Possible Silver Lining After IHG Club Select Card Devaluation?
Joe Cortez April 04, 2018
After announcing a devaluation on the anniversary award night certificate on the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card, it appears that some applicants will get a reprieve. Chase’s official customer support Twitter has supposedly confirmed new cardholders can still use their rewards certificates at any IHG hotel – not just those valued at 40,000 points and below.
New Chase IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card holders may still be able to use their anniversary reward night certificate at any participating hotel – but only once. In conversations between flyers and the official Chase Support Twitter account, the bank is telling some that the new restrictions may not apply in the first year.
FlyerTalk first reported the changes to the credit card as flyers received notices from IHG about the moves. When new applicants expressed their disappointment online, Chase reached out to select individuals with some good news. According to their comments, cardholders who opened their account between January 1 and Thursday, April 5, 2018, may be able to use their certificates at any IHG hotel.
We certainly apologize for the news. Accounts opened between 1/1/18 and 4/5/18, will not see this change for the first year. ^JD
— Chase Support (@ChaseSupport) April 3, 2018
In subsequent responses, customer service agents for the bank then noted that the 40,000 points limit would apply, even to new cardholders. When pressed for more information, the Twitter account then went back to their original answer.
Yes, that is correct. ^CM
— Chase Support (@ChaseSupport) April 4, 2018
Other requests to the customer service channel have not gone as smoothly. In another exchange, Twitter agents noted the anniversary free night certificate would only be valid for any hotel worldwide if it is issued before May 1, 2018. Customer service further stated the decision was a mutual business decision by both Chase and IHG.
Hi, Any Anniversary Free Night issued before May 1, 2018, is still valid at any IHG hotel worldwide. After May 1, 2018, it can only be redeemable at eligible IHG hotels with a redemption value up to and including 40,000 points. ^AR
— Chase Support (@ChaseSupport) April 4, 2018
Based on the conversations, it appears that those who apply for the card before April 5 may not be affected by the change – meaning the restriction is potentially grandfathered for one year. New cardholders should expect to receive more information directly from Chase about this situation.
If your account was opened between 1/1/18 and 4/5/18 then this change doesn’t apply to your account for the first year. You will be notified about this in the near future. ^TY
— Chase Support (@ChaseSupport) April 4, 2018
Multiple requests to IHG and JPMorgan Chase for comment about the changes have not been answered. As of press time, neither company have provided a statement to FlyerTalk from our latest inquiry.
I made the mistake of upgrading my Select card to Premier in June, 2 months before my anniversary date. This means that I did not receive a free night certificate in August and now have to wait until next June. I have considered cancelling my new card, but I do stay at various IHG brands and I am a member of IHG Ambassador. In the end I will probably keep the new card. I do feel that Chase did not properly advise Select members that converting to Premier would restart the anniversary countdown.
So I apply for this IHG card in July 2017. Expecting my free night to be issued in 8/2018. I had plans for that night in Japan in 4/2019. To me this is a big bait and switch. Chase/IHG did a big promo last year where the sign up bonus was higher. Now they have all those new cardholders and want to pull the carpet out from under us. I can cancel this card and tell Chase and IHG to go shove it up their proverbial asses.
I've had the card for a few years and have always used it at nice hotels that normally cannot afford (Barclay in NYC for example). My anniversary is in October and I was hoping to use 2 awards at the same time which you are allowed to do (I have 1 night from Oct 17-Oct 18, and will receive the 2nd on Oct 18-Oct 19). I waited deliberately until I got the 2nd night so I could use both at the Barclay but now know that I can only use the current award night for 1 night there. I cannot imagine most people will spend a $49 a year annual fee for the luxury of staying at a Holiday Inn LOL. I'm not knocking Holiday Inn but it's really not worth holding on to a card with an annual fee if you can only stay at a Holiday Inn. After I use the current award night I will be canceling.
Chase just killed a great perk.
The fee night was the compelling reason to pay an annual fee for this credit card. Since I've used all my free nights I'm no longer sure it's that great of an incentive to keep the card.