The United Quest Card Review The United Quest Card Review

The United Quest Card Review

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Chase recently launched its latest United co-brand card: the United Quest℠ Card which features a host of top-tier perks and built-in travel protection benefits.

United Quest Card highlights include an annual $125 United purchase credit, two 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits issued each year, and free first and second checked bags. Plus you'll get access to United’s most underrated benefit—expanded United award space only open to cardholders and elite status members.

How does the United Quest Card compare to United’s other co-brand cards or those from rival carriers? Let’s dig into the details and find out.

United Quest℠ Card
United Quest℠ Card
Annual Fee$250
Welcome Bonus Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
The United Quest Card offers a great mix of benefits that should easily cover the cost of its annual fee over the long term. Unique perks include a $125 credit on United® purchases and two 5k-mile anniversary award flight credits.
  • Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 PQP after qualifying purchases
  • Earn 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
  • Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel, dining and select streaming services
  • Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Free first and second checked bags - a savings of up to $320 per roundtrip (terms apply) - and priority boarding
  • Up to a $125 United® purchase credit and two 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits each year (terms apply)
  • Earn up to 6,000 Premier qualifying points (500 PQP for every $12K you spend on purchases)
  • Member FDIC
  • 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

United Quest Card Welcome Bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

United Quest Card Feature Benefits

The United Quest Card fits in-between the midtier United℠ Explorer Card and the premium United Club℠ Infinite Card in terms of benefits offered.

If you want some of the additional perks offered by the United Club Infinite (but without paying the premium $525 annual fee every year), the United Quest Card offers a full suite of high-value benefits that can easily account for the $250 annual fee year after year.

Free First and Second Checked Bags

The primary cardholder and a companion flying on the same reservation can check both their first and second bags free of charge on United flights.

United charges $35 per passenger each way for a first checked bag and $45 per passenger for a second checked bag. That's potentially $320 in savings from a single round-trip flight. That can more than account for the out-of-pocket expense of holding the card using just one benefit.

It's important to note that you need to use your card to pay for the flight to get your free bags. However, this perk also works for award flights booked with United miles, provided you use the card to cover the taxes and fees.

Annual $125 United Purchase Credit

The $125 annual United credit is an excellent addition to the United Quest Card. Qualifying purchases include airline tickets purchased from United, Economy Plus seat upgrades, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, baggage service charges, and other United fees. Note that the credit renews each account anniversary rather than each calendar year.

We will assign this perk its full face value of $125 for a couple of reasons. First, you can put it towards airline tickets. This is often not the case with travel credits issued on other airline co-brand cards. Also, you should spend at least $125 per year on United purchases if you hold this card. The reality is, if you don't fly United at least a few times per year, you will get better value out of United's entry-level card, the United℠ Explorer Card.

Two 5,000-Mile Award Flight Credits Each Year

A unique benefit amongst United co-brand cards. Following your first card anniversary, you'll automatically get 5,000 miles back on United- or United Express-operated award flights, up to two times per anniversary year. That's potentially 10,000 miles back in your MileagePlus account when you take at least two award flights.

Access to Additional Award Availability and Premier Upgrades on Award Tickets

There's another card perk that can add a ton of value for United co-brand cardholders. Yet it's possibly the least talked about feature of these cards. Additional award space available only to United co-brand cardholders and elite status members.

We've written extensively about this perk in our guide to unlocking hidden award space on United flights, so we won't go into detail in this post. But it can often be the difference between landing a high-value award flight or paying cash to get where you want to go.

You'll also gain access to Premier Upgrades on award flights that are typically only available on revenue tickets. Just holding this card qualifies you for complimentary upgrades on United-operated award flights when there are seats available.

Additional United Quest Card Benefits

While the headline benefits alone can justify applying for the United Quest Card, it also comes packed with extra benefits, plus a host of purchase and travel protection benefits.

