The New United℠ Business Card Review: Lounge Access, Free Bags and More for Business Travelers

 

 

The New United℠ Business Card is worth it for business owners who frequently — or even occasionally — travel with United Airlines. The card’s airline perks, credits and opportunities for earning Premier qualifying points (PQPs) make it valuable enough to justify the $150 annual fee.

The rewards rates also make this card worth it: You can earn elevated rates on common business expenses, plus a generous rate on United flights. And if you also value strong travel insurance, this card can offer peace of mind with a wide variety of protections. However, be mindful that the card doesn’t come with complimentary elite status and has a relatively high spending requirement to earn its welcome offer.

→ Discover more business credit cards for travel.

Annual fee: $150

Regular purchase APR: 20.49% - 28.99% Variable

Foreign transaction fee: $0

Sign-up bonus: Limited-time offer: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Rewards: 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores and on local transit and commuting. 1x mile on all other purchases.

Other benefits:

• Two United Club℠ one-time passes per year
• $125 United travel credit after five United flight purchases of $100 or more on your card each calendar year
• Up to $50 in United travel credits annually when you book Avis or Budget car rentals through cars.united.com and pay with your card
• Up to $100 in credits annually on prepaid hotel stays purchased through United® Hotels with your card
• Up to $100 in credits annually on rideshare purchases paid with your card (enrollment required)
• Up to $120 in Instacart credits each calendar year for purchases made directly through Instacart with your card
• Up to $100 in credits annually on flights purchased directly with your card through JSX, a hop-on jet service
• Up to $25 in credits annually on FareLock purchases for United and United Express®-operated flights
• Free first checked bag for you and one companion on eligible United flights (up to $160 saved per round trip)
• Priority boarding on eligible United flights
• 25% back on United in-flight and Club premium drink purchase
• Two continental U.S. Economy Plus® seat upgrades after spending $25,000 on purchases each year
• Up to 4,000 PQPs in a calendar year
• 5,000-mile anniversary bonus when you have The New United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United® credit card
• Employee cards at no additional cost

Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

• Generous rewards categories

  The New United℠ Business Card offers elevated earning rates across many common business expenses: Earn 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores and on local transit and commuting. 1x mile on all other purchases.

  This makes it easy to earn United miles quickly — that’s especially useful when you issue cards to employees, so their purchases can contribute points as well.

• Travel and airline credits

  The New United℠ Business Card comes with a solid lineup of annual travel and partner credits, worth more than $500. These include:

  • Receive a $125 United travel credit after making 5 United® flight purchases of $100 or more each calendar year with your card
  • Up to $50 in United travel credits annually when you book Avis or Budget car rentals through cars.united.com and pay with your card
  • Up to $100 in credits annually on prepaid hotel stays purchased through United® Hotels with your card
  • Up to $100 in credits annually on rideshare purchases when paying with your card (enrollment required)
  • Up to $120 in Instacart credits each calendar year for direct purchases with your card
  • Up to $100 in credits annually on flights purchased directly through JSX with your card
  • Up to $25 in credits annually on FareLock purchases for United and United Express®-operated flights

  Even if you don’t use all of these credits, just a few of them can help you recoup the annual fee. Make sure you time out the application of your card carefully if you want to use the $125 United travel credit in particular for a pricier flight: You’ll need to make five United flight purchases of $100 or more each calendar year to access it.

• United Club lounge access

  You’ll receive two United Club℠ one-time passes per year with The New United℠ Business Card. One-time passes cost $59, so this perk is a value of $118. You’ll need a same-day boarding pass on United for entry, and you can use the pass only within three hours of your scheduled departure.

• Boarding and in-flight perks

  This card comes with priority boarding for you and everybody on your flight reservation on eligible United flights. This perk is usually at least $24 per person, so this can really help you save if you fly with a companion or group.

• Ability to earn Premier qualifying points

  The New United℠ Business Card gives you many opportunities to earn PQPs that will help you earn MileagePlus® Premier® status. When you sign up for the card, you’ll get a limited-time offer: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

  You can also earn up to 4,000 PQPs per year via one PQP for every $20 you spend on purchases with your card each calendar year.

  United loyalty status can help you earn upgrades in boarding, qualify for more free bags, earn a higher rewards rate on United flights and more. In order to qualify, you’ll need to earn a certain amount of either PQPs or PQPs and Premier qualifying flights (PQFs).

  	Premier Silver (15 PQF and 5,000 PQP or 6,000 PQP)	Premier Gold (30 PQF and 10,000 PQP or 12,000 PQP)	Premier Platinum (45 PQF and 15,000 PQP or 18,000 PQP)	Premier 1K (60 PQF and 22,000 PQP or 28,000 PQP)
  Free checked bags in Economy	1	2	3	3
  Access to Economy Plus	Free for you and one companion	Free for you and one companion	Free for you and eight companions	Free for you and eight companions
  Group boarding	Group 2	Group 1	Group 1	Priority pre-boarding
  Departure upgrades availability	Eligible day of flight	Eligible 48 hours before flight	Eligible 72 hours before flight	Eligible 96 hours before flight
  Earning rate on every flight	7x miles	8x miles	9x miles	11x miles
  PlusPoints amount after reaching status	N/A	N/A	40 PlusPoints	280 PlusPoints

• Free checked bag

  You’ll get first bags checked free for you and one companion on eligible United flights. This is worth up to $160 per round trip, which in itself saves you more than the annual fee for the card.

