If you stay at IHG hotels even a couple of nights a year, the co-branded Chase credit cards are quietly handing out what may be the best annual-fee offset in hotel points: a free night certificate, every year, with no spending required. Three of the four IHG One Rewards cards offer one, and a recent refresh has made them worth more than before.
The line-up: the $350-per-year IHG Premier Select card issues a certificate worth up to 60,000 points on each account anniversary, the $200 IHG Business card and the $150 IHG Premier card each issue one worth up to 50,000 points. Two cards can stretch further — the Premier Select adds a second 60,000-point certificate if you spend $40,000 in a calendar year, while the Business card offers a second 50,000-point night at $60,000 of spend. In theory a household holding all three cards could bank up to five free nights annually.
The big change is the value uplift. Older certificates were capped at 40,000 points; that remains true for legacy cards through the end of 2026, and from 2027 even previously issued certificates move up to the 50,000-point tier.
The smartest tweak, though, is top-offs. You can now add points on top of a certificate to book pricier hotels — say a 60,000-point certificate plus 10,000 points for a 70,000-point property. That kills most of the 'breakage' problem where certificates expire unused because nothing available fits under the cap. Real-world redemptions at places like the InterContinental Ljubljana, InterContinental Johannesburg and Kimpton in Miami have covered rooms that would cost $200–350 a night in cash.
A few quirks matter. Certificates post shortly after your card anniversary and expire 12 months later — and you must both book and stay within that window; extensions aren't offered. Availability mirrors points inventory, so IHG's 'no blackout dates' is looser than Hilton or Hyatt's: some award rooms exist every night, but not every standard room is eligible. Plan ahead and you'll rarely hit a wall.
Booking happens through the Rewards Wallet in your IHG account, where eligible properties show a 'Chase Anniversary Night' rate — either 'FREE' or a points supplement. Watch for fixed per-night taxes, tourism fees and resort fees, which you still pay even though percentage-based charges are waived. Two strategic notes: mixed stays (one certificate night plus three points nights) require separate reservations, and the fourth-night-free perk on IHG cards applies only to points bookings, not certificate nights — so for a four-night stay, redeeming all points may actually win. Certificates must be used on a reservation in the cardholder's name, though adding a second guest is generally fine.
For anyone who already carries one of these cards, the certificate alone roughly covers the annual fee before you count the quarterly food-and-beverage credits or elite status perks. For frequent IHG guests, holding more than one card is a legitimate play rather than a wallet-cluttering indulgence. Just diarise the expiry date — a free night you forget about is the worst deal in travel.
