United Club℠ Infinite Card Review

The information related to the United Club Infinite Card has been collected by Money Crashers and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.

The United Club℠ Infinite Card is one of Chase’s most generous co-branded travel credit cards.

If you regularly fly with United Airlines and you can stomach the pricey $525 annual fee, or at least find ways to offset it year after year, it’s well worth keeping in your wallet.

Here’s why.

What Sets the United Club Infinite Card Apart?

The United Club Infinite Card stands out for several reasons, mostly to the good:

• Complimentary United Club Membership. As long as you remain a cardholder in good standing, you enjoy access to hundreds of United Club and Star Alliance partner airport lounges worldwide. According to United, United Club membership is worth more than this card’s annual fee. With such a juicy benefit for frequent travelers, this card is a perennial contender for our best airline credit cards list.
• Generous Rewards Program. The United Club Infinite Card earns 4 MileagePlus miles per $1 spent on United Airlines purchases, 2 miles per $1 spent on dining and other travel purchases, and and 1 mile per $1 spent on everything else, with no caps or restrictions. This is far more generous than most competing premium co-branded airline cards, believe it or not.
• Excellent Sign-up Bonus. This card’s sign-up bonus is worth a cool 80,000 miles, good for several economy class domestic round-trip fares and better than many competing cards.
• Lots of Value-Added Travel Benefits. As a loyal cardmember, you’ll enjoy a slew of potentially lucrative benefits at airports, hotels, and resorts around the world. These include exclusive discounts and perks at luxe hotels, complimentary elite status with IHG (a major hotel family) and Avis, and a battery of travel insurance coverages.

Interested in upping your game with United Club Infinite? Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of this exclusive spending aid for United Airlines loyalists.

Key Features of the United Club Infinite Card

Let’s take a closer look at the most important features of the United Club Infinite Card, starting with the generous sign-up bonus.

Sign-Up Bonus

When you open your account and make at least $5,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months, you get 80,000 bonus MileagePlus points. That’s good for up to 3 round-trip flights within the continental U.S.

United Club Membership

As long as your account remains open and in good standing, you’re entitled to full United Club membership privileges. This valuable benefit includes unfettered access (with ticketed travel) to “all United Club locations and participating Star Alliance™ affiliated lounges worldwide.”

Each lounge is different, but typical lounge perks include:

• Free WiFi
• Complimentary snacks or meals
• Complimentary beverages
• Business service centers with printing and other conveniences

Some lounges have shower and spa facilities as well.

If you already have a United Club membership, you’re reimbursed for any unused portion (on a prorated basis) when your card application is approved. According to United, this benefit is worth up to $650 annually – more than making up for the card’s annual fee.

Note that authorized users are entitled to complimentary United Club access only when traveling with the primary cardholder.

Earning MileagePlus Miles

The United Club Infinite Card earns unlimited 4 MileagePlus miles per $1 spent on United Airlines airfare purchases, including in-flight purchases, fare upgrades, tickets, and more. All other travel purchases and dining purchases earn 2 miles per $1 spent. And all other purchases earn 1 mile per $1 spent.

There are no caps or restrictions on mileage earnings, and miles never expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing.

Redeeming MileagePlus Miles

The most cost-effective means of redemption is for United Airlines award airfare. You generally need at least 12,500 MileagePlus miles to redeem for one-ways within the continental U.S. and Canada. Round-trip fares start at 25,000 miles for most longer-haul trips. Business- and first-class one-ways start at 25,000 miles as well. There are no blackout dates or other restrictions.

10% Discount on United Economy Saver Award Flights

Use your MileagePlus miles to redeem for United Economy Saver award flights within the continental U.S. and Canada and get your free flight with 10% fewer miles, compliments of United.

Premium Travel Benefits

This card comes with impressive everyday travel benefits, including:

• Priority Boarding: You’re entitled to priority boarding on all ticketed United flights. This allows you to board before the general boarding process begins.
• Free First and Second Checked Bag: You and one traveling companion get a free first and second checked bag on all ticketed United flights. This benefit is worth hundreds on round-trip flights with two ticketed travelers checking two bags each.
• Discounts on In-Flight Purchases. Look forward to getting 25% back as a statement credit when you make eligible purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights or make eligible purchases of Club premium drinks in eligible lounges.
• Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection Benefits: United Club Infinite Card offers special discounts and perks at hundreds of high-end hotels and resorts worldwide. These benefits include complimentary room upgrades where available, free breakfast at hotels that don’t already offer it, special welcome gifts, extended check-in/check-out hours, and more.
• Premier Access: You and all traveling companions enjoy Premier Access on all United and United Express (no codeshare) flights. This is a white-glove service with benefits including designated check-in lines, security fast-track, and special baggage handling protocols that cut down on wait times.
• IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status. As a cardmember in good standing, you’re automatically enrolled as a Platinum Elite status holder in the IHG One Rewards program. This entitles you to tons of valuable benefits at thousands of IHG hotels worldwide, including accelerated point earnings on eligible stays, complimentary room upgrades where available, and late checkout.
• Avis President’s Club Elite Status: You’re entitled to complimentary elite status with the Avis President’s Club for as long as you remain a cardholder in good standing here. This benefit includes eligibility for complimentary car class upgrades, guaranteed vehicle availability, expedited service, and more.
• Up to $100 Credit on Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Fees. These expedited security memberships can save you hours every year at the airport and other secure areas. If you travel frequently, their value is clear.

