Have you heard of the IHG Rewards Club Select credit card? It’s a bit of a relic—but in the best way possible. Chase discontinued the card in 2018, replacing it with the IHG One Rewards Premier credit card. Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if you or someone you know still holds onto the Select card. It’s like a time capsule, preserving the perks and benefits of a bygone era.
Perks and Benefits of the IHG Select Card
For starters, the card still has the same $49 annual fee that it did when it was replaced. For that, you receive the following benefits.
- Automatic Platinum Elite Status
- 10% rebate on IHG® Rewards Club point redemptions
- Anniversary Free Night
That’s an amazing set of benefits for just $49. The 10% rebate applies to all redemptions, regardless of how long you stay. Additionally, it can be combined with the 4th-night free benefit from the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. Although the anniversary-free night is limited to rooms costing 40,000 points or less, this mainly excludes top-tier hotels and popular weekend stays.
Chase has not expressed any intention of discontinuing the Select card, but I’ve been wondering if it’s worthwhile to keep it. That’s because it’s becoming more challenging to use the 40,000-point free night award each year.
Recent Stays: Maximizing the Card’s Value
I’ve always been able to find somewhere to use them, but it hasn’t been easy. Here are some of the places we’ve stayed:
- Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport
- Staybridge Suites Plano – Legacy West
- Holiday Inn Express Walnut Creek
- Holiday Inn NYC – Lower East Side
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations – Cape Canaveral Beach Resort
- Hotel Indigo Asheville Downtown
As I glance over the list, I marvel at how we stayed at so many different hotels using a card that costs only $49. None of the hotels on this list were priced below $150 per night, including taxes, so it’s safe to say that the card is still a pretty good deal.
2024 Reflection: A Changing Travel Landscape
Looking back at our hotel stays in 2024, we didn’t use either of our free nights from the IHG Select card. This was partly because we traveled significantly less this year, and partly because, when we did travel, I couldn’t find a hotel costing less than 40,000 points. While it might seem like I lost out on $50 for each card this year, that’s not entirely the case.
The free night isn’t the only valuable benefit of the card. For our stay at the InterContinental Miami, before a cruise, I used 98,000 points and received 9,800 points back from the 10% rebate. At half a cent each, that’s a $49 value—exactly the same as the card’s annual fee.
Conclusion: Keeping It, But on Probation
In summary, I’m keeping my IHG Select card on probation for now. The thrill of hunting for reasonably priced rooms to use the free night is still appealing, but the card’s long-term value will depend on our future travel patterns. If we find ourselves staying less frequently at locations where hotels fall under the 40,000-point threshold, it may be time to part ways with this card and retire it for good.
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