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IHG Rewards Credit Cards Guide
Even if you aren’t loyal to the IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) brand, you’re likely to be able to find a great way to use your welcome bonus at one of their hotel brands. IHG hotels include the family-friendly Holiday Inns, the boutique Kimpton and Indigo brands, the luxury InterContinental Hotels, and many more.
This post is a roundup of all the IHG credit cards so you can easily compare and contrast the options. We’ll show you a breakdown of all the benefits and annual fees to help you pick the card that’s right for you.
IHG Card Updates October 1, 2026
As it often goes, these updates bring both good and bad news! New credits have been added to the cards, but they aren’t always easy to use. The value of free night certificates has increased, but annual fees have gone up as well.
Here are some highlights on the changes, and all of the details are included below.
Brand New Premium Card
IHG launched a new premium card called the The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card. This new card has a $350 annual fee and includes the following benefits:
- Up to $300 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards (doled out $75 per quarter) to redeem at IHG properties
- A $200 airline statement credit when you spend $250 directly with an airline, one per calendar year through December 31, 2027
- Up to $50 United® TravelBank Cash (doled out $25, twice a year)
- Anniversary Free Night (point redemption cap of 60,000 points with the option to add existing IHG One Rewards points)
- Automatic Platinum Elite status
- 20 Elite Night Credits (ENC) each calendar year, immediately unlocking the first Milestone Reward upon account opening
- Cardmembers can also unlock benefits like elevated status, an additional Free Night, additional elite night credits, and bonus points by spending on the card.
What Else Has Changed
Additional benefits have been added, and some previous benefits have been changed on all of the IHG credit cards (some for the better and some for worse). Some cards have slightly different names.
More details on the specific changes are below.
Here’s the bad news:
- Annual fees are going up across the board (except on the no-annual-fee card, which is still $0)
- The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: from $99 to $150. This card also loses automatic Platinum Elite status (now will only get Gold)
- The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card: from $99 to $200
- If you have the old IHG Select card (no longer open for applications), the annual fee on that card is increasing from $49 to $99 in 2027
- The no-annual-fee The New IHG One Rewards Credit Card is losing its automatic 4th night free benefit. Cardholders won’t get access to this benefit until they spend $5,000 on the card in a year.
The good news for Premier and Business cards:
- Up to $100 in annual Food & Beverage Rewards to redeem at IHG properties has been added to Premier and Business cards…but it’s split into 4 quarterly credits, making it somewhat difficult to use.
- A $100 annual airline statement credit on flight purchases made directly with an airline has been added to the Premier and Business cards. This is triggered with a $250 purchase.
- The value of the free night certificates has increased from 40k points to 50k points, and you can still top it off
IHG Credit Cards
IHG offers four different credit cards, three personal cards and one business card:
Personal Cards:
- The New IHG One Rewards Credit Card
- The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
- The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card
Business Card:
- The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card
Key Differences Between the Cards
- Annual fee
- Whether you get a free night certificate and how much it’s worth
- How many points per dollar you can earn on different purchases
- What level of status you get automatically
- If you automatically get access to the 4th Night free benefit, or have to spend on the card first
- Extra perks like elite night credits, food and beverage credits, and TSA PreCheck credit
- Welcome offers
Annual Fees
Annual fees range from $0 up to $350.
Don’t let annual fees scare you away from taking a closer look at some of these cards. All of the IHG cards with an annual fee come with extra perks and benefits that can help offset the fees.
- The New IHG One Rewards Credit Card: No annual fee
- The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: $150 annual fee
- The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card: $350 annual fee
- The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card: $200 annual fee
Free Nights
Each of the cards that have an annual fee comes with an annual free night certificate.
For the The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card, the redemption value of the free night is up to 60,000 points.
The The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and the The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card both come with a free night certificate worth up to 50,000 points per night.
You can use additional points to “top off” any of these certificates if you want to stay somewhere that costs more points than your free night certificate covers.
