Earlier this week United revamped their entire lineup of credit cards. With six different cards available, and each jam-packed with coupon-like perks, it can be really tough to figure out which card is right for you… if any. I’ve combed through the details of each card and highlighted below just the material differences between the cards. There’s no single answer as to which card is best for everyone, but there are a couple of cards that especially shine…
United’s 6 card lineup ranges from no annual fee at the low end to a whopping $695 fee at the top. The following analysis groups cards by annual fee…
$0 Card
The New United Gateway(SM) Card has no annual fee and no interesting perks unless you spend $10,000 in a calendar year (which I don’t recommend). The best thing about this card is that having it can trigger the annual 5K bonus points awarded by the Business Card and the Club Business card for members who also have a personal card.
| Card Offer and Details |
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30K Miles ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 30K miles after $1K spend in first 3 months (Offer Expires 7/16/2025)No Annual Fee This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Earning rate: 2X United ✦ 2X on United Hotels ✦ 2X gas stations ✦ 2X local transit and commuting Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: Earn 2 checked bag certificates after $10K spend in a calendar year Noteworthy perks: No foreign exchange fees ✦ 25% back on United in-flight and Club Premium drink purchases |
$150 Cards
The New United℠ Explorer Card and The New United℠ Business Card offer standard airline card perks like priority boarding and a free checked bag for you and 1 travel companion. More interestingly, they offer discounted cardmember award pricing, and 2 United Club passes per year upon renewal. And, like all of the United cards that have annual fees, these cards offer a slew of coupon-like benefits, including up to two $50 rebates per year for United Hotels bookings.
While the cards have a lot in common, there are some significant differences. Here are some unique benefits that each card offers:
- Explorer:
- $0 Introductory annual fee first year, then $150.
- Earn $100 United TravelBank cash with $10,000 calendar year spend
- Earn a 10,000 mile award discount with $20,000 calendar year spend
- Business:
- 5,000 bonus miles at anniversary when you have this card and also a personal Chase United credit card
- Complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets
- $125 annual United travel credit after 5 United flight purchases greater than $100 each calendar year
- Earn 1 Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) per $20 spent, up to 4,000 per year
- Earn 2 Economy Plus seat upgrade credits after $25K in purchases in a calendar year
- Annual $25 FareLock rebate
- Higher rideshare credits (the Explorer card offers $5 per month whereas the business card offers $8 per month and $12 in December
Overall, I think that the Business Card is a much better option than the Explorer Card.
| Card Offer and Details |
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80k miles ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 80K miles after $3K spend in 3 months (Offer Expires 5/7/2025)$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: Decent perks such as enhanced access to United saver level economy awards makes this a keeper for some. Earning rate: 2X United ✦ 2X restaurants ✦ 2X on hotel stays Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: $100 Travel Credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year ✦ 10,000-mile award flight discount after spending $20K ✦ Earn up to 1,000 PQPs per calendar year: 1 PQP per $20 spend Noteworthy perks: ✦ Improved economy saver award availability ✦ Free first checked bag for primary cardholder and one travel companion when you pay with the card ✦ Up to $100 in credits for United Hotels ($50 each on your first two bookings per cardmember year) ✦ Up to $60 per year in rideshare credits (up to $5 per month) when using your card to pay for rideshare services.(requires annual enrollment) ✦ Up to $50 in Travel Credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year ✦ One $10 Instacart credit per month when you have Instacart+ membership ✦ Unlocks complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets ✦ Priority boarding ✦ No foreign exchange fees ✦ 2 United Club passes per year on you anniversary ✦ One year of complimentary Dash Pass (Must activate by 12/31/27) ✦ Primary auto rental collision damage waiver ✦ Up to $120 Global Entry,TSA Pre-check or Nexus credit ✦ 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card ✦ Up to $100 statement credit for purchases with JSX |
| Card Offer and Details |
