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IHG × Revolut cards: are Essential or Elite worth it? (2026)

Last verified: 9 August 2026 · Current promotion window: 30 June–25 August 2026

First, the confusion to clear up: the IHG × Revolut cards earn IHG One Rewards points, not RevPoints — and there's no way to convert between the two. If you want RevPoints, you want a regular Revolut plan, not these cards. Launched on 30 June 2026, the co-branded UK debit cards come in two tiers: Essential (free) and Elite (£18/month). The current official promotion page confirms 10,000 and 30,000-point totals for eligible applications from 30 June through 25 August 2026; it does not state replacement totals after that window, so this guide does not project them.

The 30-second verdict

Essential (free): a reasonable freebie if you stay at IHG hotels even occasionally — it grants IHG Silver Elite status and its current welcome offer awards 10,000 points after £1,000 of qualifying spend in three months, all on a fee-free card. But its everyday earn rate (0.5 points per £1, worth roughly 0.2p) is thin: Head for Points said at launch it "won't compete with free credit cards".

Elite (£18/month): on points alone it doesn't add up — the extra 1 point per £1 on everyday UK spend over Essential is worth about 0.4p per £1, so the £216 annual fee needs roughly £54,000 of everyday spend to pay for itself. The real case is the perks: Platinum Elite status, 15 Elite Night Credits a year, and the spend milestones up to Diamond status. It's a card for committed IHG guests, not points maximisers.

Review in one line: Essential is a useful free card for occasional IHG guests; Elite's £18 monthly fee only makes sense if you value Platinum status, annual night credits and spend milestones.

Already collecting RevPoints? Per Head for Points, existing Revolut customers can hold an IHG card alongside their existing Revolut debit card — and since the IHG cards earn IHG points only, RevPoints still come from spending on your regular Revolut plan card. See our plan comparison for that side of the maths.

Essential vs Elite vs Revolut Metal

IHG points are commonly valued around 0.4p each — Head for Points valued the 10,000 and 30,000-point welcome offers at £40 and £120. Values are estimates; your redemptions may differ.

Need the exact everyday-spend maths? Compare IHG Essential and Elite with Revolut Metal after fees.

Full earn rates

The table shows standard rates, and hotel-spend rates apply at participating IHG hotels. Per the launch coverage, boosted Elite rates on IHG-hotel spend run until 31 October 2026: 4 points per £1 in the UK and Europe, 6 in other international markets, and 9 in the top-tier destinations.

What Elite's £18/month actually buys

Platinum Elite status for as long as you hold the card, plus 15 Elite Night Credits under the card programme terms and each year after (Essential gets 5). Both cards add 1 extra night credit per £4,000 of eligible spend, uncapped.

Spend milestones (Elite only): at £10,000 a year, a Cardmember Choice Reward (5,000 points, two £15 food vouchers, or a suite upgrade); at £15,000, a Flex Night Certificate valid 12 months with a 40,000-point redemption value; at £25,000, a second Choice Reward; at £35,000, Diamond Elite status for the rest of the year and the following year, up to three Confirmable Suite Upgrades, and a 40,000-point free-night voucher.

What's the catch?

A new account if you're not already a customer. Per Head for Points, a Revolut bank account is opened for you during the application if you don't already have one, and it needs to be kept funded — one more account to manage if Revolut isn't your main bank.

Essential's earn rate is thin. At 0.5 points per £1 (~0.2p), everyday spend on Essential earns less than good free credit cards, as Head for Points noted at launch — its value is the status and the welcome points, not the ongoing earn.

The IHG subscription is not an FX-plan upgrade. Revolut's programme terms keep the IHG subscription separate from your underlying Standard, Plus, Premium, Metal or Ultra plan. Head for Points notes that foreign-currency pricing depends on that plan and the day you spend, so check the app rather than assuming an unlimited allowance.

Points are not instant. Revolut says eligible card-spend points are grouped and sent to your linked IHG account on a rolling 14-day cycle.

Physical-card and early-exit costs can apply. Essential is virtual and free, while its optional physical card costs £10 plus delivery. Elite includes a physical metal card, but the published programme terms describe an £18 early-cancellation fee or £39.99 downgrade fee in specified cases within the first six months.

No bridge to RevPoints. IHG points can't become RevPoints or vice versa. RevPoints are the stronger currency per point — roughly 1–2p via airline transfers vs ~0.4p per IHG point. Per pound spent, Metal's ~0.5–1p beats Essential's ~0.2p and is comparable to Elite's ~0.6p on everyday UK spend.

FAQ

Sources

Core card and promotion terms verified 9 August 2026 against Revolut's IHG programme terms and Revolut's current IHG promotion Help. Supporting background retained from the 7 August review: the official IHG welcome-offer terms, the IHG launch announcement and Head for Points' launch analysis.