IHG Launches a $350 Premier Select Card and Updates Existing Credit Card Lineup

Chase and IHG are adding a new premium credit card (as the trend goes!) called the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card and changing the three existing IHG cards with new names, new features and benefits.

There are more credits, higher anniversary free night reward caps on the annual fee cards, and a new way to start the year with elite night credits.

But the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card’s automatic status moves from Platinum to Gold, the no-fee IHG One Rewards Credit Card adds a $5,000 calendar-year spending requirement for its fourth night free benefit, and the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card annual fees rise. The Business card loses its twice-annual United TravelBank benefit, too.

Most of the new benefits take effect October 1, 2026 including Elite Night Credits annually. Existing cardmembers first receive their annual credits in January 2027 while new accounts opened on or after October 1, 2026 receive their applicable credits at opening.

Regarding other updates, existing cardmembers will receive details in October about which changes apply to them and when. Their annual fees will be adjusted as they come up for renewal starting in 2027.

It was confirmed to me that there will be a short launch window, through early Q1 2027 to add the new IHG One Rewards Premier Select alongside existing IHG cards, meaning that you can get it (for now) even if you already have a personal and business IHG card, subject to normal approval policies, and can receive the applicable welcome offer if approved. 

Note that 5/24 rules do apply.

For someone with all three annual fee cards, the elite night credits could add up to 50 nights before a single hotel stay. More on that below.

Limited-time IHG credit card launch offers through November 18

New cardmembers can earn the following offers through November 18, 2026:

• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card 200,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: 180,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• IHG One Rewards Credit Card: 125,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card: 190,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

The new $350 premium card is, well, new, so let’s start there.

New: IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card ($350 annual fee)

The new IHG One Rewards Premier Select World Elite Mastercard® sits above the existing Premier card and is the premium entrant to the IHG suite of credit cards issued by Chase. Its main benefits are:

• Up to $300 a year in Food & Beverage Rewards at IHG properties, issued as $75 at the beginning of each quarter. Unused rewards expire at the end of that quarter.
• A $200 airline statement credit once per calendar year when you make one qualifying flight purchase of more than $250 directly with an airline.
• Up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash annually, issued as $25 twice a year (and like the current version of the benefit, they’ll expire after roughly 6 months if not used).
• An anniversary free night with a 60,000-point redemption cap. You can add unlimited IHG One Rewards points to book a night above that cap.
• Automatic IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status and 20 elite night credits each calendar year, plus two more elite night credits for every $5,000 spent on purchases with the card. 
• Diamond Elite status after $25,000 in card spending in a calendar year and an additional free night worth up to 60,000 points after $40,000 in card spending in a calendar year.
• A fourth reward night free when you redeem points for four consecutive nights at an IHG hotel.
• 12X points per dollar with the card on eligible IHG hotel purchases (up to 28X total, including on-property points earn). The card earns 6X on dining and other travel, including rideshare, and 3X on other purchases.

Let’s stop at this “20 elite night credits” thing, because – yeah, wow.

IHG currently lets members choose one of three Milestone Rewards at 20 nights: 5,000 bonus points, two Food & Beverage Rewards or one Confirmable Suite Upgrade on a stay of up to 5 nights.

These card-issued elite night credits count toward Milestone Rewards, so Premier Select’s 20 nights unlock that first choice upon account opening. Spending $25,000 in a calendar year can also get you Diamond status without requiring 70 nights, although it does not itself grant the 70-night Milestone Rewards.

This is a choice of reward, not an automatic suite upgrade with every stay. It is also separate from the complimentary room upgrades associated with Platinum status, which depend on availability. Confirmable Suite Upgrades have their own booking and availability rules.

The credits add up, too. Note that the food and beverage benefit is $75 per quarter  and the airline credit requires a single qualifying purchase directly with an airline for more than $250. The first is meaningful if you stay at IHG hotels at least once or twice a quarter which certainly is at the low end of the range for the target customer on this card. And the airline credit is a no-brainer. Spend $250 (and this is direct – no bank portals) and get $200 credited back.

