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United has made some major changes to their co-branded card lineup in March 2025. The Explorer, Quest, and Club cards now have higher annual fees (bad), but more coupon-like credits like rideshare, JSX, hotel credit, and Avis/Budget rental credit (meh). I would rather have a card with a lower fee without these types of credits because you have to jump through hoops in order to maximize their worth. In all, these changes to the United line-up of cards is negative and don’t make up for the additional annual fee in my opinion.
The only saving grace is the United Gateway℠ Card, which now allows for 2 standard checked bag certificates each year, but you have to spend $10,000 on the card each year to get those.
These United cards may not be worth the hassle now when there are cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card with a $95 annual fee, 2x earnings on all categories, 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals, rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and the ability to transfer your points into various airline and hotel programs.
- Link: United Gateway℠ Card : Earn 30,000 United MileagePlus® Miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3-months of opening your account. NO ANNUAL FEE. (The previous best offer was 30,000 United MileagePlus® Miles)
- Link: United℠ Explorer Card : Earn 80,000 United MileagePlus® Miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3-months of opening your account. This card waives the annual fee for the first year then $150 for each following year. (The previous offer was 60,000 United MileagePlus® Miles with a $95 annual fee)
- Link: United Quest℠ Card : Earn 90,000 United MileagePlus® Miles and 500 premium qualifying points after you spend $4000 on purchases in the first 3-months of opening your account. This card has an annual fee of $250. (The previous offer was 70,000 United MileagePlus® Miles + 500 premium qualifying points. with a $250 annual fee)
- Link: United Club℠ Infinite Card : Earn 95,000 United MileagePlus® Miles after you spend $5000 on purchases in the first 3-months of opening your account. This card has an annual fee of $695. (The previous offer was 90,000 United MileagePlus® Miles with a $525 annual fee)
Our personal opinions about this offer:
- If United is your main airline then there are several perks on the Explorer, Quest, and Club Infinite cards that are worth mentioning: The main one being the free first-checked-bag perk. The reason why it’s worthwhile, is that it basically allows you to book Basic Economy fares without having to worry about additional bag fees.
- If you only fly on United 2 or less times a year and you make $10,000 in purchases on this card each year. Then the United Gateway℠ Card is probably the best card to apply for because it has NO ANNAUL FEE, and you can earn two standard checked bag certificates each year.
- However, if you want more flexibility with point redemptions, then keep in mind that United allows for point transfers from several Chase cards (Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and Ink Business Preferred). This means that you can transfer your Chase points to not just United, but also to Southwest, or Hyatt (among others). In contrast, when you earn United MileagePlus Miles your redemption options are basically limited to United and their travel portal.
- The United Gateway Card may not be worth getting even though it has no annual fee. The reason is that you don’t get any worthwhile perks from that card. For example, you don’t get the free first bag perk or priority boarding perk.
There are a few things to point out about this deal:
- These cards had a 10,000 point higher offering in November-2024 and also June-2024. We’ve seen limited time offers in the past that were as high as 20,000 points more than what is offered now.
- With Chase, you are likely to be denied if you have opened 5 or more cards with ANY bank within the past 24 months. Chase business cards don’t count towards the 5 card rule, but if you try to apply for one after you have opened 5 or more cards, you will likely be denied. If you are planning to apply for multiple cards, you should consider opening Chase business cards first, then Chase personal cards, and finally any other cards with any other bank.
- Avoid applying for two or more Chase cards per month. Doing so increases your risk of being denied.
- If you get denied and you have good credit, call their reconsideration hotline: 1-888-270-2127. Calling may not change the outcome, but there is a chance it will. You’ll also be able to get better insight in why your application was denied.
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