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United Airlines offers six credit cards in partnership with Chase. These United cards offer a host of benefits, from increased rewards for United purchases, to free bags, to access to United’s 45 United Club locations. In this post, we’ve collected all of the information you need to compare these cards to find the one that is right for you.
In this article…
How to find the best United credit card for you: Our expert recommendations
In this article we compare the United credit card benefits, mileage earnings, and perks so that you can find the best United credit card for you. But here are our quick recommendations that will apply to most people.
If you want free checked bags on United
Free checked bags is a benefit of every United credit card with an annual fee. If you fly United a few times a year, getting the United℠ Explorer Card or United℠ Business Card will get you a free checked bag on flights you book with the card.
If you’re booking 7 or more United flights per year, the business card is the clear choice—that card offers a $100 United travel credit after so many bookings charged to the card. But if you’re not flying United that often, which card is better for you will likely come down to benefits at the margins.
Choose the personal card if you like the idea of getting primary auto rental collision damage waiver on car rentals you book with the card and a credit for trusted travel programs like TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. Choose the small business card if you want Chase’s roadside assistance benefit and travel accident insurance or if you book United flights.
If you frequently check more than one bag, get the United Quest℠ Card. That card is the cheapest card that offers your first two checked bags for free.
If you want to get the most out of MileagePlus
Maybe you don’t fly United often enough to get MileagePlus Premier status, but you do collect and spend MilagePlus miles. Then get the United Quest℠ Card. With the Quest card, you’ll receive 5,000 miles back up to 2 times a year when you book award tickets. Plus you can receive up to $125 in annual United credits with the card and your first two checked bags for free for you and a companion.
If you want to purchase United club access
Both the United Club℠ Infinite Card and the United Club℠ Business Card include a United Club membership. With either card, you’ll pay less for the cards annual fee than United charges even its Premier 1K® members for a United Club membership. Pick the United Club℠ Infinite Card card if you can charge your trips to your personal credit card or if you redeem MileagePlus miles frequently. If you don’t, using the United Club℠ Business Card for lounge access will save you a few dollars on the annual fee.
Recent updates to United cards
In 2024, United and Chase made it easier to earn Premier Qualifying Points on their credit cards. Previously on cards that earned Premier Qualifying Points, you earned 500 PQP for every $12,000 you spent. Now you earn 25 PQP for every $500 spent. This is unambiguously a positive change to these cards. You can now earn PQP in smaller increments and you earn more PQP per dollar after the changes. ($12,000 of total spending now earns 600 total PQP under the new earning scheme.)
What to look for in an airline credit card
When you get an airline credit card, you’re essentially buying a subscription to a suite of benefits, most of which are related to flying on the airline. Here are some of the benefits you can get with United credit cards:
- Free checked bags
- United one-time lounge access passes or United Club membership.
- Earning Premier Qualifying Points toward United Premier status.
- Discounts on award travel, or United travel credits.
- Unlocking Premier upgrades on award tickets.
Don’t use an airline card for spending.
Airline credit cards typically offer lower rewards for spending than other cards, making airline cards a poor choice to use for most purchases. Even if you want to use a card for spending to achieve a higher level of elite status, understand that using an airline card for purchases has an opportunity cost—you usually could be earning more rewards with another card.
As an example, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a card with no annual fee that earns more points on dining and more points on general purchases than most of the United credit cards. It can even earn more points on United flights than the United cards, provided you book your flights through Chase Travel℠. Further, if you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards® card, you can transfer the points you earn to United, meaning the non-United card can get you more points on most purchases than even the most premium United cards.
United credit card benefits when flying on United Airlines
Perhaps the best reason to get a United credit card is for its benefits when flying on United airlines.
All of the United credit cards with an annual fee offer a free checked baggage benefit, plus an opportunity to earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) toward Premier status with the airline. The United Club℠ Infinite Card and United Club℠ Business Card both offer a United Club℠ membership, which can get you into the United Club℠ and select partner clubs when traveling on United.
