If you’re a frequent United or Star Alliance flyer, listen up: Chase and United just dropped a major refresh of their co-branded credit cards. The makeover includes better perks, new statement credits, and yes — higher annual fees. But before you panic, let’s break it all down because we think the changes are worth it.
Higher Annual Fees — But With More Value
Before we get to the good stuff, let’s get the less exciting part out of the way: several United credit cards are getting an annual fee increase. While no one enjoys paying more, these fee hikes come with significant upgrades that could easily justify them.
Here’s what’s changing:
The New United Club℠ Card: Now $695 Annual Fee per year
The New United Quest℠ Card: Increased to $350 Annual Fee
The New United℠ Explorer Card and The New United℠ Business Card: Now United Business Card has a $150 Annual Fee though the United Explorer still has no introductory fee for the first year
The New United Gateway℠ Card: Still no annual fee, but now requires $10,000 in annual spending to unlock discounted award redemptions
Now, let’s see why these changes might actually be worth it.
Bigger Benefits and New Statement Credits
Let’s get one thing clear: these increased fees come with some serious upgrades. Across the board, United cards are getting stronger, with new ways to earn miles, elite status boosts and more credits to offset travel and everyday expenses. Here’s what you can expect:
New Welcome Offer: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
New Perks:
$100 annual United® travel credit
Up to $100 for United Hotels purchases annually
Up to $60 for rideshares annually
Up to $50 for Avis/Budget rentals annually
Up to $100 for JSX annually
Three-Month Complimentary Instacart+ Membership. Terms apply.
Up to $120 in Instacart+ credits annually. Terms apply.
10,000-mile award flight redemption credit annually
New Rewards:
Earn 5x miles on hotel stays purchased through United® Hotels: 2 miles per $1 spent as a MileagePlus® member, 2 miles per $1 spent with your card, plus an additional 1 mile per $1 spent from United when you prepay through United Hotels
What’s Changing: Cardmembers will still receive two United Club one-time passes annually, but the cardmember or authorized user must be present. Plus, Premier upgrades on award tickets will no longer be available after August 1, 2025.
New Welcome Offer: Earn 125,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
New Perks:
Earn up to 4,000 PQP at a rate of 1 PQP per $20 spent.
Up to $125 in United TravelBank cash (after five United flight purchases of $100+)
Up to $100 for United Hotels purchases annually
Up to $100 for rideshares annually
Up to $50 for Avis/Budget rentals annually
Up to $100 for JSX annually
Two annual U.S. Economy Plus seat upgrades
Three-Month Complimentary Instacart+ Membership. Terms apply.
Up to $120 in Instacart+ credits annually. Terms apply.
New Rewards:
Earn 5x miles on hotel stays purchased through United® Hotels: 2 miles per $1 spent as a MileagePlus® member, 2 miles per $1 spent with your card, plus an additional 1 mile per $1 spent from United when you prepay through United Hotels
What’s Changing: Similar to the Explorer Card, United Club one-time passes now require the cardmember or an authorized user to be present to redeem them.
New Welcome Offer: Earn 95,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
New Perks:
Get a jump start on earning United status with 1,500 Bonus PQPs annually starting in 2026.
Up to 20,000 miles in award flight discounts annually
Up to $200 credit for Renowned Hotels & Resorts annually
Up to $150 credit for rideshares annually
Up to $100 credit for Avis/Budget rentals annually
Up to $200 credit for JSX annually
Up to $240 in Instacart+ credits annually. Terms apply.
Complimentary Instacart+ Membership. Terms apply.
New Rewards:
Earn 5x miles on stays purchased through Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United® Cardmembers
United Club Access Changes: You’ll continue to receive lounge access, but it’s now exclusive to United-branded Club lounges. Access to partner lounges requires Premier Gold status or $50,000 in annual spending.
United ClubSM Business Card
New Welcome Offer: Earn 125,000 United MileagePlus miles after spending $5,000 in the first three months (up from 75,000 miles + 1,000 PQP).
New Perks:
Get two global Economy Plus® seat upgrades annually
Earn up to Premier 1K® status (28,000 PQP) at a rate of 1 PQP per $15 spent.
Up to $200 credit for Renowned Hotels & Resorts annually
Up to $50 credit for United FareLock annually
Up to $150 credit for rideshare services annually
Up to $100 credit for United travel (Avis/Budget rentals) annually
Up to $200 credit for JSX annually
Complimentary Instacart+ Membership. Terms apply.
Up to $240 in Instacart+ credits. Terms apply.
New Rewards:
Earn 5x miles on stays purchased through Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United® Cardmembers
United Club Access Changes: Like the Club Card, only United-branded lounges are included — partner lounges require Premier Gold status or $50,000 in annual spend.
New Welcome Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
New Perks:
Up to $200 in United TravelBank cash (up from $125 statement credit) on your account anniversary
Up to $100 credit for rideshares annually
Up to $80 credit for Avis/Budget rentals annually
Up to $150 credit for JSX annually
Two annual global Economy Plus® seat upgrades
Up to 1,000 Bonus PQP annually starting in 2026
Up to $180 in Instacart+ credits annually. Terms apply.
10,000-mile award flight redemption credit on every account anniversary
New Rewards:
Earn 5x miles on stays purchased through Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United® Cardmembers
New Perks: Earn two free checked bags each year (Terms apply).
What’s Changing: Discounted pricing on award redemptions now requires $10,000 in spending every calendar year.
Why You Should Care About These Changes
These changes are a pretty big deal, especially if you’re a frequent United flyer. The higher annual fees might sting, but the additional statement credits, elite status fast-track opportunities, and other extra perks could easily make up for them.
The biggest winners here?
Frequent flyers chasing elite status: More PQP earning potential makes these cards stronger for those chasing Premier status.
United loyalists who value travel credits: With expanded statement credits on travel, rideshares and hotels, the savings could offset the annual fee if you use them strategically.
Anyone looking to maximize a welcome offer: The elevated welcome offers are some of the best we’ve seen, so if you’re eyeing a new United card, now is the time to act. For example, you could use the miles from this offer to fly to Hawaii. United flights from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii start at around 20,000 miles one-way, so you could book a roundtrip to Honolulu or Maui and still have miles left for some island hopping (which can be as low as 6,000 miles each way).
The lounge access changes for the Club cards might be a downside for some, but the upgraded perks will hopefully help offset those changes. And fortunately, the The New United℠ Explorer Card still offers airport lounge access, which is rare among mid-tier airline credit cards.
Bottom Line
United and Chase are shaking things up, and while annual fee increases are never fun, the added benefits could make these cards more valuable than ever. The key is to make sure you’re taking full advantage of the credits, PQP bonuses and new earning opportunities.
If you’re considering applying for or upgrading a United card, the current elevated welcome offers make now an excellent time to take the plunge as these are some of the best we’ve seen. Just be sure to pick the card that aligns best with your travel habits to get the most bang for your buck.
Prefer more flexibility in how you redeem your rewards? You may also want to consider a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®. These cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio, as well as over a dozen other airline and hotel programs.
