The IHG One Rewards x Revolut debit cards

IHG recently launched two co-branded debit cards in the UK, in partnership with Revolut. Both instantly grant IHG One Rewards elite status and a chunk of bonus points, with no credit check tied to a traditional bank product — because they run on Revolut's card infrastructure rather than a standalone bank product.

Until 25th August, the entry-level card's sign-up bonus is temporarily doubled.

See here for further information.

IHG One Rewards Essential Debit Card

• 10,000 bonus points after spending £1,000 in the first 90 days (boosted from 5,000 until 25th August)
• IHG One Rewards earn rate at an IHG hotel (any country) is 1 point per £1 spent. On everything else, it is 0.5 points per £1 spent
• Instant Silver Elite status
• 5 Elite Night Credits, awarded after meeting the £1,000 spend target in the first 3 months — plus a further Elite Night Credit for every £4,000 spent

IHG One Rewards Elite Debit Card (£18/month)

• 30,000 bonus points after spending £3,000 in the first 90 days
• The earn rate at an IHG hotel (any country) is up to 6 points per £1 spent. On everything else, it's 1.5 points per £1 in the UK/EEA, or up to 3 points per £1 internationally
• Instant Platinum Elite status
• 15 Elite Night Credits, awarded after meeting the £3,000 spend target in the first 3 months — plus a further Elite Night Credit for every £4,000 spent

At roughly 0.5p per point: Essential's 10,000-point bonus ≈ £50. Elite's 30,000-point bonus ≈ £150, offsetting most of its £216 annual fee.

Both require a Revolut account to hold the card — if you don't already have one, you'll need to open it as part of signing up. There's no hard credit check because these are debit cards drawing on your own funds, not lines of credit. There may be a soft check as part of identity verification, but this doesn't appear on your credit file or affect your credit score.

IHG status is normally earned through nights stayed — up to 70 for Diamond. These cards hand you status and a chunk of Elite Night Credits instantly, which is the real value here, not just the points.

Who this suits

Elite — if you stay at IHG hotels a few times a year and want Platinum without earning it through stays first.

Essential — if you're an occasional IHG guest who wants a free points and status bump.

Skip both — if you rarely stay at IHG, or don't want a Revolut account.

If Hilton suits you better, we've also reviewed the Hilton Honors Debit Card.

Overall

Low-commitment ways to get a head start on IHG status — worthwhile if you already stay at IHG hotels, skippable if you don't. The boosted Essential bonus (10,000 points) runs until 25th August.