Here are the details of the benefits each card offers when flying on United Airlines.
| United Gateway℠ Card | United℠ Explorer Card | United Quest℠ Card | United Club℠ Infinite Card | United℠ Business Card | United Club℠ Business Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. | $250 | $525 | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99. | $450 |
| Earnings on United purchases | 2x | 2x | 3x | 4x | 2x | 2x |
| United ClubSM access | – | 2 one-time passes per year | – | United Club membership | 2 one-time passes per year | United Club membership |
| United credits, bonus miles, and award discounts | – | – | Up to $125 annual United purchase credit 5,000 mile award flight credits, 2 times per year | 10% United saver award discount. | $100 United travel credit after 7 United flight purchases. 5,000 miles when you also hold a personal United card. | – |
| Free checked bags | – | First checked bag | First and second checked bags | First and second checked bags | First checked bag | First and second checked bags |
| Priority boarding and Premier Access | – | Priority boarding | Priority boarding | Premier Access | Priority boarding | Premier Access |
| Premier upgrades on award tickets | – | |||||
| 25% back on United inflight and club premium drink purchases | ||||||
| Earn Premier qualifying points (PQP) | – | Up to 1,000 PQP/year | Up to 6,000 PQP/year | Up to 10,000 PQP/year | Up to 1,000 PQP/year | Up to 1,000 PQP/year |
Details of credit card benefits when flying on United Airlines
Here are the details on the United travel benefits. Not every benefit is included with each card. Refer to the table above to see which benefits are included with each card.
- United Club℠ one-time passes – If your card includes United Club℠ one-time passes, you’ll receive your passes after account opening and on each account anniversary. A one-time pass will allow one person entry into a United Club℠ when traveling on a same-day United Airlines-operated flight.
- United Club℠ membership – If your card includes United Club℠ membership, you’ll receive a complimentary membership to the United Club℠. Your membership includes access to 45+ United Club locations and participating Star Alliance™ affiliated lounges worldwide when you are traveling on a same day United- or United Express-operated flight. Membership includes access for the primary cardmember, and either two guests or one guest and children under 21.
- Annual United credit (Up to $125 annual United purchase credit) – With the United Quest℠ Card, you will automatically receive up to $125 in statement credits as reimbursement for United purchases charged to your eligible each account anniversary year.
- Annual United credit ($100 United travel credit) – Once you purchase seven United flights of $100 or more on your United℠ Business Card account within each account anniversary year, you’ll get a $100 United travel credit.
- Award flights credits – Starting with your first anniversary with the United Quest℠ Card, you’ll automatically get 5,000 miles back in your MileagePlus® account after you take a United® or United Express-operated award flight booked with your miles – up to 2 times every anniversary year.
- Better-together anniversary bonus – When you hold both a personal United card and the United℠ Business Card, you will earn a 5,000 mile “better together” anniversary bonus on your card anniversary. This bonus is a benefit of the United℠ Business Card and you’ll only earn one bonus, awarded to that card.
- United Saver Award discount – As the primary cardmember of the United Club℠ Infinite Card, you are eligible to book award flights in United Economy on United or United Express with 10% fewer miles.
- Free checked bags – If your card includes a free checked bag benefit, you and one companion receive one or two free checked bags when you book your United-operated flight directly with United. You must use your eligible card to purchase your flight and include your United MileagePlus® frequent flyer number in your reservation. The requirement to purchase your United flight with your card is waived for flights during the first 90 days from account opening. How many free checked bags you receive depends on which card you have. Refer to the chart above for details.
- Priority boarding and Premier Access – Many of United’s credit cards offer priority boarding, which allows you and your companions on the same reservation boarding on all United-operated flights prior to general boarding. If your card offers Premier Access, you will receive preferential treatment to ease your way through the airport with priority check-in, security screening, boarding, and baggage handling privileges. Refer to the chart above to see which benefit each card carries.
- Premier upgrades on award tickets – When you have United Premier frequent flyer status and hold an eligible card, you become eligible to receive complimentary upgrades on award tickets.
- 25% back on United inflight and club premium drink purchases – When you purchase food, beverages, and Wi-Fi onboard United-operated flights, or premium drinks within the United Club and pay with your eligible card, you’ll get 25% back as a statement credit.
- Earn Premier Qualifying Points – Premier Qualifying points are one of the requirements to earn Premier status with United Airlines. If your card allows you to earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs,) you can earn 25 PQPs for every for every $500 you spend on the card, up to the limit specified in your card agreement. See the chart above for annual PQP earning limits.
United credit card rewards: Earn MileagePlus miles for purchases
All of United’s co-branded credit cards earn MileagePlus miles. Each card offers bonus purchases on select categories like United purchases, travel, and dining. Generally, the cards with higher annual fees offer more earnings, but not always. For example, the United Quest℠ Card offers 2x miles on select streaming services, but the higher-priced United Club℠ Infinite Card doesn’t offer a bonus in this category.
