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The IHG Rewards Select card from Chase has been one of THE MOST lucrative cards you could possibly hold. The reason was the annual night certificate that could be used at ANY IHG in the world and just a $49 annual fee. That just changed. Come May 1st, according to a post on reddit, you’ll only be able to redeem your cert at properties that cost less than 40k points. This doesn’t really come as a big surprise, but I was holding on by tooth and nail that they’d grandfather it in. If you hadn’t read, there is a new IHG card coming out very soon, and IT will also include an annual night certificate.
The Old Days…
- Top tier hotels were 50k ( that less than a year a half ago )
- Now they’re 70k – that’s cray
The New Days – starting May 1
- Only hotels that are less than 40k a night
Question…will we be able to pay the difference? That would make the card much more valuable, albeit highly unlikely that’ll happen.
- For instance if a 70k a night hotel was avail…could you apply a free night and have 40k wipe off the total
- My guess is no, but don’t shoot me for dreaming.
SO is it still worth it?
If your cert is loaded into your account prior to May 1, then yea…keep that bad boy another year. If it’s not…you have some thinking to do.
- 40k points is still worth roughly $200 at 0.5 cents a point – well ahead of the $49 annual fee
- you still get 10% back on redemptions
- Platinum status, but what is that actually worth?
- It’s helped me out, maybe once, at a Crowne Plaza
I’m looking at taking a trip to Budapest later this year with the fam. That Intercontinental is just 35k a night. So this cert will still work there – and I’ll also continue to get 10% back ( unless they devalue that as well), so it’s still a good deal for me.
I haven’t gone through the full list of sub 40k hotels, but it’d be worth knowing where these are located, and if ultimately it’s worth it to you…I think there’s still value ( especially if you currently hold the card).
If the $49 card gives a 40k night, then what will the new $89 card give? One would expect a better redemption right? We will keep you updated
UPDATE: Here’s a link to the full list of hotels excluded from the 40k list
H/T Reddit and FrequentMiler
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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