If you've got even an occasional IHG stay on the horizon — Holiday Inn counts, as does InterContinental — there's a fresh reason to look at the brand's credit cards. Chase and IHG have just reworked their whole cobranded lineup, adding a new flagship card and setting unusually strong welcome bonuses on all four cards in the family. Every one of them expires on November 18, so there's a real deadline here.
The headline act is the new IHG One Rewards Premier Select, the top-tier card aimed at IHG loyalists. It's offering 200,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months, which The Points Guy values at around $1,200. The $350 annual fee stings less when you factor in what comes with it: a free anniversary night worth up to 60,000 points, automatic Platinum Elite status, 20 elite night credits a year, up to $75 per quarter back on food and drink at IHG hotels, and earning rates of up to 28 points per dollar spent with the brand. Since this is the card's first-ever bonus, there's no track record — but issuers usually lead with their best offer at launch.
Step down a tier and the IHG One Rewards Premier ($150 fee) comes with 180,000 points for $3,000 of spend, a 50,000-point anniversary night, Gold Elite status and $25 in quarterly dining credits. For lighter travellers, the no-fee IHG One Rewards card gives 125,000 points for just $2,000 of spend — close to its best-ever offer — plus Silver Elite status and the card's famous fourth-night-free perk once you spend $5,000 in a year.
Business owners get their own option. The IHG One Rewards Business card offers 190,000 points for $5,000 of spend with a $200 fee, and adds up to $100 a year in Expensify statement credits, Platinum Elite status and a free anniversary night worth up to 50,000 points.
Before you apply, though, know the fine print. All these cards fall under Chase's 5/24 rule — if you've opened five or more personal credit cards across any banks in the past 24 months, you're likely out of luck. Bonus eligibility is also restricted: you can't grab a personal-card bonus if you already hold one, or have taken a new cardholder bonus on any personal IHG card in the last 24 months. You can, however, hold multiple IHG cards at once.
Why does this matter for a holiday? Two hundred thousand IHG points can cover a meaningful stretch of hotel nights — think city breaks, road-trip stopovers or a long weekend where accommodation becomes almost free. If your travel plans already lean toward IHG brands, matching the right card to how often you actually stay is the key: the no-fee card for once-a-year guests, the Premier Select for anyone checking in every few weeks.
