Chase has given its IHG One Rewards credit card lineup its biggest shake-up since 2022, and hotel points fans will want to look closely. The headline change: annual fees are going up across the board, the mid-tier Premier card is losing Platinum status, and a new $350 Premier Select card now offers a fast track to confirmed suite upgrades and hotel lounge access.
The new Premier Select packs in up to $300 a year in IHG food and beverage credits, a $200 airline statement credit, $50 in United TravelBank cash, Platinum status, and an anniversary free night worth up to 60,000 points. But the standout perk is 20 elite-night credits each calendar year. Hit 20 nights with IHG and you can choose a Confirmable Suite Upgrade — good for stays up to five nights, bookable with points, and confirmable 14 days before arrival. The card effectively hands you that milestone on day one. At 40 nights, an annual lounge membership becomes available, and Select gets you halfway there; the paid cards also earn two extra elite nights per $5,000 spent, so heavy spenders can close the gap without staying a single night.
Not everything got richer. The $99 Premier jumps to $150, its anniversary night caps rise from 40,000 to 50,000 points, but it drops from Platinum to Gold status. The business card climbs from $99 to $200 and swaps its United TravelBank credits for a $100 airline credit plus an Expensify credit. Most notably, the no-fee card's popular fourth night free on award bookings now requires $5,000 of annual spending — simply holding the card is no longer enough.
Is the $350 card worth it? The maths is surprisingly reasonable if you fly anyway: subtract the airline credit and you're left with $150 of effective fee, which the 60,000-point certificate and instant suite upgrade choice should cover for regular IH guests. The launch bonuses run through November 18 and are substantial — 200,000 points on Premier Select after $5,000 of spend, 180,000 on the Premier, 190,000 on the business card, and 125,000 on the no-fee card. Existing cardholders get notices in October and won't pay the higher fees until 2027.
Who should care? Anyone who collects IHG points or stays even occasionally at Holiday Inns, InterContinentals or Crowne Plazas. If IHG is your second hotel chain, the suite upgrade and lounge milestones on the new Select card could be genuinely useful — especially at InterContinental properties with proper club lounges. If you only hold the free card for fourth-night-free awards, budget that $5,000 of spend or lose the perk. Everyday spenders should still be wary: IHG points are worth roughly half a cent each, so transferable-point cards usually beat these for general spending. These cards earn their keep through the free nights and status perks, not the earn rates.
