The New United Quest℠ Card Review: Travel Credits, Free Bags and Valuable Miles

If you fly United Airlines often, The New United Quest℠ Card might just be your next travel companion. It comes with a generous sign-up bonus, solid rewards (up to 3 miles per dollar spent on United purchases) and even a path to elite status. In fact, with the Premier qualifying points (PQPs) earned from the sign-up bonus, cardholders are already halfway to earning status. Big spenders can snag Silver status (or earn credits toward higher levels) just by using the card throughout the year. Add in perks including travel protections and United-specific benefits, and it’s easy to see why frequent United flyers might love it.

Still, it does have a huge downside: its $350 annual fee. For some travelers, that price tag might be tough to justify. The good news? It comes with a $200 United travel credit and a 10,000-mile award flight discount each year, which may help take the sting out. But if you’re hoping for lounge access, this card might disappoint — unlike some other United cards, it doesn’t come with United Club passes.

 

Annual fee: $350

Sign-up bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Rewards: 3x miles on United® purchases. 2x miles on dining, select streaming services & all other travel. 1x mile on all other purchases. Plus, receive a $200 United® travel credit and 10,000-mile award flight discount on each account anniversary, as well as earn up to 18,000 Premier qualifying points.

Regular purchase APR: 20.49% - 28.99% Variable

APR on balance transfers: 20.49% - 28.99% Variable

Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Foreign transaction fee: $0

Other benefits:

• First and second checked bags free for cardholder and one companion
• Annual $200 United travel credit
• Fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS
• Primary auto rental coverage

Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

• Generous sign-up bonus

  Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. At an average value of 1.3 cents per mile, these miles are worth around $910 in travel*, though your actual value may vary based on your method of redemption. Typically, you’ll get the most value when redeeming your miles for premium cabin international flights or during peak travel periods.

  Among United Airlines credit cards, this is one of the highest welcome bonuses available. Plus, this card’s bonus provides 1,000 Premier qualifying points (PQPs) toward elite status that frequent United travelers covet.

  *Based on LendingTree’s value methodology.

• Valuable United benefits

  The New United Quest℠ Card comes with many United-specific travel benefits. The benefits available immediately include:

  • $200 annual United TravelBank cash credit
  • Free first and second checked bags (savings of up to $360 per trip)
  • Priority boarding for cardmember and companions on the same reservation
  • 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases (awarded as a statement credit)
  • Premier upgrades on award tickets (subject to availability)

  Cardmembers can also receive MileagePlus benefits including:

  • 1,000 card Bonus (PQPs) each year
  • Earn up to 18,000 (PQPs) each year based on spending

  Further, there are some additional perks that aren’t immediately available. They may be subject to meeting an annual spending threshold or by holding the card for a year or longer.

  • Annual 10,000 mile award flight discount starting on your first anniversary
  • May earn a 10,000 mile award flight discount when you spend $20,000 on purchases each calendar year with your card
  • Earn 2 global Economy Plus® seat upgrades after spending $40,000 on purchases each calendar year with your card

• Travel benefits

  • Earn up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit as a statement credit every four years when you pay with your card
  • Up to $150 annual Renowned Hotels and Resorts statement credit
  • Up to $100 annual statement credits (up to $8 per month and up to $12 in December when you pay for rideshare purchases with your card)
  • Up to $80 Avis or Budget Travel Credit (given as two $40 credits on your first two eligible rentals)
  • Up to $150 annual JSX statement credit when you use your card to make a purchase directly with JSX, a hop-on jet service
  • Complimentary Visa Signature Concierge service to help you find tickets or make reservations

• Great travel and purchase protections

  • Primary rental car insurance: Up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage on most rentals when you decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire cost of the rental to your card.
  • Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: Up to $1,500 per covered traveler and $6,000 per trip in reimbursement if your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations for your prepaid, non-refundable passenger fares.
  • Baggage delay insurance: Up to $100 a day for up to three days for essentials when your baggage is delayed for over six hours.
  • Lost luggage reimbursement: Up to $3,000 reimbursement per covered traveler for the cost to repair or replace checked or carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged or stolen during a covered trip.
  • Trip delay reimbursement: Up to $500 reimbursed per covered traveler for meals and lodging if your travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay.
  • Purchase protection: Up to $10,000 per item against damage of theme for eligible purchases within 120 days of purchase (terms apply).
  • Extended warranty protection: Adds an additional year of coverage on manufacturer’s U.S. warranties for eligible warranties of three years or less up to four years from the date of purchase.

  Tip: Consult your card’s terms and conditions for the latest information on card benefits.

• Shopping credits

  • Complimentary Instacart+ membership for 3 months, then 50% off. Benefit ends 12/31/27.
  • Up to $15 in monthly Instacart credits. Offered as two monthly credits of $10 and $5 on eligible transactions for Instacart+ members, for up to $180 per each calendar year.

• Earn elite status through spending

  For every $20 spent in a calendar year, you’ll receive 1 PQP — and you can earn up to 18,000 PQPs each year based on your credit card purchases. Plus, when you first get The New United Quest℠ Card, you can earn 1,000 bonus PQPs after meeting the card’s minimum spending requirement to earn the sign-up bonus. You’ll also get a bonus of 1,000 PQPs within six to eight weeks after Feb. 1 of each year (starting in 2026).

