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Contents
The Offer
- Chase is sending out offers to existing Chase IHG Select cardholders offering to upgrade them to the new Chase IHG Premier card. If you upgrade you will receive 5,000 bonus points after you upgrade and make your first purchase by March 31st, 2019
Our Verdict
We’ve talked about why you shouldn’t upgrade before, but some things have changed including this card now falling under the 5/24 rule. Keep in mind rewards certificates issued before May 1st, 2019 will be unrestricted if you have the old card with the $49 annual fee. If you upgrade you’ll lose that unrestricted certificate. Because of that upgrading doesn’t really make any sense.
This table below helps compare the two cards:
| Select | Premier | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $49.00 | $89.00 |
| Free night certificate | Yes | Yes |
| Earning rate at IHG | 5x | 10x |
| Earning rate at gas stations, grocery stores & restaurants | 2x | 2x |
| Earning rate on all other purchases | 1x | 1x |
| Elite status | Platinum | Platinum |
| Free award night when you redeem points for any stay of 4 or more nights | No | Yes |
| 10% rebate on points booking | Yes | No |
| TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry | No | Yes |
| 20% discount on points purchases | No | Yes |
Hat tip to Traveling For Miles
It’s fourth night free in the form of a rebate right? So you still have to have enough points to book all four nights which sucks very much.
Not true. You only need 3 nights worth of points to get 4th night free. I have both cards and I get to stack the 10% rebate and 4th night together
Just tried it. That’s right
But disappointed. I thought it would be a significant more savings and the point redemption value would be higher. But tried it for the 20-25k properties in Seoul and Manila and best I would get with fourth night free is .66 redemption value. I’m better off using the points for just one or two nights at properties that cost more points and just pay 💰 since I don’t have that many points anyway.
Well i guess it depends on how you use the points… i like using them for 10-15k at big cities so i always find them valuable
People get so spiteful about changes that they make dumb decisions. Even at $49, that is a large discount on a 40,000 point room. The 10% points rebate is just another bonus, which also more than pays the $50 in itself for me.
I get these emails so often. They really, really want people to upgrade.
Might make sense to upgrade if 1) you have already used your final non-capped certificate and 2) you plan to make use of the 5th night free that comes with the new card.
Am I wrong?
You’re not wrong
Yes, you’re wrong 🙂 The 4th night is free. You only pay the first 3 nights with points.
10% points rebate on old card. I get at least $70-$90 in value out of that each year. You can stack with 4th night free if you have both.
Sorry, 4th night free. I stand corrected.
I still think there’s a solid case for upgrading, given your situation. Although for me, the card is now a burner.
I agree with Derek. I have both cards and you get to stack 10% and 4th night free. Really useful imo
IHG Plat status is basically worthless. Maybe it can be used to match to brands where status means something.
I’ve directed most of our stays away from their brands.
Yeah, not worth all that much, but on cash stays, the points multiplier is reasonable for IHG points, plus I’ve gotten free drink tickets, saves $8 at the bar. Not ever going out of my way to earn it but there can be some limited value, I have received “upgrades” to what are better rooms as Plat. Their large footprint leads to at least a handful of stays each year for me.
2016 I lucked into Spire because my 80,000 signup bonus counted as points earned so they started me at Spire when they introduced it. I used my annual free night at the Palazzo in Vegas. Got there the first night and they said “We’re actually out of the room you’ve booked, so we’ve upgraded you (pause) several tiers.” The upgrade was to a Lago suite. rack rate of like $5,000 a night. 1,943 square foot room with two bathrooms. Multiple TVs in the master bath. A freaking piano. The upgrade of a lifetime.
Depends on what you consider “worthful”, as Platinum Ambassador I get upgraded every stay. I find those upgrades very worthwhile.
Though yes, it is sad they don’t even offer the most basic breakfast for free like most top tier hotel chains offer.
TD
If your reward night has already posted and been used for the year, would it be worth it to upgrade? I’ve been debating on upgrading.
Essentially, Lower fee & 10% rebate vs 4th night free, higher earn & precheck.
Keep both. Signup for the new one and get 2 free niights. I have both and get the 4th night free + 10% rebate. Hopefully Chase won’t kill the old card.
Probably should’ve mentioned I’m well over 5/24 😂
Yup. Wife and I have both cards. 4 nights a year for under $300 in card fees.
The upgrade offer is a foul trap.