You can easily redeem these certificates for a room that costs $200-$300+, meaning this one benefit can completely offset the annual fee for both the Premier card and the business card.
Fourth Night Free on Award Stays
The 4th night free is a really nice benefit that can lower the total cost for a hotel stay by quite a bit. When you book a standard room Reward Night for 4 or more nights, every 4th night is free.
If you have any of the IHG credit cards, you are eligible for this benefit. If your card has an annual fee, you get access to this benefit automatically. If you hold the no-annual-fee The New IHG One Rewards Credit Card, you must spend $5,000 on your card in a year before having access to this benefit.
This benefit only applies to stays booked fully with points. Note that this benefit does not average the cost per night, but applies to the 4th night. Because of this, you will get the most benefit if the 4th night is the most expensive night of your stay.
Extra Perks for Cards with Annual Fees
Credit for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck is included for all of the cards with an annual fee once every four years. You can use the credit for anyone, so if you already have PreCheck, you could use the credit for a friend or family member.
Receive up to $50 in United Airlines TravelBank Cash per year with the Premier and Premier Select cards. You must register for the benefit here. This benefit is doled out twice a year and useful if you regularly fly United Airlines.
Food & Beverage Rewards to redeem at IHG properties. These are broken into four credits, one per quarter. You’ll have to have 4 IHG stays per year to use them easily. The amount you get varies per card.
Annual airline statement credit when you purchase a flight directly with an airline. Amount varies per card. Terms state this is valid once per calendar year and only through December 31, 2027. That still means cardholders can get this 2x if they open a card in fall 2026 (Once in 2026 and once in 2027).
Elite Status
All of the IHG credit cards come with automatic status with the IHG One Rewards loyalty program.
The no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Card gets Silver Elite status. This is the lowest elite tier of the IHG One Rewards loyalty program.
The Premier comes with Gold Elite status.
The Premier Select and Business both come with Platinum Elite Status. This is the second-highest level of status with IHG and comes with some really nice perks such as:
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- Early check-in, subject to availability
- 2 pm checkout, subject to availability
- Complimentary room upgrades, subject to availability
- Welcome amenity at check-in. This could be things like free drinks, snacks, or extra points
- Priority check-in
Elite Night Credits
All of the IHG cards come with free Elite Night Credits to help you reach elite status faster. These also count towards Milestone Rewards.
- IHG One Rewards: 5 Elite Night Credits
- Premier: 15 Elite Night Credits
- Premier Select: 20 Elite Night Credits: You automatically reach the first Milestone Rewards with 20 nights and can immediately pick a Confirmable Suite Upgrade as a perk (though this can only be confirmed 14 days in advance).
- Business: 15 Elite Night Credits
Elite Night Credits don’t stack even if you hold multiple cards. You can get a maximum of 20 Elite Night Credits (by holding the Premier Select card).
Card Similarities
All cards offer:
2 Elite Night Credits for Every $5,000 Spent: This applies to any IHG credit card with an annual fee. It can take 6-8 weeks for the nights to post to your account.
Save 30% on Points Purchases: All IHG cardholders can save 30% when purchasing IHG points directly from IHG.
Standard benefits for all four IHG cards include:
- Trip cancellation/interruption coverage
- Extended warranty protection
- Purchase protection
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Lost and delayed baggage reimbursement (except on the business card)
Personal Credit Cards
The New IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Important: starting in 2027 You only get the 4th night free benefit after spending $5,000 on the card in a calendar year
Katie's Take
Why this card might (or might not) be right for you.
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Katie's Take
Why this card might (or might not) be right for you.
Decent option for a no annual fee card but not many benefits beyond the welcome offer.
Highlights
The key benefits and earning rates at a glance.
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Highlights
The key benefits and earning rates at a glance.
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4th Reward Night Free on Stays of 4+ Nights When you redeem points for any consecutive stay of 4 or more nights at an IHG hotel, the 4th reward night is free. Starting in 2027, requires $5,000 in purchases each calendar year; the benefit lasts the rest of that year and the following year.
