The newest card in IHG’s credit card portfolio, the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card (see rates and fees), is an ideal choice for frequent travelers who regularly stay at IHG hotels.
With a number of IHG benefits — including automatic Platinum Elite status — plus airline-specific credits and an impressive welcome offer to celebrate its launch, the IHG Premier Select is a card that offers enough value to IHG loyalists to justify paying its $350 annual fee.
If you travel often and consider IHG One Rewards your primary hotel loyalty program, the IHG Premier Select may be worth considering. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
IHG One Rewards Premier Select: The basics
The brand-new IHG Premier Select is the most premium option in IHG’s credit card portfolio. As such, it has the highest annual fee of the IHG cards available — at $350 — which covers several noteworthy IHG-specific benefits, including:
- One annual free night certificate every account anniversary
- Up to $75 in quarterly food-and-beverage rewards
- 20 annual elite night credits
- Platinum Elite status
- Fourth-night-free benefit
- High earning rate on IHG stays
Cardholders also receive a variety of other perks, such as:
- An annual $200 airline statement credit for qualifying flight purchases (after $250 in spending)
- Up to $50 in United Airlines TravelBank cash
- Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership and up to $10 each month for nonrestaurant DoorDash orders (for up to $120 in statement credits annually)
- Up to $10 each month for Instacart orders (for up to $120 in statement credits annually)
- Ability to earn 6 points per dollar spent on dining and other travel purchases, including ride-hailing services
IHG One Rewards Premier Select pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| <ul> <li>Free night certificate each year</li> <li>20 annual elite night credits (enough for a Milestone Reward)</li> <li>Complimentary Platinum Elite status</li> <li>Fourth night free on award stays</li> <li>Airline- and dining-focused credits</li> </ul> |
<ul> <li>A relatively high annual fee for a hotel credit card</li> <li>Points are locked into a single hotel program</li> <li>Select credits are awarded monthly or quarterly, requiring multiple transactions</li> </ul> |
IHG One Rewards Premier Select benefits
The IHG Premier Select offers a mix of IHG and non-IHG benefits for a reasonable annual fee, making it a competitive premium credit card, even if you only stay at IHG hotels a few times a year.
Anniversary free night
As an IHG Premier Select cardholder, you’ll automatically receive a free night certificate for up to 60,000 points every year you have the card — plus an additional free night certificate after spending $40,000 in a calendar year.
Should your stays require a few extra points, you’ll have the option to top off your certificates with additional points from your account.
While IHG uses dynamic pricing, meaning award rates fluctuate based on the equivalent cash cost, I rarely have trouble redeeming free night certificates for stays.
For example, I’ve previously redeemed 40,000-point free night certificates for stays at several hotels close to my home in Arlington, Virginia, including the InterContinental Washington D.C. — The Wharf, the Kimpton Banneker Hotel and Yours Truly DC, Vignette Collection.
I’ve also used them for one-night stays in New York City and Charlottesville, Virginia, during quick trips for special events.
Annual elite night credits
Upon opening your account and every calendar year after, you’ll receive 20 elite night credits, enough to unlock a Milestone Reward. Available Milestone Rewards at the 20-night level include:
- One confirmable suite upgrade
- 5,000 bonus points
- Two food-and-beverage rewards (valued at up to $20 each)
For every $5,000 you spend, you’ll receive another two elite night credits; and if you spend $15,000 in a year, you’ll receive five additional elite night credits (plus 20,000 bonus points).
Quarterly food-and-beverage vouchers
When staying at an IHG property as a cardholder, you’ll receive up to $300 in annual food-and-beverage rewards to apply toward qualifying on-site dining expenses when checking out.
The rewards are distributed as vouchers, with cardholders receiving a $75 voucher every quarter.
Elite status
Platinum Elite status, the second-highest available in the IHG One Rewards program, is automatically awarded to all IHG Premier Select cardholders.
With this status, you’ll receive perks like 60% bonus earnings on paid stays, room upgrades (when available) and a welcome amenity (typically a choice of bonus points or a complimentary drink or snack).
Plus, with $25,000 in card spending, you’ll earn top-tier Diamond Elite status through the end of the following calendar year.
Fourth night free
Like its mid-tier counterpart, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees), with every four consecutive nights of a stay you book with points, you’ll pay zero points for the fourth night. It can be a useful way to get more value from your points on longer trips.
I’m particularly fond of using this benefit when visiting bucket-list destinations. For example, earlier this year, I used the IHG Premier’s fourth-night-free perk to enjoy a “free” night at Vietnam’s tranquil Six Senses Con Dao, saving roughly 190,000 points.
Airline and dining benefits
In addition to its various IHG perks, the IHG Premier Select offers several airline and dining benefits:
- Airline statement credit: Receive an annual airline statement credit of up to $200 (available through Dec. 31, 2027) when making at least $250 in qualifying flight purchases.
- United TravelBank cash: Get up to $50 ($25 in January and another $25 in July) deposited into your United TravelBank account (one-time activation required).
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus credit: Receive up to a $120 statement credit every four years when paying for your application fee with the card.
- DoorDash membership and credits: Receive a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership (when you activate your membership for the first time with your card by Dec. 31, 2027), plus up to $10 in monthly credits for nonrestaurant DoorDash orders (for a total of up to $120 in statement credits each year).
