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For as much as my credit card collection has grown over the years, one arena that I have yet to expand into is business credit cards. Of course, that makes sense seeing as their products are built for small business owners and aren’t available to regular consumers. However, as a freelance writer, I technically am a sole proprietor and, in turn, am eligible to apply — it’s just that I never felt the desire to obtain such a card… until now.
So what’s the card that’s been occupying my thoughts as of late? That would be the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. As for what about the card caught my attention, that would mostly be the current offer worth up to a whopping 200,000 bonus points!
This massive limited-time offer is broken into two segments. First, new cardholders can earn 140,000 points after spending $4,000 on the card in their first three months. Then, they can earn another 60,000 points after reaching a total of $9,000 in spending within their first six months.
Incidentally, one major reason why I’ve overlooked business cards before now is because of how demanding the spending requirements are for their welcome bonuses. For example, the American Express Business Platinum also has a 200,000-point offer at the moment — but that requires you to spend $20,000 in eligible purchases within your first three months! Meanwhile, I’ve also looked at the Venture X Business and its 150,000-point offer… yet that’s even steeper at $30,000 in the three months. That’s why I’m excited to see that the IHG One Rewards Premier Business’s minimum spending is so much more reasonable.
Another aspect of the IHG card that sets it apart from the other two I mentioned is the annual fee. Rather than a $695 fee of the Amex Platinum Business or the Venture X Business’s $395 fee, the IHG One Rewards Premier Business is just $99 a year. What’s more, upon renewal, cardholders earn an Anniversary Night certificate worth up to 40,000 points (although you can apparently stay at a more expensive property by tacking on points to your certificate redemption).
While it’s true that the welcome bonus is what’s really pulling me towards the card, there are other benefits as well. Among them is the automatic Platinum Elite Status, the ability to earn a fourth consecutive night free when redeeming points for stays (which, I’ll note, is even better than the likes of Hilton’s fifth-night-free deal), and more. In terms of how I’d use these perks and points, what initially led me to the card was my intent to book another stay at the Tiger Hotel in Columbia, Missouri. But, beyond that, IHG has plenty of properties around the world.
With all of that said, will I actually be applying for the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card or am I just pontificating again? Well, at this point, it all comes down to some expenses I have in the works and whether I’ll be able to easily meet the minimum spending requirements. In fact, I nearly applied for the card earlier this week but decided to hold out just a bit longer.
Meanwhile, if you’re a business owner — including a sole proprietor like myself — and you want to apply for the IHG One Rewards Premier Business card for this offer, you won’t want to wait too long. Currently, the deal is set to expire on April 30th.