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125K Miles ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 125K miles after $5K spend in first 3 months (Offer Expires 5/7/2025)$150 Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Decent perks such as enhanced access to United saver level economy awards makes this a keeper for some. Earning rate: 2X at restaurants including eligible delivery services , gas stations, and office supply stores ✦ 2X United ✦ 2X United Hotels ✦ 2X on local transit and commuting, including taxicabs, mass transit, tolls, and ride share services Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: $125 annual United travel credit after 5 United flight purchases greater than $100 each calendar year ✦ Earn up to 4,000 PQPs per year: 1 PQP per $20 spend ✦ 2 Economy Plus seat upgrade credits after $25K in purchases in a calendar year Noteworthy perks: ✦ Improved economy saver award availability ✦ Unlocks complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets ✦ Free first checked bag ✦ Up to $50 in statement credits for United Hotels purchases up to two times per cardmember year ✦ Up to $100 in rideshare statement credits (up to $8/mo from January to November and up to $12 in December) Priority boarding ✦ No foreign exchange fees ✦ 2 United Club passes per year at anniversary ✦ Free DashPass for one year (must activate by 12/31/27) ✦ Primary auto rental collision damage waiver ✦ Up to $25 in TravelBank cash for eligible Avis or Budget car rentals up to two times per cardmember year ✦ 5,000 bonus miles at anniversary when you have this card and also a personal Chase United credit card. ✦ 25% back as a statement credit on United in-flight and Club Premium drink purchases ✦ One $10 Instacart credit per month when you have Instacart+ ✦ Up to $100 in statement credits annually for JSX purchases ✦ FareLock $25 per anniversary year |
$350 Card
The New United Quest℠ Card offers slightly more premium perks than its $150 siblings. And while it is more expensive, the card’s annual $200 TravelBank Cash plus 10K award discount more than make up for the extra $200 in fees. This would be the easy answer to which United card is best except for one thing: this card does not offer United Club passes.
Here’s a list of the primary ways in which the Quest card improves upon the $150 duo:
- Free first and second checked bag for primary cardholder and one travel companion
- $200 in United® TravelBank cash each membership year (this is an automatic benefit unlike the Business Card’s $125 TravelBank cash which requires 5 paid flights)
- 10K award flight discount per cardmember year
- Additional 10K award flight discount after $20K in purchases in a calendar year
- Complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets (this is also a feature of the Business card but not the Explorer card)
- Earn 1 Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) per $20 spent, up to 18,000 per year (vs. a max of 4,000 per year with the Business card)
- Starting in 2026, get 1,000 bonus PQPs each year (that’s an awesome benefit for those seeking elite status)
- Instead of a United Hotels rebate, this card offers a $150 Renowned Hotels & Resorts rebate each year (similar to Fine Hotels & Resorts)
| Card Offer and Details |
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90K Miles + 500 PQPs ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 90K miles and 500 PQPs after $4K spend in the first 3 months (Offer Expires 5/7/2025)$350 Annual Fee This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Earning rate: 5X Renowned Hotels & Resorts for United Cardmembers ✦ 3X United ✦ 2X restaurants including eligible delivery services ✦ 2X on all other travel ✦ 2X select streaming Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: Earn up to 18,000 PQPs per calendar year: 1 PQP per $20 spend ✦ Earn an additional 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20K in purchases in a calendar year ✦ Earn 2 Economy Plus seat upgrades after $40K in purchases in a calendar year ✦ Starting in 2026, 1,000 bonus PQPs each year Noteworthy perks: $200 in United® TravelBank cash each membership year - terms apply ✦ Up to $150 in statement credits per cardmember for Renowned Hotels and Resorts ✦ 10K award flight discount per cardmember year ✦ First and second checked bag free for cardholder and one companion when you purchase your tickets with the card and include your Mileage Plus number ✦ Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus reimbursement ✦ Up to $100 in rideshare credits per year (up $8 per month January to November and up to $12 in December, re-enrollment is required annually) ✦ Up to $80 in Travel Credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year ✦ One $10 and one $5 Instacart credit per month when you have Instacart+ membership ✦ Up to $150 statement credit for purchases with JSX ✦ 25% back on United inflight or Club Premium drink purchases |
$695 Club Cards
The New United Club℠ Card and The New United Club℠ Business Card have one key perk that makes them worth considering: United Club membership with up to 1 adult guest plus children. Without one of these cards, United charges $750 per year for an Individual membership that doesn’t allow any guests. So, if you’re even considering buying a club membership, there’s no question that getting one of these Club cards is a better choice.
