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If you’re hoping to add some United MileagePlus frequent flyer miles to your account, now’s a great time to take a look at the airline’s family of credit cards. United has four personal credit cards on the market, all with generous sign-up bonuses, but it’s actually the carrier’s business credit card that currently features the highest bonus of all.
Right now, the United Business Card is offering up to 150,000 bonus miles, broken down into two tiers: 75,000 miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months after opening the account, plus an additional 75,000 miles after you spend $20,000 total in the first six months. But this offer is only available for a few more days using the links on this page, as it expires on Sept. 22, 2021.
Or, if you’re looking for a personal credit cards, the relatively new United Quest Card currently comes with up to 100,000 bonus miles in two tiers: 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months after opening the account, plus an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $10,000 in the first six months. The card has a $250 annual fee, but also comes with several credits and elite perks — more on that below.
The United Explorer Card has no annual fee for the first year, then a $95 annual fee starting the second year you have it, and new card holders can earn up to 70,000 bonus miles, also broken down into two tiers: 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open, plus an additional 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in the first six months.
And for those who only fly United once in a while even when travel is at normal levels, the no-annual-fee United Gateway Card currently offers new card holders an increased 30,000 bonus miles — 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open, plus an additional 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in the first six months.
Finally, if you’re a United road warrior, the luxury United Club Infinite Card is offering an impressive 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This card sports a pricey $525 annual fee but features complimentary access to the worldwide United Club lounge network, along with a number of other high-end perks.
All five of these cards earn United MileagePlus miles, which are easily redeemed on United as well as for flights on the airline’s 20-plus Star Alliance partners. While United uses a dynamic pricing structure instead of a fixed award chart to price award tickets, the airline’s website is adept at finding partner airline inventory, which makes it easy to see route options, find seats and confirm your next award trip.
It’s fair to say that 150,000-mile airline credit card sign-up offers are rare, which makes the bonus on the United Business Card rather alluring. But the catch to scoring such a large mileage haul is how much your business will have to spend in a short time.
Given the high $20,000 bar you’ll need to meet in the first six months after applying for the United Business Card to get the entire bonus, you should do a bit of forecasting and see if your business has enough upcoming expenses to cover it. Remember, CNN Underscored recommends that you only make purchases you would make otherwise with cash, checks or a debit card. Don’t find yourself in debt paying credit card interest.
Beyond the sign-up offer, the United Business Card earns 2 miles for every dollar you spend on local transit and commuting, including train tickets, taxis, mass transit, tolls and ride-share services. It also earns 2 miles per dollar on United Airlines purchases, at gas stations, restaurants and at office supply stores, and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
Earn 2 miles per dollar when you fill up your tank and pay with the United Business Card.
In comparison, the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3 points for every dollar you spend on all travel or 10 total points on hotels and car rentals and 5 total points on air travel if purchased through Ultimate Rewards, and you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United at a 1-to-1 ratio. However, both of those cards carry extremely high annual fees. In other words, you pay more for the privilege of earning more.
With the United Business Card, you’ll also get a free checked bag when you fly United (and one for a companion on the same reservation), a pair of one-time United Club lounge passes each year (which would cost you $59 each otherwise), 25% back on United inflight purchases, and priority boarding on United-operated flights.
And for avid United flyers, there’s a single perk that essentially cancels out this credit card’s already-low $99 annual fee: After seven United flight purchases of $100 or more charged to the card, cardholders receive a $100 annual United travel credit.
Also, here’s a key element important for business owners: You can add employee cards at no additional cost and set individual spending limits on a per-card basis. This allows owners to personally accrue miles from employee spending (though be aware that savvy employees may push to use their own cards, where they earn points and miles themselves, and expense the purchases instead). The United Business Card also has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s safe to use on overseas purchases.
If you already hold a personal Chase-issued United credit card, or if you’re intrigued by one of the personal United credit card offers below, here’s another new perk that may interest you. United will hand over 5,000 additional miles each year as a “better together” bonus when you have both the United Business Card and a personal Chase United credit card.
Speaking of personal credit cards, while the 100,000 bonus miles is the first thing most people will notice about this relatively new credit card, the United Quest Card also comes with a number of perks that can be rewarding if you’re a regular United flyer.
First, every year you have the card (including the first year) you can get up to $125 in statement credits for United purchases that you charge to your card. This can even include tickets, so it’s easy to use this entire credit each year just by buying one flight that costs $125 or more. And if you can use the entire credit, you’re effectively only paying $125 annually for the card.
Then, starting with the second year you have the United Quest Card, whenever you take a United or United Express flight that you book with United miles, you’ll get 5,000 miles back in your account, up to two times each year you have the card. The award flight doesn’t even have to cost 5,000 miles to get the 5,000 miles back, so if you book United awards even twice a year, you can benefit from this perk.
You can also rack up even more United miles just by using the card. The United Quest Card earns 3 miles for every dollar you spend on United purchases; 2 miles per dollar at restaurants, on select streaming services and all other travel; and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
And when you’re traveling on a United-operated flight, you’ll be able to check both a first and second bag for free when you have the United Quest Card. This perk even extends to a companion traveling with you on the same reservation, which can mean a substantial savings.
Other perks of the United Quest Card include a fee credit of up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, priority boarding when flying United, 25% back on United in-flight purchases, the ability to earn 500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) for every $12,000 you spend on purchases with the card (up to 3,000 PQPs in a calendar year) and no foreign transaction fees.
