Whether you only fly United Airlines occasionally or are a Premier 1K member, it can make sense to get a United credit card — especially now that both casual flyers and MileagePlus elite members without a credit card earn fewer miles on flights.
United cards can unlock useful perks like free checked bags, priority boarding and United Club access, all while helping you earn valuable miles you can use to fly almost anywhere in the world.
From co-branded cards to travel cards that earn flexible rewards you can transfer to United, there's a card for every United flyer. To help you choose the right one, CNBC Select evaluated the best credit cards for United flyers based on rewards, travel perks and fees.
Best credit cards for United flights
- Best for flexible travel rewards: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (See rates and fees)
- Best for occasional United flyers: United℠ Explorer Card (See rates and fees)
- Best for United Club access: United Club℠ Card (See rates and fees)
- Best for frequent United flyers: United Quest℠ Card (See rates and fees)
- Best for businesses: United℠ Business Card (See rates and fees)
- Best for no annual fee: United Gateway℠ Card (See rates and fees)
- Best for everday rewards: Bilt Obsidian Card (see rates and fees)
Best for flexible travel rewards
Who's this for? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is ideal for anyone who wants a do-it-all rewards credit card that can help rack up United miles.
Standout benefits: Chase Ultimate Rewards® points transfer to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio, which makes the Sapphire Preferred match or outshine co-branded United cards in many categories. It earns 2X points on general travel and 5X points on travel booked through Chase TravelSM (both categories include United airfare). Plus, it earns 3X points on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging and 1X on all other purchases.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections, flexible rewards and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- Annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Best for occasional United flyers
Who's this for? The United℠ Explorer Card is a great fit if you want a more comfortable travel experience but don't want to pay a high annual fee.
Standout benefits: The United Explorer comes with a free first checked bag — a savings of up to $200 per roundtrip (terms apply) on United flights for you and a companion when you pay using the card. You'll also get two free one-time United Club airport lounge passes annually (over a $100 value per year) for your cardmember anniversary.
The United℠ Explorer Card is worth it even if you only fly with United Airlines once or twice a year because you can take advantage of two United Club℠ passes per year when the primary cardmember or authorized user is traveling and you can receive free checked bags.
- No annual fee for the first year
- Unlocks upgrades for elite members on award flights
- Two free United Club airport lounge passes every year
- Valuable United Airlines perks, such as in-flight purchase discounts and the ability to earn elite status credit through credit card spending
- First checked bag free benefit requires you to pay for the flight with the card
- United Airlines has a dynamic award chart which can limit the value and flexibility of your miles
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn up to 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- NEW! 9x total miles on eligible United flights and 3x miles on all other eligible United® purchases
- 2x miles on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel. 1x mile on all other purchases.
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $200 per roundtrip. Terms Apply. Plus, priority boarding on United® flights.
- 2 United Club one-time passes per year - over a $100 value
- Over $500 in partner credits each year
- NEW! Save 10% or more when booking flights with miles. Premier members save even more.
- Member FDIC
Best for United Club access
Who's this for? The United Club℠ Card is an excellent option for anyone who wants unlimited United lounge access, as its annual fee is cheaper than a United Club membership.
Standout benefits: The United Club Card gets you unlimited United Club airport lounge access, which can come with unlimited United lounge visits for you and a guest. This has at least a $750 value per year (depending on your United elite status level).
Best for frequent United flyers
Who's this for? The United Quest℠ Card is a good fit if you're a United loyalist and aren't interested in United Club access.
Standout benefits: With this card, you can earn up to $200 in United travel credit each account anniversary and a 10,000-mile eligible award flight discount on each account anniversary (terms apply). You'll also get a 10,000-mile eligible award flight discount after spending $20,000 each calendar year to use toward an eligible award flight. Terms apply.
Best for businesses
Who's this for? Small business owners who want additional perks when flying with United will appreciate what the United℠ Business Card offers.
Standout benefits: You'll get 5,000 bonus miles every card anniversary if you have a United Business Card and a personal United card. You'll also get two free United Club one-time passes every year and one free checked bag on United flights for you and a companion (when you pay for the flight with your card). The cardmember or authorized user must be present when redeemed for two free passes.
Best for no annual fee
Who's this for? If you don't travel enough to justify paying an annual fee, the United Gateway℠ Card is a great option because you'll still get useful perks.
Standout benefits: This card (and all other eligible United cards) gets you 25% back on in-flight food, beverage and Wi-Fi purchases, as well as United Club premium drink purchases. You'll also get a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months from account opening (then, a variable APR of 19.74% to 28.24% applies).
Best for everyday rewards
Who's this for? The newly introduced Bilt Obsidian Card (see rates and fees) can help you earn Bilt Points on everyday spending that transfer to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio.
