March 28, 2025: Earlier this week, Chase and United completely the United credit cards, increasing annual fees and changing the benefits. We’ve updated this guide to the United credit cards with the new benefits to help you find the best United credit card to fit your needs.
In this article…
Our recommendations: Find the best United credit card for you
We created this post to help you easily compare United credit card benefits, mileage earnings, and perks. Which means that there’s a ton of information in this article. If you’d rather just trust our recommendation, here’s our quick take on which United card is best for you.
 The New United Gateway℠ Card Annual fee: annual_fees | In most cases, you’ll get better rewards and benefits with a no-annual-fee cash back rewards card, but if you hold The New United℠ Business Card, you can activate that card’s 5,000 point “Better Together” anniversary point bonus by holding this card. Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
 The New United℠ Explorer Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Best for you if: You’re an occasional United Airlines traveler without elite status and you want a free checked bag for you and a companion when flying United, plus two United Club one-time passes each year. Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
 The New United Quest℠ Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Best for you if: You travel on United a few times a year, using a mix of cash tickets and award travel. You don’t want to pay for lounge access and, if you don’t have United MileagePlus Premier status, you fly frequently with a companion and check bags. Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
 The New United Club℠ Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Best for you if: You want a United Club℠ membership, you somewhat frequently book United Economy award tickets at the saver level, and you have the ability to charge your United tickets to your personal credit card. Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
The New United℠ Business Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Best for you if: You book five or more United tickets per year and you want a free checked bag for you and a companion when flying United, plus two United Club one-time passes each year. Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
 The New United Club℠ Business Card Annual fee: $695 | Best for you if: You book five or more United tickets per year and you want a free checked bag for you and a companion when flying United, plus two United Club one-time passes each year. Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
United Airlines benefits: Perks when flying on United Airlines
Here’s a comparison of the perks you’ll get with each card when flying on United Airlines.
| | | |  | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| Free checked bags for primary cardmember and one companion. | |||||
| – | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Priority Boarding and Premier Access | |||||
| – | Priority Boarding | Priority Boarding | Premier Access | Priority Boarding | Premier Access |
| Premier upgrades on award tickets. Must be a Premier member and be traveling on select United-operated flights. | |||||
| – | – | ||||
| Award flight discount (10,000 mile discount) granted after your first cardmember anniversary and every subsequent cardmember anniversary year. | |||||
| – | – | – | – | – | |
| 10% discount on Economy Saver awards booked on United and United Express in the continental U.S. and Canada. | |||||
| – | – | – | – | – | |
| Better Together bonus. Earn 5,000 miles each year when you have this card and any personal United credit card. | |||||
| – | – | – | – | ||
| 25% back on United inflight and club premium drink purchases | |||||
Earned Perks: Additional benefits earned with spending
Some of the United credit cards offer additional benefits when you put a certain amount of spending on your card. Here are some additional benefits that you can earn:
| | | | | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| Award flight discount (10,000 mile discount) earned after spending $20,000 in each in a calendar year. | |||||
| – | 1 | 1 (Additional) | 2 | – | – |
| Checked bag certificates earned after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year. | |||||
| 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Economy Plus® seat upgrades after meeting calendar-year spending requirement. | |||||
| – | – | 2 global upgrades. Spend: $40k | – | 2 continental U.S. upgrades. Spend: $25k | 2 global upgrades. Spend: $40k |
United Club℠ Access: One-time passes and lounge membership
Several of the United credit cards grant some form of access to the United Club℠. Here are the details.
| | | | | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| United Club℠ one-time passes. Granted each account anniversary year. | |||||
| – | 2 | – | – | 2 | – |
| Earn United Club℠ one-time passes after spending $50,000 on your card or earning Premier Gold status or higher and adding an authorized user to your account. | |||||
| – | – | – | 4 | – | 4 |
| United Club℠ Individual membership | |||||
| – | – | – | – | ||
| Earn United Club℠ All Access membership after spending $50,000 on your card or earning Premier Gold status or higher. | |||||
| – | – | – | – | ||
Starting in March 2025, United changed its lounge membership, creating two tiers of membership:
- Individual membership allows access to United Club locations for the member, one adult guest, and dependent children under age 18.
- All Access membership allows access to United Club locations and participating Star Alliance member lounges for either:
- The member and two adult guests.
- The member, one adult guest, and dependent children under age 18.
