United Club Card review: United Club lounge access and elite airline benefits

United Club Card overview
The
United Club℠ Card
(see
rates and fees
) is the ideal card for United Club lounge access — bar none. This card makes a lot of sense for avid United fans, but those who don’t fly the airline at least a few times a year will struggle to get positive value out of the annual fee.
Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*
Card rating
is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Premium airline cards are becoming more common. United Airlines’ offering in this space, the United Club, has a $695 annual fee that might sound high until you factor in the United Club membership included with it. Membership normally costs $750 per year for nonelite members.
Most airline cards only offer 2-3 points or miles per dollar spent on airline purchases, but the United Club Card sets the standard with its impressive earning rates. Additionally, it provides a range of benefits that can enhance your United experience, from security to landing, making it more enjoyable.
The recommended
credit score
for the United Club card is at least 740, but it may be possible to get approved with a lower credit score.
Let’s dive into the top-tier United Club Card to see if it makes sense for you.
United Club pros and cons
Pros
Cons

• Complimentary United Club membership
• Earn bonus miles on United purchases, travel and dining
• Free first and second checked bags (for you and one travel companion on the same reservation)
• Statement credits help offset the annual fee

• High annual fee
• Not ideal for those who don’t fly with United at least a few times each year
• Some statement credits may be hard to maximize