- Instacart credits: Receive a complimentary three-month Instacart+ membership (when you activate your membership for the first time with your card by Dec. 31, 2027), as well as up to $10 in monthly credits for Instacart orders (for a total of up to $120 in statement credits each year).
How to earn and use your rewards
As is common with hotel credit cards, the IHG Premier Select offers the most points for purchases made at the hotel chain, though you’ll also earn elevated rates in dining and general travel categories.
Redeeming points is mostly limited to hotel stays, though you can also transfer points to select airline partners and other IHG One Rewards members.
Earning IHG One Rewards points
IHG Premier Select cardholders earn:
- Up to 28 points per dollar spent on stays at IHG hotels (12 points as a cardholder, plus 16 points from being a Platinum Elite member)
- 6 points per dollar spent on dining and all other travel purchases
- 3 points per dollar spent on all other purchases
Redeeming IHG One Rewards points
Because IHG One Rewards uses dynamic pricing for awards, it does not have an award chart. However, you can expect most award nights to start around 10,000 points, though some properties are bookable for as few as 5,000 points a night.
In most cases, award nights are capped at 120,000 points, with one notable exception: Six Senses properties are often well over 120,000 points a night. In fact, during my previously mentioned stay at Six Senses Con Dao, award rates ranged from 185,000 to 192,000 points per night.
But if you’re flexible with your travel dates, it’s possible to get more than TPG’s October 2026 valuation of IHG points (0.6 cents per point) when redeeming points.
Depending on the property and dates you choose, you may also exceed TPG’s valuation by using a combination of points and cash to pay for your stay.
Potential drawbacks of the IHG One Rewards Premier Select
While the IHG Premier Select can more than offset its $350 annual fee when maximizing its benefits, if you rarely (or never) stay with IHG, its value diminishes significantly, as you won’t be able to take advantage of perks like the up to $75 in quarterly food-and-beverage credits.
I’ve found it possible to consistently book IHG properties at or above TPG’s valuation when redeeming points for stays, but because you earn hotel points instead of transferable rewards with this card, you lose the flexibility that comes with general travel cards. So, if you aren’t regularly staying at IHG properties, you’ll have little use for the card’s points.
You’ll offset this potential downside with the non-IHG credits and benefits available, though if you have another premium credit card, chances are you already have access to some of these same (or very similar) perks. Not to mention, some of these benefits, like the $200 airline statement credit, require spending beyond the credit amount (at least $250, in this case), so you may ultimately end up spending more just to use them.
IHG Premier Select vs. IHG Premier
If you sometimes stay at IHG hotels but don’t want to pay a high annual fee, there’s the IHG Premier Select’s more affordable sibling: the IHG Premier. It charges a $150 annual fee (vs. $350 on the Premier Select).
With the IHG Premier, you’ll receive the same fourth-night-free award booking benefit as well as a free night certificate (worth 50,000 points versus 60,000 points with the Premier Select).
Plus, the card offers other perks like automatic Gold Elite status, 15 elite night credits each calendar year and up to $25 in quarterly food-and-beverage rewards.
To learn more, check out our full review of the IHG Premier.
Is the IHG One Rewards Premier Select worth it?
If you stay at IHG properties at least a few times a year and could easily use most (if not all) of the card’s airline and dining perks, then the IHG Premier Select may make sense to add to your wallet. Its complimentary elite status, annual free night certificate, fourth-night-free award booking benefit and various statement credits for both on-property expenses and other travel and dining purchases make it a solid option for IHG loyalists.
However, travelers who only occasionally stay with IHG are likely better off with a card that earns transferable rewards, such as a Bilt or Chase card, that can be transferred to IHG One Rewards.
When to apply for the IHG One Rewards Premier Select
Because the IHG Premier Select is a brand-new card, now is the best time to apply, as its introductory welcome offer is likely one of the highest (if not the best) we’ll see for the card.
For a limited time, new cardholders can earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This offer ends Nov. 18.
According to our valuations, this offer is worth $1,200.
Remember that because this card is issued by Chase, you must be under 5/24 to be approved. You are eligible to have the card if you have one of IHG’s other credit cards.
Other cards to consider if you don’t want IHG One Rewards Premier Select
Here are some other options if you aren’t sold on the IHG Premier Select:
- If you want hotel perks for less: The $95-a-year World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) offers similar benefits like an annual free night certificate, automatic Discoverist status and five elite night credits, just in the smaller (but often more valuable) World of Hyatt program. To learn more, read our full review of the World of Hyatt card.
- If you want more general rewards: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) offers more flexible rewards that can be transferred to IHG One Rewards and 13 other airline and hotel partners — and its annual fee is only $95. To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
- If you want premium perks with more flexibility: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card only costs $45 more a year to hold — its annual fee is $395 — but comes with airport lounge access, bonus anniversary miles and more ways to use your rewards. To learn more, read our full review of the Venture X.
For additional options, check out our picks for the best hotel credit cards.
Bottom line
Many IHG loyalists (myself included) have patiently waited for IHG to add a premium card to its lineup for years. Now that it’s here, it’s safe to say that, for the most part, it doesn’t disappoint.
While I had hoped the IHG One Rewards Premier Select would come with top-tier Diamond Elite status, I can still appreciate the slew of card perks, particularly the anniversary free night certificate and the confirmable suite upgrade Milestone Reward available
That said, if you aren’t regularly staying at IHG hotels, you’re likely better off with a general travel rewards card.
Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Select
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Source: thepointsguy.com