Additionally, the United Club one-time passes now require the user to be the cardmember, an authorized user, or traveling with the cardmember or authorized user.
Premier Elite Status: Earning United Premier status
Using your United credit card for spending can help you earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) toward your elite status. Plus the The New United Quest℠ Card and The New United Club℠ Card give you a small number of PQPs each year, just for having the card.
| | | | | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) jump start Get bonus PQP each year, just for having the card. | |||||
| – | – | 1,000 PQP | 1,500 PQP | – | – |
| Earn Premier qualifying points (PQP) PQP earning rate and maximum PQP earned on the card in a year. | |||||
| – | 1 PQP per $20 spent Up to 1,000 | 1 PQP per $20 spent Up to 18,000 | 1 PQP per $15 spent Up to 28,000 | 1 PQP per $20 spent Up to 4,000 | 1 PQP per $15 spent Up to 28,000 |
These benefits changed with the March 2025 card updates. The PQP jump start is a new benefit and the maximum number of Premier Qualifying Points you can earn on each card increased.
Rewards: Earn MileagePlus miles for purchases
All of United’s co-branded credit cards earn MileagePlus miles. Here’s what each card earns:
| | | | | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| United purchases | |||||
| 2x | 2x | 3x | 4x | 2x | 2x |
| Dining | |||||
| – | 2x | 2x | 2x | 2x | – |
| Hotel stays | |||||
| – | 2x | (See “all other travel”) | (See “all other travel”) | – | – |
| United Hotels or Renowned Hotels and Resorts Miles earned from your card. *Requires prepayment. | |||||
| United: 2x* | United: 2x | Renowned: 5x* | Renowned: 5x* | United: 2x | Renowned: 5x* |
| All other travel | |||||
| – | – | 2x | 2x | – | – |
| Gas stations and Local transit and commuting | |||||
| 2x | – | – | – | 2x | – |
| Select streaming services | |||||
| – | – | 2x | – | – | – |
| Office supply stores | |||||
| – | – | – | – | 2x | – |
| All other purchases | |||||
| 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1.5x |
You’ll see higher numbers in Chase and United marketing materials for the number of miles you can earn on United Flights, United Hotels, and Renowned Hotels and Resorts. Many of these higher numbers include miles you’ll earn directly from United, even if you don’t hold a credit card. In our table, we only include miles you’ll earn from your card.
In March 2025, Chase and United added additional earnings for United Hotels or Renowned Hotels and Resorts on some cards.
Credits: Earn statement credits and more
In March 2025, United and Chase added a bunch of statement credits, TravelBank credits, and merchant credits to the United credit cards. We’ve parsed out the most important details below to help you make sense of these benefits:
| | | | | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| United TravelBank credits annually. = Granted for having the card. = Earned with spending requirements. See below for additional details. | |||||
| – | $100 | $200 | – | $125 | – |
| United FareLock statement credits each account anniversary year. | |||||
| – | – | – | – | $25 | $50 |
| United Hotels or Renowned Hotels and Resorts statement credits each account anniversary year. | |||||
| – | United: $50 + $50 | Renowned: $150 | Renowned: $200 | United: $50 + $50 | Renowned: $200 |
| Rideshare statement credits per calendar month. Yearly opt-in is required. | |||||
| – | $5 | $8 ($12 in December) | $12 ($18 in December) | $8 ($12 in December) | $12 ($18 in December) |
| Avis or Budget car rental credits each account anniversary year, awarded as United® TravelBank cash. Must purchase rental through cars.united.com. | |||||
| – | $25 + $25 | $40 + $40 | $50 + $50 | $25 + $25 | $50 + $50 |
| Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS application fee credit. Up to $120 every four years as a statement credit. | |||||
| – | – | – | |||
| JSX statement credits per account anniversary year. | |||||
| – | $100 | $150 | $200 | $100 | $200 |
| Instacart in-app credits per calendar month. | |||||
| – | $10 | $10 + $5 | $10 + $10 | $10 | $10 + $10 |
A few additional notes on statement credits: Unless otherwise specified, you must make your purchase using your United card to earn each credit and you’ll only receive a credit equal to or less than your purchase amount. “$X + $Y” indicates two separate credits that require two separate purchases to earn.
United® TravelBank cash: Each card with a United TravelBank credit has different rules around when you’ll be granted the credit and what you need to do to earn it. Here are the details:
- The New United℠ Explorer Card: Earn $100 in United TravelBank cash after you spend $10,000 on purchases each calendar year with your card.
