The Chase IHG card is one of the most underrated credit cards on the market, I’ve talked about this before and a lot of other bloggers agreed with me. It’s been possible to get 80,000 IHG points after $1,000 spend by using a zombie link, but Chase has removed this link. On the Chase website there is an offer of 60,000 points after $1,000 in spend, but you can use this link to get 70,000 points after $1,000 in spend instead. This 70,000 point offer is due to expire on March 31st, 2015. 
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Is It Still Worth Applying For?
Obviously it’s never a good thing when a sign up bonus is reduced, especially when it’s a 10,000 point difference. I like this card for a number of reasons:
- Annual free night certificate which can be used for ANY IHG hotel. The annual fee is only $49, so you should be able to get good value out of this.
- 10% rebate on IHG redemption. If you book an award stay that costs 60,000 points, you’d receive a rebate of 6,000 points.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend the majority of people sign up for this 70,000 point offer. I think the 80,000 offer will come around again, plus IHG regularly sends out targeted bonuses of 80,000 points (more on this below). I’d only go for the 70,000 point offer if you have an immediate need for the points.
Get The 80k Offer
It might still be possible to get the 80,000 point offer though, a number of readers have e-mailed me letting me know they received the 80k offer. Here is your best bet to try and get targeted:
- Look for pre-approved offers on the Chase website. In general, Chase will only show you credit cards that are Chase branded (e.g Chase Freedom/Chase Sapphire Preferred) but you might find a Chase IHG offer for 80,000 points. Click here to find out how to view these offers.
- Create an IHG account. If you don’t already have an IHG account, make sure you create one. This will improve your chances of being targeted.
- Start a fake booking. If you already have an IHG account, start making a booking and then abandon it on the final payment page.
Obviously none of these guarantee that you will receive an 80,000 point sign up bonus, but they should improve your chances.
Final Thoughts
Fingers crossed that Chase & IHG bring back the 80,000 point offer. Don’t panic and apply for this 70,000 point offer, unless you have an urgent immediate need for IHG points – most people should receive a targeted bonus of 80,000 points at some stage and I’d be surprised if it didn’t become a public offer in the future again.
We’ve updated our best hotel credit card page to reflect this new 70,000 point offer.
