Best United Credit Cards of July 2022

This post contains links to products from our advertisers, and we may be compensated when you click on these links. Our recommendations and advice are ours alone, and have not been reviewed by any issuers listed. Terms apply to offers listed on this page. Read our editorial standards.

United flyers are spoiled for choice when it comes to credit cards that offer perks with the airline. United’s six co-branded Chase cards include perks like lounge access, free checked bags, and priority boarding, as well as earning bonus miles on everyday purchases.

Looking beyond just United-branded cards, however, the ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to the United MileagePlus frequent flyer program means that cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card are also strong contenders thanks to great earning rates and travel protections.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Best if you’re not loyal to United: Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve

Best United credit card for non-elite flyers: United Explorer Card

Best for travelers who check bags: United Quest Card

Best United Airlines credit card for business travelers: United Business Card

Best for United Club airport lounge access: United Club Infinite Card

Best for budget travelers: United Gateway Card

Best for road warriors: Chase Ink Business Preferred

Best for fancy flyers: Amex Platinum

Compare the best United credit cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (jump to Chase Sapphire Preferred details »)

Although it’s not a United co-branded card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card presents a few compelling reasons for United flyers to carry it. It earns Ultimate Rewards points, which transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio to United MileagePlus miles, so your purchase activity can easily earn you award travel on the airline.

These points also transfer to several other airlines including Southwest, Air Canada, British Airways, and JetBlue, so you’ll gain flexibility by earning Ultimate Rewards points instead of just United miles.

The card earns 5 points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards and 2 points on all other travel purchases, including airline tickets. That means you can rack up extra points not just on United tickets and at hotels like with the United℠ Explorer Card, but on all airline purchases, as well as on things like train tickets, parking, rideshares, and more.

Chase Sapphire Reserve® (jump to Chase Sapphire Reserve details »)

If you’re a very frequent traveler, you could also consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. It’s now harder to recommend this card to everyone since the annual fee increased to $550, but it still offers some great benefits, including 5x total points on air travel and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 travel credit), 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2025, 3x points on other travel and dining, and up to $300 in statement credits for travel purchases each year. If you’re unsure which option is best for you, read our comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve for a thorough breakdown.

United℠ Explorer Card (jump to United Explorer card details »)

If you fly United a few times a year but don’t have elite status, the United℠ Explorer Card is probably your best all-around option.

That’s because the card offers elite-style perks like a free checked bag for the cardholders and a companion on the same reservation (when you pay with the card), priority boarding, and a 25% discount on inflight food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases. Cardholders also receive two one-time United Club passes each anniversary year, which can help lighten day-of-travel stress on the occasional trip.

The card is a good earner in general, accruing 2x miles not just on United purchases, but also on dining and hotel stays. It earns 1 mile per dollar on everything else. When it comes time to put those miles to use, cardholders can also access expanded award ticket availability, which can save tens of thousands of miles on some trips. For more info, read our United Explorer credit card review.

United Quest℠ Card (jump to United Quest card details »)

United charges $35 for a first checked bag and $45 for the second, so if you check bags frequently, these fees can put a big dent in your travel budget. The United Quest℠ Card is the least expensive United co-branded card that offers a free first and second checked bag, making it ideal for those who check multiple bags.

Although the card has a $250 annual fee, taking advantage of this benefit can more than offset the yearly cost. Cardholders receive the first and second checked bag free for themselves and one companion on the same reservation (though you need to use the card to pay for your ticket, or the taxes and fees on an award ticket). On a single round-trip itinerary, two people could save a total of $320 if they each check two bags.

The United Quest℠ Card offers a welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Cardholders also receive priority boarding, up to $125 annually in statement credits toward United purchases, up to two 5,000-mile award flight credits per year after the first card anniversary, and valuable travel and purchase protections including primary car rental insurance. Read our United Quest credit card review to learn more.

United℠ Business Card (jump to United Business card details »)

If you already carry a United personal credit card or are simply looking for a small-business credit card for your work needs, the United℠ Business Card is a great choice for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, it’s currently offering new cardholders 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99. It also fields some interesting bonus earning opportunities, racking up 2 miles per dollar on United purchases as well as at restaurants, gas stations, local transit and commuting, and office supply stores.

Cardholders and a companion can check a bag for free when traveling on United, and receive priority boarding privileges. They also get two one-time United Club passes each anniversary year. For more information on the card’s benefits, read our United Business Card review.

United Club℠ Infinite Card (jump to United Club Infinite card details »)

If you’re a frequent United flyer and value access to the airline’s United Clubs, the United Club℠ Infinite Card is the best card for you. Its annual fee is $525, but that’s still less than what most travelers would pay for a United Club membership each year. The other thing worth noting is that it is full club membership, not just access, so cardholders can bring in guests.

