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Chase and United’s premium airline credit card — the United Club℠ Infinite Card — offers a generous rewards rate on travel and dining purchases, as well as a number of travel benefits, including free checked bags and complimentary United Club membership.
These benefits come with a hefty $525 annual fee; however, when you figure in the sign-up bonus, free checked bags and United Club membership, that can help offset or at least justify that fee.
There is one caveat to applying for this card: The United Club℠ Infinite Card is only available if you do not have any United Club card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for any United Club card in the past 24 months.
We take a look at the pros and cons of the United Club℠ Infinite Card, and show how it compares to another premium travel card — the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
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Intro Purchase APR
N/A
Regular Purchase APR
16.74% - 23.74% Variable
Intro BT APR
N/A
Regular BT APR
16.74% - 23.74% Variable
Annual Fee
$525
Cash Advance Fee
Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
Foreign Transaction Fee
$0
Balance Transfer Fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Rewards rate
Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel and dining and 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Free checked bags
The primary cardholder and one companion traveling on the same reservation will each receive their first and second standard checked bags for free. That’s a savings of up to $320 per roundtrip.
United Club membership
The United Club℠ Infinite Card offers the primary cardholder and an eligible traveling companion access to the more than 45 United Club locations and participating Star Alliance lounges across the globe. According to United, this benefit is valued at up to $650 per year.
Sign-up bonus
New United Club℠ Infinite Card cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee
The United Club℠ Infinite Card‘s premium benefits come with an expensive $525 annual fee.
No intro APR on purchases
If you’re planning to finance a vacation or other large purchases, this card is not ideal, since it doesn’t offer an introductory APR on purchases. If you do carry a balance, you will be subject to interest charges of 16.74% - 23.74% variable APR.
If you want to earn valuable travel rewards and take advantage of premium benefits, but you’re not a United Airlines loyalist, you may want to consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers a lucrative sign-up bonus that’s worth $500 when redeemed for cash and gift cards, and $750 when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards™. Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
You can also transfer points at a rate of 1:1 to several airline and hotel loyalty programs, including United MileagePlus, British Airways Executive Club, Flying Blue Air France KLM, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy.
Like the United Club℠ Infinite Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers an elevated rewards rate on travel and dining at restaurants. The card also comes with several travel benefits common to premium travel credit cards: a Global Entry, NEXUS or TSA Precheck credit, complimentary airport lounge access, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, lost luggage reimbursement and trip delay reimbursement.
Plus, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers up to $300 in statement credits each account anniversary as reimbursement for travel purchases that are charged to your card.
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| United Club℠ Infinite Card | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | United℠ Explorer Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
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Apply Now on Chase's secure site
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Apply Now on Chase's secure site
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Read Review |
Apply Now on Chase's secure site
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| Annual Fee | |||
| $525 | $550 | $0 Intro for the First Year, then $95 | $95 |
| Welcome Offer | |||
| Earn 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Earn up to 70,000 bonus miles. Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, earn an additional 10,000 miles after you spend $6,000 total on purchases in the first 6 months your account is open. | Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. |
| Rewards Rate | |||
| Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel and dining and 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. | 5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards® | Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases | 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases |
| Intro Purchase APR | |||
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Regular APR | |||
| 16.74% - 23.74% Variable | 17.24% - 24.24% Variable | 16.74% - 23.74% Variable | 16.24% - 23.24% Variable |
| Recommended Credit | |||
| excellent | excellent | excellent-good | excellent |
| Card Details | |||
| United Club℠ Infinite Card | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | United℠ Explorer Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
If you frequently fly on United Airlines, the United Club℠ Infinite Card offers a great opportunity to earn a large amount of points in a short period of time — which can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, rental cars and more. But if you’re not partial to United Airlines, a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, that allows you to transfer points to several popular airlines (including United) and hotel partners, may be a better fit.
Or, if you want to earn United miles, but don’t want to pay a steep annual fee of $525, you may want to consider the United℠ Explorer Card.
With an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95, the United℠ Explorer Card allows you to earn up to 70,000 bonus miles. Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, earn an additional 10,000 miles after you spend $6,000 total on purchases in the first 6 months your account is open. Cardholders also earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.