• Strong travel protections

  The New United℠ Business Card comes with a long list of travel protections, which include:

  • Auto rental coverage
  • Baggage delay insurance
  • Lost luggage reimbursement
  • Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
  • Trip delay reimbursement
  • Purchase protection
  • Extended warranty protection
  • Visa Concierge

• Annual fee

  The card comes with a $150 annual fee. However, the annual fee can be recouped easily through many of the perks and credits.

• High spending requirement for the welcome offer

  With this card, you’ll get a limited-time offer: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Depending on how much your business spends each month, that may be a high barrier.

• No complimentary elite status

  You won’t earn complimentary elite status just by signing up for the card. The lowest United loyalty tier is Premier Silver, which requires 5,000 PQPs and 15 PQFs, or just 6,000 PQPs. You can earn the required 6,000 PQPs, however, through the card’s sign-up bonus and by earning the maximum of 4,000 PQPs in a year if you spend $80,000.

• Limited redemption options

  The most valuable way to redeem your miles is on United flights. There are other ways to use them that are less valuable, including booking hotel rooms and cruises and renting cars with Avis or Budget. If you’re not traveling with United in a given year, though, there’s not much you can do with your miles.

  A general travel credit card can offer more flexible ways to use your miles and let you transfer them to a multitude of hotels and airlines.

The New United℠ Business Card is best for business travelers who expect to travel on United with multiple people at least a couple of times per year. While the card does have a long list of credits you can use, the money you save with the free first checked bags on eligible United flights for you and a companion on just one flight makes up for the annual fee and then some.

There’s also priority boarding that helps you save more the more people you bring along, and two United Club one-time passes per year that you can take advantage of. More frequent travelers will also be rewarded with PQPs to use toward elite status and credits that are tied to spending more on the card, including the $125 United travel credit you can earn after making five United flight purchases of $100 or more each calendar year.

The New United℠ Business Card vs. Capital One Spark Miles for Business

The Capital One Spark Miles for Business has a lower annual fee than The New United℠ Business Card ($0 intro for first year; $95 after that) — plus, it offers more flexibility and a simpler rewards rate.

This card offers 16 airline and three hotel transfer partners. And although U.S.-based airlines — including United — aren’t on the list, you can still use your points for United with a few extra steps. First, you’ll have to transfer your points to a Capital One transfer partner that’s a member of the Star Alliance, like Air Canada or Singapore Airlines. Through one of those Star Alliance airlines, you can book United award flights if they’re available.

→ Read more: Capital One Transfer Partners 2025: What You Need to Know

It also comes with a credit of up to $120 credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck®, which The New United℠ Business Card does not. So if you’re willing to do a little more leg work to use your points and you’re OK without earning PQPs toward United elite status, this can be a more cost-effective card.

The New United℠ Business Card vs. Citi^® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard^®

If you’re looking for a valuable airline card for business but aren’t necessarily tied to United, the Citi^® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard^® may be a good choice if you enjoy flying with American Airlines. It comes with an annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months.

The Citi^® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard^® comes with several American Airlines perks, such as preferred boarding and 25% off select in-flight purchases. Its free checked bag perk on domestic American Airlines flights can save you more than The New United℠ Business Card, though, as it offers first checked bags free for you and four companions each flight, which can save you up to $400 per round trip. If you tend to travel with a large group of people, this card may be a better fit.

Like The New United℠ Business Card, this card also offers an elevated rate on several common expense categories — however, it does have a much lower rewards rate on respective flights.

The New United℠ Business Card vs. Sapphire Reserve for Business℠

The Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ comes with a steep $795 annual fee. However, since United is a Chase travel partner, this can be a good choice for racking up points that you can transfer to United — and it’s got luxury travel perks, too.

This card’s laundry list of perks and credits amass to more than $2,500 in value. These flexible credits include up to a $300 travel credit, as well as business-specific credits like up to a $200 Google Workspace and up to $400 in ZipRecruiter credits.

But if you’re not a frequent traveler or don’t like keeping track of a coupon book-like list of credits to use, it’s likely this card won’t be a good fit for you or your business.

The New United℠ Business Card is right for you if you’re a fan of United for business travel and want to save on expenses like lounge access, preferred boarding and checked bags. With additional perks — including an $120 Instacart credit you can use for your business and a solid rewards rate and sign-up bonus that can help you save even more — this card is a good choice for most United business travelers.

However, if you’re looking for a business card with a lower or no annual fee, a cash back card or another co-branded card, you can check out LendingTree’s list of the best business credit cards in 2025.

We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

• Average value over two years (80% of rating): We calculate the value of rewards and perks for the average cardholder using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes the card’s sign-up bonus, annual bonus (including free night certificates) and travel perks like lounge access and travel credits. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
• Flexibility of rewards (15% of rating): We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates, minimum thresholds to redeem, blackout dates and the availability of flexible redemption options like travel statement credits and cash back.
• Other features (5% of rating): We also compare a card’s benefits, such as purchase protections, travel protections and elite status benefits against benefits from other cards.