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The easiest way to earn a big sum of United MileagePlus miles without paying an annual fee is by applying for The New United Gateway℠ Card (Rates & Fees). Right now, this card comes with an elevated welcome offer worth 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Here’s a quick look at the United Gateway Card‘s elevated offer, the perks that come with it, and some of the best ways to use your bonus miles.
- 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
Earn 30,000 Bonus Miles With the United Gateway Card
Travelers have plenty of United credit cards to choose from, but the United Gateway Card is the only one that doesn't charge an annual fee. Let's go over everything that makes it special.
Current welcome offer
Every so often (like right now), the Chase-issued United Gateway Card comes with an elevated welcome offer. In fact, this matches the best offer we've ever seen on this card.
Here's the full elevated welcome offer: Earn 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.
On average, AwardWallet users redeem United MileagePlus miles for 1.96¢ each, which makes the miles from this welcome offer worth nearly $600 toward award travel booked through United. That’s pretty impressive for a card with no annual fee.
Key perks and benefits
Generally, no-annual-fee credit cards don’t come with a long list of perks, and the United Gateway Card falls into that category. But there are still a few benefits you can take advantage of:
- Earn 2x miles on United® purchases, at gas stations, and on local transit and commuting, and 1x mile on all other purchases.
- Get 25% back as a statement credit on in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi on United-operated flights, as well as on Club premium drinks when you pay with your card
- After spending $10,000 in a calendar year, get two free checked bags each time you fly
- Unlock cardmember award pricing after spending $10,000 on purchases in a calendar year with your card
- Introductory APR Offer: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. Then, a Variable APR of 20.49% - 28.99% will apply.
- No foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees)
On top of these, the card also includes a few useful travel and purchase protections:
- Auto Rental Coverage: Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental to your card to receive coverage for theft and collision damage. In the U.S., this coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: Get reimbursed up to $1,500 per covered traveler and $6,000 per trip for pre-paid, nonrefundable passenger fares if your trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather, or other covered reasons.
- Purchase Protection: Covers eligible new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft, up to $500 per item.
- Extended Warranty Protection: Adds one year to eligible U.S. manufacturer’s warranties of three years or less, extending coverage up to four years from the purchase date.
Related: From No Annual Fee to Club Lounge Access: Find the United Credit Card for You
Ways to redeem your United Gateway Card welcome bonus
You don’t need a massive stash of United MileagePlus miles to make a quality redemption. There’s plenty you can do with the United Gateway Card’s 30,000-mile welcome bonus. For example, you could:
- Book up to six U.S. domestic flights. We’ve seen domestic rates as low as 5,000 miles each way, which means you could fly between San Francisco and San Diego up to six times for just the taxes and fees.
- Fly between the U.S. and Canada. Like domestic flights, awards between the U.S. and Canada start at 5,000 United MileagePlus miles. That means you could fly between Chicago and Vancouver for only the modest taxes and fees.
- Head to the Caribbean with a plus one. Flights from the U.S. to the Caribbean start at 6,800 miles each way. You could redeem your welcome bonus to take a trip to Punta Cana with a friend or significant other.
- Go across the pond. Flights to Europe can drop as low as 20,000 United miles each way. That means you could cover your one-way ticket with miles and then use your United Gateway Card to pay for the return and earn 2X miles per dollar spent.
Related: The (Unofficial) MileagePlus Award Chart for United and Partner Airline Flights
Bottom Line
We love it when no-annual-fee cards come with elevated welcome offers. They generally already have something unique to offer, and the bonus is just the icing on the cake. And the United Gateway Card is a great example.
This card gives you an easy way to earn United miles on everyday purchases without paying an annual fee, and you’ll earn 30,000 valuable bonus miles — worth nearly $600 toward award travel — once you meet the minimum spending requirement.
- 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)
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