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We think the United℠ Explorer Card is the best option for collecting United miles. It offers a generous bonus offer, the opportunity to earn miles on all purchases and a few elite perks.
United’s extensive co-branded credit card portfolio includes everything from a “gateway” option with no annual fee to a credit card with full United Club lounge membership as one of its many perks. As you search for the best United credit card for your needs, it’s worth comparing United’s co-branded cards to Chase’s portfolio of Ultimate Rewards credit cards since Chase Ultimate Rewards® points transfer to United at a 1:1 ratio.
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Travel perk: First checked bag free for you and one companion
United Airlines benefits
The United℠ Explorer Card is ideal for consumers who want to save on checked baggage when flying with the airline. Cardmembers automatically get a free checked bag for themselves and a flight companion on United operated flights when they pay with their United card. Since United charges up to $35 for a first checked bag, this savings can add up to $140 per round-trip flight for two people.
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Travel perk: United Club membership
United Airlines benefits
The United Club℠ Infinite Card lets you skip the $650 fee for a United Club membership, offering you full United Club membership — plus additional benefits — for a $525 annual fee. Ultimately, this means you can secure United Club access for less than you would pay for it outright, yet you also get to earn United miles on purchases while enjoying frequent flyer perks.
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Travel perk: Fast-track your way to elite status.
United Airlines benefits
If you’re chasing elite status with United Airlines and you want all the best perks other than lounge access, the United Quest℠ Card is the card for you. The card offers up to 6,000 PQPs each year (500 PQPs for each $12,000 in purchases on the card) — enough to boost you to Silver status, from Silver to Gold or from Gold to Platinum. While other United Airlines cards let users earn PQP for spending, the United Quest℠ Card has one of the highest caps on annual PQPs of all available options.
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Travel perk: Access travel benefits with $0 annual fee.
United Airlines benefits
The United Gateway℠ Card is United’s $0-annual-fee card, designed for those looking for the ability to earn airline miles without having to pay to keep their card each year. While you won’t get perks like free checked bags or priority boarding with this card, it’s worth keeping for the long haul if you want the chance to earn United miles off and on without paying for the privilege.
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Travel perk: Earn bonus United miles on business expenses.
United Airlines benefits
The United℠ Business Card comes packed with benefits for small businesses, which can be fruitful for business owners who fly with the airline often. Not only that, but this card lets individuals earn United miles on their business purchases and bills, and it can be paired with a personal United credit card to boot.
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Travel perk: Annual travel credit.
Travel benefits
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers a solid point earning rate and the potential to transfer points to your United account at a 1:1 ratio. This means you can use your miles for United flights if you want to, but you’re not tied down to this option if you find a better deal.
Cardholders also get some serious travel benefits and perks, including an annual $300 travel credit and Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge access.
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Travel perk: A $0 annual fee makes this card great when traveling abroad.
Travel benefits
If the annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is too high for you, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a great general travel card alternative worth considering. You’ll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that can be transferred to United (or 13 other airline and hotel partners), or used with a 25% bonus when booking travel through the Chase travel portal.
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Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Travel Perk: Receive access to more than 1,300 airport lounges globally
Travel benefits
While The Platinum Card® from American Express doesn’t have any United-specific benefits, this card does have the best lounge access of any other premium travel card. In fact, cardholders get to enter and enjoy more than 1,300 airport lounges across 130 countries through Amex’s Global Lounge Collection, including Amex Centurion lounges.
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Travel Perk: Earn transferable points on all business expenses.
