Best Credit Cards for IHG Hotels and Resorts in India

List of Best Credit Cards to Pair With Your IHG Bookings

Transfer Partner Points

There are many ways to earn IHG One Rewards, one of the most efficient of which is to transfer points through your credit card. IHG has partnered with Indian Banks, which allows you to transfer your credit card points to IHG at a set ratio

Axis Bank

IHG is one of the few hotel partners with Axis Bank, which allows you to transfer points to the IHG program at a specific ratio, depending on your credit card variant. Axis Bank offers various transfer ratios, such as 5 Edge Reward Points to 2 IHG One Points with the Magnus card, and 1 Edge Reward Point to 1 IHG One Point with the Horizon card.  Refer to the table below.

Axis Bank Credit Card Variant	Transfer Ratio
Axis Magnus	5 Edge Reward Points: 2 IHG One Points
Axis Horizon Credit Card	1 Edge Reward Point: 1 IHG One Point
IndianOil Axis Bank Premium Credit Card	2 Edge Reward Points: 1 IHG One Point
Olympus Credit Card	1 Edge Reward Point: 4 IHG One Points

HDFC Bank

HDFC Credit Card holders can also easily transfer their points to IHG One Rewards. However, they must allow at least 24 hours for the points to transfer.

HDFC Infinia and Diner Club Black Cards enable point transfers at a 1:1 ratio and HDFC Regalia at a 2:1 ratio.

Earning IHG One Rewards and Membership Tiers

If you are new to the loyalty program, you must sign up for the member program before you can start earning points. The loyalty program is free to join, and upon joining, you will be referred to as the Club Member, which is its basic tier. As and when you keep staying at the IHG properties and your membership status keeps increasing, you will be eligible to earn more bonus points.

Refer to the table below to compare between the qualifying points/night stays for the membership tiers and the bonus points you will earn.

Particulars	Silver Elite	Gold Elite	Platinum Elite	Diamond Elite
Eligible Night Stays or Points	10 Night Stays	20 Night Stays or 40,000 Points	40 Night Stays or 60,000 Points	70 Night Stays or 1,20,000 Points
Bonus Points	20%	40%	60%	100%

IHG Milestone Rewards

IHG also has a Milestone Rewards Program, where you qualify for this program by completing 20 nights, and after every 10 nights from there, you are given the options to choose your rewards.

The milestone program is for up to 100 nights a year. Through this program, you can earn a maximum of 80,000 IHG One Reward Points plus two other bonus rewards in a year.

Number of Nights Stayed	Rewards to Choose From
20	Choose ONE From 5,000 Bonus Points 2 Food & Beverage Rewards 1 Suite Upgrade
30	Choose ONE From 5,000 Bonus Points 2 Food & Beverage Rewards
40	Choose TWO From 10,000 Bonus Points 5 Food & Beverage Rewards 1 Suite Upgrade (Up to 1) Annual Lounge Membership (Up to 1)
50	Choose ONE From 10,000 Bonus Points 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
60	Choose ONE From 10,000 Bonus Points 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
70	Choose TWO From 10,000 Bonus Points 5 Food & Beverage Rewards 2 Suite Upgrade (Up to 1) Annual Lounge Membership (Up to 1)
80	Choose ONE From 10,000 Bonus Points 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
90	Choose ONE From 10,000 Bonus Points 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
100	Choose ONE From 10,000 Bonus Points 5 Food & Beverage Rewards

InterContinental Ambassador Program and Invite-Only Membership

Apart from the IHG One Rewards Program, the company also has a paid membership program called the Intercontinental Ambassador Program that offers perks like Instant Platinum Elite IHG One Rewards status, guaranteed room upgrades, checkout at  4 PM, A complimentary weekend night stay, and a US$20 restaurant and bar credit. However, the fee for 12 months of this membership is US $225, or you can redeem 45,000 points for it.

Two other membership programs, the Royal Ambassador and the Kimpton Inner Circle Status, are invite-only. Ambassador Program members are invited to these programs based on their activity at InterContinental Hotels and Resorts.

Bottom Line

The cheat code to maximizing your IHG One Rewards through credit card usage is transferring points efficiently. Both Axis Bank and HDFC Bank credit card holders can transfer their reward points into IHG One Points, which can then be used to boost their loyalty program status and increase their points for free nights and perks.

By transferring points, members can achieve their IHG status faster, which can then be used against other benefits like room upgrades, bonus points, and exclusive rewards.Therefore, pairing your IHG bookings with the right credit card and utilizing point transfer options is a powerful strategy.