🇺🇸 Chase x IHG Credit Cards Get a Major Refresh: New Premier Select and Higher Fees Across the Existing Lineup

Published: October 1, 2026 This article is based on Chase and IHG’s official October 1, 2026 announcement, together with information on Chase application pages. For transition details, rely on the cardholder notices Chase will send during October, the official product pages and the cardmember agreements.

Today’s key changes

• A new card arrives: the IHG One Rewards Premier Select (World Elite Mastercard) has a $350 annual fee, automatic Platinum Elite status, up to $300 in Food & Beverage Rewards, a $200 airline statement credit, 20 Elite Night Credits (ENC) and a 60,000-point anniversary Free Night Award.
• The three existing cards all get pricier: the personal Premier’s annual fee rises from $99 to $150, while its automatic status drops from Platinum to Gold. The no-fee Traveler is renamed the IHG One Rewards Credit Card. The business card becomes the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card, and its annual fee rises from $99 to $200.
• Welcome offers rise across the board: the limited-time offer on all four cards ends on November 18, with the new card offering up to 200,000 points.
• Timeline: new benefits begin taking effect from October 1. Existing cardholders will receive Chase notices during October, while the revised annual fees take effect at renewal in 2027.

New card: IHG One Rewards Premier Select ($350 annual fee)

Chase positions Premier Select as the new flagship of the IHG card lineup, and says it delivers more than $1,000 in value in the first year. Its core benefits include:

• Up to $300 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards: four $75 quarterly vouchers for spending at IHG hotels. Any unused amount expires at the end of the quarter.
• A $200 annual airline statement credit: triggered by a single flight purchase of at least $250 made directly with an airline. Chase’s application page currently guarantees this benefit only through December 31, 2027.
• Up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash: $25 is issued each half-year.
• Anniversary Free Night Award: one award each year, capped at 60,000 points, with unlimited point top-ups from your own account.
• Automatic Platinum Elite status + 20 annual Elite Night Credits (ENC): the 20 nights immediately unlock the first IHG Milestone Reward choice: 5,000 bonus points, two $20 Food & Beverage Rewards or one Confirmable Suite Upgrade.
• Fourth Reward Night Free: get the fourth night free when redeeming points for a stay of four consecutive nights.
• 30% off points purchases: the previous 20% discount becomes 30%.
• Spend-based paths: spend $15,000 in a calendar year for 5 additional ENC plus 20,000 bonus points; spend $25,000 for Diamond Elite status; spend $40,000 for a second 60,000-point Free Night Award.
• Earning rates: up to 28x at IHG stays (including the elite-status bonus; the card itself earns 12x), 6x on dining and other travel including rideshare, and 3x on all other purchases.
• World Elite Mastercard benefits: up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS; three months of Instacart+ plus a $10 monthly credit; and 12 months of DoorDash DashPass plus a $10 monthly non-restaurant-order offer.

Welcome offer: 200,000 IHG points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. This limited-time offer ends November 18, 2026. Add an authorized user in the first three months for an additional 10,000 points.

Eligibility: Chase’s application-page terms exclude only people who currently have this card or received its welcome offer in the past 24 months. New applicants who hold another IHG card are not excluded. Media reports also indicate that, from launch through the end of the first quarter of 2027, you can hold this card alongside an existing IHG card. Chase’s 5/24 rule still applies.

Existing card: IHG One Rewards Premier ($99 → $150)

The personal Premier’s annual fee rises to $150. Chase says it offers roughly $700 in value in the first year, and its benefit list has been substantially rebuilt:

• Platinum becomes Gold: automatic status drops to IHG Gold Elite. Spend $15,000 in a calendar year to regain Platinum Elite, along with 5 additional ENC and 15,000 bonus points.
• Up to $100 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards: four $25 quarterly vouchers at IHG hotels; unused amounts expire at the end of the quarter.
• A $100 annual airline statement credit: triggered by a single flight purchase of at least $250 made directly with an airline.
• Up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash: retained at $25 each half-year.
• A larger anniversary Free Night Award: the cap rises from 40,000 to 50,000 points, with the option to add your own points.
• 15 ENC per year: plus 2 additional ENC for every $5,000 spent.
• Fourth Reward Night Free: retained.
• 30% off points purchases: the previous 20% discount becomes 30%.
• Earning rates: up to 24x at IHG stays; 5x on airfare and car rentals booked directly, dining, gas and groceries; and 3x on other purchases.
• Benefits removed: the former $100 plus 10,000 points after $20,000 in annual spending, and the former $40,000 path to Diamond Elite status, both end.

Welcome offer: 180,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. This limited-time offer ends November 18, 2026.

Existing card: the no-fee card becomes the IHG One Rewards Credit Card

The former IHG One Rewards Traveler is renamed but remains a no-fee card:

• 5 ENC per year: a new benefit.
• A new condition for Fourth Reward Night Free: from 2027, you need $5,000 in annual spending to receive the benefit.
• Earning rates: up to 17x at IHG stays; 3x on dining, gas and groceries; and 2x on other purchases. The former 3x streaming category is removed.
• Automatic Silver Elite status: retained.
• Benefits removed: the former 10,000-point bonus after $10,000 in spending, and the old $20,000 path to Gold Elite status, both end.

