Essential
0.2p per £1 grossFree subscription, so it leads the three-row model on pure net points value despite the lowest earn rate.
IHG × Revolut · UK points comparison
IHG Revolut Elite vs Revolut Metal: which wins after fees?
IHG Elite gives about 0.6p of gross points value per £1 of everyday UK/EEA spend, versus about 0.5p per £1 on Revolut Metal. Those are illustrative values, not cash rates. Metal’s lower annual-billed monthly equivalent still beats Elite after fees at £500, £1,500 and £3,000 of monthly spend.
Short verdict: free Essential is strongest on points-only net value; annual-billed Metal beats Elite in all three modelled rows; Elite needs more than about £6,333 a month of eligible everyday UK/EEA spend to overtake that Metal points-only net, before valuing either product’s wider benefits.
Last verified 9 August 2026United KingdomIllustrative points-only model
The useful answer
Gross earning is not the same as winning after fees
Elite’s 1.5 IHG points per £1 looks best before fees. At the 0.4p planning value used here, that is 0.6p per £1. Metal earns 0.5 RevPoints per £1, worth 0.5p per £1 at this site’s illustrative 1p scenario. But Elite costs £18 every month while annual-billed Metal works out at £11.67 a month.
Elite
0.6p per £1 grossHighest gross rate, but its separate £18 monthly subscription is not recovered in the three spend rows.
Metal
0.5p per £1 grossAt £140 a year, its £11.67 monthly equivalent beats Elite after fees in all three rows.
Important fee boundary: Essential and Elite are IHG programme subscriptions. They do not replace Standard, Plus, Premium, Metal or Ultra. If you hold Elite and Metal together, both subscriptions are payable.
Official plan check
Compare Revolut Metal
Metal had the lowest points-only break-even in the guide's central scenario. Check the current fee and included benefits on Revolut before deciding.
See Metal and the other plans on RevolutEveryday UK/EEA earn rates side by side
This comparison keeps the currencies separate. IHG card purchases earn IHG One Rewards points, not RevPoints. Metal’s rate applies to eligible RevPoints spend.
| Measure | IHG Essential | IHG Elite | Revolut Metal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring product fee used | Free | £18 per month | £140 per year (£11.67 monthly equivalent) |
| Reward currency | IHG One Rewards points | IHG One Rewards points | RevPoints |
| Everyday UK/EEA earn | 0.5 IHG point per £1 | 1.5 IHG points per £1 | 1 RevPoint per £2 (0.5 per £1) |
| Illustrative point value | 0.4p per IHG point | 0.4p per IHG point | 1p per RevPoint |
| Illustrative gross value per £1 | 0.2p | 0.6p | 0.5p |
| What the fee buys beyond points | IHG Silver status and programme benefits | IHG Platinum status, night credits and programme benefits | Metal plan benefits, allowances and subscriptions |
The 0.4p IHG value follows Head for Points’ launch analysis. The 1p RevPoint value is RevPointsGuide’s central planning scenario. Neither is an official cash value or guaranteed redemption rate.
Monthly scenario maths at £500, £1,500 and £3,000
Each cell shows monthly points, illustrative gross value, then points value after the product fee used above. Welcome offers, hotel status, night credits, insurance, allowances and subscriptions are excluded.
| Eligible monthly spend | IHG Essential points · gross · net | IHG Elite points · gross · net | Metal, annual billed points · gross · net |
|---|---|---|---|
| £500 | 250 · £1.00 · £1.00 | 750 · £3.00 · −£15.00 | 250 · £2.50 · −£9.17 |
| £1,500 | 750 · £3.00 · £3.00 | 2,250 · £9.00 · −£9.00 | 750 · £7.50 · −£4.17 |
| £3,000 | 1,500 · £6.00 · £6.00 | 4,500 · £18.00 · £0.00 | 1,500 · £15.00 · £3.33 |
Rounding: £140 ÷ 12 is £11.666…, displayed as £11.67. Net values use the unrounded monthly equivalent before displaying to two decimals.
Annual-billed Metal comparison
Elite earns an extra 0.1p per £1 gross but costs £6.33 more each month. It overtakes Metal’s points-only net only above about £6,333 per month.
Monthly-billed Metal comparison
At Metal’s £14.99 monthly price, the fee gap narrows to £3.01. Elite’s points-only crossover becomes about £3,010 per month.
