More Fees, More Perks: My Take on the Winners and Losers in United's Credit Card Overhaul More Fees, More Perks: My Take on the Winners and Losers in United's Credit Card Overhaul

More Fees, More Perks: My Take on the Winners and Losers in United's Credit Card Overhaul

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Another day, another round of credit card fee hikes. This time, United and Chase are shaking things up, rolling out sweeping changes across their entire family of co-branded cards. The updates include higher annual fees, paired with a range of new benefits intended to offset the added cost.

In line with trends we've seen from American Express in recent years, Chase has added a variety of statement credits and United TravelBank credits to its suite of United cards — effectively transforming them into coupon books dressed up as premium perks. Unfortunately, these kinds of structured benefits can be difficult to maximize if you are not diligent in keeping track of them.

Is it still worth hanging onto your United card? Which changes may actually be beneficial? Here's my take on the new United cobranded cards.

What Are The Positive Changes of United's Card Overhaul?

Tons of new credits and perks

The most obvious positive changes to United's card overhaul are the slew of new benefits added to each card in the portfolio. For a full breakdown of the overhaul, check out our post on the massive changes that dropped this week. But here's an overview of the perks that have been added or enhanced:

CardNew and Enhanced Benefits
The New United℠ Explorer CardRideshare and Instacart credits
Ability to earn a $100 TravelBank credit
Ability to earn a 10K mile award travel discount
The New United Quest℠ CardRideshare and Instacart credits
Annual TravelBank credit increased from $125 to $200
10K mile award travel discount (rather than two 5,000 mile discount) after first anniversary
Ability to earn up to 18,000 PQPs with spend
Various statement credits with Instacart, rideshare, United Hotels etc.
The New United Club℠ CardRideshare and Instacart credits
Earn Up to 20K-mile award discounts (10K per $20K spend, up to twice)
Ability to earn up to Premier 1K status (28,000 PQP) at a rate of 1 PQP per $15 spent
Instacart+ membership, rideshare credits and various other statement credits for booking travel with Avis, Budget, Renowned Hotels and Resorts, JSX etc.
The New United℠ Business CardRideshare and Instacart credits
Earn up to 4,000 PQP at a rate of 1 per $20 spent
Earn $125 in TravelBank credit after make 5 eligible United flight purchases
Earn 2 domestic (continental) Economy Plus seat upgrades after spending $25K on the card
Statement credits earned with Instacart, rideshare, FareLock, United Hotels, Avis/Budget, JSX jet service
United Club℠ Business CardRideshare and Instacart credits
Earn 2 global Economy Plus upgrades after $40K spend
Receive 5,000 better-together anniversary bonus if you have a personal card as well
Complimentary Instacart+ membership
Ability to earn up to Premier 1K status (28,000 PQP) at a rate of 1 PQP per $15 spent
Various other partner credits for booking travel with Avis, Budget, JSX, Renowned Hotels and Resorts etc.

Members retain most existing benefits

If you are worried that you will be losing important benefits that were already in place, rest assured there aren't very many perks being removed. These unchanged key benefits include free checked bags and expanded award availability.

New PQP benefits for 2026

Premium United cardholders will begin to receive a key benefit for anyone chasing United status, in the form of a Premier Qualifying Point jumpstart.

United Mileage Plus members with The New United Quest℠ Card will get a boost of 1,000 PQPs. Members who hold The New United Club℠ Card or United Club℠ Business Card will get a 1,500 PQP boost. This can be quite a valuable perk for anyone who is trying to earn Premier status with United.

A photo of a woman sitting in business class on a United Flight.
Credit: United Airlines

Downsides of United's Card Overhaul

Higher annual fees

As mentioned annual fees for new applicants have jumped dramatically, effective immediately. They have increased as follows:

Reduced United Club access

United Club and United Club Business Card cardholders may be the most unhappy with the changes. In addition to the price hike, these cardholders will be losing some lounge access benefits that they previously had. United has now split its United Club membership into two different tiers:

  • Standard Membership which includes United Club access with one adult guest and any dependant children (under 21)
  • All-Access Membership which includes United and Star Alliance lounges with up to two adult guests

Before these changes, cardholders had access to both United and Star Alliance lounges with up to two adult guests included with their annual fee. Now, however, cardholders will need to spend a whopping $50,000 in a calendar year to receive All Access Membership.

But, the Club-labeled cards aren't the only ones getting reduced club access. United Explorer Card cardholders may be disappointed to learn that their one-time United Club passes may no longer be gifted to others. Now guests may only enter if the cardholder is present. I see many more unused one-time passes going to waste.

A photo of hands holding a phone that shows a United One-time pass
Credit: United

Who Might Benefit From These Changes

For some people, these updates may prove to be a lucrative change. Here's who might come out ahead:

Status chasers

United loyalists who are looking to earn or keep their Premier status will definitely benefit from the increased opportunities to earn PQPs through credit card spend. Cardholders will now be able to spend all the way up to Premier 1K if they have the United Club or United Club Business Card, or up to Premier Platinum with the United Quest Card.

