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.
Offers for the United Club℠ Business Card are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
United Airlines' Chase-issued credit cards can be quite valuable for anyone who flies with the airline even a few times each year. Perks like free checked bags tend to grab the spotlight — and having a United card is soon going to become critical for earning miles on United flights.
But there’s another benefit that doesn’t get nearly as much attention. By having an eligible United credit card, you can use your United MileagePlus miles to book flights that aren’t available to everyone else.
Just having the right card unlocks access to this benefit, and it can save you tens of thousands of miles. Here's what savvy travelers need to know.
Note that this benefit is evolving effective April 2, 2026. United recently announced that cardholders will save at least 10% on all United awards — with Premier elite cardholders saving at least 15%. We will update this post once this benefit relaunches and we figure out how it works in practice.
Page Contents
Access More United Saver Award Availability Through United Cards
Buried in the fine print of United's website is a valuable detail: Travelers with United Premier elite status or an eligible United co-branded credit card receive access to expanded Saver award availability on United-operated flights.
It’s easy to miss since neither United nor Chase clearly advertised this perk in credit card marketing materials.
In short, eligible cardholders and Premier elites can see extra Saver-level economy award seats that aren’t available to general MileagePlus members. These seats price at United’s lowest award levels, potentially saving thousands of miles on a single trip.
United also occasionally releases additional Saver-level business-class space to this group — and sometimes even runs award sales just for United cardholders. However, expanded award availability in economy is the typical benefit.
Thus, being a United cardholder can make a huge difference in your options for using miles. Note that this benefit is only available on the MileagePlus account for the primary cardholder — not for authorized users.
Related: The Basics of Booking an Award Flight With United
How To Find Expanded United Saver Award Space
To unlock United's hidden award space, simply sign in to your MileagePlus account before searching United for award flights. Once logged in, United will recognize your status as a co-branded cardholder or Premier elite and display additional Saver-level availability.
Flights with expanded access are labeled “Cardmembers Save” or “Premiers Save,” along with the percentage discount compared to what general members see. A banner appears above the price, and the flight will also be marked as a “Saver Award.”
United labels this expanded award space with specific fare classes:
- Additional Economy Saver Awards: XN
- Additional Business Saver Awards: IN
Standard Saver economy space available to all MileagePlus members appears as X fare class. For example, in the itinerary shown below, the DFW–ORD economy segment is labeled (XN), meaning it’s only available to eligible cardholders and Premier elites. Meanwhile, the business segment displays (JN), which is not Saver-level space.
In some cases, the savings can be dramatic. In the example above, general members are quoted more than 180,000 miles for a one-way itinerary to London. Eligible cardholders and Premier elites can book the same flights for 80,000 miles because both segments include exclusive Saver-level availability.
Expanded award space is especially useful on multisegment international itineraries. United will only price an itinerary at the Saver level if every segment has Saver space. Sometimes all that’s missing is a short domestic connection on United metal. Having access to XN or IN inventory can make the difference between a reasonably priced award and one that costs tens of thousands more miles.
Which United Co-Brand Cards Qualify for Additional Saver Award Space?
Of United's cards currently open to new applicants, six offer expanded award access: four personal credit cards and two small business cards. On the personal side, three United credit cards offer expanded award availability as a standard cardholder benefit:
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150Rates & 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
$350Rates & Fees
- 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
$695Rates & Fees
- 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
In addition, the United Gateway℠ Card offers cardholders access to expanded award pricing — but only if the cardholder makes $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year. Once earned, the benefit remains valid through the end of the following calendar year.
Small business owners can get expanded award access on the following United small business credit cards:
$150Rates & 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
$695
One quirk we've found is that some former cardholders of cards like the United Quest Card or the United Club still get access to expanded space after downgrading their card to the no-annual-fee United Gateway Card. This gives continued expanded award availability without an annual fee.
Does United Cardholder Expanded Saver Award Space Include Partners?
