Chase Rebuilds the IHG Card Lineup, and Premier Loses Automatic Platinum

What Happened

Chase and IHG Hotels & Resorts announced a rebuilt IHG One Rewards credit card portfolio on October 1, 2026. The announcement adds a fourth card at the top of the lineup and changes earning, status, elite night credits and anniversary nights on the three existing cards. The launch offers are still open, and the October notice to existing cardholders is still going out.

The new card is the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card. It costs $350 a year. It carries automatic Platinum Elite status, 20 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, an anniversary free night capped at 60,000 points, up to $300 a year in Food & Beverage Rewards at IHG hotels, a $200 annual airline statement credit and up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash.

The existing Premier card now lists at $150 a year, and its automatic status is Gold Elite, updated from Platinum in the release wording. It gains 15 Elite Night Credits a year, an anniversary night cap raised to 50,000 points, up to $100 a year in Food & Beverage Rewards and a $100 annual airline statement credit.

The no-fee Traveler card is renamed the IHG One Rewards Credit Card. It keeps automatic Silver Elite, adds 5 Elite Night Credits a year, and adds grocery stores to its 3X categories. Its fourth reward night free benefit now requires $5,000 in spending, according to the release. Other reporting on the refresh adds that this spending condition starts in 2027 for that card. The release does not give that timing, so treat it as unconfirmed until Chase confirms it in cardholder notices.

The Premier Business card is renamed the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card and lists at $200 a year. It keeps automatic Platinum Elite, adds 15 Elite Night Credits a year, an anniversary night cap of 50,000 points, up to $100 a year in Food & Beverage Rewards, a $100 annual airline statement credit and a $100 annual statement credit toward Expensify.

Existing cardholders are not moved on the announcement date. Chase and IHG said existing cardmembers will be notified in October with the new and enhanced benefits that apply to them and the effective date for each update, and that annual fees will be adjusted in 2027. The release does not give the 2027 fee amounts for existing holders.

Key Facts and Dates

• Announcement date: October 1, 2026, 8:00 a.m. EDT, from Chase and IHG.
• Earning, Premier Select: up to 28X total points on IHG stays, 6X on dining and on other travel including rideshare, 3X on other purchases.
• Earning, Premier: up to 24X on IHG stays, 5X on directly booked flights and car rental agencies plus dining, gas stations and grocery stores, 3X on other purchases.
• Earning, Business: up to 26X on IHG stays, 5X on directly booked flights and car rental agencies plus dining, gas stations and select advertising, 3X on other purchases.
• Earning, no-fee card: up to 17X on IHG stays, 3X on dining, gas stations and grocery stores, 2X on other purchases.
• Fourth reward night free applies on a points redemption for a consecutive four-night IHG stay. On the no-fee card it requires $5,000 in spending, per the release.
• Anniversary nights can be topped up with the member's own points for a hotel priced above the cap.
• IHG scale stated in the release: more than 7,000 properties and 21 brands.

Launch welcome offers, all for spending in the first three months from account opening, running through November 18, 2026:

What It Means for Members

Premier Select applicants and heavy IHG guests: this is the only personal card in the new lineup with automatic Platinum Elite. The 20 Elite Night Credits also reach the first Milestone Reward threshold at account opening, per the release. The value case depends on using the $300 in Food & Beverage Rewards and the $200 airline credit. Without those credits, $350 buys status and a 60,000-point anniversary night.

Current Premier cardholders: the headline change is negative on status and positive on credits. Automatic status in the new listing is Gold, not Platinum, and Platinum in the new Premier structure requires spending, per other reporting that puts the amount at $15,000 in a calendar year. The release does not state that amount, so confirm it in the October notice before planning around it. What the release does confirm for existing holders is process, not dates: an October notice, a stated effective date for each update, and fees adjusted in 2027.

No-fee cardholders: the card adds 5 Elite Night Credits and a grocery category at no annual fee. The cost is the new spending condition on the fourth reward night free benefit, which is the benefit many holders keep this card for.

Business cardholders: the listed fee doubles, from the old $99 to the $200 in the release. In return the card adds Elite Night Credits, dining and travel credits, and a higher anniversary night cap, while keeping automatic Platinum.

Members who hold no IHG card: the choice is now clearer and more expensive at the top. Platinum without stays costs $350 on Premier Select, or $200 on the business card for those who qualify for a business product. Gold costs $150 on Premier.

What to Do Now

1. Existing cardholders: read the October notice when it arrives and note the effective date for each benefit change and the 2027 fee for the specific account. Do not assume the new-applicant listing is the account's current terms.
2. Anyone considering a launch offer: the offers run through November 18. Compare the bonus against the spend required in three months, not against the headline point total alone.
3. Premier holders who rely on automatic Platinum: check the notice for how and when that status changes, and price Premier Select or the business card against earning Platinum from stays.
4. No-fee cardholders who use the fourth night free: confirm the $5,000 spending condition and its start date for the account before booking a four-night award stay in 2027.

What Is Not Known Yet

• The exact 2027 annual fees for existing cardholders. The release says fees will be adjusted in 2027 and gives no amounts for existing accounts.
• The per-benefit effective dates for existing cardholders. Those are promised in the October notice, card by card.
• The spending amount that earns Platinum on the refreshed Premier card. Other reporting says $15,000 in a calendar year. The release does not state an amount.
• The start date of the $5,000 spending condition for the no-fee card's fourth night free. Other reporting says 2027. The release states the condition without a start date.
• Whether the $50 United TravelBank Cash on Premier Select and Premier is annual. The release lists the amount without an annual qualifier.

Loyalist Take

IHG is trying to funnel as many people to their new top line card as possible by moving perks from their prior reasonably priced mid-tier card to the next level. Premier (mid-tier) can offer decent value, just for the free night alone, but requires active management to stay on top of the credits. The Premier select (top tier) can be good for guests who stay primarily at IHG, eat at IHG hotels and use the airline credit every year, which they probably will if they stay at hotels that often. The elite night credits can also help reach milestone rewards that confer real value as well.

I'm personally going to stay with the premier card since I don't see myself staying too many nights at IHG properties in the near future, but the Premier select card is a worthy option for IHG loyalists.

Sources

Primary source:

• Chase and IHG Hotels & Resorts, joint press release via BusinessWire, October 1, 2026, 8:00 a.m. EDT. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261001766887/en/

Image Credits

• Hero image: InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam (Amstel Hotel) as seen from Hoge Sluis, Amsterdam, August 31, 2016. Photographer: C messier. Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amstel_Hotel_2034.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
• Supporting image: Junior suite in the InterContinental Hotel Berlin, November 23, 2024. Photographer: Matti Blume (MB-one). Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interconti,_Berlin_(P1031446).jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0