Other than lounge access, the only major reason to consider getting one of these cards instead of the $350 Quest or $150 Business card is if you’re interested in spending your way to elite status. The Quest and Business cards earn 1 PQP (Premier Qualifying Point) per $20 of spend whereas the Club cards earn 1 PQP per $15 spend. So, for example, if you want to earn 6,000 PQPs from spend (enough for Silver status, or to move from Silver to Gold or Gold to Platinum) you would have to spend $120,000 with the Quest or Business card or $90,000 with either Club card.
While the Club cards have a lot in common, there are some significant differences. Here are some unique benefits that each card offers:
- Club Card:
- Starting in 2026, get 1,500 bonus PQPs each year
- Earn a 10K award discount after $20K spend in a calendar year
- Earn an additional 10K award discount after $40K spend in a calendar year
- Club Business Card:
- 5,000 bonus miles at anniversary when you have this card and also a personal Chase United credit card
- Earn 2 global Economy Plus seat upgrades after $40K in purchases in a calendar year
- Earn a minimum of 1.5 miles per dollar on all spend (vs. minimum 1 mile per dollar with the personal Club card)
For those seeking elite status, the personal Club card has an edge since it will offer 1,500 bonus PQPs each year starting in 2026. On the other hand, if you plan to spend a huge amount to earn elite status, the fact that the Club Business card offers 1.5x for unbonused spend (vs. 1x with the personal card) can make a big difference in how rewarding that spend is. The first $40K of spend with either card is almost equal since the personal card would deliver two 10K award discounts, but if you spend a lot more than $40K you’d do much better with the Club Business card.
| Card Offer and Details |
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95K Miles ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 95k miles after $5k spend in first 3 months + 5K bonus miles after you add an authorized user in the first 3 months (Offer Expires 5/7/2025)$695 Annual Fee This card is available to you if you do not have any United Club card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus for any United Club card in the past 24 months. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: While pricey, the Chase United Club Infinite Card is a great choice for those who want a United club membership and other perks like a 10% discount on saver awards. . Earning rate: 5X Renowned Hotels & Resorts for United Cardmembers ✦ 4X United ✦ 2X dining & travel Card Info: Visa Infinite issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: Earn up to 28,000 PQPs per calendar year: 1 PQP per $15 spend ✦ Earn a 10K award discount after $20K spend in a calendar year ✦ Earn an additional 10K award discount after $40K spend in a calendar year ✦ Earn United Club All access membership after $50K spend in a calendar year or achieving Premier Gold status or higher + 4 United Club passes when you also have an authorized user. Noteworthy perks: ✦ United Club membership ✦ Unlocks complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets, including companions on the same reservation ✦ 10% discount on saver level economy awards within the continental US and Canada ✦ Up to $120 for Global Entry, TSA Precheck or Nexus fee credit ✦ Priority check-in, security screening, baggage handling, and boarding ✦ Free 1st and 2nd checked bags ✦ Up to $200 in statement credits per cardmember for Renowned Hotels ✦ Up to $150 in rideshare credits per year (up $12 per month January to November and up to $18 in December, re-enrollment is required annually) ✦ Up to $50 in Travel Credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year up to two times ✦ Avis President's Club Status ✦ Primary auto rental collision damage waiver ✦ Up to $200 per year in statement credits for JSX purchases ✦ Free Instacart+ membership through 12/31/27 ✦ Two $10 Instacart credits per month through 12/31/27 ✦ IHG Platinum status ✦ Starting in 2026, 1,500 bonus PQPs each year |
125K Miles Non-AffiliateThis is NOT an affiliate offer. We always present the best offer even when it means less revenue for Frequent Miler 125K Miles after $5K in purchases in the first 3 months (Offer Expires 5/7/2025)$695 Annual Fee This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: While pricey, the Chase United MileagePlus® Club Business Card is a great choice for those who want a United club membership Earning rate: 5X on stays at Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United Cardmembers ✦ 2X United ✦ 1.5X everywhere else Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: Earn up to 28,000 PQPs per calendar year: 1 PQP per $15 spend ✦ Earn 2 global Economy Plus seat upgrades after $40K in purchases in a calendar year ✦ 4 United Club