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The New United Gateway℠ Card allows travelers to collect MileagePlus miles without paying an annual fee. While this card doesn't offer as many benefits as some of the other United cards that do carry an annual fee, it punches above its weight by offering a variety of perks — including statement credits for in-flight purchases, access to mileage pooling, and more.
Here's what you need to know about the United Gateway Card to help you decide if it fits your wallet.
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 30,000 bonus miles
- 0% intro APR for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases & no annual fee.
- 2x miles on United® purchases
- 2x miles at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1x mile on all other purchases
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Gateway Card
- Earn 2 checked bags after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Page Contents
United Gateway Card Pros
- $0 annual fee.
- Reasonable earning categories for United purchases and everyday spending.
- No foreign transaction fees.
United Gateway Card Cons
- Subject to Chase's 5/24 rule.
- United doesn't have an award chart with fixed prices, so mileage redemption rates can change at any time.
- Unlock two free checked bags after spending $10,000 on your card within a calendar year.
United Gateway Card Welcome Bonus
Despite charging no annual fee, the United Gateway Card does offer a welcome bonus. As a new applicant for the card, you can score 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. Then, a Variable APR of 20.49% - 28.99% will apply.
With rare exceptions, offers on the United Gateway Card oscillate between 20,000 and 30,000 bonus miles. To put the bonus miles into context, AwardWallet users generally redeem United miles for 1.93¢ apiece.
Related: The Best Credit Card Offers This Month
United Gateway Card Benefits
One of the biggest drawbacks of the United Gateway Card is that it does not offer an automatic free checked bag benefit — a staple perk of competing cards. However, as of March 2025, you can now earn two checked bags after spending $10,000 in a calendar year on the card.
However, the card does provide a suite of benefits that can enhance your United travel, even if you only fly the airline a couple of times per year that you don't have to unlock via spending.
When you use your United Gateway Card onboard United flights, you can receive 25% back as a statement credit on food, beverages, and Wi-Fi purchases. These savings also apply to premium drinks purchased at a United Club.
Expanded MileagePlus award availability
United Gateway Card holders have access to expanded award availability on United-operated flights, which can be one of the most valuable benefits offered by the United co-branded credit cards.
This benefit allows cardholders to use their miles for flights that are not available to the general public. It can often be the deciding factor between securing a favorable redemption or paying cash for a ticket. For a detailed explanation, refer to our comprehensive guide on unlocking United's hidden award space for cardmembers.
With the recent changes to the card's benefits, it is more than likely that this perk — along with access to discounted award rates, will now be subject to the requirement of spending $10,000 within a calendar year, but we haven't yet been able to confirm this detail.
Travel and purchase protections
The United Gateway Card also comes with a handful of travel and purchase protections, including:
- Auto rental collision damage waiver — Decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage includes theft and collision damage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad. In the U.S., coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance — Get reimbursed for up to $1,500 per covered traveler and $6,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable passenger fares if your trip is canceled or interrupted by a covered situation.
- Purchase protection — Covers eligible new purchases for 120 days from the date of purchase against damage or theft up to $500 per item.
- Extended warranty protection — Extends the time period of the manufacturer's U.S. warranty by an additional year.
- Visa Concierge — Get complimentary Visa Signature Concierge Service 24 hours a day.
For policy particulars, please refer to your card's Guide to Benefits.
Additional benefits
- Mileage Pooling — Merge miles with friends and family without any transfer fees.
- Event Access — Cardmembers can attend invite-only events hosted by Chase and United.
- No foreign transaction fees — Swipe this card abroad without paying foreign transaction fees.
United Gateway Card Earning Rates
The United Gateway Card has earning categories that align with other no-annual-fee airline credit cards. While not spectacular, you can still earn decently on United purchases, gas, and transit spending at the following rates:
- 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Redeeming Miles With the United Gateway Card
Redeeming your stash of MileagePlus miles for award travel is a very easy process. As a member of Star Alliance, United allows you to use your miles for award flights on all alliance airlines, such as Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, ANA, Air Canada, and SWISS.
Although United awards may not always be the cheapest, the MileagePlus program remains a favorite due to its ease of use and the availability of valuable sweet spots. Additionally, out-of-pocket taxes and fees are often much lower than what other programs charge.
Or, if flights aren’t your priority, you can use your miles for upgrades, seat and baggage fees, a United Club membership, or exclusive experiences. While these redemptions may not provide the highest value for your miles, they are still helpful options to consider.
Related: The Basics of Booking an Award Flight with United
Application Restrictions
On the application for the United Gateway Card, you'll note this explicit language:
“This product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of this credit card who received a new Cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.”
This restriction refers to the United Gateway Card alone and won't preclude you from applying for and earning the welcome bonus of other Chase-issued United credit cards. However, if you have this card currently or earned a bonus on it in the past 24 months, you won't be eligible for this welcome offer.
Additionally, United Gateway Card is also subject to Chase's 5/24 rule. If you've opened five or more new credit card accounts with any bank in the past 24 months, you will likely not be approved for this card.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards that Compete With the United Gateway Card
If the United Gateway Card doesn't align with your spending habits or you find yourself wanting more perks, consider these cards instead:
- If you want a United Airlines credit card but need more perks, check out The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees). Cardholders can enjoy priority boarding privileges, collect two one-time United Club℠ passes each year, check a first bag for free, save 25% on inflight purchases and Club premium drinks, and leverage an up to $120 fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS every four years. And the best part? It has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150. Learn more about the United Explorer Card in our full review.
- If you want to earn points you can use with United and other airlines, look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees). The Sapphire Preferred posts a $95 annual fee and is one of our favorite travel cards. You can earn up to 5X Ultimate Rewards points on purchases and transfer your points to 14 travel partners — including United. Learn more in our full Sapphire Preferred review.
- If you're over 5/24 and want a card that offers point transfers to United, consider The Bilt Mastercard®. This $0 annual fee (Rates & Fees) card earns 3X points on dining, 2X points on travel, 1X points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year), and 1x points on other purchases — provided you use your card 5 times each statement period. Bilt has several transfer partners, including United. Plus, the card is issued by Wells Fargo, so it's not subject to Chase's 5/24 rule. Learn more about the Bilt Mastercard in our full review.
- 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®
- 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
- 1x points on other purchases
Related: Which United Credit Card Is Right for You?
Bottom Line
If you're seeking a co-branded airline card with solid travel and purchase protections, the United Gateway Card might be a great addition to your wallet. For a no-annual-fee product, the perks on offer are decent. However, if you're looking for a high welcome bonus, an automatic free checked bag perk, or more robust earning categories, consider different credit card options, as you won't find those useful perks here.
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 30,000 bonus miles
- 0% intro APR for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases & no annual fee.
- 2x miles on United® purchases
- 2x miles at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1x mile on all other purchases
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Gateway Card
- Earn 2 checked bags after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The New United Gateway℠ Card (Rates & Fees), The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
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