Standout benefits: As a cardholder, you'll earn 3X points on your choice of dining or grocery (up to $25,000 in purchases per year for the grocery category, then 1X), 2X points on travel (including United purchases) and 1X points everywhere else. Most notably, the card allows you to earn rewards on your rent or mortgage payments, too (up to 1X points).
The Bilt Obsidian Card offers 3X Bilt Points on key everyday categories, like groceries (up to $25,000 per year) or dining (your 3X category choice remains in effect for the entire calendar year). It also comes with a $100 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit (split each calendar year, semi-annually).
- High return on dining or grocery purchases
- Option to earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee
- Features a $100 Bilt Travel Hotel credit, applied twice a year as $50 statement credits
- Additional steps required for no-fee rent payments
- Spending cap on grocery rewards
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee.
- 3X points on your choice of grocery (up to $25K/year) or dining. Your 3X category choice remains in effect for the entire calendar year.
- 2X points on travel
- 1X points on everyday spend
- Welcome offer: $200 of Bilt Cash when you apply and get approved. At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- $100 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $50 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.
- Earn additional points through Bilt Neighborhood Benefits™ when you use your card at Bilt's network of 50,000+ merchant partners.
Balance transfer fee
Greater of 5% or $5
What are United MileagePlus miles worth?
United Airlines operates a dynamic award chart, which makes it difficult to pin a value on MileagePlus miles. That said, experts typically value United miles at around 1.3 cents per point. However, how you redeem your points changes the value.
You can use United miles for shopping redemptions, including gift cards and merchandise. You'll typically get less than 1 cent per mile in value for these redemptions, and sometimes it's less than 0.5 cents per mile. When you use United miles to pay for United Club membership, in-flight Wi-Fi or a TSA PreCheck application, you'll do better with a value closer to 0.7–1 cent per point.
Your best option is typically redeeming miles for award flights with United Airlines or one of its many partner airlines, including the Star Alliance network.
How to maximize United MileagePlus miles
To get the most out of your United miles, you'll want to use them to book flights. United doesn't have a fixed award chart, so what you pay for a specific route changes depending on the day and time of the flight. One advantage of the United MileagePlus program is that it doesn't pass on award fuel surcharges, so the taxes and fees you pay for award flights are less than other Star Alliance programs.
Book award flights
United's cheapest awards are known as saver awards. Booking saver awards is a great way to stretch your miles further; however, the availability of these awards can be limited. United cardholders have the advantage of having access to more saver award seats, so having a United card helps improve the value of your miles.
You can book domestic economy saver awards for as little as 5,000 to 15,000 miles one-way per person. International economy saver awards to regions such as Europe, Oceania and Asia typically cost anywhere from 30,000 to 55,000 miles per person each way.
If you want to boost your miles to the extreme, try to save enough to book an international business-class saver award. These awards can cost thousands of dollars but only cost you 88,000 to 110,000 miles each way, per person. For example, at the time of writing, you can book a one-way, one-stop SWISS business-class flight from Newark to Zurich for 88,000 United miles plus $5.60 in taxes. The cash price for this same flight is $3,148, which is a value of 3.57 cents per mile.
Pros and cons of United credit cards
- Valuable United perks: If you regularly travel with United, benefits such as free checked bags, credits and mileage rebates add up quickly.
- Unlock higher rewards rates: Having a United card allows you to earn miles on Basic Economy fares and higher rates in the MileagePlus program.
- Elite status boost: Many United co-branded cards help you earn elite status more easily by spending on your credit card.
- Flight discount: United cardholders get at least 10% off every United award ticket, or at least 15% if they're also a MileagePlus Premier member.
- No award chart: United has a dynamic award chart, which makes it difficult to plan ahead since you don't know what an award will cost.
- Stuck with one program: United cards have perks tied to United travel, so if you find a better deal somewhere else or your travel habits shift, the cards become less valuable.
FAQs
What's the best way to earn United miles without flying?
One of the best ways to earn United miles is by having the right credit card. Co-branded United cards earn United miles directly deposited into your United MileagePlus account. However, you can also transfer other types of rewards, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points or Bilt Points, to United.
How many United miles do you need for an award flight?
United doesn't have a fixed award chart, so the number of miles you need for a flight varies. The best way to price United awards is to search its website for the dates and routes you're interested in booking.
Do United miles expire?
No, United MileagePlus miles do not expire.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best United credit cards.
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Our methodology
To determine which cards offer the best value for United flyers, CNBC Select analyzed over 250 major credit cards issued through FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions that are widely available in the U.S.
We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards, annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cash back).
When choosing the best United cards, we focused on cards that earn United miles or earn rewards that can be transferred to United. We also considered benefits that are specific to United travel. We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.
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