Card economics
IHG One Rewards Premier Select
The optimizer counts only the 12x points this card itself earns at participating IHG hotels. The 10x IHG pays members and the extra 6x for Platinum Elite status post to your IHG One Rewards account, not the card, so Chase's 'up to 28X' headline is higher than the modeled rate. The airline, DashPass, DoorDash and Instacart benefits are listed by Chase only through 12/31/2027.
Annual fee
$350/yr
Foreign transaction fee
None
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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 | 12x |
| Flights outside issuer portals | 6x |
| Hotels outside issuer portals | 6x |
| Other travel outside issuer portals | 6x |
| Travel - Car Rentals / Agencies / Cruises | 6x |
| Transit | 6x |
| Travel - Vacation Homes | 6x |
| Dining | 6x |
| 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 Platinum Elite status while the card is open and your IHG One Rewards account is in good standing; Diamond Elite for the rest of the year and the next after $25,000 spent in a calendar year. Also 20 Elite Night Credits at account opening and each year, 2 more per $5,000 spent, 5 more and 20,000 bonus points after $15,000 spent in a calendar year.
Issuer sourceFree night after spend
An additional Free Night (redemption value of 60,000 points or less) after $40,000 spent in a calendar year (the anniversary night is modeled as a credit).
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
$350/yr
Credits
-$230
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.
$120
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
Anniversary Free Night issued each year after your account anniversary, valid at IHG hotels with a redemption value of 60,000 points or less (one standard room night plus tax). You can add points from your IHG One Rewards account to use it at pricier hotels. It must be redeemed, and the stay completed, within 12 months of issue.
Max: $300/yr · counted per year; paid quarterly
One voucher of up to $75 each calendar quarter ($300 a year) toward food and beverage on your room bill at participating IHG hotels. Each voucher expires at the end of its quarter, has no cash value and forfeits any unused balance. Counted at $0: it needs an IHG stay.
Max: $200/yr · annual
$200 statement credit each calendar year after a purchase of at least $250 on flight tickets booked directly with the airline, through 12/31/27.
Max: $30/yr · counted per year; renews every 4 years
Up to $120 every 4 years for the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee charged to the card (~$30/yr effective). Applications through third-party services are not eligible.
Max: $50/yr · annual
$25 of United TravelBank cash in January and $25 in July ($50 a year), after a one-time registration at ihg.com/united through your IHG One Rewards account and a United MileagePlus account. Each deposit expires on the next July 15 or January 15.
Max: $120/yr ($10/mo) · monthly
$10 Instacart credit each month (up to $120 a year) on one purchase of $10 or more, which needs an active Instacart+ membership; benefits end 12/31/27. Includes 3 months of complimentary Instacart+, which then renews at $99/yr unless cancelled.
Max: $120/yr ($10/mo) · monthly
One year of complimentary DashPass (activate by 12/31/27; it then renews at the monthly rate), plus $10 off one non-restaurant DoorDash order each month through 12/31/27 for members who enroll on or after 9/1/26. 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 Select 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.