  The chart below shows how you can earn elite status with just PQPs or a mix of PQPs and Premier qualifying flights (PQFs). Customers earn PQFs on most flights on United, United Express and partner airlines (exclusions include Basic Economy tickets and certain flights to Venezuela and Cuba).

  Elite status	Qualifications for Premier status
  Premier Silver	15 PQFs and 5,000 PQPs or 6,000 PQPs
  Premier Gold	30 PQFs and 10,000 PQPs or 12,000 PQPs
  Premier Platinum	45 PQFs and 15,000 PQPs or 18,000 PQPs
  Premier 1K®	60 PQFs and 22,000 PQPs or 28,000 PQPs

  Earning the maximum PQPs from The New United Quest℠ Card would help give you United Premier Platinum elite status. To earn Premier Platinum elite status solely based on spending, you’d need to charge $360,000 in a calendar year. In your first year of card membership, you would only need to spend $340,000 if you also earn the 1,000 PQPs from the sign-up bonus. However, frequent United flyers wouldn’t need to spend as much, since you also earn PQPs based on the base fares of United flights, paid upgrades and seat purchases.

  After reaching this milestone, you’ll enjoy Premier Platinum benefits for the rest of this year and all of the next through Jan. 31 of the following year. For example, if you earn elite status in October 2025, your status runs through January 2027.

  United MileagePlus members earn Premier status based on Premier qualifying points (PQPs) or a combination of PQPs and Premier qualifying flights (PQFs). They earn PQPs based on the amount paid for flights, upgrades and seat purchases.

   

• $350 annual fee

  For many travelers, it can be hard to justify paying a $350 annual fee for a credit card. But while The New United Quest℠ Card‘s annual fee is higher than many other airline credit cards, its many benefits can reduce the net cost to cardholders.

  The $200 annual United travel credit can offset more than half the annual fee, even if you pay for only one United flight per year. Plus, you’ll get a 10,000 United miles discount on an award flight booked on United each year (though this benefit starts with your first anniversary of the card). Based on our average values, those 10,000 miles are worth around $130*.

  But if you don’t think you’d use enough of the flight and travel benefits — plus insurance protections and shopping credits — to make up for the annual fee, a travel card with no annual fee might be a better choice.

  *Based on LendingTree’s value methodology.

• Rewards are limited to United

  The rewards earned on your purchases are limited to United Airlines and its rewards program. You can book flights on partner airlines, but you’ll have to book them through United and they’re subject to availability.

  Many travelers may be better off with a general travel card that offers flexible rewards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card. This card’s rewards can be used to book travel, get cash back, buy gift cards and more. Plus, its points transfer on a 1:1 basis to more than 10 airline and hotel loyalty programs, including United MileagePlus.

• No United Club access

  Unfortunately, even though The New United Quest℠ Card charges a premium annual fee, it doesn’t include access to the United Club lounges. So if airport lounge access is important to you, consider The New United Club℠ Card, which includes a complimentary United Club lounge membership, or The New United℠ Explorer Card, which offers two complimentary Club passes each account anniversary.

  Find the best credit cards with airport lounge access.

The New United Quest℠ Card vs. The New United℠ Explorer Card

The New United℠ Explorer Card is an excellent option for travelers who fly United occasionally and don’t want to pay the high annual fee that comes with The New United Quest℠ Card. It has a reasonable annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $150. It also includes the first checked bag free, priority boarding and reimbursement for up to $120 in application fees for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS. Plus, it gives you valuable travel and purchase protections for card purchases at no extra charge.

The rewards rate is a bit complex, though. You’ll earn 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel. 1x mile on all other purchases. However, as a United MileagePlus member, you’ll earn an additional 5x miles on fares and 2x miles on hotels purchased through United Hotels with The New United℠ Explorer Card. Further, prepaying hotel stays through United Hotels earns an extra 1x mile.

There’s also a generous sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

The New United Quest℠ Card vs. The New United Club℠ Card

The New United Club℠ Card is the premier choice for United frequent flyers, especially those who desire United Club access. It offers the highest rewards and biggest welcome bonus of any United credit card, as well as a complimentary United Club membership (worth at least $750 per year).

The card lets you earn 4x miles on United® purchases, 2x miles on dining and all other travel and 1x mile on all other purchases. Plus, new cardholders can earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Cardholders receive premium benefits on United flights, travel and purchase protections and complimentary elite status with IHG Rewards and Avis President’s Club (enrollment required).

The New United Quest℠ Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

If you don’t fly United frequently or simply don’t want to be tied to just one airline, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is a more flexible and highly rewarding alternative.

You’ll enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases. You can also earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Its Ultimate Rewards® points can be used to book travel, get cash back, buy gift cards and more. In addition, you can transfer points on a 1:1 basis to 14 airline and hotel loyalty programs, including United. The card also includes numerous travel protections, no matter which airline you use, making it ideal for people who fly on multiple airlines each year.

If you’re a regular United flyer (or have plans to be) and can afford to meet the minimum spending requirement for the card’s sign-up bonus, The New United Quest℠ Card could be a good deal for you.

When you factor in the annual credits and bonus miles, travel benefits and ability to earn PQPs, what you get for that $350 annual fee is a good value. In fact, your savings on free checked bags of just one trip for two could far exceed the annual fee.

But if you’re not sure The New United Quest℠ Card is a good fit, you may want to try out the less expensive The New United℠ Explorer Card — it offers a lot of value for travelers loyal to United at a much more affordable price point. Or, you might opt for a more flexible travel card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card.

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.