Best United Credit Cards of May 2022

United Gateway Card: Best for No Annual Fee and Intro 0% APR

United Gateway cardholders can earn 2 miles per dollar spent on the following categories: United purchases, gas stations and local transit and commuting. All other purchases earn 1 mile per dollar. New cardholders can earn a 20,000-mile bonus after spending $1,000 within the first three months of account opening.

Other perks of this card include 25% back on United in-flight purchases and no foreign transaction fees. There is no annual fee, and the card offers a 0% introductory annual percentage rate for purchases for the first year. Read the full review.

United Explorer Card: Best for Hotel Miles

The United Explorer Card offers 2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, dining and hotel stays when booked directly through the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 mile per dollar. New customers can also earn a bonus of 70,000 miles – 60,000 miles when you spend $3,000 within the first three months of account opening and an additional 10,000 miles when you spend $6,000 within the first six months of account opening.

Cardholders receive two United Club one-time passes per year. Other perks of this Chase card include: free first checked bag for you and a companion, priority boarding, 25% back on United in-flight purchases, no foreign transaction fees and up to a $100 credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus fees. The card comes with an annual fee of $95, which is waived in the first year. Read the full review.

United Quest Card: Best for All-Around Travel Savings

The United Quest Card offers 3 miles per every dollar spent on United purchases. Cardholders can also earn 2 miles per dollar on travel, dining and select streaming services. All other spending earns 1 mile per dollar. New cardholders can earn 70,000 bonus miles by spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening.

Additionally, cardholders receive up to $125 in statement credits for United purchases each anniversary year. After one year of using the card, you’ll receive 5,000 miles after you take a United or United Express–operated award flight booked with miles (up to two times per year). The first and second checked bags are free for you and a companion, plus you receive priority boarding, 25% back on United in-flight purchases and no foreign transaction fees. Cardholders also receive a credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fees. There is a $250 annual fee. Read the full review.

United Club Infinite Card: Best for Big Sign-Up Bonus

The United Club Infinite Card offers lucrative rewards on spending. United purchases earn 4 miles for every dollar spent. Other travel and dining purchases earn 2 miles per dollar. All other spending earns 1 mile per dollar. For a limited time, new customers can earn a 120,000-mile bonus by spending $6,000 within the first three months of account opening.

This Chase card also comes with a United Club membership. You and a companion’s first and second checked bags are free. Additionally, you receive Premier Access travel services; up to a $100 credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus fees; and 25% back on United in-flight purchases. You also pay no foreign transaction fees. The annual fee for this card is $525. Read the full review.

United Business Card: Best for Businesses

This Chase business rewards card from United offers 2 miles per dollar spent in a number of categories, including: United purchases, gas stations, dining (including delivery services), office supply stores and local transit. All other qualifying purchases earn 1 mile per dollar spent. Additionally, new customers can earn a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles by spending at least $5,000 within the first three months of account opening. Customers who have both a United business and personal credit card earn an additional 5,000 bonus miles every account anniversary.

Other perks of this card include two United Club one-time passes per year, priority boarding, one free checked bag for you and a companion, $100 travel credit after seven United flight purchases of at least $100 per year, 25% back on United in-flight purchases, no foreign transaction fees and free employee cards. The annual fee is $0 the first year, then $99. Read the full review.

United credit cards are designed for travelers who fly United often. United flights earn rewards at the highest tier, and common travel categories like hotels, gas and dining out also earn miles at an elevated rate. The United credit cards also come with special perks for United customers, such as free checked bags, United Club access and credits for in-flight spending.

There are a variety of ways to redeem rewards earned through your United credit card. First, you can redeem miles to book flights directly through United. (The airline now allows customers to use a combination of money and miles when booking.) You can also use your miles to book hotels, cars and cruises, as well as redeem for merchandise or gift cards for retailers such as Apple, Starbucks and Walmart. United also allows customers to use miles to buy tickets to events.

United credit cards are available to the public. However, one of the biggest factors that affects your approval for any credit card is your credit score. United requires your score be in the good to excellent range, with a minimum FICO score of 670. The Club Infinite Card is only available to cardholders with excellent credit and a minimum score of 740.

The cards offered by United come with many similar benefits. Choosing the right card for you will depend on how you plan to use it. If you spend more on hotels than gas each month, you may be better off choosing the Explorer card over the Gateway card, for example.

If you spend quite a bit each month, you might want to opt for a card that offers a higher welcome bonus for higher spending. The cards with higher annual fees also offer more additional benefits.

U.S. News has helped consumers make money decisions for decades. When we rate airline cards, we factor in overall issuer satisfaction, APR, cardholder benefits, and each card’s annual fee, foreign transaction fee and balance transfer fee. We also consider several factors related to rewards: ease and flexibility of redemption, airline rewards earning rate, rewards redemption value and sign-up bonus value. Satisfaction data is based on an annual nationwide survey.