Chase and IHG currently have four co-branded cards open to new applicants — the no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Credit Card, the $150-fee Premier Card, the $350-fee Premier Select Card, and the $200-fee Business Card — each with a limited-time welcome offer running through November 18, 2026. The bonuses range from 125,000 points (after $2,000 spend in three months) on the basic card up to 200,000 points (after $5,000 spend) on the Premier Select, with 180,000 on the Premier and 190,000 on the Business card in between. That's enough for a solid stretch of hotel nights, which is why the fine print on who qualifies matters.
Here's the wrinkle: the two cheaper personal cards share one set of eligibility rules, and they're strict. You can't earn the welcome bonus on the no-fee card or the Premier Card if you currently hold any personal IHG card, or if you've earned a new cardmember bonus on one in the past 24 months. Applying for one effectively locks you out of the other.
The $350 Premier Select plays by different rules. Its bonus is only blocked if you already have that exact card or earned its bonus in the past 24 months. So the smart sequencing for anyone eyeing two personal cards is to start with the no-fee or Premier card, then pick up the Premier Select later — the reverse order doesn't work, since holding the Select (or any personal IHG card) disqualifies you from the cheaper two.
The Business Card is the wildcard: its eligibility is entirely independent of the personal cards. You can earn its 190,000-point bonus no matter which personal IHG card you hold, as long as you're otherwise eligible for Chase products.
Beyond IHG's own rules, Chase's general application restrictions still apply. The 5/24 rule — typically denying applicants who've opened five or more card accounts in 24 months — is still officially in play, though reports suggest it's enforced less consistently these days. You can usually only be approved for two Chase cards in any 30-day period, and the bank also caps total credit extended to you rather than the number of cards you hold.
On credit scores, there's no hard cutoff. A score of 700-plus is a reasonable floor, and 740 or higher is the comfortable zone, but approvals and denials happen on both sides of those numbers depending on income, credit history, and how much credit Chase has already given you. Anecdotally, the IHG cards are among the easier co-branded Chase cards to get approved for.
If you're plotting multiple applications: business card first (it doesn't count toward 5/24), then the cheaper personal card, then the Premier Select. For travellers who like free hotel nights more than they like reading terms and conditions, that ordering is the whole game.