Heck, if you got to December, you could buy a $250 non-refundable (but not basic!) fare on an airline of your choice, wait a couple of days, and cancel for a credit (on most airlines in the US, anyway) good for a year. 

My Take

This card is solid. You all know I’m not super easily impressed but for a $350 card, they really jammed in the benefits. Heck, a suite upgrade used on a 4th night free award stay is like upgrading to a suite for $87.50 a night if you didn’t use any other card benefit.

But why would you not grab the $200 airline credit? And the F&B credit?

And Diamond status (top tier) for $25,000 in card spend beats the $40,000 path to Diamond on the current Premier card, although unless you are staying at IHG where you’re getting a nice 12X per dollar, it’s a lot of spend although 6X on travel and dining, with a rough 0.4cpp – 0.5cpp value is still around a 3% ROI and more when you use 4th night free, so it’s a real option.

If you are an IHG loyalist (or just want to delve further into the IHG ecosystem with a Suite Upgrade award) and under 5/24, it’s probably going to be a card that pays back nicely despite the $350 annual fee.

I also think many have been waiting for the opportunity to earn Elite Night credits from card spend and so that is welcome here, across the new cards. 

More card details and how to apply

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card ($150 annual fee)

The current IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has a $99 annual fee and automatic Platinum Elite status. In the revised lineup, the IHG One Rewards Premier World Elite Mastercard® replaces it, with a $150 annual fee and it now provides Gold Elite status.

You can regain Platinum through spending, but it is no longer automatic. The card earns 10X points per dollar on eligible IHG hotel purchases (up to 24X total, including on-property points earn). It was marketed as up to 26X on the old version since that had Platinum status and thus an extra 2 points per dollar spent at the hotel.

What does it gain?

• Up to $100 a year in Food & Beverage Rewards, issued as $25 at the beginning of each quarter and expiring at quarter’s end.
• A $100 annual airline statement credit on one qualifying flight purchase of more than $250 made directly with an airline.
• An anniversary free night capped at 50,000 points, up from 40,000 points. You can still add your own points for a more expensive night.
• 15 elite night credits each calendar year, plus two more for every $5,000 spent on purchases with the card.
• Platinum Elite status, five additional elite night credits and 15,000 bonus points after $15,000 in card spending in a calendar year.
• 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines, car rentals, dining, gas stations and grocery stores (but not on non-IHG hotels); 3X on other purchases.

The fourth night free on a four-night points stay and up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash continue. The TravelBank benefit is still $25 twice a year. The 5X travel category shrinks a bit.

Flights booked directly with airlines and car rentals remain at 5X, but non-IHG hotels, transit and other travel purchases no longer qualify for the 5X travel rate. Groceries now earn 5X. 

The new spending bonuses replace the older Premier card’s bonuses: a $100 statement credit plus 10,000 points at $20,000 of annual card spending, and Diamond status at $40,000. Under the revised card, spending $15,000 earns Platinum, the five elite night credits and 15,000 points. The old $40,000 path to Diamond is also gone from the new Premier.

For an existing Premier cardmember, the question is whether the higher free night cap and credits make up for the higher fee and the loss of automatic Platinum status. The $15,000 spend threshold can restore Platinum, but that makes it a different calculation from simply holding today’s card. It will also depend on how often you stay at IHG hotels and whether you can use the quarterly rewards.

My Take

The $150 annual fee is instantly brought down to $50 in my book with the airline credit. It’s just to easy to use when it’s $100 back on $250.01 or more booked directly with any airline.

And then you also get 15 elite night credits (meaning only 5 more for a choice of a Confirmable Suite upgrade…) and the free night reward worth up to 50,000 points (conservatively worth $200 at a low 0.4cpp valuation of IHG points).

That’s before the stack of other benefits like DoorDash, Instacart, Global Entry / PreCheck / Nexus reimbursement, etc.

I think that between the Premier and the Premier Select, I’d lean Premier Select, but if that annual fee is just too high, this one still makes the numbers work.

More card details and how to apply

IHG One Rewards Credit Card (formerly Traveler; no annual fee)

The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card is being renamed the IHG One Rewards World Elite Mastercard®. It still has no annual fee and automatic Silver Elite status. The card earns 5X points per dollar on eligible IHG hotel purchases (up to 17X total, including on-property points earn).