Cardholders and a companion on the same reservation can check up to two bags for free and enjoy Premier Access priority check-in, security screening, and boarding. The card earns 4 miles per dollar on United purchases, which is pretty stellar. Read our United Club Infinite Card review for more details on the card’s benefits.

United Gateway℠ Card (jump to United Gateway card details »)

If you prefer to avoid an annual fee, the United Gateway℠ Card could be the first option for you. It doesn’t offer much in the way of extra perks, but it does earn 2x miles on United purchases, and on gas stations, and local transit.

Though you won’t get free checked bags or priority boarding, the card does offer 25% savings on inflight food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases. It also waives foreign transaction fees, and having this card gets you access to expanded award availability, just like other United cards with an annual fee. You can learn more about what this card has to offer in our United Gateway Card review.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (jump to Ink Business Preferred card details »)

Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns Ultimate Rewards points that you can transfer to United MileagePlus, among other airline and hotel programs.

Not only is it offering a welcome bonus of 100,000 points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, but it also racks up a phenomenal 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 total spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising on social media sites and search engines each account year (then 1x). 

In short, if you’re a small-business owner whose spending habits fit into these categories, you could make a killing on points and then transfer them to United for award travel, among several great ways to redeem the points from the Ink Business Preferred’s welcome bonus.

Aside from that, you can also just redeem Ultimate Rewards points earned with this card directly for reservations made through the Chase travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents apiece, which could make sense for some cheap airline tickets on United. The card also waives foreign transaction fees and comes with primary insurance on car rentals for business purposes. Read our Ink Business Preferred credit card review to learn more.

The Platinum Card® from American Express
 (jump to Platinum Card from American Express details »)

Ostensibly, The Platinum Card® from American Express does not offer any direct benefits for United flyers. But if you look beyond its obvious perks, there are plenty of reasons to consider it.

Although American Express Membership Rewards points don’t transfer to United MileagePlus, they do convert to miles with Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, all of which you can redeem for award travel on United (and often at better rates than United MileagePlus itself offers).

The public welcome offer for this card is currently 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in your first 6 months of card membership.

The Platinum Card accrues 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), which makes it the top earner in this category. It also includes up to $200 per year in statement credits toward airline incidentals** like checked bags, seat assignments, and club lounge passes, so for occasional United flyers without elite status, this is a big benefit.

Although it won’t get you into United Clubs, it does grant access to Priority Pass lounges around the world** as well as Amex’s own Centurion Lounges, so you can usually find a quiet place to work or relax before flights no matter where you travel. Those are just a few of the card’s benefits, but there are plenty more to take advantage of. Read our Amex Platinum Card review to learn more.

United Airlines credit card frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What credit score do you need for a United Airlines credit card?

Most United co-branded cards require at least a good credit score to be approved, which means a FICO score of at least 670 or VantageScore of at least 700.

Some cards, like the premium United Club℠ Infinite Card, are more likely to approve you with an excellent credit score — that is, anything above an 800 FICO score or 750 VantageScore.

You can read about how to improve your credit score and why using credit cards can help boost your score if you’re still working on building your credit history.

Is a United credit card worth it?

United credit cards are worth it if you fly with the airline or are focused on earning United miles. The right card for you really depends on how often you fly United and whether or not you value benefits like airport lounge access and free checked bags.

United miles are useful even if you don’t fly United often. You can redeem them for flights on United and Star Alliance carriers including Air Canada, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines, or non-alliance partners like Aer Lingus and Hawaiian Airlines.

The best card for your needs depends on the benefits you will value and use the most, and which card’s earning rates you’ll be able to maximize with your typical travel and spending activity.

Most occasional flyers will do best with the United℠ Explorer Card, since it offers the most benefits for a modest annual fee. But if you fly United more often, a premium card like the United Club℠ Infinite Card could be a better fit.

Who is eligible for United credit cards?

The co-branded United credit cards fall under the Chase 5/24 rule, which means if you’ve opened five or more cards in the past 24 months (from any bank), you won’t be eligible.

You also won’t qualify for a specific United card if you already have that exact card or have received its welcome bonus offer in the past 24 months. That said, each of the United cards is considered a different product, so you can have more than one United card — for example, the United℠ Business Card and the United Quest℠ Card.

Do United miles expire?

United Airlines miles do not expire, so you can earn miles now and use them whenever you want in the future.

Do United credit cards pay for Global Entry?

The United℠ Explorer Card, United Quest℠ Card, and United Club℠ Infinite Card offer a statement credit for the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee every four years. The business versions of the cards and the no-annual-fee United Gateway℠ Card do not.

What credit card points transfer to United Airlines?

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio to United — plus 13 other airline and hotel partners — as long as you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

Bilt Rewards recently added United as a 1:1 transfer partner. You can earn Bilt points from the Bilt Mastercard®
.