one-time passes and United Club All Access Cardmember membership after $50K in net purchases or earning Premier Gold status and having an authorized user Noteworthy perks: United Club membership ✦ Unlocks complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets ✦ Priority check-in, security screening, baggage handling, and boarding ✦ Up to $200 in statement credits for purchases with Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United Cardmembers each cardmember year ✦ Up to $150 in rideshare statement credits ($12/mo from January to November and $18 in December) ✦ Up to $50 in United TravelBank cash for an eligible Avis or Budget rental made through cars.united.com up to twice per cardmember year ✦ Get one year of complimentary Dash Pass (Must activate by 12/31/27) ✦ Free 1st and 2nd checked bags ✦ Primary auto rental collision damage waiver ✦ Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® President's Circle® ✦ Two $10 Instacart credits monthly when you have Instacart+ membership ✦ Up to $200 in statement credits for JSX purchases per cardmember year ✦ Complimentatry Instacart+ membership through 12/31/27 ✦ FareLock $50 per anniversary year ✦ 5,000 bonus miles at anniversary when you have this card and also a personal Chase United credit card |
The Best United Card Is…
Best Overall: United Business Card
The New United℠ Business Card offers the best bang for your buck by offering decent perks for a low annual fee. You get a free checked bag, 2 annual Club visits, cardholder award discounts, and complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets for only $150 per year. Plus, it offers a number of coupon-like credits that can more than offset that fee.
Strategy: Consider also getting The New United℠ Explorer Card for its welcome bonus and its $0 introductory first year fee. Then, when the second year annual fee comes due, downgrade to the no-annual-fee Gateway card. By holding the Gateway card long-term, you’ll qualify for 5,000 bonus miles that the Business Card offers for those who also have a personal United card.
Best Consumer Card: United Quest Card
The $350 per year New United Quest℠ Card almost won as my best overall pick. In some ways it has even better perks than the Business Card, and it may be even easier to justify this card’s annual fee thanks to its annual $200 in TravelBank cash and 10K award discount. Plus, for those interested in elite status, cardholders will get 1,000 bonus PQPs each year starting in 2026.
The main reason this card didn’t top the Business Card in my rankings, besides its higher price, is that it doesn’t offer a path to get into United Clubs. Both $150 cards offer 2 Club passes per year. Why doesn’t the Quest card offer that at a minimum?
Best Club Card: Tie
The New United Club℠ Card and The New United Club℠ Business Card offer equivalent club access for the same $695 per year annual fee. The Club Business Card is best for those who intend to spend a lot on the card since it offers a base earning rate of 1.5 miles per dollar (vs the consumer card which has a base earning rate of only 1 mile per dollar). On the other hand, the consumer card will give you 1,500 bonus PQPs (Premier Qualifying Points) each year towards elite status, starting in 2026. So, if elite status is important to you, the consumer card has the edge.
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I have had my Explorer card for about 12 yrs and have resisted ‘gaming’ it… When these changes happened over the weekend, I decided it was time to downgrade to Gateway and either reapply over the summer or apply for the business card…. I was told I couldn’t downgrade. The rep stated is a different family of cards and that Chase would send me a letter.
That’s interesting. I downgraded both our Explorer cards to Gateway about 5 years ago. Now I’m wondering about upgrading. United has sent me offers to upgrade to Explorer more than once.
Would the starter pqp bonuses stack if you have both the personal united club card and the quest card? Can you have both personal cards?
The title on the email is Which Airline Card is best. When you click on it, you get this article that talks about a United card. What about the other airline cards? Is United the best? Even for those that normally don’t fly United?
I assume they’re forced to title the email that way to avoid the ire of Chase…
Well, in that same email, it says this “I compared all six of this airline’s refreshed cards to determine which is best overall, which is the best non-business card, and which is best for airport lounge access… (Due to affiliate rules we can’t show credit card names here)” so that’s why I ask where is the article that relates to that comparison.
I used to have the Club car and enjoyed it when I could use Star Alliance lounges overseas, but with that going…then not so much wouuld bring me back.
