Chase recently announced significant changes to their lineup of United Airlines credit cards effective immediately. As of March 24, 2025, the annual fee on all but one credit cards were increased. To balance out the increase in annual fees, a bunch of coupon book statement credits have been added to encourage cardholders to keep their cards and spend more on them.

So who is going to benefit and suffer most with the new changes? I think the occasional United flyer and those who don’t put much spend on their United credit cards will struggle to justify keeping them in this new environment. On the flip side, frequent United flyers and big spenders chasing elite status may like the new changes.

Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of all these changes card-by-card. First up is the United Gateway Card.

United Gateway Card

The United Gateway Card will continue to have no annual fee, but its new benefits are designed to encourage large spending in order to take advantage of them.

What’s New and/or Changing

• Welcome bonus of 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months
• Earn two checked bag certificates, valid for 12 months, after spending $10,000 in a calendar year
• Earn access to member pricing on award travel redemptions after spending $10,000 in a calendar year.

The welcome bonus is 10,000 points higher than the prior offer. However, I’ve seen a 30,000 point welcome bonus before, so this isn’t really new or better.

They’ve now added the ability to earn two free checked bags, which is something this card never had access to before. But it’s really hard to justify spending $10,000 to receive two free checked bags. United charges $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second. So at most you’ll get $80 in value from this new feature. 

The real gut punch here is the loss of member pricing on award travel redemptions. This reduces the number of miles needed to book award travel on United flights. While this benefit remains in place on all other United cards, Gateway cardholders now need to spend $10,000 for it. I guess I can understand United not wanting to give access to member pricing on a card with no annual fee, but it’s certainly disappointing. Saving a few thousand miles on an award redemption does not justify that much spend.

This card is still a decent card as a downgrade option if you opened a United Explorer, Quest, or Club card and decide those benefits aren’t worth paying for any longer. However, without access to member pricing on award travel, the card is much less attractive as a downgrade option.

United Explorer Card

The overarching change to the United Explorer Card is the “credit couponification” of the benefits. They raised the annual fee by $55 and offset that by adding several new statement credits. The catch is that those credits come in the form of a coupon book whereby you earn them on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis, instead of all at once. They also added a few big spend bonuses that won’t appeal to most people. Overall, it’s definitely a mix of positive and negative changes, so it really comes down to how often you fly United and whether you can maximize the new coupon credits.

What’s New and/or Changing

• $150 annual fee (up from $95)
• Welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months
• The annual United Club passes will now require the primary cardmember or authorized user to be present when redeemed (no more gifting)
• One $100 travel credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year
• One 10,000-mile award flight discount after spending $20,000 in a calendar year
• Up to $100 in statement credits for United Hotels ($50 each on your first two bookings per cardmember year)
• Up to $60 per year in rideshare credits (up to $5 per month) when using your card to pay for rideshare services
• Up to $50 in travel credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year on rentals booked through cars.united.com and paid for with your United Explorer card (up to $25 for each of the first two rentals)
• One $10 Instacart credit per month when you have Instacart+ membership
• Up to $100 statement credit for purchases with JSX each cardmember year

Although the $55 annual fee increase can be more than offset by up to $430 in credits each year, it requires significant effort to keep track of and actually utilize those credits. This is what I mean when I say “credit couponification”. Like those old coupon books from the 80s and 90s, you now have to remember you have these credits as well as when and how to trigger them.

These changes make me far less interested in owning this card. Some of the new features require a lot of spending while others are simply annoying to use. Still others would require me to change how I book travel (i.e. booking hotels with United Hotels rather than with the hotel directly or booking rental cars through cars.united.com). I’m only an occasional United flyer and have owned this card on two separate occasions. I don’t own one today and don’t see myself ever applying for one again in the future.

However, if you check at least four bags on United flights a year, this card can make sense to own just for that benefit alone. If you fly frequently enough with United, it’s also worth looking into the Quest or Club cards instead. They’re more expensive but also provide better benefits.

United Quest Card

The changes to the United Quest Card are very similar in nature to the United Explorer changes. However, in the case of the Quest card, a few existing benefits were actually enhanced. Just like with the Explorer card, the annual fee is going up and is being offset by the addition of several new credits. There are also a few big spend bonuses now available. Because United Quest cardholders are more likely to be big spenders and/or chase elite status, I think this card may be more appealing now.

