IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card Review: Is The $350 Annual Fee Worth It?

The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card is the $350 annual fee personal card in the Chase and IHG co-branded credit card portfolio. This makes it the most premium IHG credit card, above The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (learn more), which has a $150 annual fee, and The New IHG One Rewards Credit Card (learn more), which has no annual fee.

So this post is my in-depth IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card review, given that the card was only recently launched. What perks does this card offer, do they justify the annual fee, and is this card worth it compared to the other options in the portfolio? I do think the IHG Premier Select Card is potentially easy to justify, so let me explain why.

Link: Learn more about The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card summary & key details

Before I get into my IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card review, let me briefly summarize the key details of the card:

• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card annual fee: $350
• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card welcome offer: Limited time offer of 200K IHG One Rewards bonus points after spending $5,000 within the first three months
• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card rewards: 12x points on IHG spending, 6x points on dining and all other travel, and 3x points on all other purchases
• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card elite status: IHG One Rewards Platinum status just for being a cardmember, IHG One Rewards Diamond status when you spend $25,000 on the card per year, and 20 elite night credits toward status annually
• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card perks & credits: An annual anniversary free night award worth up to 60K IHG points, up to $300 in annual IHG food & beverage rewards, up to $200 in annual airline statement credits, up to $50 in annual United TravelBank Cash, and more
• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card foreign transaction fees: None

Beyond that, here are what I consider to be some of the major pros and cons of the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card:

• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card pros include the huge welcome bonus, and the fantastic ongoing perks that more than justify the annual fee, from the free night award, to the IHG food & beverage credits, to the airline credits, and more
• IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card cons include the high annual fee, the lack of airport lounge access, and the included elite status not actually being that exciting

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card bonus, eligibility, & fees

When we apply for credit cards, some of the most important factors are the welcome bonus, the eligibility rules for getting the card, and the annual fee. How does the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card do on those fronts? Let’s take a look.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card 200K bonus points offer

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card has a welcome offer of 200,000 IHG One Rewards bonus points after spending $5,000 within the first three months. This is being marketed as a limited time launch offer, and it’s valid for applications through November 18, 2026.

Based on my latest miles & points valuations, IHG One Rewards points are worth 0.5 cents each. That means to me, the welcome bonus is worth $1,000. This is among the best welcome offers that we’ve seen on this card, though admittedly it doesn’t quite match the best welcome offers out there, though.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card bonus eligibility rules

When you pull up the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card application, you’ll see the following terms:

This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.

This is actually a positive aspect of the card, as eligibility is considered independently from all of IHG’s other cards, whether the two lower annual fee personal cards, or even the business card, which is The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card (learn more).

The two other IHG personal cards have a clause of mutual exclusivity, so the idea is that if you want to pick up multiple IHG personal cards, you’ll want to get one of the lower annual fee cards first, and then the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card.

It’s also worth remembering the Chase 5/24 rule, whereby you sometimes won’t be approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months (certain business cards are excluded). However, that no longer seems to be consistently enforced.

Fortunately nowadays Chase uses a pop-up feature during the application process, which should let you know if you’re not eligible for the bonus on a card (this appears after submitting your application), before there’s a hard pull on your credit.

Lastly, it’s worth keeping in mind that Chase will often let you product change from one card to another, assuming you’ve had a card for at least 12 months. So this would be an opportunity to upgrade or downgrade personal cards within the IHG portfolio, if you decide a different card is a better fit for you.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card $350 annual fee & $0 authorized user fee

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card has a $350 annual fee for the primary cardmember, and you can add authorized users to the card at no extra cost. As you can tell, this is a steep annual fee, though in fairness, the card does also offer some really strong perks that will help with justifying that.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card points earning

When it comes to actually spending on the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card, what is the rewards structure like? The card has several bonus categories that can boost your rewards, but still, don’t get too excited.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card 12x points on IHG spending

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card earns 12x IHG points per dollar spent at IHG hotels. Personally, I value that at a 6% return on that spending, which is very good.

