Card economics
IHG One Rewards Premier
The optimizer models the $150 annual fee new applicants pay; cardholders who opened before the October 2026 refresh reportedly pay $99 until their first renewal in 2027 (press coverage; Chase's card page does not say so). The 5x rate on general travel applies to purchases posting through December 31, 2026; after that, 5x applies only to airline tickets bought directly from the airline and to car rental agencies, and other travel earns 3x.
Annual fee
$150/yr
Foreign transaction fee
None
Some links may become affiliate links; today none pay us. Commissions are not solver inputs or ranking criteria; issuer terms, eligibility, channel offers, and your assumptions control the modeled result. Read the affiliate disclosure
Welcome offers change frequently — check the issuer's page for the current offer.
Earn rates
Points or cash back earned per dollar spent. 'x' means points multiplier, '%' means cash back percentage. Portal-only rates require booking through the issuer's travel portal.| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
| IHG Properties | 10x |
| Flights outside issuer portals | 5x |
| Hotels outside issuer portals | 5x |
| Other travel outside issuer portals | 5x |
| Travel - Car Rentals / Agencies / Cruises | 5x |
| Transit | 5x |
| Travel - Vacation Homes | 5x |
| Gas stations (excluding Costco Gas) | 5x |
| Dining | 5x |
| Groceries — in store | 5x |
| Groceries — online | 5x |
| Everything else | 3xBase rate |
Benefits not in the math
Perks whose value depends on how you travel — lounges, free bags, status. The optimizer counts them only when a Premium perk-value profile assigns them a dollar value, once per wallet; with no profile they are worth $0 in every figure.Hotel elite status
Automatic IHG One Rewards Gold Elite status; Platinum Elite after $15,000 spent in a calendar year; Diamond Elite after $40,000 spent in a calendar year. Also 15,000 bonus points after $15,000 spent in a calendar year. Press coverage reports that cardholders from before the October 2026 refresh keep Platinum Elite through 12/31/2027; Chase's card page does not say so.
Issuer sourceCounted at $0 unless you assign a value in a Premium perk-value profile.
Fee calculator
The effective fee is the annual fee minus credits you'll actually use. A $550 card with $400 in usable credits has an effective fee of $150. Adjust credit values based on how much you'll realistically use.Sticker Fee
$150/yr
Credits
-$180
Effective FeeWhat you actually pay after subtracting credits you use. This is the real cost of holding the card — the number that matters for optimization.
$0
Credits are counted up to the fee: the effective fee never goes below $0, so credits worth more than the fee do not make it negative.
Credits & Benefits
Adjust each credit's value based on how much you'll realistically use. 'Easy' credits are straightforward to use (dining, streaming). 'Conditional' credits may require specific merchants or booking methods.Max: $150/yr · annual
Free night certificate worth up to 50,000 IHG points after account anniversary. Can top up with points for higher-tier properties.
Max: $100/yr · counted per year; paid quarterly
One Food & Beverage Reward voucher of up to $25 each calendar quarter at IHG hotels.
Max: $100/yr · annual
$100 statement credit after $250 on flights purchased directly with an airline in a calendar year, through 12/31/27.
Max: $30/yr · counted per year; renews every 4 years
Up to $120 every 4 years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS (~$30/yr effective).
Max: $50/yr · annual
$50/year in United TravelBank cash ($25 twice a year). Applied automatically after a one-time registration at ihg.com/united.
Max: $120/yr ($10/mo) · monthly
3-month complimentary Instacart+ trial plus $10/month Instacart credit. Also includes 1-year complimentary DashPass.
Max: $120/yr ($10/mo) · monthly
Up to $10 off monthly on DoorDash orders through Dec 31, 2027 per chase.com. Counted at $0: merchant-gated and needs a DoorDash order each month.
Adds this card to your current wallet and keeps your spending. Premium uses your edited credit values; Free uses conservative defaults. The optimizer may recommend a different wallet.
Catalog record last reviewed Oct 11, 2026; see the Corrections page for later changes. Issuer terms and available offers control and may change.
Next step
One card is a start. The modeled setup is the whole wallet.
The IHG One Rewards Premier might be useful on its own, but the modeled combination depends on your total spending. The optimizer searches eligible portfolios and clearly labels whether the result was proven optimal within that run's inputs or is the strongest valid setup found before timeout.
Comparisons featuring IHG One Rewards Premier
Guides that discuss IHG One Rewards Premier
- IHG One Rewards Premier Select: Is the New $350 Card Worth It?
- Best Credit Card Combination? What a Solver Picked for 252 Households
- IHG One Rewards Premier vs Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: A Travel Card Disguised as a Hotel Card
- The 2026 Annual Fee Wave: Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum, and What It Means for Your Setup