Chase and United have a suite of co-branded credit cards. A couple of months ago, we saw some limited time welcome offers rolled out on the personal versions of these cards. I wanted to post a reminder of these deals, as they’re due to expire soon.
Admittedly I wouldn’t really prioritize racking up United MileagePlus miles in light of the recent devaluation, but the offers are still worth being aware of.
In this post:
Chase United MileagePlus credit card offers
Chase and United are offering elevated bonuses on their suite of personal co-branded credit cards. Note that you’re potentially eligible for the bonuses on each of these cards, and Chase’s typical application rules, including the 5/24 rule, apply. Let’s go over all the details.
United Club Infinite Card: 80K miles
The United Club℠ Infinite Card is offering a welcome bonus of 80,000 MileagePlus miles after spending $5,000 within the first three months. This card has a $525 annual fee, and offers a variety of perks, including:
- A United Club membership
- A free first & second checked bag
- Premier Access travel services, including priority check-in, security, boarding, and more
- MileagePlus Premier elite upgrades on award tickets, including for companions
- A 10% discount on select economy award tickets
- 10,000 bonus MileagePlus miles for joining CLEAR
- IHG One Rewards Platinum status, plus a $75 credit with IHG
Read a full review of the United Club Infinite Card.
United Quest Card: 60K miles + 500 PQPs
The United Quest℠ Card is offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 MileagePlus miles plus 500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) after spending $4,000 within the first three months. The card has a $250 annual fee, and perks include the following:
- Up to a $125 annual credit for United purchases
- An award flight credit of up to 10,000 MileagePlus miles per year
- A free first & second checked bag
- 25% savings on United inflight purchases, including of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi
- MileagePlus Premier elite upgrades on award tickets
Read a full review of the United Quest Card.
United Explorer Card: 60K miles
The United℠ Explorer Card offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 MileagePlus miles after spending $3,000 within the first three months. The card has a $95 annual fee that’s waived the first year, and perks include the following:
- Two United Club passes annually
- A free first checked bag
- Priority boarding
- 25% savings on United flight purchases, including of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi
- MileagePlus Premier elite upgrades on award tickets
Read a full review of the United Explorer Card.
United Gateway Card: 20K miles
The United Gateway℠ Card is offering a welcome bonus of 20,000 MileagePlus miles after spending $1,000 within the first three months. The card has no annual fee, and perks include the following:
- 25% savings on United inflight purchases, including of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi
- 2x miles on United purchases, gas stations, and local commuting and transit, all with no foreign transaction fees
Read a full review of the United Gateway Card.
Which Chase United Airlines credit card is best?
As you can see, there are four personal United credit cards to choose from, and it can be tough to decide which card makes the most sense. In general, I’d recommend choosing a card based on the size of the welcome bonus, and also how the perks match up with your travel patterns.
As a general rule of thumb:
- The United Club Infinite Card is offering a great welcome bonus, so if you’d benefit from a United Club membership for at least a year, I’d probably pick up that card
- The United Quest Card has the annual fee that’s easiest to justify, given the $125 annual United travel credit, and other perks, which should offset the annual fee if you fly the airline with any frequency
- The United Explorer Card is one of the most perks-rich mid-range airline credit cards out there, and offers valuable benefits for the occasional United flyer
- Personally I wouldn’t apply directly for the United Gateway Card, simply because the bonus is so much smaller than on the other cards, and you could downgrade another type of United credit card to the no annual fee card as long as you’ve had it for at least 12 months
Bottom line
There’s lots to choose from, ranging from the bonus of 80K miles on the premium United Club Infinite Card, to the bonus of 20K miles on the no annual fee United Gateway Card.
Do you plan on picking up a United credit card with an elevated bonus?
MileagePengos, the new UA currency.
Referenced to the Hungarian Pengo that rapidly inflated. Spread the love people, why only tarnish Delta and SkyPesos.
This post begs the question: Where to credit Butt in seat miles? I'm flying 3 weeks a month, 3000 miles and $2k a month. I switched from Delta to United a few years ago to because I felt like United Miles were the best option to get to Europe on points, while still getting first class domestic upgrades. I'm 1k with United, Platinum with Delta and Platinum with American. It feels like there's no good answer for the BIS miles anymore.
Lol.
Here's a very tough question for y'all to ponder: which miles are the most useless and worthless - SkyPesos or United? Hmmm...
(hint: they're both awful, horrendous, terrible, no-good, entirely worthless, and both programs should just be shut down at this point, as they're an insult to frequent fliers and even big CC spenders)
Signing up for these cards is just encouraging UA to continue their devaluing of their miles. The only way to communicate is to punish them via Chase (the only customer they actually care about). When the credit card business takes a hit, they will actually pause to see why consumers are unhappy.
Spot-on comment.
I am an United gold member and canceled my Explorer card right after the big devaluation with no intention of opening a new one, nor crediting my flying miles to United again. I just wish more people did the same.
I'm at a loss why anybody would collect United miles at this point given the huge devaluations. One can get access to basically the same inventory on Air Canada Aeroplan, accumulate miles no less easily, and redeem awards for often 66%-75% less than on United with roughly the same taxes and fees. MileagePlus now exists mostly for people who don't know how to play this game.