It adds five elite night credits each calendar year and grocery stores to its stated 3X categories, alongside dining and gas stations. Other purchases earn 2X.

The old card also earned 3X on select streaming services. That bonus category has been removed, so streaming purchases now fall under the 2X rate for other purchases. Today’s 3X list also includes monthly bills such as utilities, internet, cable and phone service; those categories do not appear on the revised 3X list provided to us.

Here is the part existing Traveler cardmembers should notice: Today, the fourth reward night is free when you redeem points for a qualifying stay of four or more nights. Under the revised benefit, you need to spend $5,000 on purchases with the card each calendar year to unlock that fourth reward night benefit.

Today’s Traveler also offers 10,000 bonus points after $10,000 in annual spending and Gold status after $20,000. Those old spending bonuses end. Under the revised no-fee card, the only ongoing spending threshold is $5,000 per calendar year to unlock the fourth reward night free.

My Take

I get why they have this card. There will be people that feel loyal to IHG but don’t really stay much and/or don’t understand how we all gain so much more for annual fee cards than we pay in. And some people simply refuse to pay annual fees no matter how rich the payback is. (Heck, a zillion years ago before I learned this hobby, I also wouldn’t pay one! Times sure have changed…)

So, no, I don’t particularly recommend this for anyone that reads MilesTalk, but I understand its place in the ecosystem. 

More card details and how to apply

IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card ($200 annual fee)

The existing IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card currently costs $99. Its replacement in the lineup, the IHG One Rewards Business World Mastercard®, roughly doubles to a $200 annual fee. Yikes. (Or at least I initially said “yikes” – it’s actually fine…)

It keeps automatic Platinum Elite status and earns 10X points per dollar on eligible IHG hotel purchases (up to 26X total, including on-property points earn).

The updated card adds:

• Up to $100 a year in Food & Beverage Rewards, issued as $25 each quarter and expiring at the end of that quarter.
• A $100 annual airline statement credit for one qualifying flight purchase of more than $250 directly with an airline.
• Up to $100 annually in statement credits toward Expensify purchases.
• An anniversary free night capped at 50,000 points, up from 40,000, with the option to add points.
• 15 elite night credits each calendar year, plus two more for every $5,000 spent on purchases with the card.
• Five additional elite night credits and 20,000 bonus points after $25,000 in card spending in a calendar year. Spending $50,000 in a calendar year earns Diamond Elite status, compared with the current card’s $40,000 Diamond threshold.

It keeps the fourth night free on a four-night points stay.

Its 5X bonus categories are now flights booked directly with airlines, car rentals, dining, gas stations and select advertising, with 3X on other purchases.

Today’s Business card also earns 5X at office supply stores and on general travel, including non-IHG hotels. But office supplies and that broader travel category drops to 3X. The card loses the $50 United TravelBank benefit that today’s Business card provides as two $25 deposits. Existing benefits that have not been changed continue.

The new $25,000 and $50,000 spending bonuses replace the current Business card’s $20,000 bonus of a $100 statement credit plus 10,000 points and its $40,000 Diamond threshold.

The revised card still has an anniversary free night, now capped at 50,000 points (up from 40,000) before you add your own points. There’s no second free night at a spend threshold anymore. 

My Take

I have this card currently and really use it only for IHG stays and gas as well as the 4th night free benefit. Despite my initial visceral reaction that I wasn’t going to hold on to the card at $200 a year, I quickly changed my mind. As above, I think the airline credit is like cash back in my pocket. In fact, after I buy one $250.01 or more airline ticket – again, direct with an airline (I’m not a portal guy, as you know), I’m back to a $100 annual fee or just a buck more than today. 

And then I get the annual free night worth 10,000 more points – at least $40 – more than today. If you value that 50k free night at $200, you are now ahead by $100. 

But you also get the 15 elite night credits (just 5 from being able to choose a Suite Upgrade reward) and the F&B credits. I don’t use Expensify but, if you do, that’s gravy.