Notable standouts include the United Club℠ Infinite Card, which earns 4 points per dollar on United purchases and the United Quest℠ Card, which earns points in the widest number of categories. See below the table for more on what exactly counts in each category.
| United Gateway℠ Card | United℠ Explorer Card | United Quest℠ Card | United Club℠ Infinite Card | United℠ Business Card | United Club℠ Business Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. | $250 | $525 | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99. | $450 |
| United purchases | 2x | 2x | 3x | 4x | 2x | 2x |
| Dining | – | 2x | 2x | 2x | 2x | – |
| Hotel stays | – | 2x | (See “all other travel”) | (See “all other travel”) | – | – |
| All other travel | – | – | 2x | 2x | – | – |
| Gas stations | 2x | – | – | – | 2x | – |
| Local transit and commuting | 2x | – | (See “all other travel”) | (See “all other travel”) | 2x | – |
| Select streaming services | – | – | 2x | – | – | – |
| Office supply stores | – | – | – | – | 2x | – |
| All other purchases | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1.5x |
Additional details on United credit card bonus categories
Here’s some additional detail on what kinds of purchases count in each category.
- United purchases includes purchases from United, including tickets, Economy Plus®, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United purchases. It also includes United Card Events from Chase purchases. If your card earns an annual United purchase credit, you’ll start to earn United MileagePlus miles after you earn your annual credit.
- Dining includes eligible delivery services.
- Hotel stays includes hotel accommodations purchased directly with and charged by the hotel.
- All other travel includes airfare, trains, local transit, cruise lines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, resorts, rideshare services and tolls.
- Local transit and commuting includes ride share services, taxicabs, train tickets, tolls, and mass transit.
United credit card other travel benefits
Some of the travel benefits provided by United Airlines credit cards are useful whenever you’re traveling, be it on United, another air carrier, or even by ship, train, or bus. Here are the general travel benefits of United credit cards.
| United Gateway℠ Card | United℠ Explorer Card | United Quest℠ Card | United Club℠ Infinite Card | United℠ Business Card | United Club℠ Business Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | |
| Annual fee: $0 | Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. | Annual fee: $250 | Annual fee: $525 | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99. | Annual fee: $450 | |
| $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee credit | – | – | – | |||
| Auto rental collision damage waiver | Secondary | Primary | Primary | Primary | Primary when renting for business | Primary when renting for business |
| Trip cancellation/ interruption insurance | $1,500/person $6,000/trip Covers pre-paid passenger fares. | $1,500/person $6,000/trip Covers pre-paid passenger fares. | $1,500/person $6,000/trip Covers pre-paid passenger fares. | $10,000/person $20,000/trip Covers pre-paid passenger fares, tours, and hotels. | $1,500/person $6,000/trip Covers pre-paid passenger fares. | $10,000/person $20,000/trip Covers pre-paid passenger fares, tours, and hotels. |
| Baggage delay insurance | – | |||||
| Lost luggage reimbursement | – | |||||
| Trip delay reimbursement | – | |||||
| Travel accident insurance | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Avis benefits | – | – | – | Avis President’s Club® | – | Avis President’s Club® |
| No foreign transaction fees |
More on the non-United credit card travel benefits offered on MileagePlus credit cards
Here’s a bit more detail on the travel benefits provided by United credit cards.
- $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee credit – Receive a statement credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS when charged to your card.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver – Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage provides reimbursement up to the actual cash value of the vehicle for theft and collision damage for most rental cars in the U.S. and abroad. Coverage is primary outside the United States. Whether coverage inside the United States is primary or secondary depends on which card you have and, if you have a business card, whether you are renting for business purposes. Refer to the table above and your guide to benefits.
- Trip cancellation/ interruption insurance – With trip cancellation and interruption insurance, you can be reimbursed for certain pre-paid, nonrefundable travel expenses if your trip is cancelled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations. Coverage amounts, covered expenses, and covered situations vary. Refer to the table above or see your card’s guide to benefits.
- Baggage delay insurance – Reimburses you for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing for baggage delays over 6 hours by passenger carrier up to $100 a day for 3 days.
- Trip Delay Reimbursement – If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.
- Travel accident insurance – When you pay for your air, bus, train or cruise transportation with your United℠ Business Card, you are eligible to receive accidental death or dismemberment coverage of up to $500,000.
- IHG benefits – With the United Club℠ Infinite Card, the primary Cardmember is eligible for Platinum Elite status in IHG One Rewards and $75 in statement credits as reimbursement for IHG Hotels and Resorts purchases charged to the card from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.
- Avis benefits – Enroll in Avis President’s Club and enjoy complimentary two-car class upgrades, guaranteed car availability, expedited rental service and more.
- Lost luggage reimbursement – If you or an immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger.
- No foreign transaction fees – None of the United credit cards charge foreign transaction fees, meaning you won’t pay anything extra when you use your United credit card to make purchases abroad.
