Starting March 24, 2025, Chase is shaking things up with a major overhaul of its consumer and business United credit cards. For the most part, annual fees are on the rise, but there’s a silver lining: if cardholders can maximize the new benefits, such as valuable statement credits and added perks for reaching spending milestones, they may offset these increased fees.
All these updates apply right away to those opening a new account from March 24 onward. For existing cardholders, they’ll gain the new perks at the same time, although the heightened fees will only kick in with renewals from August 1, 2025. The United℠ Explorer Card is the exception; benefits will be immediately available, but the annual fee adjustment won’t happen until January 1, 2026.
Overall, these changes embrace a money-back approach similar to the “coupon book” concept already popular with other high-end rewards cards, including some from American Express. If you’re already planning purchases at the relevant merchants, these annual credits are a nice bonus. However, if you aren’t, the card might not deliver as much value for you.
Let’s break down what’s changing for United’s consumer credit cards.
United Gateway℠ Card
- Annual fee: Remains a steady $0.
- New benefit: Score two free checked bags annually when you spend $10,000, a new perk for this card.
United℠ Explorer Card
- Annual fee: The introductory fee is $0 for the first year, then $150—up from an old rate of $0 then $95.
- Benefits:
- Save 10,000 miles on award flights with a yearly spend of $20,000.
- Earn $100 in United TravelBank cash with $10,000 spent annually, usable for United flights.
- Receive up to $100 in United Hotels credits yearly, split into two $50 statement credits after prepaid bookings.
- Get up to $60 annually in rideshare credits, as $5 monthly statements.
- Collect up to $50 yearly for car rentals via Avis or Budget, delivered as two $25 TravelBank credits.
- Earn up to $100 for JSX charter flights annually.
- Enjoy up to $120 in grocery delivery credits with Instacart ($10 monthly), plus a three-month free Instacart+ membership (then 25% off the monthly rate). This benefit expires December 31, 2027.
- Rack up 5 miles per dollar on prepaid hotel bookings via United Hotels, an increase from 4 miles previously.
- Continue to enjoy two United Club passes yearly, but now you’ll need to be present when they’re used, either personally or through an authorized user.
United Quest℠ Card
- Annual fee: Rising from $250 to $350.
- Benefits:
- Get a 10,000-mile discount on award flights upon your card anniversary, with an additional discount for $20,000 spent yearly.
- Receive $200 in TravelBank cash on your card anniversary.
- Earn two Economy Plus seat upgrades by spending $40,000 annually.
- Get up to $150 in credits per year for prepaid hotel bookings at Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
- Enjoy up to $100 in annual rideshare credits via $8 monthly credits (and $12 in December).
- Collect up to $80 yearly in United travel credits for Avis or Budget rentals as two $40 TravelBank amounts.
- Receive up to $150 annually for JSX charter flights.
- Utilize up to $180 in grocery delivery credits through Instacart (monthly $10 and $5 credits), along with a free three-month Instacart+ membership (subsequently 50% discounted). This benefit ends December 31, 2027.
- Earn 5 miles per dollar on prepaid bookings with Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
- From 2026, earn 1,000 PQPs yearly and 1 PQP for every $20 spent, up to 18,000 PQPs a year.
United Club℠ Infinite Card
- Annual fee: Jumps from $525 to $695.
- Benefits:
- Earn a potential 20,000-mile discount on award flights upon your card anniversary, with 10,000 miles off per $20,000 spent annually, twice a year.
- Enjoy up to $200 in credits yearly for prepaid hotel stays via Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
- Gain up to $150 in annual rideshare credits through $12 monthly credits ($18 in December).
- Collect up to $100 annually for Avis or Budget rentals as two $50 TravelBank amounts.
- Receive up to $200 annually for charter flights with JSX.
- Leverage up to $240 in grocery delivery credits with Instacart ($10 monthly), plus a complimentary Instacart+ membership. This benefit concludes December 31, 2027.
- Earn 5 miles per dollar on prepaid bookings with Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
- From 2026, earn 1,500 PQPs yearly and 1 PQP per $15 spent, up to 28,000 PQPs annually.
- Membership to United Club lounges continues, and achieving Premier Gold status or spending $50,000 yearly grants United Club All Access membership, allowing two adult guests per visit instead of one, plus four United Club passes yearly if you have an authorized user. Star Alliance lounges are also accessible.
Is a United Credit Card Right for You?
As is often the case with airline cards, loyal United flyers stand to gain the most from a United credit card. It’s even more worthwhile if your typical spending unlocks many of the card’s benefits.
However, if you don’t foresee taking advantage of the multitude of credits most of these cards offer, or you find the perks too much to keep track of (or perhaps you don’t frequently fly United), a more flexible general travel rewards card might be more suitable.
