Best United Airlines Credit Cards of November 2024

The {name} is ideal for consumers who want to save on checked baggage when flying with the airline. Cardmembers automatically get a free checked bag for themselves and a flight companion on United operated flights when they pay with their United card. Since United charges up to $35 for a first checked bag, this savings can add up to $140 per round-trip flight for two people.

The {name} lets you skip the $650 fee for a United Club membership, offering you full United Club membership — plus additional benefits — for a {fee.annual.text} annual fee. Ultimately, this means you can secure United Club access for less than you would pay for it outright, yet you also get to earn United miles on purchases while enjoying frequent flyer perks.

If you're chasing elite status with United Airlines and you want all the best perks other than lounge access, the {name} is the card for you. The card offers up to 6,000 PQPs each year (500 PQPs for each $12,000 in purchases on the card) — enough to boost you to Silver status, from Silver to Gold or from Gold to Platinum. While other United Airlines cards let users earn PQP for spending, the {name} has one of the highest caps on annual PQPs of all available options.

The {name} is United's {fee.annual.text}-annual-fee card, designed for those looking for the ability to earn airline miles without having to pay to keep their card each year. While you won't get perks like free checked bags or priority boarding with this card, it's worth keeping for the long haul if you want the chance to earn United miles off and on without paying for the privilege.

The {name} comes packed with benefits for small businesses, which can be fruitful for business owners who fly with the airline often. Not only that, but this card lets individuals earn United miles on their business purchases and bills, and it can be paired with a personal United credit card to boot.

The {name} offers a solid point earning rate and the potential to transfer points to your United account at a 1:1 ratio. This means you can use your miles for United flights if you want to, but you're not tied down to this option if you find a better deal.

Cardholders also get some serious travel benefits and perks, including an annual $300 travel credit and - Free or Discounted Membership"]Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge access.

If the annual fee on the [data-lightrail id="1129"]{name}[/data-lightrail] is too high for you, the {name} is a great general travel card alternative worth considering. You'll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that can be transferred to United (or 13 other airline and hotel partners), or used with a 25% bonus when booking travel through the Chase travel portal.

While {name} doesn't have any United-specific benefits, this card does have the best lounge access of any other premium travel card. In fact, cardholders get to enter and enjoy more than 1,300 airport lounges across 130 countries through Amex's Global Lounge Collection, including Amex Centurion lounges.

The Chase {name}® also works well for United since it earns points that can transfer to the airline and other partners at a 1:1 ratio. This business credit card also offers an incredibly generous bonus offer and 3X points in several popular business categories. The best part? The annual fee is only {fee.annual.text}.

The {name} is a wise choice for student travelers who are building their credit, as well as United flyers interested in building a long-term relationship with Chase. This card earns Ultimate Rewards points, which can be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, at Amazon.com and to book travel, including flights on United Airlines. With responsible card use, you may eventually qualify for a premium Chase card (like the [data-lightrail id="92"]{name}[/data-lightrail]), which would allow you to transfer those points into your MileagePlus account. It also offers trip cancellation/interruption benefits of up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip when you use the card to pay for your trip.

All the United credit cards out there today offer a sign-up bonus of some kind, but the bonuses vary in terms of their value and the minimum spending requirements to earn them. Ideally, you'll pick a United card with the biggest bonus you can reasonably attain.

Just make sure you can meet the minimum spending requirement with regular spending and bills, and that you don't have to buy things you don't need to reach the threshold.

Also look for credit cards that offer more points or miles in categories you spend the most in. If you spend a lot on dining and groceries, for example, picking a card that offers more points in these categories can leave you with more rewards at the end of the year.

No credit cards offer United Premier elite status — though some can help you earn elite status on United. You can earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) on several United credit cards. Generally, you'll earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 in spending, but limits depend on the card.

For example, the [data-lightrail id="180"]{name}[/data-lightrail] lets you earn up to 1,000 PQP per calendar year. Meanwhile, cardholders of the [data-lightrail id="2172"]{name}[/data-lightrail] can earn up to 6,000 PQP per calendar year.

Many of the best United credit cards offer some sort of lounge access. However, the right card depends on how often you want to visit airport lounges and how much you travel through an airport with a United Club lounge.

For free checked bags on United, you'll want to stick to a United co-branded credit card. Both the [data-lightrail id="180"]{name}[/data-lightrail] and [data-lightrail id="1213"]{name}[/data-lightrail] offer a free checked bag for the primary cardholder and one companion when flying on United. If you often check more than one bag, opt for the [data-lightrail id="1229"]{name}[/data-lightrail], as it offers up to two free checked bags each time you fly United.

Many Chase United co-branded credit cards offer cardholders priority boarding on United. The [data-lightrail id="180"]{name}[/data-lightrail] and [data-lightrail id="1213"]{name}[/data-lightrail] both offer priority boarding privileges for the primary cardholder and any companion on the same reservation. Meanwhile, the United Club℠ Infinite Card offers full Premier Access benefits — which include priority check-in, security, boarding and baggage handling.

The [data-lightrail id="1129"]{name}[/data-lightrail] offers an easy-to-use $300 travel credit each year. Meanwhile, [data-lightrail id="54"]{name}[/data-lightrail] offers a $200 Airline Fee Credit, but that's only valid on qualifying purchases with your chosen airline, which you have to designate at the beginning of the year.

The only United co-branded credit card that offers a travel credit is the [data-lightrail id="1213"]{name}[/data-lightrail]: You can earn a $100 United travel credit after making seven or more United flight purchases of $100 or more.

Chase credit cards offer some of the best travel protections of any card issuer, but you need to use the right card to pay for your travel.

You'll get the following travel protections on most cards featured in this roundup (the [data-lightrail id="1546"]{name}[/data-lightrail] is an exception):

When choosing which card is right for you, there's a key choice to make between earning United miles directly or having the flexibility to use points with other airlines or hotels.

If you don't mind being limited to redeeming for United flights, the co-branded United credit cards offer some solid earning rates and sign-up bonuses. However, if you want flexibility, you'll want to consider the [data-lightrail id="92"]{name}[/data-lightrail] or [data-lightrail id="1129"]{name}[/data-lightrail].

Both Chase Sapphire cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. These points can be transferred to - Detailed Guide"]United MileagePlus or 13 other airline and hotel partners — or, you can use points to purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® at a rate of 1.25 cents per point for [data-lightrail id="92"]{name}[/data-lightrail] cardholders or 1.5 cents per point for [data-lightrail id="1129"]{name}[/data-lightrail] cardholders.

If you're in a bind, you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards® points for cash back at 1 cent per point — although there are better cashback cards if that's what you're looking for.

Many of the best credit cards for United Airlines reimburse the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. So, you may want to choose one of these cards if you don't already have one of these time-saving memberships:

Most United co-branded cards also offer 25% back on in-flight purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi. If you make a lot of onboard purchases on United, these savings can really add up.