United credit card consumer insurance and other benefits
Finally, the United Airlines credit cards also offer consumer benefits that help you out closer to home. Benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty, and return protection, can protect the things you buy, while a complimentary DoorDash membership can add a bit of convenience to your life. Here are the details on the non-travel benefits of the United credit cards.
| United Gateway℠ Card | United℠ Explorer Card | United Quest℠ Card | United Club℠ Infinite Card | United℠ Business Card | United Club℠ Business Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. | $250 | $525 | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99. | $450 |
| Purchase protection | $500 per claim $50,000 per account | $10,000 per claim $50,000 per year | $10,000 per claim $50,000 per year | $10,000 per claim $50,000 per year | $10,000 per claim $50,000 per account | $10,000 per claim $50,000 per account |
| Extended warranty protection | ||||||
| Return protection | – | – | – | – | ||
| Price protection | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Roadside assistance | – | – | – | – | – | |
| DoorDash DashPass Membership |
Benefit descriptions for consumer and other benefits
- Purchase protection – Purchase protection covers your new purchases against damage or theft for 120 days from the date of purchase. Coverage limits apply. See the table above and your card’s guide to benefits for details.
- Extended warranty protection – Extended warranty protection provides additional coverage on the items you purchase, offering additional warranty coverage after your manufacturer’s warranty expires. Chase extended warranty protection provides an additional year of warranty protection on eligible warranties of three years or less. Exclusions apply. See your card’s guide to benefits for details.
- Return protection – You can be reimbursed for eligible items that the store won’t take back within 90 days of purchase, up to $500 per item, $1,000 per year.
- Price protection – If a purchase you made in the U.S. with your United Club℠ Business Card is advertised for less in print or online within 90 days, you can be reimbursed the difference up to $500 per item and $2,500 per year.
- Roadside assistance – If you have a roadside emergency, you can call for a tow, jumpstart, tire change, locksmith or gas. You’re covered up to $50 per incident 4 times a year.
- DoorDash DashPass Membership – Get one-year complimentary DashPass, a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar that provides unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. After that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. To take advantage of your free membership, you must activate your membership by 12/31/24.
United airlines credit card welcome bonuses
We have an entire article dedicated to covering the best United credit card welcome bonuses. But here are the current welcome bonuses on the United Airlines credit cards:
- United Gateway℠ Card: bonus_miles_full (Regular APR: reg_apr,reg_apr_type)
- United℠ Explorer Card: bonus_miles_full
- United Quest℠ Card: bonus_miles_full
- United Club℠ Infinite Card: bonus_miles_full
- United℠ Business Card: bonus_miles_full
- United Club℠ Business Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles + 1,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
A few notes on applying for Chase cards
- 5/24 rule. Chase generally won’t approve you if your credit report is showing 5 or more new credit card accounts opened in the last 24 months. This rule is knows as the 5/24 rule. If you’re unsure if you are “under 5/24” you should check your 5/24 status before applying for a Chase card. Note that recently this rule seems to have softened, especially for Ink cards. See our coverage about Chase 5/24 for more.
- Only one Sapphire-branded card. You can only hold one Chase Sapphire-branded card at a time. This means you can have either a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, but not both.
- You can get a welcome bonus on a Chase card, even if you’ve had the card previously. How often you can earn a welcome bonus on a Chase card varies by card family.
- Most cards allow you to earn a welcome bonus if it has been at least 24 months since your last received a welcome bonus on the same card.
- Chase Sapphire-branded cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can only earn a welcome bonus once every 48 months. (We published a separate article to help you determine if you can get a Sapphire welcome bonus.)
- Marriott cards have their own special rules.
- Chase will match an increased bonus. If you apply for a Chase card and the bank offers a higher bonus within 90 days, you can send Chase a secure message or call them to have your welcome offer matched.
- In-branch offers are sometimes better. Chase sometimes has better credit card welcome offers in-branch than it will publish on its own website or through affiliate networks. Check all channels to make sure you’re getting the best bonus.
- Chase business cards do not report to personal credit reports and do not impact your 5/24 status as long as they are current.
Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of having a United credit card?
All of the United credit cards come with a suite of benefits. Benefits of United cards include free checked bags, lounge access, United travel credits, discounts on award tickets, and more. Benefits vary by card.
How can I earn the most United miles on my United flights?
You can earn more United points by booking your United flights with a card that earns Ultimate Rewards® and transferring those points to United. For example, you can earn 3 points per dollar when you book your United flight with either the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (on up to $150k of travel purchases per year). If you book your United flights through Chase Travel℠ using most Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards, you can earn 5 points per dollar spent.
Do United cards include Chase Trip Delay protection?
All of the United credit cards that carry an annual fee include trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and baggage delay insurance.
Read more about the United credit cards
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Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
