United Quest℠ Card
- Best for: Travelers who fly United several times a year and will use the $200 travel credit
- What Sets It Apart: $200 United travel credit each year; two free checked bags each for you and one companion; Premier qualifying points from spending, up to 18,000 a year
- Welcome Offer: 80,000 bonus miles after $4,000 in purchases in 3 months
- Rewards: 4 miles per dollar on United purchases; 2 miles per dollar on other travel, dining, and select streaming
- Features: 10,000-mile award discount each anniversary
- Annual Fee: $350
- APR: 19.99% to 28.49% variable
- Cost: No foreign transaction fees
- Pros: $200 travel credit cuts the $350 fee to an effective $150; two free bags for you and a companion; 1,000 bonus Premier qualifying points a year from the year after opening
- Cons: No United Club access; travel credit only for United flights; partner credits tied to specific merchants
Get the United Quest℠ Card if you fly United several times a year and will book a fare with its $200 annual travel credit, which brings the $350 fee down to an effective $150. If you fly United only a few times a year and check one bag, the United Explorer Card is the better buy.
The Quest sits between the Explorer and the $695 United Club Card, which adds a United Club membership. Its travel credit, free bags, and priority boarding work only on United and United Express flights, so its value depends on how much you fly United.
Key Features
- $350 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and a 19.99% to 28.49% variable interest rate (APR)
- 80,000 bonus miles after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months, and 10,000 more for adding an authorized user in that time
- 4 miles per dollar on United purchases, 2 on other travel, dining, and select streaming, and 1 on everything else
- $200 United travel credit after you open the account and on each anniversary
- Free first and second checked bags for you and one companion on the same reservation
Pros
- The travel credit posts automatically each year, with no spending required to earn it
- Two free checked bags apiece for you and a companion each way, which Chase values at up to $440 per round trip
- 1 Premier qualifying point (PQP) toward United’s Premier elite status for every $20 spent, up to 18,000 a year
- A 10,000-mile discount on a flight booked with miles each anniversary
Cons
- No United Club access or passes, only 25% back on premium drinks at United Clubs
- No discounted ticket for a travel companion
- The travel credit works only toward United or United Express flights and expires 12 months after it posts
- The other yearly credits, worth up to $660 by our count, apply only at specific partners such as Instacart and Avis or Budget rentals
- Free bags need a ticket bought with the card, except on flights in your first 90 days
The Quest is worth its $350 fee to travelers who spend the travel credit on a United fare every year and use the second free bag or the PQP. Travelers who check one bag on a handful of United trips a year do better with the Explorer, which covers that bag for a $150 annual fee after a free first year.
Learn more about the United Quest℠ Card or see how it compares to the best airline credit cards.
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