Welcome offer: 125,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months. This limited-time offer ends November 18, 2026.

Existing card: IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card ($99 → $200)

The former IHG One Rewards Premier Business becomes the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card, and its annual fee rises to $200. Chase says it offers roughly $750 in value in the first year:

• Automatic Platinum Elite status: retained.
• Up to $100 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards: four $25 quarterly vouchers, with unused amounts expiring at the end of each quarter.
• A $100 annual airline statement credit: triggered by a single flight purchase of at least $250 made directly with an airline.
• Up to $100 in annual Expensify statement credits: a new benefit.
• A larger anniversary Free Night Award: the cap rises from 40,000 to 50,000 points, with the option to add your own points.
• 15 ENC per year: plus 2 additional ENC for every $5,000 spent. Spend $25,000 in a calendar year for 5 additional ENC plus 20,000 points; spend $50,000 for Diamond Elite status, up from the previous $40,000 threshold.
• United TravelBank is removed: reports say the former $25-each-half-year benefit, worth up to $50 annually, has been discontinued. It no longer appears in the business-card benefits listed in the press release.
• Earning rates: up to 26x at IHG stays; 5x on airfare and car rentals booked directly, dining, gas and eligible advertising; and 3x on other purchases.

Welcome offer: 190,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. This limited-time offer ends November 18, 2026.

Comparing the four cards

Earning rates

Core benefits

Notes:

• [1] The Select’s 28x is the “up to” total from the press release. It includes the Platinum Elite bonus; the card itself earns 12x at IHG.
• [2] These arrive as Food & Beverage Rewards vouchers. They can only be used during a stay at an IHG hotel, are issued quarterly and expire at the end of each quarter.
• [3] A single airline ticket purchase of at least $250, made directly with the airline, is required to trigger the credit. The Select benefit is currently guaranteed only through December 31, 2027.
• [4] Issued as $25 each half-year, up to $50 annually, after one-time enrolment.
• [5] This refresh confirms $120 every four years for Select. The press release does not specify the benefit for the other three cards, so refer to official product pages and Chase’s October cardholder notices.
• [6] Starting in 2027, the Credit Card requires $5,000 in annual spending for Fourth Reward Night Free.
• [7] All three cards with annual fees let you use an unlimited number of your own IHG points to top up the anniversary Free Night Award.
• [8] The press release says the no-fee card can also unlock status and rewards through spending. Its former $10,000 and $20,000 paths have ended, while the new thresholds have not been announced.
• [9] The press release no longer lists this benefit for the business card, and media reports say the former $50-per-year credit, issued as $25 each half-year, has been removed.

Limited-time welcome offers (all end November 18)

Timeline: what existing cardholders should expect

• October 1, 2026: Chase and IHG officially announce the refresh. Most new benefits take effect the same day, and accounts opened after October 1 follow the new rules. New accounts receive Elite Night Credits beginning in the calendar year in which they are opened.
• During October 2026: Chase will send existing cardholders detailed notices explaining the changes for each card and the effective date of every benefit.
• Starting in 2027: existing cardholders pay the revised annual fee on their next renewal date, and annual benefits follow the new rules.
• November 18, 2026: the four limited-time welcome offers end.
• Reports also indicate that Premier Select’s annual airline statement credit is currently guaranteed only through December 31, 2027.

A quick annual-fee offset check

This is an objective comparison of the benefit framework, not a recommendation on whether to apply:

• Premier Select ($350): the $300 in Food & Beverage Rewards plus the $200 airline statement credit exceed the annual fee on paper, before counting the 60,000-point anniversary Free Night Award and 20 ENC. But the Food & Beverage Rewards must be used at IHG hotels and expire quarterly, while the airline credit needs one direct airline purchase of at least $250.
• Premier ($150): $100 in Food & Beverage Rewards, a $100 airline statement credit and $50 in TravelBank Cash provide about $250 in potential offset value.
• Business ($200): $100 in Food & Beverage Rewards, a $100 airline statement credit and $100 in Expensify credits provide up to $300 in potential offset value.
• Credit Card ($0): the no-fee card’s main points of interest are its 5 ENC and Fourth Reward Night Free, which will require $5,000 in annual spending from 2027.

Outstanding questions

• The elite-status transition for existing personal Premier cardholders in 2027: the official release explains automatic Gold status for new accounts and the $15,000 path back to Platinum, but does not yet detail how existing Platinum cardholders will transition. Wait for Chase’s October cardholder notices.
• The final English name of the new no-fee card on Chase product pages: the press release calls it the IHG One Rewards Credit Card, while some reports call it the IHG One Rewards Card.
• The positioning gap between the two annual-fee Premier / Select cards, and the path for existing Premier cardholders to upgrade or hold both cards, remain subject to official product-page details.
• It is still unclear how the legacy $49-annual-fee IHG co-brand, which is no longer available to new applicants, will be updated.