I’ll keep my card and probably become a bit more engaged with IHG to enjoy at least that one night in a guaranteed suite a year (after I earn the additional 5 ENCs and choose the Confirmable Upgrade reward. Now that most of my family travel borderline requires a suite to be comfortable, I really value this and it’s why I’ve been so loyal to Hyatt (so many SUAs….), but World of Hyatt seems to be on a war path to make the program’s points less valuable so it will be interesting to give this a shot even if I don’t find IHG’s top tier Diamond to be in the same league as Hyatt’s Globalist.

More card details and how to apply

How three IHG cards can give you 50 elite night credits

You can hold an IHG business card and a personal IHG card.

It was implied to me that, at launch, someone who already has a personal IHG card can also get approved for the new Premier Select if they are under Chase’s 5/24 (including the bonus offer).

It was also implied that this window is unlikely to last very long, but it was not an official statement in the first place so YMMV.

Anyway, the point is that the elite night credits stack and count toward Milestone Rewards.

That makes for a heck of a stack!

• 20 nights from Premier Select, 15 from Premier, and 15 from the Business card equal 50 elite night credits in a calendar year, before any hotel stays or additional credits from card spending.

What does 50 nights unlock? Under IHG’s Milestone Rewards chart, you would reach all four of these milestones:

• 20 nights: Choose one of 5,000 bonus points, two Food & Beverage Rewards, or one Confirmable Suite Upgrade.
• 30 nights: Choose 5,000 bonus points or two Food & Beverage Rewards.
• 40 nights: Choose two rewards from 10,000 bonus points, five Food & Beverage Rewards, one Confirmable Suite Upgrade, and an Annual Lounge Membership. You can choose the suite upgrade and lounge membership as your two rewards.
• 50 nights: Choose 10,000 bonus points or five Food & Beverage Rewards.

For example, you could select a Confirmable Suite Upgrade at 20 nights, another suite upgrade and Annual Lounge Membership at 40 nights, plus 5,000 points at 30 nights and 10,000 more at 50 nights. That’s two suite upgrades, lounge access, and 15,000 bonus points without earning a single night from a hotel stay. You could choose Food & Beverage Rewards instead of the points at 30 and 50 nights.

Each Milestone Food & Beverage Reward is worth up to $20 in the U.S. and is separate from the quarterly card benefit. Choosing those rewards at both 30 and 50 nights would give you seven vouchers worth up to $140 instead of the 15,000 points in the example above.

You have 90 days to select each Milestone Reward after reaching it. The lounge membership covers you and one guest at eligible IHG club lounges, including on eligible reward stays. Under current rules, it lasts for the remainder of the calendar year in which the 40-night milestone is earned, plus the following calendar year. If you reach it in 2026 (which would apply to new cardholders only in terms of the ENCs from the cards), that means lounge access through December 31, 2027.

Each Confirmable Suite Upgrade is valid for 12 months after selection and has its own booking rules. It is not a guarantee of a suite on any other stays.

50 elite nights also clears the 40-night threshold for Platinum Elite. Its benefits include a 60% bonus on base points from stays, promotional reward night discounts, availability-based room upgrades and early check-in, a welcome amenity, a 72-hour room availability guarantee with restrictions, and access to Hertz Five Star via status match. Select and Business already provide Platinum, so the Milestone Rewards are the bigger news here. Fifty nights leaves you 20 nights short of Diamond Elite at 70, where free breakfast for two is among the welcome amenity choices at eligible hotels.

If you stay at IHG, this is a pretty crazy stack!

When do the changes start?

Most new benefits begin October 1, 2026, but some have their own timing and eligibility requirements. Chase says existing IHG cardmembers will be notified in October with their effective dates. As mentioned above, ENCs will only apply in 2026 for new cardholders; existing cardholders will get them starting in 2027.

New cardmembers pay the new annual fee on their first billing date. Existing cardmembers pay the revised fee when their annual fee comes due in 2027.

The airline statement credit is one $200 credit per calendar year on Premier Select, or one $100 credit per calendar year on Premier and Business, after an eligible flight purchase directly with an airline for more than $250 in a single transaction. The Food & Beverage Rewards are issued quarterly and expire if unused at the end of the quarter.

