IHG fans in the US have a new top-tier hotel credit card to consider. The IHG One Rewards Premier Select, issued by Chase, sits at the top of IHG's personal card lineup with a $350 annual fee — well above the $150 Premier card and the no-fee base card. The question, of course, is whether the fee pays for itself. On paper, it very nearly does before you even book a room.
New cardholders can currently earn 200,000 bonus IHG points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. At a rough valuation of half a cent per point, that's around $1,000 in hotel value, and the offer runs for applications through November 18, 2026. Helpfully, eligibility for this bonus is assessed separately from IHG's other personal and business cards, so you don't lose out by holding them — though Chase's 5/24 rule can still get in the way of an approval.
The ongoing perks are where the card makes its case. Every account anniversary brings a free night certificate worth up to 60,000 points, and IHG lets you top it off with extra points, so it works even at pricier properties. There's also up to $300 a year in IHG food and beverage credits (doled out as $75 quarterly vouchers that must be used during a stay), up to $200 in airline statement credits when you spend $250 or more on a direct airline booking, and $50 in United TravelBank cash split into two $25 deposits. Add it up and the credits alone can clear the annual fee with room to spare — assuming you'll actually stay at IHG hotels and fly United often enough to use them.
Cardholders get IHG Platinum status automatically, which brings a 60% points bonus on stays, upgrades when available and late checkout. Spending $25,000 a year unlocks Diamond, IHG's top tier, which normally requires 70 elite nights and adds perks like breakfast. On spending, the card earns 12x points at IHG hotels, 6x on dining and other travel including rideshares, and 3x on everything else, with no foreign transaction fees — solid on hotel spend, less exciting elsewhere. There's also a 20,000-point bonus for putting $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.
The downsides are worth weighing: no airport lounge access, unremarkable everyday earn rates, and elite status that's arguably less valuable than equivalent tiers at some rival chains. But for regular IHG guests, especially those who can use the quarterly dining vouchers and the airline credit, the maths is straightforward. If you're tempted by another IHG personal card too, note that the two lower-fee cards are mutually exclusive with each other — so grab one of those first and this one second.