Furthermore, the PQP jumpstart perk that will roll out in 2026 is a nice bonus with significant value that will lower the amount you need to spend to earn that status.

Big spenders

Additionally, high spenders can benefit from the perks United has added to reward larger purchases. These include the additional mileage discounts on award redemptions and the earnable TravelBank credits.

That said, there are plenty of other cards with much better earning potential that I’d personally prefer to use for my spending. I certainly wouldn't increase my spending on one of these cards to earn an Economy Plus seat upgrade.

Quest cardholders

In general, I think the added benefits to the United Quest Card outweigh the increased fee. As a cardholder myself, I am happy to see the consolidation of the two 5,000-mile award discounts into one 10,000-mile discount. That makes this perk much easier to use.

Additionally, the increased TravelBank credit makes up for a good portion of the annual fee increase. (And if you're wondering why this credit is no longer a statement credit, United had already announced earlier this year that they were moving these credits to TravelBank instead of statement credits.)

The new statement credit opportunities could definitely be worth more than the annual fee if you can take advantage of them. However, for some, the hassle of tracking and chasing each deal may not be worth it. Plus some of the perks are just not available to everyone (I'm looking at you, $100 credit for booking through JSX — a hop-on semi-private jet service from select cities.)

Current cardholders

One of the best pieces of news, at least for now, is that these new benefits are available immediately to current cardholders. That means you’ll start enjoying the added perks right away, even if you’ve already paid the previous, lower annual fee. Your annual fee won’t increase until your first renewal after August 1, 2025 — or your first renewal after January 1, 2026 for United Explorer Card cardholders.

So, if you already have a United credit card, start taking advantage of the increased perks!

Potential new cardholders

While existing cardholders get these new benefits for the existing rate, it's also a great time to get a United credit card. That's because Chase is launching these revamped United cards with significantly increased welcome offers.

Here are the revamped offers on the consumer United cards:

The New United℠ Explorer Card
The New United℠ Explorer Card
Welcome Offer Limited-Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Annual Fee$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150Rates & Fees
Credit ScoreExcellent, Good
  • 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 New United Quest℠ Card
The New United Quest℠ Card
Welcome Bonus Limited-time Offer: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Annual Fee$350Rates & Fees
Credit ScoreGood, Excellent
  • 5 miles per $1 spent at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
  • 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
  • 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
  • 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants
  • 2 miles per $1 spent on select streaming services
  • 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
The New United Club℠ Card
The New United Club℠ Card
Welcome Bonus Limited-Time Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee$695Rates & Fees
Credit ScoreExcellent
  • Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
  • Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
  • Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining
  • Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

Meanwhile, the United Business Card is offering an even higher 75,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP-mile bonus:

The New United℠ Business Card
The New United℠ Business Card
Annual Fee$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150
Welcome Bonus Earn 75,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Cardholders earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United purchases, dining, gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting, alongside 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases​​. Key benefits include a free first checked bag on United flights, potentially saving up to $160 per roundtrip​​, a $125 United travel credit after qualifying purchases​​, and two one-time United Club℠ passes each year​​. Additional perks include 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases​​, priority boarding on United-operated flights​​, and no foreign transaction fees​​. Plus, if you also hold a personal United credit card, you earn a 5,000-mile anniversary bonus​​.
  • Earn 75,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
  • $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
  • 2x miles on United® purchases, dining including eligible delivery services, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting.
  • 1x mile on all other purchases. Plus, employee cards at no additional cost - miles earned from their purchases accrue in your account so you can earn rewards faster.
  • Receive a 5,000-mile "better together" bonus each anniversary when you have both the United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United® credit card.
  • Enjoy a free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip (terms apply), 2 United Club℠ one-time passes per year, and priority boarding privileges.
  • Receive a $125 United travel credit after making 5 United® flight purchases of $100 or more each calendar year with your United℠ Business Card.
  • Member FDIC
  • Rates & Fees
  • 2x on United® purchases
  • 2x on local transit and commuting — including train tickets, taxicabs, mass transit, tolls and ride share services
  • 2x at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores
  • 1x on all other purchases

My Take

Overall, even with the increased annual fees, these changes aren’t exactly tragic, but they mostly cater to specific groups — big spenders, United Quest Card cardholders, and those focused on chasing status. For some people, the benefits may not outweigh the effort of tracking the various credits and perks, and honestly, I’d rather keep my money in my pocket than pay for a curated list of coupons.

That said, I’m still holding on to my card because I think I can squeeze enough value out of it to offset the annual fee, especially with the right strategy. It’s not a game-changer, but it’s still worth keeping in the mix for me.

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), The New United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), The New United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and The New United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees)

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