United Gateway℠ Card review: A solid no-annual-fee card for frequent United flyers

CardName BENEFITS

If United is your airline of choice, the CardName can be a valuable addition to your wallet. Offered by Chase, the card features ample opportunities to earn frequent flyer miles with spending on both travel and everyday purchases. Even better, there's no annual fee required.

The CardName also offers extras that include bonus miles, travel perks and partner benefits. Let's break those down one at a time, starting with bonus miles.

EARNING MILES WITH THE CardName

New cardholders can earn 20,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in the first three months.

Then, every purchase made with the card earns additional miles. These are awarded based on the type of purchase:

• Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, including tickets, in-flight food and Wi-Fi and baggage service charges
• Earn 2 miles per dollar spent at gas stations
• Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on local transit and commuting costs, including mass transit, tolls, ride share services and more
• Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases

CardName TRAVEL PERKS

Earning miles for travel is only one benefit of the CardName. When you use your card, you also get the following perks to make every trip more rewarding:

• Enjoy 25% back on United in-flight purchases, issued in the form of a statement credit
• Access to United Card Events from Chase, which are private, curated experiences available for purchase
• Room upgrades, complimentary breakfast and other amenities at properties in The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
• Auto rental collision damage waiver coverage
• Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance
• Complimentary access to Visa Signature Concierge Service, which is available 24 hours a day

OTHER BENEFITS OF THE CardName

The travel benefits alone make the CardName an appealing choice. However, they aren't the only perks that come with your account. You'll also benefit from the following:

• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection

With benefits ranging from bonus miles to a free DoorPass membership - and all offered with no annual fee - there is little reason not to apply for the CardName if you are a frequent United flyer. However, to get the most from the card, you'll need to be a MileagePlus member.

FEATURED CARD

 

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• Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
• Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
• Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99%. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
• 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
• 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
• 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
• 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
• 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
• Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
• Get up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an auto-renewing subscription to Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. That's $10 in statement credits each month. Enrollment required.
• Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. Enrollment required.
• Terms Apply.

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CardName MILEAGEPLUS

MileagePlus is the loyalty program for United Airlines. Miles earned with the CardName will be applied to your MileagePlus account and can be redeemed for travel, gift cards, merchandise and more.

One of the best parts of the MileagePlus program is that miles can be redeemed for any United-operated flight with no blackouts or restrictions. Miles can also be redeemed for flights on partner airlines, and you won't ever have to worry about your MileagePlus miles expiring.

In addition to earning miles with your CardName, you'll also earn miles for every flight you take with United or a partnering airline. United Airlines is part of the Star Alliance, which has 25 members including Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. United also has a dozen other worldwide partners such as Aer Lingus and Hawaiian Airlines.

POTENTIAL DOWNSIDES OF THE CardName

The main downside of the CardName is that those who don't use United Airlines frequently may find its value limited. If you prefer to travel with a variety of carriers, you may be better off with a card that offers a more flexible rewards program, such as American Express Membership Rewards Points or Chase Ultimate Rewards.

HOW THE CardName COMPARES TO OTHER TRAVEL CARDS

CardName vs. CardName

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Either of these co-branded cards can be a good choice for fans of United Airlines, but if you are a frequent traveler and don't mind paying an annual fee, the CardName may have a slight edge.

While both cards offer two miles per dollar spent on United purchases, the CardName also awards two miles per dollar spent on dining and hotels. Of course, if you travel infrequently and rarely eat out, you may find the two miles per dollar spent on gas stations and transit offered by the CardName to be more rewarding.

For the first year, neither card charges an annual fee. However, after that, you'll pay an annual fee for the CardName while the CardName doesn't charge one.

As for the welcome offer, the CardName is more lucrative, with a chance to earn 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months.

A final consideration is the additional perks offered by the CardName that are not available on the CardName. These include two United Club one-time passes per year, free checked bag for you and a companion, priority boarding and a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership.

CardName vs. CardName

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While the CardName is specifically designed for MileagePlus members, the CardName earns ThankYou® Points which some people might find more flexible. These points can be used for travel through Citi's Travel Rewards system or redeemed for gift cards, shopping or cash rewards. Citi is a CardRatings advertiser.

As with the CardName, there is a new cardholder bonus available with the CardName. However, you'll need to spend significantly more – $4,000 within three months – to earn the CardName bonus of 60,000 points. However, for a limited time, new cardholders can also earn 10 points per $1 on hotels, car rentals and attractions (excluding air travel) booked via the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.

Earning potential is also different between the two cards. While the United card offers bonus points for United, gas station and transit purchases, the CardName has bonus earning opportunities on more categories. With the Citi card, you'll earn three points per dollar spent on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, hotels and air travel. All other purchases earn one point per dollar spent.

The CardName charges a AnnualFees annual fee, but it also comes with a $100 hotel savings benefit. That will deduct $100 from a single hotel stay of $500 or more when booked through the ThankYou® program.

CardName vs. CardName

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CardName is often mentioned as one of the best travel cards available and for good reason. The card has flexible rewards and ample earning opportunities as well as other perks and benefits.

What's more, the CardName is currently offering new cardholders 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 within three months of account opening.

Among other options, points earned with the CardName can be redeemed through Chase Travel℠, to get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises, meaning that welcome bonus could be worth $750.

As for earning, the CardName offers 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, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

All this isn't to say that everyone should choose the CardName over the United card. You'll pay AnnualFees a year for the Sapphire card, and you need spend four times as much to earn the welcome offer as compared to the CardName. Those factors could make the CardName a better choice for some people.

WHO SHOULD APPLY FOR THE CardName?

The CardName is ideal for those who travel regularly with United Airlines or its partners and don't want to pay an annual fee. While its benefits aren't as flashy or lucrative as some other travel cards, it is a solid option with little to no downsides for United fans.