Additional Travel Benefits

This card’s additional Visa- and Chase-backed travel and purchase benefits include:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• 24/7 concierge service for travelers
• Complimentary loss and damage coverage on rental cars paid in full with the card
• Insurance for delayed and lost bags
• Purchase protection on select purchases paid in full with the card

Restrictions, exclusions, and coverage limits may apply to these benefits. The concierge service may require you to cover out of pocket service fees as well.

Important Fees

The annual fee is $525. There is no foreign transaction fee.

Credit Required

The United Club Infinite Card requires excellent credit.

Advantages of the United Club Infinite Card

Why apply for the United Club Infinite Card? Let’s count the reasons.

• Complimentary United Club Membership in Perpetuity. United Club Infinite’s headline benefit is right in its name: complimentary United Club airport lounge membership for as long as you remain a cardholder in good standing. This benefit is worth more than the $525 annual fee, according to United. If you fly United regularly and frequent airports with United Club or participating partner lounges, you’re sure to get your money’s worth.
• Excellent Airport and In-Flight Benefits. Beyond the complimentary United Club membership deal, United Club Infinite Card has some great benefits for ticketed United travelers. The most valuable is probably the free checked bag allowance, which United claims is worth well over $200 when utilized by two ticketed travelers on round-trip flights. Premier Access is convenient as well. And you’ll get a one-time statement credit up to $100 against the cost of a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application. If you can take advantage of these and other card benefits regularly, you’ll more than make up for the $525 annual fee.
• Very Good Sign-Up Bonus. This card’s 80,000-mile sign-up bonus is worth up to 2 round-trip domestic flights anywhere in the U.S. Depending on the routes for which you redeem, that could equate to a value of $2,000 or more. You need to spend $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months to claim this benefit, which should be doable if you use this as your primary credit card.
• Tangible Benefits at Partner Hotels. United Club Infinite offers potentially valuable benefits for cardholders who stay at any of the more than 900 hotels and resorts in the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, a loosely affiliated network of upscale properties around the world. Key Luxury Hotel & Resort benefits include extended check-in and check-out hours, discounted spa services, complimentary room upgrades (pending availability), free breakfast, and more.
• Generous Redemption Terms. Redeeming your miles for award travel is a straightforward, unrestrictive affair. Your miles never expire, nor are they subject to blackout dates, close-in penalties, or other confusing and potentially inconvenient restrictions. Basically, if there’s room available on the flight, you can use your miles to claim your spot.
• No Foreign Transaction Fee. The United Club Infinite Card has no foreign transaction fee. That’s great news for cardholders who regularly venture outside the United States, as the 2% to 3% foreign transaction fees charged by some other credit cards are more than enough to negate their earned rewards.

Disadvantages of the United Club Infinite Card

The United Club Infinite Card isn’t perfect. Consider these drawbacks before you apply, and decide whether a less generous card (like United Explorer) might be a better fit for you.

• $525 Annual Fee. This card can’t hide its exclusivity. From the first year, United Club Infinite Card carries a $525 annual fee. While this isn’t the end of the world for those who fly United often and take full advantage of the airport lounge benefit, it’s an absolute deal-breaker for those who aren’t as keen on United Airlines or United Club. If airport lounge access isn’t important to you, or you want to keep your airline options open, look to a general purpose travel card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
• 4x Miles Only Applies to United Airfare. This card’s headline 4x miles rate applies only to United Airlines purchases. Most other purchases earn just 1 mile per $1 spent, though you can average closer to 2x miles overall if you restrict your non-United spending on this card to travel and dining purchases. Not possible? For a better earning rate on a wider range of spending, check out the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
• Limited Redemption Options for Non-United Flyers. If you’re not a regular United Airlines flyer, this card isn’t for you. One of the principal reasons for this is the limited usefulness of MileagePlus miles outside the United and Star Alliance ecosystems. If you travel infrequently or crave the flexibility associated with cash or gift card redemptions at favorable rates, look to general purpose travel cards like American Express Gold or American Express Platinum – the latter of which has its own valuable airport lounge benefit.
• No Companion Certificates or Anniversary Awards. For all its generous benefits, United Club Infinite Card has one glaring omission: It doesn’t offer companion certificates or anniversary mileage bonuses for loyal cardmembers or heavy spenders. Most competing cards offer one or the other. For instance, the Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express, another exclusive product for frequent flyers who like to travel in style, gives heavy spenders up to 30,000 SkyMiles and 30,000 Medallion Qualification Miles at every cardmember anniversary.

Final Word

The United Club℠ Infinite Card is a powerful credit card. Its signature benefit – complimentary United Club membership for the primary cardholder and complimentary access for authorized cardholders traveling with the primary – is worth up to $650 per year. Throw in the sign-up bonus, 2 miles per $1 spent on travel and dining purchases, and the generous travel benefits and you’ve got yourself a truly valuable credit card that more than makes up for its $525 annual fee.

More than makes up for its $525 annual fee if you take full advantage of all those benefits, that is. If you poke your head into a United Club once a year and check a bag only once in a great while, you’re not likely to get your money’s worth out of this card. Before you commit, run the numbers and confirm that you’re making the best decision for your finances, your lifestyle, and your credit rating.