at the InterContinental Paris, London, New York etc and you could be looking at £250 of value.
There is a landing page for the card here but you cannot apply yet.
In summary, I would suggest you consider the following – if you are thinking of getting the free IHG Rewards Club, would you:
a) get a better deal with the Hilton card instead? or
b) get a better deal waiting for the £99 Premium card to become available again?
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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update
If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.
In 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Earning miles and points from small business cards
If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
YOUP 
Rob 
Toby Garner 
Love Flying 
Brian 
Michael 
Thunderbirds 
Thywillbedone 
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