I hold several hotel credit cards that offer a free night certificate every year after paying the annual fee. Recently, I did a full review of my cards with annual fees, aiming to cut about 25% of them.
Among the ones I considered canceling: our IHG cards. Between my wife Sharon and I, we have four IHG credit cards—two IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Cards and two IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Cards. That gives us four free night certificates each year.
Here’s the key difference between the two:
- The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card free night certificate can be topped off with points to book hotels that cost more than 40,000 points per night.
- The IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card, on the other hand, does not allow that—you can only redeem it at hotels that cost 40,000 points or fewer per night.
Note: The IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card is no longer available to new applicants. Only those who got the card before it was discontinued can continue using its benefits, including the $49 annual fee and free night certificate.
Finding good redemptions under that 40,000-point cap has become more difficult, and I seriously considered canceling the Select cards—even with their low annual fee.
But I’m glad I didn’t.
A $249 Room for $49? Yes, Please.
We recently needed a hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) before an early morning flight. I grew up just 15 minutes from the airport, so I know the area well—and let’s be honest, most of the hotels nearby are budget brands with few standout options.
To my surprise, the Holiday Inn Express directly across from the airport was charging $249 for the night.
Fortunately, I found award availability for under 40,000 points, which meant I could use one of my IHG Select free night certificates. That turned a $249 hotel stay into a $49 win, thanks to a card I was thinking about canceling.
Final Thoughts
This wasn’t a bucket-list redemption at a luxury resort, but it was exactly what we needed—a clean, comfortable hotel across from the airport for a quick overnight stay.
And that’s where these kinds of hotel credit cards shine. The IHG Rewards Club Select may not get you into a five-star resort, but when you need a place to crash near the airport or off the highway, it’s a great tool to have—and easily worth the $49 fee.
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2 comments
Totally agree. Like you I have several cards that come with a free night and airport hotels is almost always where I spend them. It gives me flexibility when flying to meet friends. If it’s a lot cheaper to fly in the night before, I don’t have to worry about covering the cost of a room.
The Select card also gets you a 10% rebate of points for any reward nights you redeem, up to 100k/year. If you get 10k back, that alone covers the AF. Combined with the free night, it’s absolutely worth keeping the card. (Unless they drastically change the benefits.)