United Club welcome offer
New applicants for the
United Club Card
can earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.
Based on TPG’s November 2025
valuation
of United miles at 1.4 cents per mile, these bonus miles are worth a solid $1,260. This bonus is just 10,000 miles shy of the highest
welcome offer we’ve seen
on this card.
THE POINTS GUY
Additionally, you’re only eligible for welcome bonuses for this card once every 24 months. Here are the exact eligibility terms:
“This card product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.”
This is a Chase-issued card, which means it’s subject to the issuer’s infamous
5/24 rule
. If you have opened five or more card accounts in the past 24 months (across all issuers, not just Chase), you will probably be denied for this one.
Related:
The best cards to get after you hit 5/24
United Club benefits
The
United Club Card
offers a range of benefits, including statement credits and travel protections, that can help offset its high annual fee.
United Club membership
The highlight of the United Club Card is a
United Club membership
, which provides unlimited access to over 45 United Club locations worldwide.
You’ll also be able to bring up one guest and any dependents under the age of 21. Considering this benefit
costs up to $750 each year
, this perk alone makes up for the card’s $695 annual fee. That said, this benefit doesn’t mean much if you aren’t going to visit a United Club at least a few times each year.
DANIEL ROSS/THE POINTS GUY
Cardholders can unlock a United Club All Access membership by holding MileagePlus Premier Gold status or spending $50,000 on their card in a calendar year. United Club membership is split into two tiers, with All Access membership being the higher tier. A United Club All Access membership includes two complimentary guests and
Star Alliance lounge access
.
Additionally, if you earn a United Club All Access membership and add an authorized user, you will be granted four one-time United Club passes. However, to use these passes, the primary cardholder or authorized user must be traveling with the guest.
For most, these one-time passes will be hard to use (unless you frequently travel with a large party) since you can already bring in two guests for free with a United Club All Access membership.
Trusted Traveler fee credit
If you don’t already have
Global Entry
,
TSA PreCheck
or
Nexus
, the United Club Card will refund your application fee (up to $120) once every four years. Travelers who already have the benefit can always gift this perk to a family member or friend.
Other statement credits
Cardholders will receive the following statement credits each year:
Up to $200 for Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United cardmember bookings. By booking through this hotel collection, cardholders can enjoy exclusive benefits like a complimentary daily breakfast for two and room upgrades, if available. (Cardholders must prepay for their booking to receive their statement credit.)
Up to $150 for ride-hailing purchases, doled out as $12 each month from January to November and $18 in December. (Yearly activation is required.)
Up to $100 in United TravelBank cash for Avis and Budget car rentals booked through cars.united.com and paid for with this card and up to $50 in TravelBank cash per rental.
Up to $200 in JSX statement credits when booking directly with JSX.
Up to $240 in Instacart statement credits for purchases made directly through Instacart with this card, given as two $10 credits each month (through Dec. 31, 2027).
IHG Platinum Elite status
The primary United Club cardholder is eligible for complimentary
Platinum Elite status with IHG One Rewards
. Perks at this status level include complimentary room upgrades, extended checkout and bonus points on stays.
Related:
The award travelers guide to IHG One Rewards
Elitelike perks
The card comes with the following flight-related perks:
Two free checked bags (for the primary cardholder and one travel companion on the same reservation paid for with the card)
Premier Access (which includes priority check-in, security screening, boarding and baggage handling where available)
25% back on United inflight purchases
Expanded award availability
These perks may not be as compelling if you have
United elite status
, but they are valuable for those who have yet to earn it.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Frequent United flyers, particularly those who live close to airports with a United Club, can find value in the perks that go along with this card’s higher annual fee.
Elite status spending shortcut
United Club Card holders can earn up to 28,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year. You’ll also earn 1 PQP per $15 spent on your card. Of course, that will require spending a whopping $420,000 to fully maximize, but it still might be within reach for some.
Starting in 2026, cardholders will also get a bonus of 1,500 PQPs each year as a jump-start to earning United elite status.
10% mileage discount on United economy saver awards
The primary United Club Card member will also be able to book United economy saver awards on United flights within the continental U.S. and Canada for 10% fewer miles than awards available to the general public.
If you are a Club Card holder, you will see the mileage difference once logged in to your MileagePlus account. For example, a saver award may show as 5,000 miles when you are not signed in, but the same award will show as 4,500 miles if signed in to your account.
This supplements the existing perk of access to expanded award availability for all
United cobranded cardholders
. Keep in mind that the 10% mileage discount is available on cheaper United credit cards.
Award flight discounts
Cardholders can earn a 10,000-mile discount on award tickets after spending $20,000 each calendar year with their United Club card (valid up to two times per calendar year for 20,000 miles).
Travel and purchase protections
With this card, you’ll get various travel protection benefits, including:
Auto rental coverage
Baggage delay insurance
Extended warranty protection
Purchase protection
Return protection
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
Trip delay reimbursement
Rental car privileges
Primary cardholders can sign up for a complimentary
Avis President’s Club
membership, which typically requires a significant amount of spending with Avis. President’s Club members receive complimentary upgrades of two car classes (subject to availability), guaranteed car availability when you book at least 24 hours in advance and expedited rental service.
DoorDash
Cardholders get a
complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership
, which provides unlimited DoorDash and Caviar deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders, for one year. (You must activate it by Dec. 31, 2027.)
Instacart
Cardholders receive a complimentary Instacart+ membership, which includes unlimited delivery and $0 delivery fees on eligible orders. (Activation by Dec. 31, 2027, is required to take advantage of this benefit.)
Related:
Flights, credit cards and more: How to earn miles with the United MileagePlus program
Earning miles on the United Club
The earning rates on the
United Club
are part of what ultimately sets it apart from other cobranded airline credit cards.
Cardholders earn:
9 miles per dollar spent on United flights (5 miles earned as a MileagePlus member, plus 4 miles earned from having the Club Card)
5 miles per dollar spent on hotel stays booked through Renowned Hotels and Resorts when you prepay for your booking
4 miles per dollar spent on all other United purchases
2 miles per dollar spent on all other
travel
purchases
2 miles per dollar spent on
dining
1 mile per dollar spent on
everything else
FERTNIG/GETTY IMAGES
Since Chase is the issuer, this card’s travel and dining categories are
broadly defined
, just as they are with
Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards
like the
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
(see
rates and fees
) and the
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
(see
rates and fees
). That means you’ll have an easier and less stressful time figuring out when to use your card.
If you have either of these cards, you’ll want to use them for general travel and dining spending, as TPG’s November 2025
valuations
indicate that
Chase Ultimate Rewards
points are worth more than United miles.
But if you don’t already have either of those cards, you’ll still be able to earn rewards on those purchases with the United Club Card.
Redeeming miles on the United Club
When you are ready to redeem miles, United does have some
sweet spots in its MileagePlus program
. United doesn’t publish an award chart, which means award redemption rates can be unpredictable.
However, there are other ways to find value in the program, such as booking partner awards with United miles. United doesn’t pass on
fuel surcharges
on partner awards, so you can save hundreds of dollars per ticket when booking awards like first-class tickets on Lufthansa through United.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
I recently redeemed 84,700 United miles for a Polaris business class upgrade on a flight between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), a fantastic deal considering the flight was over 15 hours long.
Miles aren’t just great for business-class international flights, but can also be very useful for domestic trips.
Which cards compete with the United Club?
There are a number of cards that are competitive with the
United Club
:
If you want a lower annual fee
: The
United℠ Explorer Card
(see
rates and fees
) is packed with useful perks such as a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee statement credit, two annual one-time United Club passes and your first checked bag free — easily justifying its reasonable $150 annual fee ($0 introductory fee for the first year). To learn more, read our
full review of the United Explorer
.
If you want a more all-around card
: The
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
is one of the best-known travel rewards credit cards. It earns bonus points on common spending categories like travel and dining. Plus, cardholders can access Chase’s 13 transfer partners to maximize the value of their rewards. To learn more, read our
full review of the Sapphire Preferred
.
If you want tons of perks
:
The Platinum Card® from American Express
is one of the top premium travel rewards cards. As a cardmember, you’ll earn valuable Membership Rewards points, receive a number of annual statement credits each calendar year and enjoy access to an extensive network of airport lounges worldwide. (Enrollment is required for select benefits and terms apply.) To learn more, read our
full review of the Amex Platinum
.
For additional options, check out our full list of the
best United travel cards
and the
best airline cards
.
Related:
Why you’ll want to pay the $95 annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred
Bottom line
If you fly on United flights multiple times each year, the United Club Card is
worth considering
despite its high annual fee. You’ll get great earning rates for a cobranded card, a strong lineup of perks and statement credits, United Club access and solid travel protections.
Be sure to take this opportunity to start stockpiling MileagePlus miles for your
next dream destination
with this welcome offer.
Apply here:
United Club Card
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.