Chase introduced a new top-tier IHG card on October 1, 2026: the IHG One Rewards Premier Select World Elite Mastercard, a $350-annual-fee card carrying a 200,000-point welcome offer. That offer ends November 18, 2026. The launch also came with a refresh across the rest of the IHG One Rewards card lineup, so three other cards changed terms the same week.
The Premier Select, at a glance
- Annual fee: $350
- Welcome offer: 200,000 points after $5,000 spend in the first 3 months, plus 10,000 more for adding an authorized user in the same window. Offer window closes 2026-11-18.
- Earning: 12x points per dollar at IHG hotels, 6x on dining and all other travel (including rideshare), 3x on everything else
- Automatic Platinum Elite status
- Anniversary Free Night good at properties up to a 60,000-point category, plus an additional free night after $40,000 in annual spend
- Up to $300 annual Food & Beverage Reward at IHG properties
- $200 annual airline statement credit (requires $250+ in flight spend in a calendar year, valid through 12/31/27)
- Up to $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every 4 years
- Complimentary DashPass membership ($120 value)
- Up to $50 United TravelBank Cash annually
Confirmed live on Chase’s own product page as of 2026-10-26.
Who this is actually for
If you stay at IHG properties (Kimpton, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Candlewood Suites) four or more nights a year and would otherwise be paying cash for Platinum Elite-adjacent perks, the math works. Run it straight: the $300 F&B credit plus the $200 airline credit is $500 of credits against a $350 fee, before you’ve redeemed a single point from the welcome bonus. The catch is both credits require you to actually spend in those categories, not just hold the card.
If you stay at IHG once or twice a year, this is the wrong card. The no-annual-fee Traveler card or the $150 Premier card get you most of the elite-status value without the $350 commitment.
How it compares to the rest of the IHG lineup
Chase didn’t just add a new card. It touched every tier in the same announcement.
| Card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | Elite status | Key credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IHG One Rewards Traveler | $0 | 125,000 pts after $2,000/3mo | None automatic | None |
| IHG One Rewards Premier | $150 | 180,000 pts after $3,000/3mo | Gold Elite | ~$700 first-year value (F&B, airline credit, Global Entry/TSA, DashPass) |
| IHG One Rewards Premier Select (new) | $350 | 200,000 pts after $5,000/3mo | Platinum Elite | $300 F&B, $200 airline, $120 GE/TSA, DashPass, $50 United TravelBank |
| IHG One Rewards Premier Business | $200 | 190,000 pts after $5,000/3mo | Platinum Elite | $100 F&B, $100 airline, $100 Expensify, $120 GE/TSA |
Rates confirmed live on Chase’s product pages as of 2026-10-26. The jump from Premier to Premier Select buys you Platinum Elite instead of Gold, a bigger F&B credit, a bigger airline credit, and DashPass, for an extra $200 a year. Whether that’s worth it depends entirely on whether you’ll use the credits.
The break-even math
Take the Premier Select’s full credit stack at face value: $300 Food & Beverage, $200 airline (once you clear $250 in flight spend), $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years, so roughly $30/year amortized), and a $120 DashPass membership. That’s $650 in stated value against a $350 fee, a surplus of $300 before you’ve touched the welcome bonus or the points you earn on everyday spend.
The honest version subtracts the credits you won’t realistically use. Skip the Global Entry credit if you already have Global Entry (most people apply for it once every four years, not annually), and the stack drops to $620. Skip DashPass if you don’t order delivery, and it’s $500. Skip the airline credit because you don’t fly $250 worth in a given year, and you’re down to $300, which is still ahead of the $350 fee by only a slim margin once you count the F&B credit as the sole real line item. The card clears its fee easily for someone who travels and dines on IHG’s terms; it does not clear it automatically just by existing in your wallet.
The part existing cardholders need to know
This refresh is a new-applicant story and an existing-cardholder story at the same time, and they are not the same deal. If you already hold a Premier or Premier Business card, your annual fee is not jumping to the new rate immediately. Chase is notifying existing cardholders in October 2026 with the specific date each change applies to their account, and the actual fee increase lands at your 2027 renewal, not today. Existing Premier holders keep their current $99 fee and current benefits until that renewal date; cards renewing between October 1 and December 31, 2026 get one more cycle at the old rate.
New applicants, by contrast, are already applying under the new terms, confirmed live on chase.com today: $150 for Premier, $200 for Premier Business, $350 for the brand-new Premier Select.
Nuances worth knowing before you apply
- The “up to 28X” headline number you’ll see elsewhere is a combined figure: base card earning, plus the automatic IHG membership bonus, plus Platinum Elite’s stay bonus, stacked together. The card itself earns 12x at IHG properties; the rest comes from being an IHG member with elite status, which this card grants automatically.
- The $200 airline credit has a spend floor. You need $250 or more in flight purchases in a calendar year to trigger it. It is not a flat statement credit that posts automatically.
- The anniversary free night caps at a 60,000-point category. For a more expensive property, you can add cash or points to cover the gap, but the certificate itself doesn’t stretch past that tier on its own.
- The authorized-user bonus (10,000 points) has the same 3-month window as the main bonus. Add the authorized user early if you want to count on it.
Bottom line
The 200,000-point offer is genuinely one of the larger IHG welcome bonuses on record, and the card’s ongoing value is real if you’ll use the F&B and airline credits. It is not a card to hold for the points alone. If you’re an infrequent IHG guest, the no-fee Traveler or the $150 Premier capture most of the practical value without the $350 commitment. If you already have a Premier or Premier Business card, your fee isn’t changing today: watch for Chase’s October notice with your specific 2027 renewal date before you decide whether to keep, downgrade, or let it ride.
FAQ
Q: Does the 200,000-point offer require a $350 annual fee to be worth it?
A: Only if you’ll use the credits. The $300 Food & Beverage credit and $200 airline credit (both require meeting spend thresholds) cover $500 against the $350 fee on their own, separate from the 200,000-point bonus.
Q: When does the 200,000-point offer expire?
A: November 18, 2026, per Chase’s official terms.
Q: Will my existing IHG Premier card’s annual fee go up right away?
A: No. Chase is sending existing cardholders an October 2026 notice with their specific effective date, and the fee increase (to $150) applies at your 2027 renewal, not immediately. Cards renewing between October 1 and December 31, 2026 get one more cycle at the old $99 rate.
Q: Is the Premier Select card available to apply for now?
A: Yes. It’s confirmed live on Chase’s own site as of this writing, alongside the refreshed terms on the Traveler, Premier, and Premier Business cards.
Q: How does Premier Select compare to the regular Premier card?
A: An extra $200 in annual fee buys Platinum Elite status instead of Gold, a larger Food & Beverage credit ($300 vs. $100), a larger airline credit ($200 vs. $100), and a complimentary DashPass membership. For frequent IHG guests who’ll use those credits, it’s a reasonable upgrade; for occasional guests, the regular Premier captures most of the value for less.