Overall, it’s a decent package for people who are relatively loyal to United but aren’t road warriors who expect to fly constantly once the pandemic winds down and travel resumes. Those who do plan to be on a United plane at least once a month should probably consider the United Club Infinite Card instead, while casual travelers who just want to earn United miles should take a look at this next option…
With domestic United award tickets starting as low as 5,000 miles one-way, 70,000 bonus miles from the personal United Explorer Card could cover 14 tickets at the lowest rate, meaning you could take your whole family on a sorely-needed vacation later this year or in 2021.
If you’re dreaming about how much you need a vacation, United miles could be useful to have in your pocket.
You’ll earn 2 miles for every dollar you spend on United with the United Explorer Card, as well as at restaurants (including eligible delivery services) and on hotel stays booked directly with the hotel. The card then earns 1 mile per dollar on everything else you buy.
However, these earning rates aren’t generally best in class. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 2 points per dollar spent on all travel (or 5 total points if purchased through Ultimate Rewards) — not just United flights or hotels — and you can transfer Chase points to United miles at a 1-to-1 ratio, as well as to 13 other airline and hotel partners.
Related: CNN Underscored’s review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
But with the United Explorer Card, you’ll also get a number of perks when you’re flying United that you can’t get with the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The card features a free checked bag for you (and one for a companion on the same reservation), a pair of one-time United Club lounge passes each year (that would cost you $59 each otherwise), 25% back on United in-flight purchases and priority boarding on United-operated flights.
Also, you can earn 500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) toward United elite status (up to Platinum level) for every $12,000 spent on the United Explorer Card, up to a maximum of 1,000 PQPs per calendar year. But remember, CNN Underscored recommends that you only make purchases you would make otherwise with cash, checks or a debit card. Don’t find yourself in debt paying credit card interest from trying to chase airline elite status.
The United Explorer Card also has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s safe to use it overseas once international travel resumes. And those hoping to sign up for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck will also appreciate the up to $100 fee reimbursement on the card.
If you aren’t much of a regular traveler but want to earn some airline miles, you might consider the relatively new United Gateway Card, which replaced the old United TravelBank Card. It doesn’t have all the perks of the United Explorer card, but it also doesn’t have an annual fee, so you can earn United miles without having to pay each year just to have the card.
When it comes to earning miles, the United Gateway Card does have a number of bonus categories. It earns 2 miles for every dollar you spend on United Airlines purchases, at gas stations and on local transit and commuting. The card earns 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
The one perk that carries over from the United Explorer card to the United Gateway Card is a 25% rebate on all United in-flight purchases. Surprisingly, the card also carries no foreign transaction fees, which is somewhat unusual for a no-annual-fee card, but certainly welcome.
Get complimentary access to airport lounges like the United Club at Chicago’s O’Hare with the United Club Infinite Card.
If you’re a United fanatic and flew on the airline constantly before the pandemic, or you plan to make it your primary carrier as travel begins to resume, then you may find the benefits of the United Club Infinite Card are well worth the cost.
With the United Club Infinite Card, you’ll earn the same 2 miles per dollar on restaurants and eligible food delivery services as you do with the United Explorer card. But in addition, you’ll get 2 miles per dollar on all travel (not just hotels) and 4 miles per dollar on United purchases, along with 1 mile per dollar on everything else you buy.
Plus, not only does the United Club Infinite Card offer a complimentary United Club membership, but it also comes with not one but two free checked bags for both you and a companion on the same reservation when you’re flying United, along with Premier Access — which includes priority check-in, security screening (where available), boarding and baggage handling — and 25% back on United in-flight purchases.
You’ll also have access to several of the same benefits as the United Explorer card, including up to a $100 fee reimbursement when applying for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, the ability to earn 500 Premier Qualifying Points toward United elite status (up to Platinum level) for every $12,000 spent on the card, up to a maximum of 1,000 PQPs per calendar year, and no foreign transaction fees.
And as a final added extra, if you have the United Club Infinite Card — or any of the four personal United credit cards -— and also the United Business Card, you’ll earn 5,000 bonus miles each year on your United Business Card anniversary.
Just be mindful of applying for too many credit cards in rapid succession, and consider the rules banks employ for people who quickly pick up a lot of cards. For instance, Chase — the bank that issues United credit cards — won’t approve any new credit cards for people who have already gotten five or more credit cards across all banks in the previous 24 months. This is colloquially known as Chase’s 5/24 rule.
Related: The best Chase credit cards to get for cash back and travel rewards.
Consider taking advantage of these United credit card offers with an eye toward the future.
Travel has come flying back in recent months as planes have returned to the skies. But even if you don’t think you’ll be ready to get back on a plane in the next few months, you can pick up one of these cards now, earn the sign-up bonus and use the miles down the road not just for United flights but for flights on any of United’s airline partners as well.
So if you want to lock down up to 150,000 bonus miles on the United Business Card, up to 100,000 bonus miles on the United Quest Card, up to 70,000 bonus miles on the United Explorer Card, up to 30,000 bonus miles on the no-annual-fee United Gateway Card or 75,000 bonus miles on the United Club Infinite Card, take a look at these offers now and consider if they make sense for you.
Learn more and apply now for the United Business Card.
Learn more and apply now for the United Quest Card.
Learn more and apply now for the United Explorer Card.
Learn more and apply now for the United Gateway Card.
Learn more and apply now for the United Club Infinite Card.
Check out CNN Underscored’s guide to the best credit cards of 2021.
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