IMO, none of the UA-cobranded cards makes sense to keep, unless you need it to reach certain elite status via spending on the card. How much would you value those coupons? For example, how much would the $200 TravelBank credit on the Quest card worth to you? I wouldn’t value it more than $100, because its 1-year expiration and you’d be forced to fly UA (assuming you’re going to fly, of course), forgoing potentially better flights on other airlines and also award redemption opportunities. That 10k-mile discount on the same Quest card also forces you to make a UA redemption within the year, potentially giving up better redemption opportunities elsewhere. I normally would value 10k UA miles at roughly $120 or so. But because of the conditions under which you can take advantage of this discount, I’d only value this “coupon” at no more than $80. Can these coupons justify the new $350 AF on the Quest card? I don’t think so.
Digging for info about this benefit, this Chase page for the business card refers to to “Complimentary Premier® upgrades on award tickets” as a travel benefit, and refers to this United upgrades page for details. On that page, under the Complimentary Premier Upgrades section, it says:
So it looks to me like it’s also a feature of the Explorer card (even though Chase’s relevant page doesn’t mention it under travel benefits), and you need to be at least Premier Silver to get it.
They must have forgotten to update that info. The Explorer card used to qualify but they explicitly removed that benefit with the latest card updates
As an Explorer card holder, I’m trying to make sense of all this. If I am reading this correctly, the Quest card only makes sense if you have both at least one booked paid ticket per year (to use the TravelBank cash that expires in a year) and book at least one award ticket per year (to use 10K award discount). Two paid tickets or two award tickets wouldn’t do it–you need to book tickets in both categories. On the other hand, the two lounge passes with Explorer would come in handy on any roundtrip ticket to cities that have United clubs. Similarly, the two $50 credits on virtually any hotel (United hotels, just like Delta hotels, should cover virtually any place I would reasonably stay) may be superior to $150 on Renowned Hotels and Resorts, which are very likely to be far more expensive hotels. Also you mention that Renowned Hotels and Resorts are like AMEX FHR. We know that in virtually all cases we’ll get loyalty credit from the AMEX booking but I’m not sure whether Renowned will be treated like AMEX or will not pass along loyalty information (like United hotels and Delta hotels, which are booked on on-line platforms that don’t pass along that information). Based on that, I think you’d need to be pretty devoted to United to make the Quest card make more sense than the Explorer card.
Good points! My assumption in this post was that anyone interested in any of these cards flies United fairly regularly and therefore it would be easy to use both the TravelBank credit and award discount. If that’s not true for you then the Quest card isn’t for you. If you’re considering keeping the Explorer card though, I’d recommend downgrading it to the Gateway after applying for the Business card. That way you’ll get slightly better benefits plus an annual 5k bonus for the same $150
The United Explorer Card offers great perks like free checked bags and lounge passes, making it a top choice for frequent flyers. Solid rewards and travel benefits!
It’s ironic, a month ago I paid my annual fee for the Quest card and determined that it’s perks weren’t worth the fee. I called Chase and downgraded to the Explorer to keep the discount pricing and get the passes at the lower rate.
Then imagine my surprise when all of a sudden a week after I get my new card they announce these changes.
I think for myself the Quest still wouldn’t have been a great value proportion, but it would have been a tougher decision had I known the changes were coming.
With the higher fee the Explorer probably won’t pencil for me either. The good thing is they haven’t seemed to charge me the Explorer’s annual fee, while they refunded me the full Quest fee.
The annoying thing for me is the travel bank credits are just difficult to use since you can’t combine with and award ticket to pay fees or with travel credits (I have credits from flights UA canceled not me), and I likely won’t use 3/4 of the ‘coupons’.
That may be to your benefit as you keep the Explorer for a year, then apply for a new Quest to get the SUB. That’s what I would like to do. If you won’t even use the Explorer now, then just downgrade to a Gateway.
You can upgrade back to Quest, if it’s less than a month since you downgraded
Are the current SUBs new that United is offering on these or as we get closer to the end of the year, we may see new ones? I’d like to apply for the Quest, but debating if it’s worth waiting till year-end. I have the Explorer which I will downgrade to the Gateway.
Yes the current bonuses are higher than usual as part of the roll out. I wouldn’t wait for better bonuses (not to say that it won’t happen but I’m not expecting better)