7 Best Benefits of United Airlines Credit Cards
All four United cards earn rewards you can redeem for travel, and the more you're willing to pay, the more perks and benefits you'll get.
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Updated · 5 min read
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Managing Editor United Airlines offers four co-branded consumer credit cards with annual fees that vary. (The airline also offers small-business credit cards, not covered here.)
All four of the consumer cards earn MileagePlus miles, which you can redeem toward free flights or seat upgrades on United. And the more you pay, the more you get in terms of perks.
The four cards include:
- United Gateway℠ Card: $0.
- United℠ Explorer Card: $0 intro for the first year, then $150 annual fee.
- United Quest℠ Card: $350 annual fee.
- United Club℠ Card: $695 annual fee.
Each card offers different perks with terms that apply. Here are the seven best benefits you'll find on United Airlines credit cards.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
NerdWallet values United miles at 1.2 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your United miles. Top United credit card benefits
1. Solid ongoing rewards rates and welcome offers
Each United credit card gives you extra rewards on spending with the airline itself:
How the cards compare
Sign-up bonus
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Earn 80,000 bonus miles and 3,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards
- 2 miles per $1 spent on United Airlines purchases.
- 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations.
- 2 miles per $1 spent on local transit and commuting.
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 5 miles per $1 spent on hotel stays purchased through United Hotels.
- 2 miles per $1 spent on United purchases.
- 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants.
- 2 miles per $1 spent on hotel purchases directly from the hotel.
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 5 miles per $1 spent on hotel stays purchased through Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
- 3 miles per $1 spent on United purchases.
- 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel, dining and select streaming services.
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Anniversary rewards: A $200 United travel credit after account opening and on each account anniversary.
- 5 miles per $1 spent on hotel stays purchased through renowned Hotels and Resorts.
- 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases.
- 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel and dining.
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Still not sure?
2. Convenient perks you can use at the airport
Baggage, boarding, lounge benefits and more
United Gateway℠ Card does not offer early boarding or access to the airline's United Club airport lounges, but the cards with annual fees do. What makes United Gateway℠ Card unique among other $0-annual-fee airline cards, however, is that it provides a chance to earn free checked bags (if you spend enough).
The higher the annual fee on a card, the more perks you can expect. Benefits that can be used at the airport with United credit cards range from free checked bags, priority boarding and airport lounge access to statement credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees, among others. Terms apply.
Useful United credit card airport perks
United Gateway℠ Card
- Earn two free checked bags after spending $10,000 in a calendar year.
United℠ Explorer Card
- First checked bag free for the primary cardholder and a companion traveling on the same reservation.
- A statement credit for a TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS application fee.
- Priority boarding.
- Two free airport lounge passes each year.
United Quest℠ Card
- A $200 annual United travel purchase credit after account opening and on each account anniversary.
- Two free checked bags apiece for the primary cardholder and a companion traveling on the same reservation.
- A statement credit for a TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS application fee.
- Complimentary Premier upgrades on award tickets.
- Priority boarding.
United Club℠ Card
- Two free checked bags apiece for the primary cardholder and a companion traveling on the same reservation.
- A statement credit for a TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS application fee.
- Premier access, which offers priority boarding, priority check-in at the airport, a chance to get through exclusive security lanes (if available) and access to your bag first after landing.
- Complimentary Premier upgrades on award tickets.
- A United Club membership, plus access for one adult guest and kids under 18.
- A 10% United Economy Saver Award discount.
Read about the benefits of other popular credit cards
3. More money-saving travel perks
As a $0-annual-fee card, United Gateway℠ Card doesn’t offer a lengthy list of perks like other United cards do. The better perks on those more expensive United cards are the ones that are easily available to cardholders and do not require a spending amount to earn.
United credit cards with annual fees typically offer rideshare credits, a more general travel credit of some sort, credits toward Avis or Budget purchases, and an Instacart+ membership for a certain window of time, to name a few, depending on the card. Terms apply.
Easily available money-saving perks on United credit cards
United℠ Explorer Card
- Up to $60 in statement credits each calendar year on rideshare purchases when you pay with the card and opt in every year (issued as $5 per month).
- A credit of up to $100 annually when you use the card to purchase hotel stays directly through United Hotels (issued as two $50 statement credits).
- Up to $50 in United travel credits annually on Avis or Budget purchases when you pay with the card (issued as two $25 credits).
- A statement credit of up to $100 annually on flights purchased directly through JSX, a hop-on jet service that offers a semi-private flying experience at commercial fares.
- A complimentary three-month Instacart+ membership with 25% off of the annual membership after it ends, plus up to $120 in Instacart credits annually (issued in monthly installments).
United Quest℠ Card
- Up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year on rideshare purchases when you pay with the card and opt in annually (issued as $8 per month from January to November and as $12 in December).
- Earn 1,000 Premier qualifying points each calendar year beginning in 2026.
- Get a 10,000-mile credit each account anniversary to use toward an eligible award flight.
- Up to $150 in statement credits annually when using the card to book and pay for hotel stays directly through Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
- Up to $80 in United travel credits annually on Avis or Budget purchases when you pay with the card (issued as two $40 credits).
- Up to $150 in statement credits annually on flights purchased directly through JSX.
- A complimentary three-month Instacart+ membership with 50% off of the annual membership after, and up to $180 in Instacart credits annually (issued in monthly installments).
United Club℠ Card
- Up to $200 in statement credits annually when you use the card to book and pay for hotel stays directly through Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
- Up to $150 in statement credits each calendar year on rideshare purchases when you pay with the card and opt in annually (issued as $12 per month from January through November and as $18 in December).
- 1,500 card bonus Premier qualifying points each calendar year beginning in 2026.
- Up to $100 in United travel credits annually on Avis or Budget purchases when you pay with your card (issued as two $50 credits).
- Up to $200 in statement credits annually on flights purchased directly through JSX.
- A complimentary Instacart+ membership and up to $240 in Instacart credits annually (issued in monthly installments).
- Receive Avis Presidents Club Status and IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status.
4. No foreign transaction fees
United Airlines credit cards make for good travel companions abroad. That's because they run on the Visa payment network, meaning they'll be widely accepted, and also because they don't add a foreign transaction fee on international purchases.
5. Travel protections
The United cards also come with an array of protections and benefits that can be handy when traveling.
- Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. If your trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations like sickness or injury, you can get reimbursed.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver. Decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your United card and receive primary coverage for theft and collision damage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad. (Coverage in the U.S. on the United Gateway℠ Card is secondary to your personal insurance.)
6. Statement credit on United in-flight purchases
Get 25% back as a statement credit on food, beverages, Wi-Fi purchases and United Club premium drink purchases made with a United Airlines credit card.
7. No blackout dates
United cardholders don’t have to worry about blackout dates when using miles to book a flight. Miles can be applied to any United-operated flight for any travel date as long as there is availability. Award bookings may have limited availability based on capacity controls.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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