IHG has added a top-tier option to its credit card lineup: the IHG One Rewards Premier Select, pitched squarely at travellers who stay with Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton or InterContinental properties often enough to care about status. The Points Guy rates it four stars, arguing the $350 annual fee is easy to justify if IHG is your hotel programme of choice.
The headline perks are generous for the category. Cardholders get automatic Platinum Elite status (the second-highest tier, with 60% bonus points on paid stays, upgrades when available and a welcome amenity), a free night certificate worth up to 60,000 points each account anniversary, and 20 elite night credits a year — enough on their own to unlock a Milestone Reward like a confirmable suite upgrade or 5,000 bonus points. There's also a fourth-night-free benefit on award bookings; the reviewer reports saving roughly 190,000 points on a stay at Six Senses Con Dao in Vietnam using it.
Beyond the hotel itself, the card spreads credits across everyday travel spending: up to $300 a year in quarterly $75 food-and-beverage vouchers at IHG properties, a $200 airline statement credit (after $250 in flight purchases, available through the end of 2027), $50 in United TravelBank cash split across the year, plus DashPass and Instacart memberships with $10 in monthly credits on each — up to $240 a year combined. A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit of up to $120 every four years rounds it out.
Earning rates are solid if unremarkable outside the brand: up to 28 points per dollar at IHG hotels once status bonuses are factored in, 6 points per dollar on dining and general travel, and 3 points elsewhere. Spending thresholds matter too — $25,000 in a year upgrades you to Diamond Elite, while $40,000 earns a second free night certificate.
The caveats are worth weighing. Points are locked into IHG's programme (with limited airline transfers), IHG uses dynamic pricing with no award chart — nights start around 10,000 points but can climb to a 120,000 cap — and several credits arrive monthly or quarterly, so you'll need multiple small transactions to extract full value. If you only stay at IHG hotels once or twice a year, a lower-fee card in the same family probably makes more sense.
For road warriors and frequent family travellers who default to an IHG property anyway, though, the maths is compelling: a free night plus the food-and-beverage vouchers alone can cover most of the fee before you touch the airline, delivery and status benefits. Review courtesy of The Points Guy.