Unfortunately, holding a United co-branded card only opens up additional award space on United- and United Express-operated flights.
However, that expanded availability can indirectly make partner awards easier to book. In many cases, access to extra United Saver space eliminates the need to purchase a separate positioning flight to an international gateway where partner Saver awards are available.
Earning United MileagePlus Miles
United MileagePlus miles are the only currency that can be used to book expanded saver award space. You can’t access this additional availability with partner programs like Avianca LifeMiles or Singapore KrisFlyer. It’s a benefit reserved for eligible cardholders and Premier elites.
So, what are some ways to stock up on United miles? Here are a few:
- Credit United Airlines and partner flights to MileagePlus
- Use United's online shopping portal
- Buy United miles outright
- Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to United at a 1:1 ratio
- Convert Marriott Bonvoy points to United miles at a 3:1 ratio, plus a bonus of 10,000 miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points you transfer
Here's a complete list of United's transfer partners:
Related: Do United MileagePlus Miles Expire?
Final Thoughts
Just by holding an eligible United Airlines credit card, you automatically gain access to additional Saver-level award space for all cabins of United flights. This savings is also available if you're a Premier elite member.
All you need to do is log in to your MileagePlus account before you search for award flights, and you'll see which awards are exclusively available to you.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees)
I believe that for you to get access to hidden award space with the no annual fee United Gateway card, you have to downgrade into the card. A new application for the Gateway card would not get you access to hidden award space. Does this sound correct?
That’s not what Chase says. I’ve asked this question in a few ways to Chase to confirm, and they always replied that it makes no difference.
I like your answer. Either way I am good, as I acquired the Gateway card as in a product downgrade. Thank you for the reply.
Great info. Thanks for this posting. United award miles are very useful anyway.
Does an authorized user also have access to the added award space?
Unfortunately not. Just the primary cardholder.
Do you know if the expanded award space is available for the newest United Quest Card? It is not listed in your article, except in ad, but article may not have been updated since the card launched in April. Thanks
Is it possible to have two United cards at the same time, obviously if one is under the Chase 5/24 rule? Thanks.
I’m not seeing any limitations that would prevent having two United cards. The sign-up bonus language on the Explorer card only restricts cardholders who have or previously had that specific card: “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”
Hope the pandemic is over soon and we can make travels in near future.
This perk helped me find award space on the Micronesia Island Hopper when flights weren’t available otherwise.
Sounds good. But i have question how we use it during Covid ? Be safe would be prefer.
Fair question. United miles can book flights up to 337 days in advance, so this could already be useful for future travel assuming we don’t have a massive setback. That said, there’s nothing wrong with waiting until you have more certainty about your travel plans.
So expensive card fee, I don’t want to go out travel during Covid. Good idea to stay at home.
This is a unique aspect of having a United Card with this perk. We’ve used it and saved miles and money!
Easy little trick I haven’t been using but will definitely start doing!
One of the best features of keeping one of these cards open – can really save you some miles or open up opportunities you otherwise would not have had.
I canceled the Explorer card and I can see the difference with award availability, I’d consider opening the Club card when travel goes back to semi-normal. Thank you.
Nice perk, but not really usable for me due to not traveling.
I wish they would make the awards available to all. It is a hidden reward as a credit card holder but they can just give first dibs to the card holder and if they dont get it, it should be opened all to the rest of us.
The feature is immensely invaluable during the normal times.
The AMEX Skymiles cards do not offer such invaluable perk.
I got this card last month and didn’t know about this perk. Makes the card exciting to have. great post!
I wish I can get this card… but Chase’s 5/24 rule….
Thanks for sharing the award codes. Back in April, I specifically applied for and received this card (and bonus) for the ability to access the additional awards. This will hopefully help when I start going through my stash of United Miles.
Not sure that it’s worth the fee for the card.
Does the business version qualify for this award space?
Yes, the (discontinued) United℠ Explorer Business Card and the new United℠ Business Card (which replaced the old biz card) both have access to the award space.
