@youngandcreditwrthy- I have a credit score of around 800, and 80k in income. Debt-free (other than credit cards, which I pay in full every month), and paid off the mortgage on my condo in 2022. With the IHG Premier approval, I will be at Chase 4/24, as my first Chase card that I got (Freedom Unlimited) was in July 2023, and I since got the Capital One Venture X, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and now the IHG Premier.
The 140k SUB is the standard available right now - there was a 175k SUB available in June 2023, and then there was a 175k SUB available a few months ago that required $8,000 in spend. Since I plan on booking hotels within the next few weeks for my 3.5 weeks of vacation in May and late June/early July, I figured now was still a great time to apply to get the 26x on IHG bookings and hit the $3,000 minimum spend!
While I love the flexibility of transferable currencies with Chase/Capital One, the IHG Premier gives me a ton of benefits for a $99 annual fee. The benefits include the 140k SUB (likely 220k when I finish my $3,000 in minimum spend on my hotel bookings), a free anniversary night (up to 40k points), a 4th night free after 3 redeemed nights on award stays, and Platinum Elite status.
The IHG hotel portfolio also fit my needs - I don't need anything fancy on vacation, as I am at the hotel just to sleep and recharge for the next day. All I need is air conditioning, a clean room, a shower, wi-fi, and a refrigerator/microwave if I am staying more than a few days. Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express provides me with those amenities, along a reasonable price for their star rating/market area.
Never Give Up!!