United℠ Business Card Review

If you’re a United loyalist and you happen to fly United Airlines frequently, you might’ve come across United Quest℠ Card, which is another United co-branded credit card that offers lucrative perks and benefits to cardholders.

However, if you’re a business owner who happens to be a loyal customer of United, you might find even more value in the United Quest’s business card counterpart: United℠ Business Card.

An Exceptional Introductory Offer

The United℠ Business Card offers a bonus of up to 110,000 United MileagePlus miles + 2,000 PQP after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening (100K + 10K more miles after you add an authorized user to your account in the first 3 months).

110,000 United MileagePlus miles can stretch your travels well beyond the $150 annual fee, either through multiple redemptions in Economy or a long-haul redemption in United’s Polaris business class.

For example, you could fly from New York (EWR) to Tokyo (HND) in United Airlines’ Polaris business class for 100k United MileagePlus miles plus taxes and fees. Polaris on this route typically costs around $4,000 to $5,000 a seat, meaning that you’ll be able to save thousands of dollars on flying business class, covering the annual fee by more than twentyfold.

If you wanted to be more conservative with your miles and save them up for multiple redemptions, you could also go down that route.

For example, you could fly on one of United’s newest destinations/routes from New York (EWR) to Nuuk, Greenland (GOH) for just 40,000 United MileagePlus miles plus taxes and fees. This route normally costs around $800 in Economy, especially given that you’re not only flying to a destination with pristine scenery and nature, but also a destination that is considered remote and sparsely populated.

With these redemptions, you can easily stretch the value of your points beyond 2 cents a mile, ensuring that you redeem your points for ample value.

If you ever see a long-haul Polaris seat available for 100,000 miles, I highly recommend booking the seat as soon as possible. Do not hesitate to book these valuable redemptions as they are guaranteed to disappear quickly.

Earning Even More Bonus Miles and PQP

United℠ Business Card earns bonus miles across a variety of spending categories, making it even easier for cardholders to accrue United MileagePlus miles that they can redeem towards flights. Here’s how the earning rate breaks down:

• 8x total miles on United flights: 6x miles on fare from United as a MileagePlus member, plus 2x miles on entire United purchase with the United Quest Card. Premier® members earn even more.

• 2x miles on all other eligible United purchases

• 2x miles at gas stations

• 2x miles on dining, including eligible delivery services

• 2x miles at office supply stores

• 2x miles on local transit, including ride share services, taxicabs, train tickets, tolls, and mass transit

• 1x mile on all other purchases

You can also accrue Premier qualifying points (PQP), making it easier for you to earn Premier status with United. You can earn 1 Premier® qualifying point (PQP) for every $20 spent on purchases with your United Business card, up to 4,000 PQP per year.

Additionally, you’ll receive a 5,000-mile better-together anniversary bonus when you have United℠ Business Card and a personal United credit card.

I would pair together United℠ Business Card and United Quest℠ Card for the 5,000-mile anniversary bonus, as well as to cover both personal spending categories and business spending categories.

I’d use the United Quest℠ Card for United flights purchases as it earns 10x miles compared to 8x miles for the United Business. I’d also use the United Quest for other eligible United purchases as it earns 3x miles compared to 2x miles.

I’d use the United Business to cover purchase categories that the United Quest doesn’t, and vice versa. However, when it comes to everyday spending, I’d mostly use other cards that earn more flexible points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

With Chase points, you have the freedom to transfer your points to eligible partners, including United. However, the miles you earn with United credit cards will be United MileagePlus miles and will only be available for redemption via United.

United MileagePlus® Premier® Status

On top of the up to 110,000 bonus miles that are part of the introductory offer (100k + 10k after adding an authorized user in the first 3 months), you can also earn 2,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) after hitting the required spend. Premier qualifying points allow you to attain Premier status with United MileagePlus, unlocking even more benefits depending on your status.

You can unlock United MileagePlus status tiers by accruing a combination of Premier qualifying flights (PQF) and Premier qualifying points (PQP), or by just accruing PQP only.

Here are the benefits that you get with each status tier:

United Club℠ Access

With United℠ Business Card, you’ll get 2 United Club one-time access passes per year. United Club is United’s network of airport lounges, allowing you to relax and enjoy amenities before your flight.

These two one-time passes have over $100 in value, and you can enjoy a variety of amenities such as complimentary beverages, snacks, high-speed wireless internet, and other amenities, depending on location.

Additional Travel Benefits

United℠ Business Card is a solid credit card for frequent travelers, as it offers many benefits that are particularly useful for anyone who flies with United. These benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Free first checked bag: The primary cardmember and one traveling companion can each check the first standard bag for free. While this is a solid benefit, I don’t always fly with a checked bag. Additionally, United Quest℠ Card offers the first and second checked bags for free, so I’d find more value there. You cannot stack the free bag benefits from United℠ Business Card and United Quest℠ Card to get three free checked bags.