Unfortunately, this does not always work as advertised. I just looked at two different trips I am planning this fall. In both cases, the “Exclusive” awards are almost DOUBLE the number of points vs. alternatives on partner airlines. E.g. SFO-PPT is 300,000 points in Business on United in this “exclusive award, vs. 175,000 on Air NZ. Both show up on the same page. I think what is exclusive access to full and exorbitant awards.
Great tip! I haven’t opened a United card yet, but this blog is making me consider it.
Downgraded to the no fee card last month, as the fee was due and have no plans to travel until at least March.
Couldn’t see any reason to pay a fee for such limited earning opportunities.
Of course then the 5x on groceries came about.
Win some, lose some.
Nothing wrong with that strategy. You can always upgrade later when the benefit will be more useful.
It’s very good news.! It seems cards offer great benefits, like free checked bags, premium seats, riority boarding, complimentary etc.
very good for United Club access !!!
Thanks for this in-depth article about a really good benefit of this card. This is one of the three Chase cards I was weighing to add to my final 5/24 slot (Southwest Priority and Marriott Boundless being the other two), and along with it’s other perks, might have just tipped the scale.
I’m grateful for this blog, for the information like this. I don’t always even know what information to look for, and don’t have the time to read all the fine print on every option out there.
Thanks Marlin! We appreciate you too 🙂
I appreciate knowing those things about the Explorer card. That’s one I’m considering next.
Thank you for the information! Helps a lot!
Thank you for the information
There is huge value to increased reward availability.
One additional point to mention. My parents were searching on united.com for award ORD-LHR flights for this summer. They are cardholders, but weren’t logged in. They didn’t know about this benefit and didn’t think they were able to use their United miles.
When I asked them to search while logged in, they suddenly noticed a ton of flights were available.
Great redemption opportunities for card holders. May have to take another look at this card
May just have to get this card.
I’m going to apply for it.
Great to know!
this is one card that I regret canceling. Along with the primary car rental insurance, this is a great perk.
@Lyn,
Nothing was said up-thread about getting complimentary Premier Status. Do you have a different card?
Thanks.
Thanks for the reminder of this perk! I definitely have noticed the difference when not logged into the UA website before searching for award space. I agree that this perk is worth the cost of the card! Plus, with the Club Card, I also get premier status, even if I’m only flying award space and not hitting their “numbers.”
Nice perk of having the card
I need to look into this since I have 300K+ UA miles that I’ve had difficulty using.
Thanks for the tip!
UA has good redemption options for international flights, so will think about the card.
The problem with the card is that it is not really worth paying the $95 fee unless you fly United more than once a year. I don’t, so I cancelled my card last week when the fee came up.
very interesting, as I thought that the UA Explorer card does not provide XN.
The fees for checked baggage is the most I hated about the fees charged by Airlines. It is good that this card offered free checked baggage; It save more than $50 when I fly from NYC to MIA for golfing each time. I fly to MIA more than 10 times a year. So the card will save me more than $500 per year. It save a lot even I have to pay the annual fee. It is a great benefits. I will sure recommend to my golfer friends.
I have the no longer available United Mileage Select card and the benefit works for this card as well. I have found it to be very useful for domestic trips around the summer holidays. It is a great incentive to hold onto the card as I have definitely been able to use miles for trips that otherwise would not be available at saver rates.
Great benefit of this card. Never knew about the before. Card is worth another look for this alone.
Just got this card and didn’t know about this. Will definitely be taking advantage of the perk!
Might have to look into this card, thanks
Good reason to have the card if you fly United or its partners.
Always knew about the additional space but not the direct link to see the routes covered by it. Thanks for that!
Looks like time to get the explorer card
I got this card last month and didn’t know about this perk. Makes the card more worth it!
Extra award space is an amazing benefit, I wish other airlines offered a similar card.
Awesome post.