You’ll see the card markets itself as offering up to 28x IHG points per dollar spent at IHG hotels, but there’s nuance to that. That includes the 10x IHG points you usually earn per dollar spent at most brands, plus the 60% bonus (an extra 6x points) you get on account of having IHG One Rewards Platinum status, a card perk.

But for the purposes of credit card spending, you’re only earning an incremental 12x points.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card 6x points in select categories

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card has two bonus categories in which it earns 6x points per dollar spent. Those include dining, plus all other travel, including rideshare.

Those are some very broad bonus categories, though the catch is that based on my valuation of IHG points, that’s like a 3% return on spending. That’s not all that much to get excited about for bonused spending categories.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card 3x points on everyday spending

For any categories in which it doesn’t offer bonus points, the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers 3x IHG points per dollar spent in non-bonused categories. Based on my valuation of points, that’s like a 1.5% return on everyday spending, which I wouldn’t consider to be very competitive nowadays. However, there are some extra incentives to spend that could make it more worthwhile.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card 20K bonus points for spending $15K

Beyond the standard rewards structure, the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers 20,000 IHG bonus points if you spend at least $15,000 on the card per calendar year. That definitely helps a little bit with the rewards structure.

Put another way, the card ordinarily offers a minimum of 3x points per dollar spent, so if you were to spend exactly $15,000, that would boost your return to a minimum of 4.33x points per dollar spent. Still, it’s not all that much to get excited about.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card no foreign transaction fees

It’s worth noting that the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s not a bad card to use abroad. Then again, that’s nothing remarkable, because for a card with an annual fee this high, you’d certainly expect there to be no foreign transaction fees.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card benefits, credits, & elite status

The area where the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card really shines is when it comes to the perks, and this is the main reason you should consider applying for the card. From the annual free night award, to the elite status, and more, there’s a lot of upside to having this card. If you stay at IHG properties with any frequency, you should come out way ahead.

Anniversary free night award worth 60K points

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers an anniversary free night award that’s worth up to 60,000 IHG One Rewards points. The free night award is issued shortly after the account anniversary each year, and is then valid for 12 months.

One thing I appreciate about IHG free night awards is that you can top them off with as many points as you’d like. So if a hotel costs 65,000 points, you can book it using the free night award plus a supplement of 5,000 points. If a hotel costs 100,000 points, you can book it using the free night award plus a supplement of 40,000 points.

It should be easy to get full value from this every year, and as I see it, this alone more than justifies the annual fee on the card.

Up to $300 in IHG food & beverage rewards annually

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers up to $300 in food & beverage rewards at IHG properties annually. The way this works is that you get a $75 food & beverage reward voucher deposited in your account each quarter, and each is valid for that quarter.

Each must be redeemed against eligible food and beverages charged to the room during a single stay. Eligible charges generally include, food, beverages (including alcoholic beverages), and gratuities. This must be used in conjunction with a stay by the primary cardmember, so they can’t be used without a stay.

Up to $200 in annual airline statement credits

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers a $200 statement credit each calendar year when you spend at least $250 on flights purchased directly with an airline. Note that this perk is presently valid through December 31, 2027, meaning you can only take advantage of this in 2026 and 2027, though of course it’s possible this also gets extended into the future.

Getting $200 off a $250+ flight is a great deal. Even if you don’t have a specific flight, you can always book a ticket that’s flexible, and then most airlines will let you take a credit that can be used for some amount of time. So I’d consider this to be worth close to face value.

Up to $50 in annual United TravelBank Cash

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash per year:

• Each calendar year you’ll receive one $25 United TravelBank Cash deposit around January 1, and another around July 1
• Deposits made between January 1 and June 30 expire on July 15, and deposits made between July 1 and December 31 expire on January 15
• You must complete one-time registration to receive this benefit

If you fly United with any frequency, then this is like $50 worth of travel on United per year, which is awesome.

IHG One Rewards Platinum status for being a cardmember

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers IHG One Rewards Platinum elite status for as long as you’re a cardmember. IHG Platinum status ordinarily requires 40 elite nights in a year, and offers perks like a 60% points bonus, complimentary room upgrades, late check-out subject to availability, a welcome amenity, and more.