Travel benefits
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card also works well for United since it earns points that can transfer to the airline and other partners at a 1:1 ratio. This business credit card also offers an incredibly generous bonus offer and 3X points in several popular business categories. The best part? The annual fee is only $95.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Foreign Exchange Fee | Recommended Credit Credit scores ranges may vary. Your individual chance at approval may vary due to factors such as creditors using a particular variation at their discretion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
United℠ Explorer Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Best United Airlines credit card for free checked bags
|
$95 | $0 | Good / Excellent |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
United Club℠ Infinite Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Best United Airlines credit card for United Club access
|
$525 | $0 | Excellent |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
United Quest℠ Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Best United Airlines credit card for elite status
|
$250 | $0 | Good / Excellent |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
United Gateway℠ Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Best United Airlines credit card with no annual fee
|
$0 | $0 | Good / Excellent |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
United℠ Business Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Best United Airlines credit card for business
|
$99 | $0 | Good / Excellent |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Best general travel credit card for United Airlines
|
$550 | $0 | Excellent |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Runner-up for best general travel credit card for United Airlines
|
$95 | $0 | Excellent |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
The Platinum Card® from American Express
|
Best card for United Airlines lounge access
|
$695 | None | Good / Excellent | |
|
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Best credit card for United business travel
|
$95 | $0 | Excellent |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
As a general rule, United MileagePlus miles are worth around $0.013 per mile (1,000 miles are worth $13).
However, the actual value that you get from United miles depends on how you use them. You may only get a fraction of a penny in value if you redeem for merchandise, or multiple cents per mile for business class awards.
United eliminated its award charts in 2019 — now the number of United miles required for a flight depends on the demand for a flight and how close you book before departure.
Still, there are plenty of ways to redeem United miles for top value. For example, fly from San Francisco (SFO) to Paris, France (CDG) for just 30,000 miles each way in economy or 81,700 miles each way in premium economy in November 2023.
As you can see, there is more than one United Airlines card to choose from. But, which one is right for you? That all depends on the perks you value the most. Let’s take a look at some aspects to consider when choosing the right United card for you.
While the best United Airlines credit cards tend to offer perks like a free checked bag and priority boarding, keep in mind that these benefits only apply on United flights. If you frequently fly with other airlines or you want to keep your options open, you may want to pick a flexible travel credit card that offers a broader range of perks.
Also think about which benefits you value the most, whether your goal is saving money with a benefit like free checked bags or you want airport lounge access so you can rest and relax when you have a long layover. If you mostly want benefits when you fly with United, one of their co-branded credit cards is probably your best bet.
Some United cards let you earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) each time you meet specific spending thresholds throughout the year. If you don’t have elite status or you want to climb to the next tier of United Premier elite status, a card that offers this benefit can be a solid choice.
Just keep in mind that earning PQPs typically requires you to spend a lot on your United card. For example, the United Quest℠ Card lets you earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 you spend on purchases with your card with a cap of 3,000 PQP per calendar year. To earn the full 6,000 PQP, you would have to spend $144,000 on your United credit card within a single calendar year.
Also keep in mind that United benefits and rewards are useful on Star Alliance partners. This is worth considering if you frequently fly internationally and want to be able to redeem your miles with as many carriers as possible. United Star Alliance partners include the following:
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United also partners with around a dozen airlines outside of the Star Alliance:
| a | b |
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Combined, that’s over three dozen airlines where you can redeem United miles.
Next up, you’ll want to consider United Airlines card features and perks as well as rewards rates and how they might apply to your spending. Consider the following factors as you pick the next United credit card for your wallet.
All the United credit cards out there today offer a sign-up bonus of some kind, but the bonuses vary in terms of their value and the minimum spending requirements to earn them. Ideally, you’ll pick a United card with the biggest bonus you can reasonably attain.
Just make sure you can meet the minimum spending requirement with regular spending and bills, and that you don’t have to buy things you don’t need to reach the threshold.
Also look for credit cards that offer more points or miles in categories you spend the most in. If you spend a lot on dining and groceries, for example, picking a card that offers more points in these categories can leave you with more rewards at the end of the year.
No credit cards offer United Premier elite status — though some can help you earn elite status on United. You can earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) on several United credit cards. Generally, you’ll earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 in spending, but limits depend on the card.
For example, the United℠ Explorer Card lets you earn up to 1,000 PQP per calendar year. Meanwhile, cardholders of the United Quest℠ Card can earn up to 6,000 PQP per calendar year.