I recently applied this credit card but received a rejection letter. They said I opened too many cards within 2 years. Actually, I opened 5 credit cards in the past 2 years and it seems Chase does not allow to open 5 or more credit cards within 2 years. Is this true? If so, is there any other way to get approved for this card?
The only way is to wait unfortunately. Here’s a good post on the 5/24 rule: https://awardwallet.com/credit-cards/chase-5-24-rule/
A nice perk for people having these cards and want to redeem some miles on United.
I’ve used this benefit and it saves miles on redemption. I hope other travel cards copy the benefit.
Great tips!
Thanks for the information!
Interesting benefits on thus card.
If only it wasnt united
I have this card but I am undecided on renewing. I’ll make an attempt to have the renewal fee waived.
Very useful thanks
I really hope Chase opens this card back up so that it is not limited to 5/24!
Great info, thanks as always!
I am always amazed that airlines do whatever they can to restrict use of frequent flyer miles that you, in effect, have already paid for. Now you can pay (annual card fee) for “hidden award availability”.
Primary auto rental insurance is news to me! I wish the sign up was better thou, not going to get it for only 40,000 basically, not going to spend that much for 65,000.
These are great things to find out about when trying to decide which airline card would best suit my needs.
Does this card fall under Chase’s 5/24 rule when applying?
Yes, it does.
Considering to apply the card. Thanks for the info!
Thanks! Great tip.. I have this card but wasn’t aware of the benefit.
This blog is a great reminder. thanks.
Another nice little known perk of this card is that elite members can get complimentary upgrades on award flights. Many of the agents don’t know this. If you have an award ticket and don’t see your name on the upgrade list tell the agent you have the credit card and ask to be added to the list. Note you have to use the Chase United card to pay the award ticket fees when you book the flight for this to work.
Great point, thanks for sharing that Eric.
Good info, Thanks
Sounds like pretty decent perks, too bad the last seat type awards booking are so expensive but they might come in handy at some point.
Great reasons for United flyers to get this card.
Glad I hold this card!
Just having access to reserved seats is a massive bonus.
I had no idea! Thanks.
Awesome!
thanks for posting this
After you book the hidden award, you have to worry about not being dragged off the plane!
Does an AU receive the same benefits? Or just the primary account holder? Thanks in advance.
Just the primary cardholder in this case.
That little perk definitely came in handy for me last year on a point redemption.
I wish I could make this card 🙁
(Chase 5/24)
I’ve been flying United more often. May have to give this card some serious thought. No, then low, fee and primary car rental insurance along with the extra availability. Not a bad offering.
I have the United MP Club card and this benefit has certainly helped me many times in getting a connecting domestic XN leg to make up a whole international end to end leg. One of the reasons i continue to keep my club card (along with the United PQD waiver if you spend $25K on a United card.
I wish I had sufficient miles or Ultimate Reward points to make this card worthwhile.
That’s an amazing sign up bonus!
I canceled my united cards a while back.. but might look at opening again. thanks
Wow this actually sounds quite nice.
The UA card looks pretty valuable just for this one feature alone.
This is a great perk – thanks for the information
In theory having this card allows Elites to go complementary upgrade list on a United issued award ticket
(But not award ticket on United metal issued by a Star Alliance partner)
However, even as a 1-K, the odds of ever actually getting a complimentary upgrade is damn small unless you book at a very hight fare class.
Generally much better off booking the cheapest available business class
Unrelated to the Chase credit card – I know you can book a United Saver Award and ” waitlist” for a Business Saver seat, but has anyone had success booking an award on United metal through a star alliance partner and using United Miles to get on the PR-1 list?
Wow, I hold this card and never knew about this. Thanks for sharing. Will definitely make sure I sign in to my Mileage Plus account before I search for award travel next.
Very good information, great article.
Good reminder to log in when looking for award space Happy New Year!
Nice to know… Think I have previously overlooked this.
A very good reminder. I don’t hold this card, and probably won’t with less than stellar United options near me, but good tip.