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Automatic IHG Silver Elite Status Automatic IHG One Rewards Silver Elite status as long as you remain an IHG One Rewards cardmember.
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5 Automatic Elite Night Credits each year 5 Elite Night Credits (“ENC”) in your IHG One Rewards account within 6-8 weeks upon opening your IHG One Rewards Credit Card from Chase®. After that, the 5 ENCs will be deposited into your IHG One Rewards account by February 1 each calendar year.
Offer History
See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.
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Offer History
See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.
| Offer | Spend Req. | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 80,000 Bonus Points | $2,000 in 3 months | Standard |
| Up to 125,000 Bonus Points (90K + 35K)Elevated | $2,000 in 3 months, then $4,000 total in 6 months | Ended Summer 2026 |
| 2 Free Nights + 40,000 Bonus PointsElevated | $2,000 in 3 months | Ended October 2025 |
| 120,000 Bonus PointsElevated | Standard spend req | Ended July 2025 |
The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Katie's Take
Why this card might (or might not) be right for you.
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Katie's Take
Why this card might (or might not) be right for you.
I like the annual free night certificate on this one and 4th night free when you book with points.
Highlights
The key benefits and earning rates at a glance.
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Highlights
The key benefits and earning rates at a glance.
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Anniversary Free Night (up to 50,000 Points) Each cardmember anniversary, after paying the annual fee, you receive a free night certificate worth up to 50,000 IHG points. You can top off the certificate with extra points to redeem at hotels charging more than 50,000 points.
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4th Reward Night Free on Consecutive 4-Night IHG Stays Enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
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Automatic IHG Gold Elite Status Automatic IHG One Rewards Gold Elite status as long as you remain a Premier cardmember.
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Up to $100 in Annual IHG Food & Beverage Rewards One Food & Beverage Reward voucher of up to $25 each calendar quarter (January - March; April - June; July - September; October - December) to be redeemed for credit against eligible food and beverage on your room bill at participating IHG Hotels & Resorts
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$100 Annual Statement Credit on flights booked with the airline through 12/31/27 A statement credit of $100 per calendar year when you make a purchase of at least $250 with your IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card on flight tickets booked directly with the airline through 12/31/27.
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15 Automatic Elite Night Credits each year 15 Elite Night Credits (“ENC”) in your IHG One Rewards account within 6-8 weeks upon opening your IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card from Chase®. After that, the 15 ENCs will be deposited into your IHG One Rewards account by February 1 each calendar year.
Offer History
See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.
Show
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Offer History
See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.
| Offer | Spend Req. | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 185,000 Bonus Points (150K + 35K)Elevated | $3,000 in 3 months, then $6,000 total in 6 months | Ended June 25, 2026 |
| 140,000 Bonus Points | $3,000 in 3 months | Standard offer |
| 175,000 Bonus PointsElevated | $5,000 in 3 months | Ended March 18, 2026 |
| 165,000 Bonus PointsElevated | — | Ended October 2025 |
| 5 Free Nights (up to 60K per night)Elevated | — | Ended July 24, 2025 |
| 5 Free Nights (up to 60K per night)Elevated | — | Ended September 2024 |
| 165,000 Bonus PointsElevated | — | Ended April 3, 2024 |
| 175,000 Bonus PointsElevated | — | Ended Spring 2023 |
Calculate Your Benefits
The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card Benefit Calculator
Calculate
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The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card Benefit Calculator
The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card Benefits Calculator
Enter your personal estimated annual value for each benefit to see a customized calculation of the card's worth.
Your Total Annual Value
Annual Fee: $150
Your Net Value / Cost
The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card
Katie's Take
Why this card might (or might not) be right for you.
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Katie's Take
Why this card might (or might not) be right for you.
Best for IHG loyalists or someone with at least 2 IHG stays coming up in the next year.
Highlights
The key benefits and earning rates at a glance.
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Highlights
The key benefits and earning rates at a glance.