If you already have a Premier or Business card, check your account today, October 1, for your first $25 quarterly Food & Beverage Reward.

The anniversary free nights on all three annual fee cards, plus Premier Select’s additional free night earned after $40,000 in calendar-year spending, can be topped off with unlimited IHG One Rewards points for a redemption above each reward’s point cap.

Other benefits that were not listed as changing continue under their existing terms. The new spending bonuses replace the old ones on the existing cards.

All in all, this is a solid card suite refresh all around.

I generally am not a fan of raising fees and adding offsets (as is undoubtedly the trend in credit cards these days). They do it for good reason. The annual fee is predictable revenue as is breakage. But some cards are much more onerous to get the fee back on. Here, it’s easy.

So even though I am not currently a frequent IHG guest, it’s clear that these cards have excellent value for their annual fees.

Of course, I’ll be curious what you think! Which of these changes matters most to you? If you already have one of the IHG cards, are the new benefits enough to offset its higher fee or the changed fourth-night rule?

Thoughts?

Let me know below in the comments, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram for all sorts of tips on miles, points, credit cards, and travel.

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You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards. 

New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.

FAQ (TL;DR)

What is the new IHG premium credit card? The IHG One Rewards Premier Select World Elite Mastercard® has a $350 annual fee, Platinum Elite status, a 60,000-point anniversary free night cap, 20 annual elite night credits, and up to $300 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards. In a calendar year, spending $25,000 earns Diamond; $40,000 earns an additional free night worth up to 60,000 points.

Can Premier Select’s 20 elite night credits earn a Confirmable Suite Upgrade? IHG offers one Confirmable Suite Upgrade as a choice at the 20-night Milestone Reward. Its 20 elite night credits unlock that first milestone upon account opening. It is a reward you choose, so you only get that confirmable Suite Upgrade if you choose that.

Do IHG elite night credits stack across cards? Yes. Premier Select (20), Premier (15), and Business (15) can combine for 50 elite night credits in a calendar year. These credits count toward IHG Milestone Rewards at 20, 30, 40, and 50 nights.

Note that the terms and conditions currently say otherwise but are being updated. 

Can an existing IHG personal cardholder earn the Premier Select launch offer? It was confirmed to me that, at launch and through early Q1 2027, someone under Chase 5/24 who is approved for Premier Select can qualify for its welcome bonus offer, even if they already hold another personal IHG card (and even if they have a personal and business IHG card already), subject to all other approval rules and underwriting.

What happens to Platinum status on the IHG Premier card? The revised $150 IHG One Rewards Premier World Elite Mastercard® provides automatic Gold Elite status instead of the current Premier card’s Platinum Elite status. Spend $15,000 in a calendar year to earn Platinum, five additional elite night credits and 15,000 bonus points. The new Select card and revised Business card provide automatic Platinum.

Does the no-annual-fee IHG card still have a fourth reward night free? Yes, but the renamed IHG One Rewards World Elite Mastercard® requires $5,000 in purchases with the card each calendar year before that benefit is unlocked. This is its only ongoing spending threshold; the old points and Gold status spending bonuses end. Its 3X streaming category is also removed.

What changes on the IHG Business card? Its new annual fee is $200. In a calendar year, spending $25,000 earns five additional elite night credits and 20,000 points, while Diamond status now requires $50,000 in spending. It loses its $50 United TravelBank benefit and its old $60,000 spend-earned extra free night, but gains an anniversary free night with a higher 50,000-point cap.

How do the new IHG food and beverage benefits work? Premier Select provides up to $75 each quarter. Premier and Business provide up to $25 each quarter. Unused quarterly rewards expire at the end of that quarter.

What qualifies for the new airline credit? One eligible flight purchase of more than $250, made directly with an airline in a single transaction, can trigger a $200 annual credit on Premier Select or a $100 annual credit on Premier and Business.

When do the changes affect existing cardmembers? Most benefits begin October 1, 2026, with some specific timing and eligibility rules, and the first quarterly Food & Beverage Rewards will hit your account today. Existing cardmembers will be notified in October and pay revised annual fees when those fees come due in 2027.

You can also compare the IHG credit cards at Your Best Credit Cards.