Sweet. I’ll be looking for this extra space as we plan return trips to the Maldives & Thailand, as well as our first to ZA.
great info. thx!
FYI, this benefit should apply to all Chase United MileagePlus credit cards. I have a legacy no-annual fee MileagePlus card (1 mile/$2 spend) and I also get access to the additional award inventory. Perhaps others can comment to see if a no-annual fee product is still offered, or if one is available for a product change after carrying an annual fee MileagePlus card.
I am very interested in knowing the answer to this if anyone has knowledge.
So your card is no longer available correct? But you think you can product change to it?
I can confirm as well the no fee version of the card opens the exclusive award space. I downgraded to it earlier this year and still get the benefit. Good to know for those who want to hold it for that reason.
Thank you Teddy. I would like to have my husband downgrade his card, but I was really worried about the award space. Things are going to be tight on our available miles as it is. 🙂
This perk has helped me with a few awards in the past year.
I do not use the United Explorer credit card. I put all my spend on my Chase CSR. I usually only fly United once a year and I just bring a small bag which fits under my seat.
Some great tips and advice, thank you.
Yes, these kind of tips are why I love this blog!
This benefit is a great reason to hold this card. Thanks for explaining!
Thanks for emphasizing this wonderful information. We’ve used this before and it is a definite advantage!
Happy New Year, everyone! Enjoy some amazing travels!!
Great tip, detail and examples … thank you!
Thanks for the tips!
Good outline of nice benefit
Awesome post! Another reason to keep my UA card.
That perk has been helpful to me as well as free checked baggage.
Thanks for letting us know about things like this we probably didn’t know about. I guess this makes United a good first place to search for a near term flight.
The perks are definitely getting better (I don’t recall 2x on dining and hotel before) but I’d still rather have CSR. You can transfer miles to United if you want, or elsewhere (transfer to British Airways to book on American too). If you’re exclusive to United, this card is good, but I’m all about options and finding the best deals. I’ll never travel enough to reach any real status on any airline.
Separately, what are the downgrade options for this? Can you downgrade to a free card?
You can downgrade; my spouse did – it’s a non advertised card; you get 1 mile for every $2 spend, but you don’t have many perks (like early boarding or anything).
If it’s enough to keep your miles active, that’s a huge bonus in itself. But I semi-recently just discovered the shopping portals so keeping miles active for me is a thing of the past. 🙂
Honestly you could also get a downgraded no-fee credit card just for when you need it.
JRG, thanks for confirming the downgrade option. Always best to go in knowing that option exists.
You can downgrade this card to the no fee version. You lose out on the expanded award availability though 🙁
Not true. You can have a no annual fee United MileagePlus card and still have access to the expanded awards.
I am thinking about this card. I have read about this perk on their website and elsewhere. It’s the one reason I’m considering the card, otherwise I don’t think I’d get it. I see the other benefits but since I live at an AA hub I have theirs.
Is it limited to a ticket or reservation with the card holders name on it or can I use that benefit and redeem for my husband out of my account?
Hey great question. The benefit is tied to the United Account, so you’ll get those extra seats regardless of who is traveling. If you and your spouse both have Chase points, you’ll want to transfer to the account that is tied to the MileagePlus card.
I honestly had totally forgotten about these; thanks for the reminder!
I suspect that we’ll see more and more of this. Extra award space for cardholders. Can’t kill off the golden goose with too much of “I can never find the award flight I want – what’s the point of having the card…”
Wow! Thank you – very useful analysis and I’m sure going now to consider this card.
All good points. My Explorer card is coming up for renewal; I’ll probably keep it because of the items you’ve mentioned. The card also qualifies for extra miles when using the MPX app.
@JRG – I believe you can downgrade to the no AF UA card and still receive access to the extra inventory.
Nice little perk, crappy airline!
I do keep this card specifically for the extra award space. I do like the other benefits but I can get greater earnings from other cards.