Chase and IHG have launched a new premium hotel rewards card carrying a $350 annual fee and offering up to $300 a year in IHG food and beverage rewards.
Existing IHG cards are also getting new benefits, including airline credits, elite-night credits, and higher-value anniversary free nights, but some annual fees will change in 2027.
For a limited time, new cardholders can earn bonuses ranging from 125,000 to 200,000 IHG One Rewards points after meeting spending requirements.
Chase and IHG Hotels & Resorts are making significant changes to their lineup of hotel rewards credit cards, adding a new premium card while upgrading benefits on three existing cards.
The centerpiece is the new IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card, which carries a $350 annual fee and is aimed squarely at frequent IHG guests. Chase says the card can provide more than $1,000 in value during the first year, although consumers would need to make use of multiple benefits to capture that value.
The new card provides up to $300 a year in Food & Beverage Rewards that can be used at IHG properties, a $200 annual statement credit for qualifying airline purchases, and up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash. Cardholders also receive an anniversary free night with a redemption cap of 60,000 points, with the option of adding their own IHG points for a more expensive stay.
The card earns up to 28 points per dollar on IHG hotel stays, six points per dollar on dining and other travel, including rideshare purchases, and three points per dollar on other purchases.
Cardholders automatically receive IHG Platinum Elite status and 20 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. They can earn two additional Elite Night Credits for every $5,000 spent on the card. The card also provides a fourth reward night free when points are redeemed for four consecutive nights.
Changes to existing IHG cards
The changes extend well beyond the new premium card.
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, with a $150 annual fee, is adding up to $100 annually in IHG Food & Beverage Rewards and a $100 annual airline statement credit. It also provides up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash.
Its anniversary free-night certificate will have a 50,000-point redemption cap, and cardholders can add points from their accounts if a hotel requires more. The card earns up to 24 points per dollar at IHG hotels and five points per dollar on several categories, including dining, gas stations, grocery stores, qualifying flights, and car rentals. Cardholders will receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually and can earn two more for every $5,000 spent.
One notable change is that the Premier card will provide automatic Gold Elite status, while the more expensive Premier Select provides Platinum Elite status.
Chase is also renaming the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Card as simply the IHG One Rewards Credit Card. It will earn up to 17 points per dollar at IHG hotels and three points per dollar at restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores. The no-fee card also provides automatic Silver Elite status and five Elite Night Credits each year. Its fourth-reward-night-free benefit will require cardholders to spend $5,000 on purchases.
Business card gets an upgrade
Business customers are getting changes as well. The former IHG One Rewards Premier Business Card is being renamed the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card and will carry a $200 annual fee.
New perks include up to $100 a year in IHG Food & Beverage Rewards, a $100 annual airline statement credit, and up to a $100 annual statement credit for Expensify purchases.
The business card provides automatic Platinum Elite status, 15 Elite Night Credits annually, and an anniversary free night with a 50,000-point cap.
Big introductory bonuses
Chase is sweetening the rollout with limited-time introductory offers available through Nov. 18.
New Premier Select cardholders can earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 during their first three months. New Premier cardholders can earn 180,000 points after spending $3,000, while the no-annual-fee card offers 125,000 points after $2,000 in spending.
New business cardholders can earn 190,000 points after spending $5,000 during their first three months.
IHG says its rewards program covers more than 7,000 hotels and 21 brands worldwide, including Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, InterContinental, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza, and Staybridge Suites.
What existing cardholders should know
Current IHG credit card customers don't necessarily have to do anything immediately.
Chase says existing cardholders will receive notices during October explaining which new benefits apply to their accounts and when they take effect. The company also says annual fees will be adjusted in 2027, making those notices particularly important for consumers deciding whether the new benefits justify the cost.
For consumers, the value equation largely depends on how often they stay at IHG hotels. Travelers who can routinely use the food-and-beverage credits, airline credits, free-night certificates, and elite-status benefits could offset a substantial portion of an annual fee. Someone who stays with IHG only occasionally may have a harder time doing so.
Consumers considering one of the cards should also remember that rewards are most valuable when the credit-card balance is paid in full each month. Carrying a balance and paying interest can quickly erase the savings produced by points, free nights, and travel credits.