Approval Rules IHG Personal 1/24
You're not eligible for a new card bonus if you have received a bonus from either personal IHG card within the last 24 months
Deep Dive into the IHG Personal 1/24 Rule
IHG offers three co-branded cards backed by Chase - two personal cards and one business card. The logic of this rule is the same as the 24 from Bonus rule, but it takes it a step further by enforcing family restrictions and including both of the IHG personal cards in the rule. This is from the offer details on the IHG One Rewards Traveler Card:
Important to know:
This means that if you hold and/or received the signup bonus on any IHG Personal card, you are excluded from being approved for and/or earning the signup bonus on either IHG personal cards for the next 24 months. Fortunately this rule does not apply to the IHG One Rewards Business card, so you are allowed to hold both one personal and one business card. But if you want the second personal card, you will have to wait 24 months from the receiving the signup bonus on the first card AND close that card before applying.
Related Rules
How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?
Let's say that you want to collect as many points as you can to use with IHG. It is important to have a strategy for how to best collect those points, and this rule is one you have to consider before applying for a personal card. Since you can only receive the welcome offer on one of the personal cards in a 24 month period, you're going to want to choose the card that works best for you over the next two years. While that may be the one with the better welcome offer, it's also important to look at all the benefits and perks that come with each card. Remember that you can also get the IHG Business card within those 24 months since that card doesn't have the same restrictions in place. If you plan to also get the business card in that timeframe, you'll want to keep that in mind when deciding on which personal card to get.
Consider the following scenario:
Timeline:
- December 2023: Received signup bonus on IHG One Rewards Traveler Card (a personal card)
- December 2024: Received signup bonus on IHG One Rewards Premier Business Card (a business card)
- December 2025: Earliest you would be eligible for a bonus on a new IHG One Rewards Traveler card or the IHG One Rewards Premier card (note you would also have to close the Traveler card before applying again or applying for the Premier card)
Important to know:
IHG is an exception from the 24 From Bonus rule just like Southwest’s Personal 1/24 Rule. You can’t hold both the IHG Traveler and IHG Premier personal cards at the same time. As stated above, this rule doesn’t apply to IHG business cards, which is why you would still be eligible for the bonus for the business card after only a year in the example above. When you’re creating a strategy for co-branded cards, it’s also important to consider if other point systems are transfer partners of that particular airline or hotel. It’s important to know that Chase is a transfer partner with IHG, so you can use any of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to top up any IHG points you earn from a co-branded card.
Importance of this Rule
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A rule like this is pretty narrow in scope since it only applies to two cards. If you don’t even stay in IHG properties, you probably won’t ever have to consider this rule. But if you are loyal to the brand or have an upcoming trip where you are staying in IHG properties, then this is a rule you should know. You’ll want to choose the best card for your personal situation out of the two offered. Keep in mind that IHG also offers a business card, and this rule does not apply to that card, so you are allowed to hold one of the above personal cards and the business card at the same time, and you are eligible to receive a signup bonus on both.
Cards Subject to This Rule
FAQs
Are there exceptions to this rule?
Yes, there is one business card offered by IHG - the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Card. That card does not have the same bonus restrictions, so you are allowed to earn the signup bonus for that card even if you already have one of the personal cards and have earned a signup bonus in the previous 24 months.
How do I check my status?
If you have been trying to keep track of all your cards and how these rules apply to the cards you own yourself, you know it can be overwhelming. If you’ve been in the hobby for a while, it’s challenging to keep track of it all as the cards and different points systems pile up. If you load all your cards into the Points Navigator, we can track it all for you and take the guesswork out of it.
Do business cards count for this rule?
No, the one IHG business card does not have these same restrictions.
Do product changes on existing cards count for this rule?
Yes, the terms say the card isn’t available to current cardmembers of ANY IHG personal card, so even if you have the Premier card and downgrade to the Traveler card, you would not be eligible for the Premier card again until you don’t hold a personal card. And you would still be excluded from the signup bonus until 24 months have passed since receiving one on a personal card.
About Approval Rules
Collecting credit card points is largely driven by understanding and abiding by bank rules regarding approval (or disapproval) of cards. So here's what you need to know:
- Approval rules are rarely fully publicized by the banks
- We use our own research and data points from other users in creating the rules listing
- Our goal in sharing/using the rule listings is to provide you guidance to avoid getting declined
- There can sometimes be exceptions to the rules, but we try to take a more cautious approach in advising you.