What’s New and/or Changing

• $350 annual fee (up from $250)
• Welcome bonus of 90,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months
• $200 United TravelBank credit per cardmember year (was previously a $125 statement credit)
• One 10,000-mile award flight discount annually (was previously two 5,000 discounts)
• Earn up to 18,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) at a rate of 1 PQP per $20 spent (max is up from 9,000 PQPs annually)
• Earn an additional 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20,000 in purchases in a calendar year
• Earn two Economy Plus seat upgrades after $40,000 in purchases in a calendar year
• Up to $150 in statement credits for Renowned Hotels and Resorts for cardmembers when you book and pay for your stay with your card
• Up to $100 in rideshare credits per year (up to $8 per month January to November and up to $12 in December)
• Up to $80 in Travel Credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year on rentals booked through cars.united.com and paid for with your United Quest card (up to $40 for reach of the first two rentals)
• Up to $15 Instacart credits per month when you have Instacart+ membership
• Up to $150 statement credit for purchases with JSX each cardmember year

We’ve finally come to a card where there are a few positive impacts to highlight. However, many of those positives are paired with immediate negatives. Take the annual fee increase, for example. The card now costs $100 more in annual fees (boo!), but that is mostly offset by a $75 increase in the United travel credit (yay!). However, that credit now comes as TravelBank cash and a 12-month expiration, rather than a statement credit (boo!).

The award flight discount is potentially more useful as a single 10,000-mile discount rather than two 5,000-mile rebates (yay!). In addition, the ability to earn 18,000 PQPs, up from 9,000, per year is another positive change (yay!). It will require more spending, but if you’re already spending big on this card, this is a definite win.

The majority of the other changes and additions are a continuation of the “credit couponification” of all the United cards. The ridesharing credit is particularly annoying because you have to enroll each year and remember to pay for rides with your card. Plus Chase only credits $8 per month and $12 in December. Sporadic users of ridesharing will not be able to maximize this benefit.

Overall, this card is certainly worth considering for its solid welcome bonus and its first year benefits. However, the long term cardholders are likely going to be the big spenders chasing elite status and those who are able to use the credits.

United Club Card

Chase has increased the annual fee on the United Club card by a whopping $170. Of course, they’ve also added benefits to offset the fee increase. However, those benefits are probably not going to move the needle unless you’re planning to spend toward elite status.

What’s New and/or Changing

• $695 annual fee (up from $525)
• Welcome bonus of 95,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months
• Receive 1,500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) per qualification year starting in 2026
• Earn 1 PQP per $15 spent up to 28,000 PQPs per calendar year (up from 15,000 max)
• Earn a 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20,000 in purchases in a calendar year
• Earn an additional 10,000-mile award flight discount after $40,000 in purchases in a calendar year
• Earn United Club All access membership after $50,000 spend in a calendar year (this can also be achieved when reaching Premier Gold status or higher)
• Up to $200 in statement credits for Renowned Hotels and Resorts for cardmembers when you book and pay for your stay with your card
• Up to $150 in rideshare credits per year (up to $12 per month January to November and up to $15 in December)
• Up to $100 in Travel Credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year on rentals booked through cars.united.com and paid for with your United Quest card (up to $50 for reach of the first two rentals)
• Up to $20 Instacart credits per month when you have Instacart+ membership
• Up to $200 statement credit for purchases with JSX each cardmember year

Again, the changes here are mostly negative unless you’re planning to spend big. The new annual fee is a 32% increase! Another negative is with lounge access. While cardholders can still access United Club lounges, Star Alliance lounges are off limits without big spend. Previously, the standard United Club membership provided access to participating Star Alliance lounges. Now, you’ll need to spend $50,000 in a calendar year or achieve Premier Gold status to access those lounges.

The “credit couponification” continues on this card, with many of the same credits as the United Quest card. These credits can provide some value as long as you’re able to use them.

If United Club access is all you’re after, this card may still be worth the annual fee. In addition, if you’re spending your way to elite status, it makes sense to do it on this card to take advantage of the award discounts at the $20,000 and $40,000 spend levels. I would caution, however, that this card is for serious United frequent flyers and elite status seekers. If that’s not you, this is not your card.

Bottom Line

Chase and United made similar updates to their business cards as well. For more information on those changes, head to the Chase Business Rewards website.

Overall I’m pretty disappointed with the changes Chase and United made in this recent revamp. Arguably, every card (except perhaps the Quest card) have higher fees and worse benefits. The addition of coupon credits are designed to make it look like the cards have become more affordable even as their annual fees increased. However these credits are overwhelming in numbers and many will be difficult to fully utilize or utilize at all.

Unfortunately this “credit couponification” is a common trend we’re seeing across cobranded cards. Delta and American Express started it back in early 2024 and it looks like the pack is following their lead. Banks and their partners are trying to increase spending on their cards and are using these new credits and spending bonuses to incentivize that.

The one bright spot in all of these changes may be the United Quest card. Of course the annual fee increased but I like that they increased the travel credit by $75 and changed the two 5,000-mile award rebates into a better 10,000-mile award discount. In addition they added the ability to get a second 10,000-mile discount with $20,000 in spending.

Whether you see this as mostly positive or mostly negative is in the eye of the beholder. However, if you’re unhappy with these changes, don’t panic. You’ve likely already paid your most recent annual fee, so continue enjoying the existing benefits and use the new ones, too. Then, when your next increased annual fee comes around, call Chase and ask for a retention offer. If you don’t like the offer, downgrade or cancel your card.

Apply here for the United personal cards.