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Anniversary Free Night (up to 60,000 Points) Each cardmember anniversary, after paying the annual fee, you receive a free night certificate worth up to 60,000 IHG points. You can top off the certificate with extra points to redeem at hotels charging more than 60,000 points.
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4th Reward Night Free on Consecutive 4-Night IHG Stays Enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
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Automatic IHG Platinum Elite Status Automatic IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier Select cardmember.
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$200 Annual Statement Credit on flights booked with the airline through 12/31/27 A statement credit of $200 per calendar year when you make a purchase of at least $250 with your IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card on flight tickets booked directly with the airline through 12/31/27.
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Up to $300 in Annual IHG Food & Beverage Rewards One Food & Beverage Reward voucher of up to $75 each calendar quarter (January - March; April - June; July - September; October - December) to be redeemed for credit against eligible food and beverage on your room bill at participating IHG Hotels & Resorts
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20 Automatic Elite Night Credits each year 20 Elite Night Credits (“ENC”) in your IHG One Rewards account within 6-8 weeks upon opening your IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card from Chase®. After that, the 20 ENCs will be deposited into your IHG One Rewards account by February 1 each calendar year. Enough to automatically give you the first Milestone Reward which can include a Confirmable Suite Upgrade.
Offer History
See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.
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Offer History
See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.
| Offer | Spend Req. | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 200,000 Points | $5,000 in 3 months | Launch offer: Oct 2026 |
Calculate Your Benefits
The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card Benefit Calculator
Calculate
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The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card Benefit Calculator
The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card Benefits Calculator
Enter your personal estimated annual value for each benefit to see a customized calculation of the card's worth.
Your Total Annual Value
Annual Fee: $350
Your Net Value / Cost
The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card
Business credit cards are a useful part of an overall credit card strategy. You don’t need to have a large business or an LLC to get a business credit card.
To learn more about business cards and how to apply, check out our post on business credit cards.
Katie's Take
Why this card might (or might not) be right for you.
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Katie's Take
Why this card might (or might not) be right for you.
Some solid benefits but a higher annual fee than most other hotel cards.
Highlights
The key benefits and earning rates at a glance.
Show
Hide
Highlights
The key benefits and earning rates at a glance.
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Anniversary Free Night (up to 50,000 Points) Each cardmember anniversary, after paying the annual fee, you receive a free night certificate worth up to 50,000 IHG points. You can top off the certificate with extra points to redeem at hotels charging more than 50,000 points.
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4th Reward Night Free on Consecutive 4-Night IHG Stays Enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
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Automatic IHG Platinum Elite Status Automatic IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Business cardmember.
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Up to $100 in Annual IHG Food & Beverage Rewards One Food & Beverage Reward voucher of up to $25 each calendar quarter (January - March; April - June; July - September; October - December) to be redeemed for credit against eligible food and beverage on your room bill at participating IHG Hotels & Resorts
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$100 Annual Statement Credit on flights booked with the airline through 12/31/27 A statement credit of $100 per calendar year when you make a purchase of at least $250 with your IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card on flight tickets booked directly with the airline through 12/31/27.
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15 Automatic Elite Night Credits each year 15 Elite Night Credits (“ENC”) in your IHG One Rewards account within 6-8 weeks upon opening your IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card from Chase®. After that, the 15 ENCs will be deposited into your IHG One Rewards account by February 1 each calendar year.
Offer History
See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.
Show
Hide
Offer History
See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.
| Offer | Spend Req. | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 140,000 Bonus Points | $4,000 in 3 months | Standard |
| Up to 200,000 Bonus Points (140K + 60K)Elevated | $4,000 in 3 months, then $9,000 total in 6 months | Ended April 30, 2026 |
| Up to 200,000 Bonus PointsElevated | $9,000 total spend | Ended October 2025 |
| Up to 200,000 Bonus PointsElevated | $9,000 total spend | Ended May 2025 |
| 175,000 Bonus PointsElevated | — | Ended May 16, 2024 |
| 165,000 Bonus PointsElevated | — | Ended June 2023 |
Calculate Your Benefits
The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card Benefit Calculator
Calculate
Hide
The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card Benefit Calculator
The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card Benefits Calculator
Enter your personal estimated annual value for each benefit to see a customized calculation of the card's worth.
