Whether you’re an occasional United flyer or a diehard chasing top-tier 1K status, United and Chase’s lineup of co-branded credit cards has something for everyone. And right now is a great time to add one to your wallet with new, limited-time offers of up to 90,000 MileagePlus miles, depending on which version of the card you choose.
From the no-annual-fee *united gateway* to the top-end *united club infinite*, Chase and United just upped the ante with bigger bonuses on the lot of them. While these aren’t the biggest sign-up bonuses we’ve ever seen, they’re still excellent – and there’s no quicker way to rack up a bunch of United miles in a hurry.
Just be warned: These United miles won’t go nearly as far as they once did. Last year, the airline hiked nearly all award rates by 20% to 35% – or more. For example, United economy flights to Europe that previously cost 30,000 miles each way at the lowest “saver” award rates now cost at least 40,000 miles.
Still, that doesn’t mean that a big stash of United miles are worthless … far from it. And if it’s United’s elite status you’re after, the airline just made some positive changes that mean spending on many of these United credit cards can help you get there even faster.
Let’s take a closer look at these cards and see what each has to offer.
United℠ Explorer Card
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- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on United purchases, including tickets, in-flight food and Wi-Fi and baggage service charges
- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on hotels
- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on dining
- Earn 1x miles on all other purchases
- Up to a $120 credit to cover enrollment in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
- First checked bag free on United flights
- Priority boarding
- Get two, one-time passes to the United Club each year on your cardmember anniversary
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights
- One year of complimentary DashPass, a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar that provides unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. After that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. Activate by Dec. 31, 2024
- Earn up to 1,000 PQPs toward United Premier status by spending on your Explorer Card
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 a year
Learn more about the *united explorer*
United Quest℠ Card
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- Earn 3x miles per dollar spent on United® purchases
- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on dining, select streaming services & all other travel
- Up to a $120 credit to cover enrollment in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
- Each year, receive a $125 credit on United® purchases
- Two 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits starting in your second year
- First and second checked bags are free on United flights
- Get priority boarding privileges on all United flights
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi onboard United-operated flights
- Earn up to 6,000 PQPs toward United Premier status by spending on your Quest Card
- $250 Annual Fee
Learn more about the *united quest*
United Club℠ Infinite Card
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- Earn 4x miles per dollar spent on United® purchases including tickets, Economy Plus, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United charges.
- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on all other travel
- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on dining
- Complimentary United Club lounge membership
- Up to a $120 credit to cover enrollment in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
- First and second checked bags are free on United flights
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi onboard United-operated flights
- Starting in 2024, you’ll be able to earn up to 10,000 PQPs toward United Premier Status by spending on your United Club Infinite Card (up from the previous cap of 8,000)
- $525 Annual Fee
Learn more about the *united club infinite*
United Gateway℠ Card
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- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on United purchases, including tickets, in-flight food and Wi-Fi and baggage service charges
- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent at gas stations
- Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on local transit and commuting costs, including mass transit, tolls, ride share services and more
- Earn 1x miles on all other purchases
- 25% back as a statement credit on United Inflight and Club premium drink purchases
- No annual fee
Learn more about the *united gateway*
Earn Status Faster with Credit Card Spend
Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) are the most important building block of earning status with United … and with a threshold of 6,000 PQPs for even low-level Silver, you need a lot of them to earn status.
United recently announced new requirements for earning status in 2025, and they actually made it a bit easier for travelers with one of these credit cards to rack them up:
- You’ll earn 1 PQP for every $15 you spend on the top-tier *united club infinite* or the United Club℠ Business Card
- For all other eligible United cards like the *united explorer* or the *united quest*, you’ll earn 1 PQP per $20 spent
That’s a slight improvement over the old system, where you’d earn a chunk of 25 PQPs for every $500 you spent on select United cards. But it makes holding the $525-a-year United Infinite card even more important if you want to earn United status. And still, you’ll need to spend at least $90,000 on the United Club Infinite card to earn even the lowest Silver status.
Unlike with Delta or American, though, you can’t earn top United status exclusively through credit card spending. The airline limits how many PQPs you can earn on card spend, although that number has increased slightly, too:
- United Quest card is now capped at 9,000 PQPs
- United Club Infinite card is now capped at 15,000 PQPs
- United Club Business card is now capped at 15,000 PQPs
If you’re planning to earn status by spending big on the *united explorer*, you’ll need a new strategy. The maximum amount of PQPs earned through spending with that card is still limited to 1,000.
Another Benefit: Expanded United Award Availability
One of the best benefits of holding a United Airlines co-branded credit card – even the no-annual fee Gateway Card – is increased access to award tickets on United Airlines flights.
This means that just for holding the card, you will see more saver-level award seats available when you search for ways to redeem your miles. Oftentimes, there is additional award availability during peak travel times and/or more popular routes. This ultimately means you have to use fewer miles when it comes time to use them.
Finally, United cardholders will get access to all Everyday awards. This means you can use your miles to book seats on any United Airlines flight, even if it’s the last seat on the plane. You may pay a small fortune in miles to do so, but that could come in handy.
Related reading: The 7 Best Deals We’ve Found for United MileagePlus Miles
Should You Apply?
It depends. There are plenty of considerations to keep in mind.
Like all Chase credit cards, the entire portfolio of United Airlines credit cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule. That means if you have been approved for five or more credit cards – from any bank not just Chase – in the last 24-month period, you will automatically be declined for any of these cards regardless of your credit score or history with Chase bank.
That’s the big reason we always suggest starting your travel rewards credit card journey with Chase credit cards. They are simply harder to get later on down the line. And that alone makes it important to consider these offers.
Assuming you already have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve and one of the Chase Freedom Cards, one of these United cards could make a ton of sense for filling a Chase 5/24 spot.
Chase allows you to hold more than one of the United personal cards at the same time. But if you’ve earned a bonus on any of the United personal cards in the last 24 months, you won’t be eligible.
Read more: Master Guide to Credit Card Applications & All the Rules You Need to Know, Bank by Bank
Bottom Line
The entire suite of United airlines co-branded credit cards are offering limited-time bonuses of up to 90,000 MileagePlus miles, depending on which version of the card you choose. If you’ve got a good use for United Miles, take advantage of these bigger offers before they’re gone!