- The New United Quest℠ Card: Receive $200 in United TravelBank cash after account opening and each year on your account anniversary.
- The New United℠ Business Card: Receive $125 in United TravelBank cash after making 5 United flight purchases of $100 or more each calendar year with your card.
Most of these statement credit benefits were added as part of the March 2025 changes to the United credit cards
Partner benefits: Status and perks with car rentals, hotels, and more
In addition to the benefits you’ll get with United, your United credit card may grant you a few benefits with hotel, car rental, and other partners.
| | | | | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| Renowned Hotels and Resorts perks including a $100 property credit, daily breakfast for two, complementary Wi-Fi, plus room upgrades and early check-in/late check-out when available. | |||||
| – | – | ||||
| Avis President’s Club status. | |||||
| – | – | – | – | ||
| IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status. | |||||
| – | – | – | – | – | |
| Complimentary Instacart+ membership. Benefits end 12/31/27. | |||||
| – | 3 months | 3 months | Ongoing | 3 months | Ongoing |
Other travel benefits: Travel insurance and more
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.
| | | | | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| Auto rental collision damage waiver insurance May provide primary or secondary coverage in the U.S., or primary coverage when renting for business. | |||||
| Trip cancellation/interruption insurance Coverage limits per person, per trip. May cover prepaid passenger fares, prepaid tours, or prepaid hotels. | |||||
| $1.5k $6k | $1.5k $6k | $1.5k $6k | $10k $20k | $1.5k $6k | $10k $20k |
| Baggage delay insurance | |||||
| – | |||||
| Lost luggage reimbursement | |||||
| – | |||||
| Trip delay reimbursement | |||||
| – | |||||
| Travel accident insurance | |||||
| – | – | – | – | – | |
| Avis President’s Club | |||||
| – | – | – | – | ||
| No foreign transaction fees | |||||
Consumer insurance benefits: Protection for the things you buy
Consumer insurance benefits like extended warranty and purchase protection cover the things you buy with the card. Here’s what’s offered with each United credit card:
| | | | | |
| The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card | The New United℠ Business Card | The New United Club℠ Business Card |
| Purchase protection | |||||
| Extended warranty protection | |||||
| Return protection | |||||
| – | – | – | – | ||
| Price protection | |||||
| – | – | – | – | – | |
| Roadside assistance | |||||
| – | – | – | – | – | |
Sign-up bonuses: Earn MileagePlus miles when getting a new card
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:
The New United Gateway℠ Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. This card is a good choice if you also hold the The New United℠ Business Card, thanks to the United card’s Better Together anniversary bonus. |
The New United℠ Explorer Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. Offers a free checked bag for you and a companion, plus two United Club one-time passes each year. |
The New United Quest℠ Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. This is probably the best-value United credit card post-refresh, especially if you redeem miles for award travel at least once a year. |
The New United Club℠ Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. Offers a Untied Club℠ membership. After the recent refresh, the card now offers the lesser tier “Individual” of United Club membership. |
The New United℠ Business Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. Pairs well with the The New United Gateway℠ Card thanks to the business card’s annual “better together” bonus. |
The New United Club℠ Business Card Annual fee: $695 | Sign-up bonus: Earn 125,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Learn how to apply. No longer the lowest cost way to get a Untied Club℠ membership, since Chase increased the annual fee to match the United Club personal card. |
Recent changes: Updates to the United Airlines credit cards
In March 2025, Chase and United made a bunch of changes to the United credit cards. Comparing the old and new cards could easily take the better part the day (we know—we just updated this guide!) and we’ll leave our take on the new cards to a separate article.
We recently covered the highlights over on our YouTube channel, so check that out. (And while you’re there, don’t forget to like, share, subscribe, smash the notification bell, etc.)
Bottom line: Easy ways to buy the benefits you want
While the dizzying array of statement credits and earned perks make is a bit difficult to get maximum value out of the United credit cards, it’s still relatively simple to buy the benefits you want.
If you’re looking for checked bags, The New United℠ Explorer Card is likely the card you want. Moderately frequent United flyers would probably prefer The New United℠ Business Card or The New United Quest℠ Card. And those looking for lounge access should consider The New United Club℠ Card or The New United Club℠ Business Card if you’re also looking to boost your United status with non-category purchases.
