United℠ Club
A $695-a-year airline card from Chase.
Rates, fees, and full terms are set by Chase and can change. See current rates & fees on the issuer’s site, and always confirm the latest terms before applying.
Our review
The United Club card is the top United card, at a $695 fee, and its headline is a full United Club lounge membership, which on its own costs roughly the price of the fee. For a frequent United flyer who values lounge access, that can make the card close to break-even before other perks.
But $695 is a serious commitment for a single-airline card, so this only makes sense for heavy United flyers who will genuinely use the lounge.
Think twice if: you would not use the United Club lounges regularly, since the membership is the main thing you are paying for.
Our 6.2 out of 10 rating
Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.
Earning rates at a glance
Rewards: how it earns
You earn strong bonuses on United purchases and travel, in locked MileagePlus miles, and get a full United Club membership plus free checked bags and premium perks. The lounge membership is the core value, worth a large chunk of the fee for someone who uses it.
| Category | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United purchases | 5x | Bonus category |
| Dining and restaurants | 2x | Bonus category |
| Travel | 2x | Bonus category |
| Groceries | 1x | Base rate |
| Gas | 1x | Base rate |
| Streaming | 1x | Base rate |
| Everything else | 1x | Everything else |
Brand and bonus rates: beyond the everyday categories above, this card also earns:
- 11x miles on United flights booked with the card
- 5x miles on prepaid hotels and other United purchases
Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.
Best ways to earn & redeem
Put your dining and travel spending on this card to earn at its highest rates, and let a different card handle the categories it does not bonus. Its dining rate is on the modest side for that category, so compare before you commit.
When you cash in, redeem the miles or points inside the single loyalty program this card is tied to. We value every point at a flat 1 cent, so treat any transfer upside as a bonus rather than the baseline — see what your points are really worth.
Pros and cons
- Full United Club lounge membership
- Free checked bags and premium perks
- Welcome offer: Up to 100,000 bonus miles
- $695 fee is steep for a single-airline card
- Miles locked to United
- Only worth it if you use the United Club regularly
The welcome bonus
The current welcome offer is Up to 100,000 bonus miles, earned after you spend $5,000 in 3 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $900. The spending requirement works out to roughly $1,666 per month, so make sure it fits your normal budget rather than pushing you to overspend.
Is it worth the annual fee?
The $695 fee is largely a proxy for the United Club membership, which costs about the same on its own. If you would buy that lounge access anyway, the card is nearly break-even and the extra perks are upside. If you would not use the lounges, the fee is very hard to justify.
First-year value vs ongoing value
| Welcome bonus | Up to 100,000 bonus miles |
| To earn it | $5,000 in 3 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $545 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $-355 |
The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $545 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the $695 fee. After that, the honest figure is about $-355 a year, so judge whether it earns its keep on the ongoing number, not the first-year headline.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.
Benefits and protections
Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:
- First and second checked bags free on United (primary cardmember + 1 companion)
- Premier Access travel services and priority boarding
- Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee credit
- No foreign transaction fees
Lounge access
This card includes airport lounge access. Here is exactly what you get, including the Priority Pass distinctions that vary by card:
- Full United Club membership: unlimited access to all United Club and United Club Fly locations
- Star Alliance affiliated lounge access when flying United or a Star Alliance partner
Statement credits
This card does not come with recurring statement credits. Its value is in the rewards rate and welcome offer.
Who should get it, and who should skip it
If you fly United frequently and want lounge access, the United Club card can make sense, the membership alone accounts for most of the fee, and the free bags and earning add more.
If you would not use the United Club regularly, this is far too expensive, and the Explorer or Quest is a better fit. This top card is strictly for heavy United flyers who value the lounge.
Alternatives to the United℠ Club
Pairs well with
The United℠ Club earns the most in its bonus categories, so pair it with a no-fee flat-rate card to cover everything it only earns a base rate on.
Frequently asked questions
Best-card guides featuring this card
Learn more
How does it rank for your spending?
Every card is ranked by what it actually returns on the way you spend. Run your numbers and see where the United℠ Club lands.
Calculate My CardOffer details verified against issuer sources as of October 2026. Editorial opinions are our own. Cardocrat values all points at a flat 1 cent and never inflates redemptions.
