AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Fresh off the heels of the leak of the rewards-earning Southwest debit card, it looks like United Airlines is launching a debit card of its own. While we don't have an official announcement yet, a savvy X (formerly known as Twitter) user has uncovered some interesting details that seem quite official. Let's take a look to see what we might expect from a United Airlines debit card.
United Airlines to Launch a Rewards-Earning Debit Card
Leaked information suggests that a United Airlines rewards-earning debit card could be on the way. And it could serve as a viable alternative to a co-branded United MileagePlus credit card for the right person.
Galileo Financial Technologies, the tech arm of SoFi Bank, powers several rewards debit cards. These include Wyndham Rewards' debit card and the soon-to-launch Southwest Airlines debit card. Now, X user “SoFi_Insider” has stumbled upon details about another not-yet-released product, the United MileagePlus® Debit Rewards Card.
Here's what we know about earning details on the card from the post:
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on United purchases
- Earn 1 mile per $2 spent on all other purchases
- Earn 2,5000 bonus miles each year after you spend $10,000
- Earn up to 70,000 miles each year on your account balance
But these benefits won't come for free, as $4 monthly fee applies. However, it's waived when you maintain an average monthly balance of $2,000 in your bank account.
And like the Wyndham and Southwest credit cards, the United MileagePlus Debit Rewards card is issued by Sunrise Banks, N.A. These details are unconfirmed with the bank at the time of writing, but we're hopeful they'll be made official sometime soon.
Why It Makes Sense for United to Launch a Debit Card
Debit cards are used for more than 30% of payments in America each month. While credit cards outpace that by a few percentage points, that's still a large untapped market for travel brands to reward debit card holders and keep them loyal to the brand's loyalty ecosystem. So, this (future) launch makes a lot of sense.
While many reading this post are probably perfectly comfortable using a United credit card — which rewards users with at least one United mile per dollar on all spending — some may not be. A debit card can be helpful for those with bad credit or for those not willing to hold a credit card in their wallet.
If you can treat your United credit card as if it's a debit card, by paying off the balance in full each month, you'll come out ahead. You'll also have more perks when you travel on the airline, just for holding the card — such as a free checked bag, priority boarding, and more.
- Earn 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Earn a $100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 on purchases with your United℠ Explorer Card within a calendar year
- Over $500 in partner credits each year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 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
The most interesting bullet point from the leaked information is the 70,000-mile cap on your account balance each year. That seems to suggest that the United debit card plans on rewarding United miles as a form of interest on your bank account balance. We'll have to wait for official details to learn more.
Bottom Line
The United MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card should be exciting news for those who wish to earn United miles for their debit card purchases. While a United credit card will still be more rewarding, earning something is still better than nothing. Plus, the ability to earn bonus miles for $10,000 in spend and the potential to earn United miles as a form of interest on your account balance may make this card enticing.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.