Many of the best United credit cards offer some sort of lounge access. However, the right card depends on how often you want to visit airport lounges and how much you travel through an airport with a United Club lounge.
For free checked bags on United, you’ll want to stick to a United co-branded credit card. Both the United℠ Explorer Card and United℠ Business Card offer a free checked bag for the primary cardholder and one companion when flying on United. If you often check more than one bag, opt for the United Club℠ Infinite Card, as it offers up to two free checked bags each time you fly United.
Many Chase United co-branded credit cards offer cardholders priority boarding on United. The United℠ Explorer Card and United℠ Business Card both offer priority boarding privileges for the primary cardholder and any companion on the same reservation. Meanwhile, the United Club℠ Infinite Card offers full Premier Access benefits — which include priority check-in, security, boarding and baggage handling.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers an easy-to-use $300 travel credit each year. Meanwhile, The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a $200 Airline Fee Credit, but that’s only valid on qualifying purchases with your chosen airline, which you have to designate at the beginning of the year.
The only United co-branded credit card that offers a travel credit is the United℠ Business Card : You can earn a $100 United travel credit after making seven or more United flight purchases of $100 or more.
Chase credit cards offer some of the best travel protections of any card issuer, but you need to use the right card to pay for your travel.
You’ll get the following travel protections on most cards featured in this roundup (the United Gateway℠ Card is an exception):
When choosing which card is right for you, there’s a key choice to make between earning United miles directly or having the flexibility to use points with other airlines or hotels.
If you don’t mind being limited to redeeming for United flights, the co-branded United credit cards offer some solid earning rates and sign-up bonuses. However, if you want flexibility, you’ll want to consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Both Chase Sapphire cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. These points can be transferred to United MileagePlus or 13 other airline and hotel partners — or, you can use points to purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® at a rate of 1.25 cents per point for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders or 1.5 cents per point for Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders.
If you’re in a bind, you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards® points for cash back at 1 cent per point — although there are better cash back cards if that’s what you’re looking for.
Many of the best credit cards for United Airlines reimburse the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. So, you may want to choose one of these cards if you don’t already have one of these time-saving memberships:
Most United co-branded cards also offer 25% back on in-flight purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi. If you make a lot of onboard purchases on United, these savings can really add up.
While a co-branded United credit card may offer valuable perks that make it a good option for frequent United flyers, a flexible travel card may be a better value for those who want to earn free travel. Flexible travel credit cards can give you a lot more options when it comes to redeeming your rewards, and they often offer better earning rates in everyday spending categories.
For example, we compare the United℠ Explorer Card against the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card below. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card allows you to transfer points to United MileagePlus, as well as many other airline and hotel loyalty programs, making its points far more valuable. For our sample cardholder, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers nearly double the rewards value of the United℠ Explorer Card.
| United℠ Explorer Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Earning rate | Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. | Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. |
| Points/miles earned ($2,000 United flights, $2,000 dining, $14,000 other purchases) | 22,000 | 24,000 |
| Sign-up bonus | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. | Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year. |
| Total points earned in the first year | 72,000 | 84,000 |
| Target redemption option | United award flights (worth 1.3 cents/mile) | Travel purchases through Chase Travel Portal (worth around 2 cent/points when transferred to Chase travel partners |
| Value of rewards | $936 | $1,680 |
| Annual fee | $0 Intro for the First Year, then $95 | $95 |
| First year value | $936 | $1,585 |
| Other benefits | $0 foreign transaction fee, Primary car rental insurance, Trip cancellation/interruption insurance, Baggage delay insurance, Trip delay insurance, Lost luggage reimbursement, Up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, 25% back on United in-flight purchases, First checked bag free, Priority boarding privileges | $0 foreign transaction fee, Primary car rental insurance, Trip cancellation/interruption insurance, Baggage delay insurance, Trip delay reimbursement, Lost luggage reimbursement, Transfer points to travel partners at a 1:1 ratio, 25% redemption bonus on travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for cash back |
List your MileagePlus number when applying.
