IHG and Chase are making some pretty substantial changes to their credit card lineup. This includes a brand-new premium card that’ll slot in right at the top.
That announcement is obviously the flashiest, but the changes go further than just the launch of one card.
IHG’s three existing Chase cards are also getting new benefits, welcome offers, new names in some cases, and a couple are getting higher annual fees on top of that.
Some changes tip the scales as good, others not so much.
The New Premier Select Card Comes With a $350 Annual Fee
The biggest addition is the IHG One Rewards Premier Select World Elite Mastercard. This card immediately becomes the most expensive card in IHG’s lineup.
On the benefit side, cardmembers receive up to $300 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards to use at IHG properties, a $200 annual statement credit for qualifying airline purchases, and up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash.
There’s also an anniversary free night worth up to 60,000 points. And cardmembers will have the ability to add IHG points to that certificate to unlock a more expensive redemption.
The card will also offer 20 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. That’s enough to immediately unlock IHG’s first Milestone Reward, and cardholders can earn another two Elite Night Credits for every $5,000 spent on the card.
The card also includes automatic Platinum Elite status and the fourth night free on four-night stays booked with points.
On the surface, this status level comes across as “meh” since IHG’s other cards have offered it as well, but that’s about to change a little bit.
The Existing Premier Card Is Changing, Too
The IHG One Rewards Premier World Elite Mastercard isn’t going anywhere, but its annual fee is jumping to $150.
To justify the ~50% increase, the card will offer up to $100 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards and a $100 annual airline statement credit, while its anniversary free night increases to a 50,000-point cap.
Cardmembers will also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each year, plus another two for every $5,000 spent.
Now about that automatic elite status. With these changes, the revamped version comes with Gold Elite status rather than Platinum Elite status.
However, cardmembers can unlock Platinum Elite after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
IHG’s No-Annual-Fee and Business Cards Are Getting Updates
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Card is being renamed the IHG One Rewards World Elite Mastercard.
Outside of that cosmetic change, the card is keeping its $0 annual fee and adding five Elite Night Credits each year. However, its fourth-night-free benefit will now require $5,000 in card spending.
The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Card is also getting a new name: the IHG One Rewards Business World Mastercard. Its annual fee is increasing all the way to $200. That’s more than a 100% increase from its old $99 annual fee.
But new benefits have been added to help justify that hike as well.
These include up to $100 annually in Food & Beverage Rewards, a $100 airline statement credit, up to $100 in annual Expensify credits, and 15 Elite Night Credits each year. Its anniversary free night will also increase to a 50,000-point cap.
The business card will continue to offer Platinum Elite status, or Diamond Elite for cardmembers that spend $50,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
Timeline for Existing Cardmembers
Existing IHG cardmembers won’t necessarily see all of these changes immediately.
Chase says they’ll receive more information later in October about which new and updated benefits apply and when they take effect. However, Chase did specify that annual fees will be adjusted in 2027.
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