Chase, IHG Add $350-Annual-Fee Card and Overhaul Their 2 Existing Ones

• The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, which is hiking its annual fee to $150 from $99, but also adding and updating multiple benefits.
• The IHG One Rewards Credit Card. Previously known as the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, this card is also updating some features, while maintaining its $0 annual fee.

Additional card benefits include:

• $300 food and beverage credit. Receive up to $300 in rewards per year, distributed as $75 each quarter, that can be used on your room bill at participating IHG hotels.
• $200 airline statement credit. Get $200 in airline credit per year, which can be used toward flight purchases. You must make a flight purchase of more than $250 directly with an airline to receive this credit.
• Anniversary free night. Cardholders get a free night at an IHG property after their account anniversary year (up to a 60,000-point value with the option to add existing IHG One Rewards points). 
• Platinum Elite status. Receive automatic Platinum Elite status, which gives you 60% bonus earnings on top of the base points you earn through your IHG Rewards Club membership; room upgrades and early check-in/late checkout based on availability, among other benefits. 
• Free fourth reward night. Get the fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive stay of four nights or more. Terms apply.
• Path to Milestone Rewards. Cardholders automatically receive 20 Elite Night Credits when they open a card, plus 20 each calendar year. You’ll also get 2 credits for every $5,000 you spend with the card. Typically, through IHG’s milestone bonuses program, for every 10 qualifying nights you stay at a property (starting at 20 nights), you'll get to choose from one of the available milestone rewards.
• $50 United TravelBank Cash. Get up to $50 United Airlines TravelBank Cash each calendar year; registration required.
• Terms apply. 

New benefits

• $100 food and beverage credit. Receive up to $100 in rewards per year, distributed as $25 each quarter, that can be used on your room bill at participating IHG hotels.
• $100 airline statement credit. Get $100 in airline credit per year which can be used toward flight purchases. You must make a flight purchase of more than $250 directly with an airline to receive this credit. 
• Path to Milestone Rewards. Receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, plus 2 additional credits for every $5,000 you spend with the card. 

Updated benefits

• Increased anniversary free night cap. Cardholders now have a redemption maximum of 50,000 points for their anniversary free night, a 10,000-point increase from the previous cap. They can also add existing IHG points. 
• Demotion in automatic Elite status. Cardholders will no longer get automatic Platinum Elite status, IHG’s third Elite tier. Instead, they’ll receive automatic Gold Elite status — the second Elite tier — which gives you 40% bonus earnings and other benefits like free Wi-Fi auto connect and late checkout. (You can reach Platinum Elite status after spending $15,000 in a year and Diamond Elite after spending $40,000 in a year.)
• Lower total possible points on IHG stays. Due to lower automatic Elite status than previously offered, cardholders can now only earn up to 24 points total per dollar spent on stays at IHG properties. (Previously cardholders could earn up to 26 points per dollar.)
• Updated rewards category. Earn 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly and on car rental agencies, dining, gas stations and grocery stores. This rewards rate did not previously include grocery stores. 
• Lower spending requirement for bonus points. Earn Platinum Elite status, 15,000 bonus points and 5 Elite Night credits when you spend $15,000 on the card each year. (Previously, you could earn an additional 10,000 bonus points plus a $100 statement credit each account anniversary year that you spent at least $20,000 and made at least one additional purchase at least one day after you reached the $20,000 threshold.)
• Terms apply. 

New benefits

• Path to Milestone Rewards. Receive 5 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. 

Updated benefits

• Spending requirement for free fourth reward night. Receive the fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive stay of four nights or more, after spending $5,000 with the card. There was previously no spending requirement for this benefit. 
• Updated rewards category. Earn 3 points per dollar on dining, gas stations and  grocery stores. This rewards rate previously included “monthly bills” and did not include grocery stores. 
• Lower spend requirement for status. Earn Gold Elite status and 10,000 points after spending $15,000. Previously, you had to spend at least $20,000 to earn Gold Elite status.  
• Terms apply.