  • 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi when paying with your United Quest Card
  • Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit every four years
  • Priority boarding
  • Primary rental car CDW coverage
  • Baggage delay insurance and lost-luggage reimbursement
  • Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
  • Trip delay reimbursement
  • Purchase protection
  • Extended warranty protection
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Access to the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

Earning Miles

Outside of the premium United Club Infinite, United cards have not traditionally been the best way to earn United miles. Instead, it's been much better to earn Ultimate Rewards points since they can be transferred to United at a 1:1 ratio. However, the United Quest Card offers a relatively good return on spending when compared to other United cards.

Cardholders earn:

  • 3X on United Airlines purchases
  • 2X on eligible travel purchases, at restaurants, and on eligible streaming services
  • 1X on all other purchases

Application Rules

The United Quest Card is a completely new product from Chase. This card technically replaces the legacy United Platinum Class Visa card. But, you should still qualify for this card even if you currently hold another United card or have held one in the past.

Like all Chase cards, the United Quest Card is subject to Chase's 5/24 policy. If you've been approved for 5 or more credit cards from any issuer in the previous 24 months, you won't be approved for this card.

The Bottom Line

The United Quest Card is another great addition to Chase's stable of United co-brand rewards cards. With a great signup bonus of 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points, this card should be on the radar of any United flyer under 5/24. And regular United flyers should get much more value from the card benefits than the annual fee will cost them each year.

The real question here is choosing between the United Quest Card or applying for a flexible rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which is offering a bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after meeting the minimum spend.

Are you excited about the United Quest Card? Will you be adding one to your wallet?

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Annual Fee$95
Welcome Bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Our #1 recommended beginners rewards card featuring a 60,000-point signup bonus after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This card comes with great benefits and earns valuable Ultimate Rewards points.
  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
  • Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
  • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
  • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
  • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
  • Member FDIC
  • 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
  • 5X points on travel purchased through Chase
  • 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

4.7 / 5 - (7 votes)
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Comments

  • So many bonuses! So little time!

  • mcastel707@gmail.com says:

    Does this card give 2 free United Club visits per year like the Explorer card?

    • JT Genter says:

      It doesn’t. And that’s rather strange as it makes this card a bit less compelling compared to the Explorer card.

  • Calvin Lee says:

    Does this card then provide free upgrades to economy plus?

    The free checked bags is a nice benefit since those can add up, but still tough to get enough to cover the annual fee.

    • That would be a great perk! But unfortunately, it looks like you’d have to use the $125 United credit to get Economy Plus upgrades using the card.

  • Michael Herbert says:

    What does 100,000 get you on United these days? Do people expect a post Covid devaluation?

  • Just checked my United account and see the offer. This looks like a good opportunity to significantly boost my United miles. I wish it waived the annual fee for the first year, though.

  • The timing is a little strange that they announce a new big annual fee travel card when most of us are still avoiding travel, but at least it’s not $550 big annual fee.

  • 1k for spending 4k on purchases seems like a great deal but I wish there wasn’t an annual feel. All and all a good deal though. You really can’t have enough travel cards.

  • Wish the free bags weren’t tied to the card like other airline cards but still sounds like worth a look!

  • The Explorer and Infinite card were plenty. Not sure why another card is needed, honestly.

  • This card has some excellent benefits. May be a good one to have in your cart mix.Love the signup bonus.

  • This offer seems better than previous year offer, but flying is still not an option for me at this point.

  • angelo fonseca says:

    wow. as stated in the text, it is an epic bonus.

  • 100k is a great deal if you know how to use them

  • This seems to be a more tempting offer than the United Explorer card chase offers.

  • What is the reason behind the “rebranding”?

  • Maybe if you fly United regularly. I agree that the Explorer card is more for me, since I do not fly United a lot. It seems that credit cards are trying to get new blood to help from the covid loss. I like that a new option is on the market. I wonder how many will bite the bonus miles or will wait to see how their travel plans occur. I know my mind is swirling around the possibility of Amex raising the annual fee on their Plat card.

