Which Is the Best United Credit Card Offer?

The best offer on a United Airlines-branded consumer credit card right now is for The New United Club℠ Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. NerdWallet values United miles at 1.2 cents apiece, which makes this welcome bonus worth $960. The card has a hefty $695 annual fee, but it comes with benefits like United Club lounge access and hundreds of dollars worth of travel and lifestyle statement credits.

If you’re looking for a United business card, The New United℠ Business Card (annual fee: $150) currently offers an even higher welcome bonus: Limited-time offer: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Those miles are worth $1,200, according to NerdWallet's valuation.

Here’s a look at how United's four consumer credit cards and two business credit cards compare with each other:

A closer look at United’s credit card offers

Evaluating a credit card’s welcome offer and annual fee can help you determine whether a card is worth opening. But it’s also important to take a holistic look at the ongoing benefits of a card to decide if it’s worth keeping long term.

For example, The New United Gateway℠ Card has a $0 annual fee, but it doesn’t come with valuable travel perks that you would find on some of United’s premium credit cards, which can command high annual fees. While those cards are expensive, their benefits can help justify the amount you pay as long as you use them.

Bonus miles on United purchases

You can earn 2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases with the following cards:

• The New United Gateway℠ Card

• The New United℠ Explorer Card

• The New United℠ Business Card

• The United Club℠ Business Card

Meanwhile, The New United Quest℠ Card earns 3 miles per dollar on United purchases, and The New United Club℠ Card earns 4 miles per dollar on United purchases.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Free checked bags and other United travel perks

All of United’s credit cards offer free checked bags to the primary cardholders and one guest traveling on the same reservation, with the exception of The New United Gateway℠ Card. If you have The New United℠ Explorer Card or The New United℠ Business Card, you’ll get one free bag each, while the other cards grant two free checked bags each.

To qualify, you’ll need to pay with your eligible United card and add your MileagePlus number to your reservation.

These cards also include priority boarding benefits and access to discounted award pricing. If you have The New United Club℠ Card or the United Club℠ Business Card, you also have access to United’s suite of Premier Access travel services, which includes priority check-in, security screening and baggage handling, where available.

Earn elite status through credit card spending

You can earn Premier Qualifying Points — one of the airline's metrics for earning United Premier elite status — through credit card spending, although this doesn't apply to The New United Gateway℠ Card.

The following United credit cards let you earn 1 PQP per $15 spent:

• The New United Club℠ Card (up to 28,000 PQP annually)

• United Club℠ Business Card (up to 28,000 PQP annually)

You’ll earn 1 PQP per $20 spent on these United cards:

• The New United℠ Explorer Card (up to 1,000 PQP annually)

• The New United℠ Business Card (up to 4,000 PQP annually)

• The New United Quest℠ Card (up to 18,000 PQP annually)

The following cards also come with an annual card bonus PQP deposit just for holding the card:

• The New United Quest℠ Card (1,000 PQP)

• The New United Club℠ Card (1,500 PQP)

While each card has a cap on how many PQP you can earn, you can stack PQP earnings and card bonuses from multiple cards. Keep in mind that you can’t reach United elite status by credit card spending alone. You need to fly at least four United or United Express-operated flights to earn status.

» Learn more: The complete guide to the United MileagePlus program

Extra benefits for lifestyle and travel purchases

Many of United’s co-branded credit cards include benefits for certain lifestyle and travel purchases, such as statement credits. Each card has its own set of perks, but you can generally expect the cards with higher annual fees to offer more perks at greater dollar amounts.

For example, The New United Club℠ Card and the United Club℠ Business Card offers benefits like $200 in credits on prepaid hotel stays booked with Renowned Hotels and Resorts, $200 toward flights purchased through JSX and up to $150 in rideshare credits.

The New United Quest℠ Card, on the other hand, gives cardholders benefits like a $200 United TravelBank deposit each year, as well as $150 in credits for both prepaid Renowned Hotels and Resorts bookings and JSX purchases.

Meanwhile, The New United℠ Business Card holders can earn a $125 United TravelBank deposit each year after making five purchases of $100 or more with the airline, among other perks.

Consumer cards excluding The New United Gateway℠ Card also come with a credit every four years to cover Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees.

While these perks sound enticing, they can be difficult to use, especially if you’re not already using some of the mentioned brands. However, if you use them, they can help significantly offset or completely cover the cards’ annual fees.

Airport lounge access

The primary perk of The New United Club℠ Card and the United Club℠ Business Card is a United Club membership that includes complimentary United Club lounge access for the primary cardholder, one guest and dependents under 18.

Spending $50,000 a year on the card or reaching Premier Gold status unlocks the All Access tier, which allows you to bring two adult guests to United Clubs and entry to Star Alliance partner lounges. If you earn All Access and have an authorized user or employee card on your account, you can receive four United Club one-time passes as well.

If unlimited United Club lounge access is important to you, then holding one of these credit cards is the cheapest way to get in. A United Club membership purchased directly from United costs $750 for the individual tier and doesn’t include any guests.

Can’t stomach that high annual fee? Consider opening The New United℠ Explorer Card or The New United℠ Business Card, which both come with two one-time passes each year.

» Learn more: Everything you need to know about United Club lounge access

Travel protection benefits

Chase is known for the top-tier travel protection benefits on its credit cards, including on its United-branded card offerings.

Again, you’ll get the best travel insurance perks on cards with the highest annual fees, but even the often-excluded The New United Gateway℠ Card comes with trip cancellation and interruption insurance.

However, if you’re willing to pay an annual fee, you’ll start getting access to additional benefits like primary rental car insurance, trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance and more.

Keep in mind that you’ll typically need to use your card to be eligible for coverage.