IHG One Rewards Diamond status with $25K spending

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers IHG One Rewards Diamond elite status when you spend $25,000 on the card in a calendar year. This is IHG’s top tier elite status, and it ordinarily requires 70 elite nights in a year.

It offers incremental perks like complimentary breakfast and better room upgrades. One thing worth emphasizing is that many of the perks of IHG elite status are associated with the Milestone Rewards program, which you qualify for based on how many elite nights you earn. That’s where the next benefit comes into play.

20 elite night credits annually for being a cardmember

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card also offers 20 elite night credits toward status annually, which is the most elite nights offered by any IHG card. You might wonder what the point of this is, given that you already get IHG Platinum status, which requires more than 40 nights. Well, the idea is that this gets you closer to Milestone Rewards perks, which you earn for every 10 elite nights you rack up in a calendar year, from 20 nights to 100 nights.

Potential Milestone Rewards perks include bonus points, food & beverage rewards, confirmed suite upgrades, club lounge access, and more.

Two elite night credits for every $5K in spending

Beyond the 20 elite nights that the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers annually for being a cardmember, you can also earn two elite nights for every $5,000 spent on the card. This can help you qualify for higher Milestone Rewards thresholds.

However, that’s a lot of money to spend for Milestone Perks that aren’t actually that valuable. If you happen to earn them, great, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to spend just to earn those extra elite nights. I suppose it could make sense as part of a larger strategy, if you’re trying to earn Diamond status, and unlock some other spend-based perks as well.

Fourth night free on award redemptions

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers a fourth night free on award redemptions, with no spending requirement. You can use this perk an unlimited number of times on eligible reservations. This is essentially a way to save 25% on points redemptions, assuming you stay in increments of four nights, so it definitely helps with stretching IHG points.

Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit once every four years. Just charge the membership fee of up to $120 to your card, and it will automatically be reimbursed. It doesn’t matter who the fee is being paid for, as long as you charge it to your eligible card.

Save 30% on IHG One Rewards points purchases

Just for having the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card, you can save 30% on the cost of buying IHG points. Often there’s strategic value to buying points, so on the surface, that might sound compelling. The catch is that this discount only applies when you’re buying IHG points at the normal cost.

IHG One Rewards ordinarily sells points for one cent each before any bonus. However, the program frequently offers a 100% bonus on buying points, which brings the cost down to 0.5 cents each. So getting a 50% discount is much better than getting a 30% discount, which would get you a cost of 0.7 cents per point.

Secondary rental car coverage

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers auto rental collision damage waiver coverage. Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card.

Coverage is provided for theft and collision damage for most cars in the United States and abroad. Do note that domestically the coverage is secondary to your personal insurance, though.

Protection with trip delays, lost luggage, and more

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers a variety of other protection when traveling. Among these features is:

• Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance — be reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip when your trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather, etc.
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement — be reimbursed up to $3,000 per passenger if you or your immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost by an airline
• Baggage Delay Insurance — be reimbursed up to $100 per day for three days for essential purchases when your bag is delayed by over six hours

Make sure you check your cardmember agreement for all of the details, since there are terms & conditions.

DoorDash & Instacart perks

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card offers some perks with both DoorDash and Instacart, which are pretty standard benefits for Chase cards. Specifically:

• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass (up to $120 value) — get one year complimentary DashPass by DoorDash, providing unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders (activation is required by December 31, 2027); after that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate
• DoorDash non-restaurant promo (up to $120 value) — get up to $10 off monthly on groceries, everyday essentials, and more, on DoorDash through December 31, 2027, as long as you remain enrolled in your Chase DashPass membership
• Up to $120 in Instacart credits — receive a $10 Instacart credit monthly, up to $120 total each calendar year, for purchases made directly through Instacart with your card, and the benefit is valid through December 31, 2027
• Complimentary Instacart+ membership for three months — get an Instacart+ membership for three months, including unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees on eligible orders; after that, you’re automatically enrolled in Instacart+ at 25% off the annual rate, and the benefit is valid through December 31, 2027

Is the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card worth the $350 annual fee?

The IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card follows the pretty standard trend we see among premium cards — the annual fee is higher, but there are many perks that can help offset that.

I don’t want to overcomplicate this — I think if you’re going to apply for a personal IHG card, then picking up the IHG Premier Select Card is the obvious choice:

• The card has the biggest welcome offer of all cards in the collection
• Before you pay your second annual fee, you’ll potentially get $400 in statement credits toward airline tickets (one for the 2026 calendar year, and one for the 2027 calendar year)
• The free night award is worth the most points, so will deliver the most value
• That doesn’t even begin to account for the IHG food & beverage credits, which are actually a substantial amount

Yes, the annual fee is steep, but keep in mind that if you decide that the card doesn’t work for you after a year, you can always downgrade it to a lower fee or no annual fee card.

IHG One Rewards Premier Card vs. IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card comparison

The IHG One Rewards Premier Card has a $150 annual fee, so how does the annual fee compare to that of the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card? While there are a lot of differences between the cards, here are the key ones that could move the math in favor of the $350 annual fee card over the $150 annual fee card:

• The IHG Premier Select Card has the biggest welcome bonus of all, and that really helps with justifying the first year’s annual fee
• The IHG Premier Select Card offers an anniversary free night award valid at a property costing up to 60,000 points, rather than one worth 50,000 points
• The IHG Premier Select Card offers a $200 statement credit when you spend $250+ on a flight booked directly with an airline, rather than a $100 statement credit, so that’s a big difference right away
• The IHG Premier Select Card offers up to $300 in annual food & beverage rewards at IHG properties, rather than up to $100 in credits, so that’s also a big difference
• The IHG Premier Select Card offers IHG One Rewards Platinum status just for having the card, and IHG One Rewards Diamond status for spending $25,000 on the card in a calendar year, so it offers a higher status automatically, and has a lower spending requirement for Diamond

Personally I think the math on the most premium version of the card works out quite nicely.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card vs. IHG One Rewards Business Card comparison

In addition to the three personal cards, Chase and IHG also have the IHG One Rewards Business Card, which has a $200 annual fee. As I see it, this card could be a good complement to the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card. Why?

Well, you can potentially pick up some pretty substantial incremental perks. For example, the IHG Business Card offers an anniversary free night award worth 50,000 points, and I’d consider that to basically cover the annual fee.

The card also offers up to $100 in annual IHG food & beverage vouchers, up to $100 in annual airline statement credits (through 2027), etc. The beautiful thing is that you can get both the personal and business card, so if you have the Chase “slots” available, there’s no reason not to get both, in my opinion.

Best IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card alternatives

If you’re not actually that committed to the IHG ecosystem, there are lots of other great cards to consider. In particular, these are cards with relatively reasonable annual fees and great rewards structures, and they’re very well rounded:

• The American Express® Gold Card (learn more) has a higher annual fee, but is tough to beat for those who spend a lot on dining, and also offers credits that can help offset the fee
• The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (learn more) has a low annual fee, and is among the best cards for everyday spending
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (learn more) has a reasonable annual fee, and is well-rounded for offering bonus categories, plus excellent travel and rental car coverage
• The Citi Strata Premier® Card (learn more) has an affordable annual fee, and lucrative 3x points categories

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card FAQs

Bottom line

The $350 annual fee IHG One Rewards Premier Select Card was recently introduced and potentially represents a great value. While the card has a steep annual fee, it offers very strong perks, including a huge welcome bonus, an anniversary free night award worth 60,000 points, IHG Platinum status, up to $300 in annual IHG food & beverage credits, up to $200 in annual airline statement credits (through 2027), and more.

If you’re eligible for this card, the value really is excellent. You can always give this card a try, and if it’s not working for you, you can downgrade it after 12 months.

If you want to learn more about the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card, follow this link.