• Priority boarding: I don’t have United status, so this is a nice benefit to have since I can board earlier.

• 25% back on food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases on board United flights and United Club premium drink purchases: This might not be useful for me, but could be helpful for folks who are purchasing things on their flights.

• Save an average of 10% in miles when booking award flights: You can save an average of 10% in miles when booking award flights under the Cardmember save banner at united.com or in the United app. This is a nice perk to have, and I’d be able to find value in saving miles on award redemptions.

On top of these benefits, you can also unlock an additional benefit for a premium spend requirement. You can earn 2 continental U.S. Economy Plus® seat upgrades after spending $25,000 each calendar year. I doubt I’ll find any value in this benefit due to its exorbitant spending requirement.

Bonus Credits

United℠ Business Card offers multiple credits that cardholders can apply towards their travel or other lifestyle needs. These credits include:

• $125 United Travel Credit: You’ll receive a $125 travel credit with United after making 5 United flight purchases of $100 or more each calendar year with your United Business card. I usually don’t fly with United more than 5 times a year, so I might find difficulty in making use of this credit.

• Up to $100 in United Hotels credit: You’ll receive a $50 statement credit on both your first and second prepaid hotel stays purchased directly through United Hotels with your United Business card, up to $100 each anniversary year. I don’t think I’d find value in this credit because I prefer using points wherever possible to book directly with a hotel chain, such as Hyatt or Marriott Bonvoy.

• Up to $100 in rideshare credit: Earn up to $8 back as a statement credit each month from January to November and up to $12 back as a statement credit in December. I’ll most likely be able to find use from this credit, as I live in the city without a car, and I often need to take rideshare services.

• Up to $50 Avis or Budget Travel Credit: Earn up to $25 in United TravelBank cash on your first eligible Avis or Budget purchase and up to $25 in United TravelBank cash on your second eligible Avis or Budget purchase. I don’t think I’d find use for this credit, as I’m not even old enough to rent a car yet. However, my parents need to rent a car every once in a while, and they could make use of this credit for me.

• Receive one $10 credit per month in the Instacart App: I don’t think I’d find use out of this credit since I prefer to go grocery shopping in person. I’m not sure I could effectively purchase the groceries I need online.

• $100 JSX Statement Credit: I highly doubt I’ll ever find any use for this credit. JSX is an air carrier that allows you to basically book private jets, which is most likely very expensive. I’d much rather fly commercial than pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to fly privately.

• $25 United FareLock Credit: You can earn up to $25 back as a statement credit each anniversary year after you use FareLock to hold a seat on your flight for a set price. I most likely won’t find any use out of this credit, as I prefer to book my flights immediately and on the spot instead of waiting.

In short, I think I’ll be able to find enough use out of the card to justify the $150 annual fee. I know that I’ll be able to use the $100 rideshare credit every year. This effectively brings my net annual cost for the card down the $50. The other credits cover more niche situations, and I’m not sure that I’d be able to use more than $150 in credits a year.

However, $50 is worth the benefits that I’ll get with the card, especially with the first free checked bag benefit, priority boarding, United Club access passes, and most importantly: the introductory offer.

Final Remarks

United℠ Business Card stands out as a valuable travel companion for business owners who frequently fly United. Between its exceptionally high welcome offer, strong earning rates on United purchases, and a wide variety of travel-related perks, the card delivers more than enough value to justify its $150 annual fee, especially if you can take advantage of the rideshare credit, United Club access passes, and other credits.

While not every bonus credit may be useful to every cardholder, the core travel benefits and MileagePlus mile-earning potential make this card a solid option. Paired with a personal United card like United Quest℠ Card, you can maximize your MileagePlus earnings even further.

Whether you're looking to unlock Polaris business class flights for less or just want a reliable travel card for your business expenses, United℠ Business Card is worth considering, especially while the generous introductory offer is still available.

TL;DR:

United℠ Business Card is a strong travel credit card for business owners who frequently fly United Airlines, offering up to 110,000 bonus MileagePlus® miles and 2,000 PQPs after meeting initial requirements. With generous earning categories, like 7x on United flights, 2x on dining, gas, transit, and more, the card makes it easy to rack up rewards. Travel perks include priority boarding, a free checked bag, two United Club passes per year, and a $125 United Travel Credit. While not all lifestyle credits will appeal to every user, the card easily justifies its $150 annual fee for those who can leverage the rich welcome bonus and core travel benefits.