Chase Raising the Annual Fee on the Legacy IHG Select Card — What We Know and What We Don’t

It’s unfortunate, but it’s not a surprise.

Chase is raising the annual fee on the legacy IHG^® Rewards Club Select Credit Card from $49 to $99.

This card hasn’t been open to new applicants since 2018, but a lot of longtime cardholders held onto it for the low annual fee and the perks that came with it. A change-in-terms notice now confirms the fee increase, so if you’re still carrying this card, you have a decision coming.

What other changes might come with it? Here’s what we know and what we don’t at this point.

What’s Changing With the IHG Select Card?

The annual fee on the IHG Select card is doubling from $49 to $99, as verified by Reddit users who’ve received the notification. Chase’s notice amends the Rates and Fees table of your Cardmember Agreement effective December 2, 2026, but you won’t pay the higher fee right away.

Instead, the $99 fee kicks in at your card’s renewal in 2027. One reader’s notice, for example, lists the new fee being charged on April 1, 2027. If your renewal falls in late 2026, you’ll still pay $49 this year and $99 the next.

As for the perks, the early word is that they’re staying put — though that could change. A cardholder who called Chase was told the benefits won’t change, which would leave the anniversary free night certificate, automatic Platinum Elite status, and the 10% points rebate intact. That hasn’t been spelled out in writing yet, so treat it as the current read rather than a guarantee.

If you’d rather not pay the new fee, you have 2 outs. You can ask Chase to switch your account to a different eligible Chase card, or you can close the account before the fee posts. Close within 30 days of being charged and Chase says it will refund the fee.

Why This Change Isn’t a Surprise

Two recent events made this easy to predict. First, the $49 fee has sat untouched for years, going back to before Chase stopped offering the card in 2018. A fee that holds steady that long tends to be living on borrowed time.

Second, Chase just reworked the rest of its IHG lineup. On October 1, 2026, the issuer announced higher fees and shuffled benefits across the active cards. With the whole IHG credit card family getting repriced, it would have been strange for the legacy card to escape entirely unscathed.

Final Thoughts

Whether $99 is still worth it comes down to how you use the IHG Select card. If the benefits really do carry over, an anniversary free night at a mid-tier or higher IHG property can offset the annual fee on its own, and the rebate and Platinum Elite status are extras on top.

The math gets shakier if you rarely redeem the free night or barely stay at IHG properties. One thing to weigh before you cancel: This card is gone for good once you close it, so you won’t be able to get it again later if you change your mind.