Current welcome offers through 25 August 2026
The current official promotion page confirms the larger launch totals through 25 August 2026. Its public rendering checked on 9 August did not state a replacement post-window total, so this guide does not project one. The recurring-spend table above excludes every welcome offer so a one-off award does not distort the ongoing comparison.
Current published offer context · checked 9 August 2026
The currently replayable published window
| Sign-up timing | Essential | Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Through 25 August 2026 | 10,000 points after £1,000 qualifying spend in three months | 30,000 points after £3,000 qualifying spend in three months |
Eligibility and qualifying-spend conditions govern the offer. Recheck Revolut’s current IHG promotion help before relying on any total, especially after the published window.
Foreign-currency spend can change the economics
The IHG subscription is not a base-plan upgrade
Essential or Elite sits alongside your underlying Standard, Plus, Premium, Metal or Ultra plan. It does not inherit a different base plan’s exchange allowances merely because the IHG card itself is Essential or Elite.
Count FX fees before extra hotel points
Standard currently has a £1,000 monthly weekday fair-usage allowance and a 1% additional weekend exchange fee. If foreign-currency spend triggers plan or timing fees, those costs can outweigh a small difference in points value. Check the live conversion and fee shown in the app.
The scenario table deliberately uses everyday UK/EEA spend and does not model boosted IHG-hotel or non-EEA earn rates.
Can you get both an IHG card and Revolut Metal?
Yes, subject to eligibility, but the fees and reward currencies do not merge. An IHG card can sit alongside a regular Revolut debit card. A purchase made on the IHG card earns IHG points and no RevPoints; a Metal-card purchase follows the RevPoints rules.
Essential + annual-billed Metal
The IHG subscription adds no monthly fee, so the modelled recurring total is Metal’s £11.67 monthly equivalent.
Elite + Metal
The fees stack: £29.67 a month using Metal’s annual-billed equivalent, or £32.99 with monthly-billed Metal. Do not count the same purchase as earning both currencies.
Use both only when the non-points benefits earn their place. Elite status and night credits or Metal’s travel and subscription benefits may matter to you, but paying two fees solely to collect two currencies makes the break-even harder.
What this comparison counts
Included
Published everyday UK/EEA earn rates, Essential and Elite subscription fees, both published Metal billing prices, 0.4p per IHG point, 1p per RevPoint and the three stated monthly spend levels.
Excluded
Welcome offers, boosted hotel earning, status, night credits, travel insurance, subscriptions, exchange savings, taxes, redemption charges and every benefit whose value depends on personal use.
The 0.4p IHG value is secondary editorial analysis. The 1p RevPoint value is a site scenario. Neither point currency has a guaranteed cash value in this model, so rerun the arithmetic with the value you can realistically redeem.
IHG Elite vs Revolut Metal questions
Which earns more points value per £1: IHG Elite or Revolut Metal?
Using the illustrative values in this guide, Elite earns about 0.6p of gross IHG-point value per £1 of everyday UK/EEA spend, while Metal earns about 0.5p of gross RevPoint value per £1. These are planning values, not cash or guaranteed redemption rates.
Which option has the highest net points value in the three scenarios?
Free IHG Essential has the highest points-only net at £500, £1,500 and £3,000 monthly spend because it has no subscription fee. Comparing Elite with annual-billed Metal, Metal is ahead after fees in all three rows.
When does IHG Elite overtake Revolut Metal on points alone?
At 0.4p per IHG point and 1p per RevPoint, Elite overtakes annual-billed Metal above about £6,333 of eligible everyday UK/EEA spend per month. Against monthly-billed Metal at £14.99, the crossover is about £3,010 per month.
Can I hold an IHG Revolut card and Revolut Metal together?
Yes, subject to eligibility, but the subscriptions and rewards remain separate. Elite plus annual-billed Metal costs £29.67 a month on the modelled equivalent, or £32.99 with monthly-billed Metal. One purchase does not earn both IHG points and RevPoints.
What happens to the IHG welcome offers after 25 August 2026?
The current official promotion page confirms the 10,000-point Essential and 30,000-point Elite launch offers through 25 August 2026, but its public rendering checked on 9 August did not state replacement post-window totals. This guide therefore does not project them; recheck current official terms.
Does an IHG Essential or Elite subscription upgrade my foreign-exchange allowance?
No. The IHG subscription sits alongside the underlying Revolut Standard, Plus, Premium, Metal or Ultra plan. Base-plan fair-usage and timing fees can therefore change the economics of foreign-currency spend.
Sources and freshness
Product facts were checked against current UK provider pages on 9 August 2026. Values are explicitly labelled modelling assumptions.