Your Total Annual Value
Annual Fee: $200
Your Net Value / Cost
Tables Comparing the IHG Rewards Cards
Earning Rates
Points earned per dollar spent on purchases.
IHG Rewards Cards Eligibility
The 5/24 Rule
Chase has something that the points and miles world likes to call the “5/24 rule”. What this means is that if you have opened 5 cards in the last 24 months (from any issuer), Chase likely won’t approve you for any of their credit cards, including the IHG cards.
Most business cards don’t count towards that 5 (though there are some exceptions). Being added as an authorized user to a personal card does count.
The 3/24 Rule
Chase recently made a change where it is very hard to get approved for a business card as a sole proprietor if you are at 3/24 or above. That means if you have opened more than 2 personal credit cards in the last 24 months you most likely will not be approved for the IHG Business card if you are applying as a sole proprietor.
We have a full write up on the 3/24 rule that gives more information.
The 24 Months Rule
Personal Cards: You can earn a bonus on an IHG Rewards personal card once every 24 months. If it’s been less than 24 months since you earned a bonus on any IHG Rewards personal card, you won’t be eligible to earn a bonus on another IHG personal card. Even if it’s a different card than you held previously.
The Premier Select Card is exempt from this rule. If you’ve earned a bonus on an IHG personal card in the last 24 months, you are still eligible to earn a bonus on the Premier Select card.
The 24 months is calculated from when you earned the bonus, not when you signed up for the card. If you’re not sure when you last earned a bonus on an IHG personal card, you can call Chase and ask. They’ll be able to tell you over the phone.
Business cards: You’re eligible to receive a welcome offer on a business card as long as you haven’t earned the bonus for that particular card in the last 24 months. It’s okay if you’ve earned a bonus on an IHG personal card within that 24 month window.
It’s unclear if earning a bonus on a previous business card from IHG in the last 24 months would prevent you from earning a bonus on the refreshed business card.
Holding Multiple IHG Rewards Cards
If you already have an IHG personal card, you can open the Premier Select Card but you cannot open any other IHG personal card.
According to the terms, you’re ineligible to open the Premier Select if you currently hold the card or have received a new cardmember bonus for that card in the last 24 months.
Here’s what the terms say: This credit card is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.
This is different than the terms that appear on the other two personal cards, which state the credit card is not available for current cardmembers of any personal IHG One Rewards card:
Here are the terms from IHG: This credit card is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any personal IHG One Rewards Credit Card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any personal IHG One Rewards Credit Card who received a new cardmember bonus for any personal IHG One Rewards Credit Card within the last 24 months.
Translation: If you hold the IHG One Rewards card or the Premier card, you can open the Premier Select card, but you cannot open any other personal IHG cards.
If you hold the Premier Select card, you cannot open any additional IHG personal cards.
Business and Personal Cards:
You can hold the business card and a personal card at the same time.
Where to use your IHG One Rewards Points
IHG has a large footprint and it’s useful to have a stash of IHG points for lots of kinds of trips. IHG has a large number of hotels in Europe that sleep 4 (which is rare!). You can also check out my map of Holiday Inn Vacation Clubs — they have villas with kitchens and some sleep 6.
We often use IHG points everywhere from Holiday Inn Express, avid, or Staybridge Suites on road trips. And for an upgraded stay, we love the Kimpton brand.
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thanks for the great article! If you have both the personal and the business cards, do you get two sets of the United Travelbank $50 credits?
Yes, each card comes with it’s own credit! If you have both cards, you can use the credit with each card.
If I currently have an IHG Premier Card, which is going from $99 to $150, can I apply for the IHG Premier Select and then downgrade my IHG Premier Card to a IHG One Rewards card so I’m not paying two annual fees?