Make sure to add your United MileagePlus number when applying for a new United credit card — that way, the miles you earn from the card will be credited to your account and you’ll start getting perks the next time you fly United. If you don’t list your MileagePlus number, another account may be generated for you.
Pay with your United card to pay for travel.
In order to get many card perks, you must pay for your flight with your United card. These include perks like free checked bag benefits and travel protections.
Add your United credit card to a mobile wallet.
Most Chase credit cards can be added to mobile wallets like Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. This is a way that you can still use your card even if you don’t have the physical card on you.
Make sure to book travel with friends and family members strategically.
Some United credit card perks can apply to others on your flight itinerary, so make sure you book together if you can. For example, the United℠ Explorer Card and United Quest℠ Card both offer free checked bag benefits for the cardholder and one traveling companion on the same booking.
You’ll earn United miles by spending using your co-branded credit card and by crediting flights on United or partner airlines to MileagePlus. Once you’re earned miles, you can use them for award tickets, upgrades, other travel expenses, shopping, gift cards or experiences.
The best United credit card depends on your spending habits and travel preferences. However, we’d suggest the United℠ Explorer Card for most general travelers. Among its perks, cardholders get a free first checked bag, priority boarding and two United Club passes each year. Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, the United℠ Explorer Card offers a competitive sign-up bonus.
Many United credit cards offer travel protections like baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and auto rental collision damage waiver.
United miles earned through credit cards don’t count toward elite status. However, many United credit cards offer the opportunity to earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) for reaching certain spending thresholds. Requirements and limits vary by credit card.
There are United co-branded credit cards that reimburse the application fee for Global Entry or TSA Precheck. Some of our favorite United cards include this perk, such as the United℠ Explorer Card and the United Club℠ Infinite Card.
Plan to spend around 10 minutes filling out a United credit card application. Chase typically approves credit card applications within a minute; however, some applications may be held for further review. Once you’re approved, Chase typically mails new credit cards within 10 to 14 days, though you can request expedited mailing if you need to receive your card sooner.
Even infrequent travelers could benefit from getting a United card. The United℠ Explorer Card can pay for its annual fee in as little as one trip per year. The primary cardholder and one travel companion each get a free checked bag — that’s up to a $140 value for each round trip. Plus, you’ll get two United Club one-time passes each year, which is another $100 in value.
United miles post to your MileagePlus account each month. Miles usually show up a few days after your statement closes. However, bonus miles may take six to eight weeks after qualifying to post to your mileage account.
You can have more than one United credit card, although you’ll probably want to stagger your applications over a matter of months or years. This is due to the fact the Chase 5/24 rule prevents you from getting new credit cards if you have had five or more cards from any issuer in the last 24 months. By taking your time to apply for several United cards or Chase Ultimate Rewards® cards over the span of a year or longer, you can increase your approval odds.
To make choosing the right card easier, we’ve looked at credit cards reviewed on LendingTree, as well as cards on major issuer sites, to compile a list of the best United credit cards available right now.
Our recommendations are based on the following criteria:
APR
How the card’s annual percentage rate (APR) compares to other cards in its category and whether or not there is a low interest intro offer on purchases and/or balance transfers.
Sign-up bonus
Whether or not a card comes with a welcome offer or sign-up bonus, how easy it is to earn the bonus, how valuable is the bonus overall.
Ongoing rewards
Whether or not the card offers rewards, the type of rewards (points, miles, cash back), and the rewards earning rate.
Airline perks
For airline cards, airline perks are a large part of a card’s value. These include things like free checked bags, lounge membership, elite status, and airline and hotel perks.
Additional benefits
We also consider the value of additional benefits, like travel and purchase protections and credits for travel purchases.
Annual fee
Whether or not a card charges an annual fee, if the fee is waived for the first year, and if the card benefits offset or outweigh the annual fee.
Flexibility of rewards
We also consider the flexibility of the rewards that you earn, giving preference to cards that allow you to redeem rewards with multiple airlines versus only United Airlines.
Our choices are not influenced by our advertisers. Learn more on how we calculate rewards.
To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