  • 100k signup bonus sounds good to me, sign me up!

  • The annual fee is alright but the bonus spending requirements are rather high.

  • For me, this card is worth it for the free checked bags on united flights. So if you fly at least a few times a year, this card is definitely worth it.

  • Great new United card from Chase with an excellent sign on bonus. The spend requirement is a bit steep, but the card benefits are solid if you fly United a couple of times a year or more.

  • It seems like that the days of 200000 bonus miles are not far off 🙂

    • With the offers we’re currently seeing, I understand why you might think that’s possible. But, if the offers go too high, many folks will start to believe a devaluation is soon to follow.

  • carlos9424 says:

    Muy buenas promociones, esperemos que vuelva la normalidad para poder disfrutar

  • I’d love to get the 100,000 miles. Unfortunately, I am at 5/24 now, but will be under 5/24 by September. Will this promo last until then?

  • I wonder if United would have asked Chase if they would be willing to, temporarily, “relax” their 5/24 rules to allow current cardholders of either the MileagePlus Explorer card or Club Infinite card to be apply to apply for this new Quest card.

    Perhaps that’s being naive, but it seems like it would be a “win-win” situation for both companies.

    Maybe a three-month window after the Quest release date?

    • JT Genter says:

      That would be a great idea! Chase could really score a bunch of new cardholders quickly by doing something like that. However, it would require them acknowledging that the 5/24 rule exists!

    • Chase has relaxed the 5/24 criteria if they send you a pre-approval letter.

  • Really excited to get this card, nice pile of miles!

  • Adam Wolkoff says:

    Interesting product. Too bad Chase has preselected me out as a customer due to 5/24…

  • lenin1991 says:

    The most surprising this is that this doesn’t come with any lounge passes…makes me wonder if they’ll be taken away from the Explorer.

  • It’s a pretty big spend requirement to earn the full 100k points. However, it does have some excellent benefits. Surprisingly, I just got an offer to earn 5x points on all my United Explorer spend (up to 1500 dollars only) for the next month. I’d think that they would be encouraging people to apply for this new card rather than improving a current card, but I’ll take the extra points!

    • Rachel Dobbs says:

      FYI – That 5 miles/$1 spend is on grocery stores and restaurants only and ends June 30th.

      • I double checked my offer. It’s for all spend, not just certain categories, though it’s only for 1500 maximum. You’re correct though, it does end June 30.

        Interestingly, I also got another offer for 250 bonus miles in I make at least 5 transactions each month that total more than 400 dollars, also until June. If they are truly stackable, it’s a lot of extra miles. Worth diverting spend from the CSR for the promotional period.

  • Too bad they didn’t throw in any United Club one-time passes. Seems like a glaring oversight.

  • Joel Gilgoff says:

    Is the new United card offered as an upgrade to the Explorer card, which I recently got?

    • JT Genter says:

      It’s early in the process, but we have seen some cardholders already successfully product change to the new Quest card. I’d call Chase to see your options.

      • vikram udeshi says:

        Just called Chase about upgrading from the explorer card. This is possible and chase will give you a credit for the unused prtion of your annual fee as a credit and bill you separately the 250 annual fee for the quest card. The downside to this is that you do not get any of the bonuses mentioned as you are an existing customer and nothing will change for you including your card number and details as its an upgrade. The bonuses are only for new applications. One way round it is to apply for a new card and once you get it call chase and cancel the old one the explorer. This is what I am going to do as getting the bonuses is more attractive though losing the United Club passes sucks but probably a small price to pay considering the other advantages hopefully. Just my two cents as Its fresh on my mind and may help others.

        • Great info! That’s what I figured, but I wasn’t sure if Chase was innovating by offering upgrade bonuses (like Amex will do)

  • Something tells me a lot of airline and hotel programs are going to be handing out points like there is no tomorrow.