A different kind of upgrade season
October brought two eye-catching launches on opposite ends of the travel spectrum: Chase’s IHG One Rewards Premier Select and Navy Federal’s Flagship Premier. One targets hotel loyalists with layered credits; the other gives military families and their households a simple, high-earning travel card at a fair fee. ([media.chase.com](https://media.chase.com/news/ihg-premier-select-card-portfolio-updates))
Why these cards matter right now
Co-brands have been racing to add statement credits and status shortcuts. The IHG One Rewards Premier Select lands with a $350 annual fee, an Anniversary Free Night (redeemable up to 60,000 points), automatic Platinum Elite, and 20 Elite Night Credits every calendar year — a fast track to Milestone Rewards like Confirmable Suite Upgrades. For frequent IHG guests, that’s real-world value on stays across more than 7,000 properties and 21 brands. ([media.chase.com](https://media.chase.com/news/ihg-premier-select-card-portfolio-updates))
On the value side, Navy Federal’s new Flagship Premier Visa Signature prices in at $95 and keeps the math clean: 4X on travel, 3X on dining, a $100 annual airline credit, and up to $120 in Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits. If you’re a servicemember, veteran, or eligible family member, it’s a straightforward travel-and-dining machine without juggling a proprietary portal. ([navyfederal.org](https://www.navyfederal.org/loans-cards/credit-cards/flagship-premier-visa-signature.html))
What’s actually new — and how the perks stack
- IHG One Rewards Premier Select (Chase): Up to $300 in IHG Food & Beverage Rewards annually, a $200 annual airline statement credit, up to $50 United TravelBank cash, 20 Elite Night Credits each year, and 6X on dining and all other travel (including rideshare), 3X everywhere else. It also advertises “over $1,000 in value in the first year” when you use the included credits and benefits. ([media.chase.com](https://media.chase.com/news/ihg-premier-select-card-portfolio-updates))
- Navy Federal Flagship Premier: 50,000 points after $4,000 in 90 days (worth $500 toward travel or cash redemptions), 4X on all travel (airlines, hotels, cruises, vacation rentals, rideshare, tolls, parking, and more), 3X on dining, $100 annual airline credit, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits up to $120, and a complimentary GigSky global mobile data plan. ([navyfederal.org](https://www.navyfederal.org/loans-cards/credit-cards/flagship-premier-visa-signature.html))
Compared with popular incumbents:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95) earns 5X on travel through Chase Travel and 3X on dining but lacks an airline credit; it’s strongest when you’ll transfer points or book via Chase’s portal.
- Amex Gold ($250) is a dining-and-groceries specialist at 4X, but it doesn’t include hotel elite nights and its airline credit requires airline selection.
The takeaway: heavy IHG users get more tangible hotel value from Premier Select’s annual F&B credits, airline credit, and elite nights, while Flagship Premier offers broad travel/dining acceleration with low-friction credits for a sub-$100 fee. ([media.chase.com](https://media.chase.com/news/ihg-premier-select-card-portfolio-updates))
A practical playbook you can run today
1) Price the credits as cash you’ll actually use. If you average two IHG stays a year, it’s easy to consume $300 in on-property F&B credits. Add the $200 airline credit and a 60K-cap Anniversary Free Night, and you’re well past the $350 annual fee—before you count Platinum benefits and the 6X dining/other travel accrual. That calculus is why the Premier Select can be a keeper card for frequent IHG guests. ([media.chase.com](https://media.chase.com/news/ihg-premier-select-card-portfolio-updates))
2) Keep your “everywhere else” rate honest. Flagship Premier’s 3X dining and 4X broadly coded travel mean it can displace a 2% flat-rate card in those lanes. Then treat its $100 airline credit as a once-a-year nudge to charge at least $100 in airfare directly to the card. If you’ll reliably use Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits, the $95 fee is effectively neutral out of the gate. ([navyfederal.org](https://www.navyfederal.org/loans-cards/credit-cards/flagship-premier-visa-signature.html))
3) Map the roles in a two-card setup. A simple rotation looks like this:
- Use IHG Premier Select for IHG stays, flights (to trigger the airline credit), and on-property dining—banking the 20 Elite Night Credits to unlock Milestone Rewards faster.
- Use Flagship Premier for non-IHG travel (rideshare, parking, tolls, cruises, vacation rentals) and all dining when you’re not chasing transferable points.
Should you apply? The timely angles
If IHG is your go-to, the Premier Select has a limited-time launch bonus: 200,000 IHG points after $5,000 in 3 months if you apply by November 18, 2026. That’s on top of the $300 F&B credits, $200 airline credit, and a 60K-cap Anniversary Free Night—meaning strong first-year value without heroic spending. Chase also refreshed the rest of the IHG portfolio with richer airline/F&B credits and elite night allotments, so even non-premium options got smarter. ([media.chase.com](https://media.chase.com/news/ihg-premier-select-card-portfolio-updates))
If you’re Navy Federal–eligible and want a simple, durable travel card, Flagship Premier’s 50,000-point bonus after $4,000 in 90 days runs through January 3, 2027. The $95 fee, $100 airline credit, and 4X travel/3X dining earn rates make it a credible primary travel card for households that don’t need transfer partners. ([navyfederal.org](https://www.navyfederal.org/loans-cards/credit-cards/flagship-premier-visa-signature.html))
Make the strategy effortless with SuperPay
Building a two-card routine is easy to plan and hard to execute in real life. SuperPay’s Smart Card Picker tells you exactly which card to use at the register—“IHG Premier Select at this Kimpton bar” vs. “Flagship Premier for this Lyft and airport parking”—so the right earn rate and credits trigger automatically.
If you spring for PRO+, the Rewards Roadmap can model your next 12 months of travel and hotel spend, showing how to fully consume the IHG F&B credits, schedule the $200 airline credit early in your cardmember year, and time the Flagship Premier airline credit before it resets. It transforms “I think this is worth it” into a month-by-month game plan you can actually follow.
Your next move
Try PRO+ free for 7 days and unlock your personalized Rewards Roadmap.