United credit cards compared: Gateway, Explorer, Quest, Club and Business

Chase raised the welcome bonus on four of its five United cards on October 1, 2026. The Explorer went from 50,000 miles to 70,000, the Quest from 60,000 to 80,000, the Club from 80,000 to 90,000, and the no-fee Gateway from 30,000 to 40,000. Only the Business card moved the other way, down to 90,000 from 100,000.

All four personal offers are labeled limited-time, with no end date published.

What each card costs and gives you

United Gateway, $0

The Gateway earns 2x on United purchases, gas and local transit, and 1x elsewhere. It has no free checked bag. Spend $10,000 on it in a calendar year and you earn two first-bag passes. What it does have is 25% back on food, drinks and Wi-Fi bought on board, and a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months.

Its bonus is 40,000 miles after $1,000 in 3 months. That is the most this card has offered.

United Explorer, $0 the first year, then $150

You earn 3x on United purchases and 2x on dining and hotels booked directly. The first checked bag is free for you and one companion on the same reservation, which is worth up to $200 on a round trip for two. Two one-time United Club passes arrive each year, along with priority boarding, a $100 United Hotels credit, $60 in rideshare credits and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit.

For new cardholders the bonus is 70,000 miles after $3,000 in 3 months.

United Quest, $350

The Quest earns 4x on United and 2x on other travel, dining and streaming. You get $200 in United TravelBank cash when you open the card and again on each anniversary. First and second checked bags are free for you and a companion, and you get a 10,000-mile discount on an award flight every year.

Spend $4,000 in the first 3 months and you earn 80,000 miles plus 500 Premier Qualifying Points.

United Club, $695

This is a lounge membership with a credit card attached. You and a guest get into United Clubs, you earn 5x on United purchases, and you get two free checked bags plus Premier Access at check-in, security and boarding.

New cardholders earn 90,000 miles after $5,000 in 3 months.

United Business, $150

The business card earns 2x on United, dining, gas, office supplies and local transit. It includes the first checked bag free for you and a companion, two United Club passes a year and a $125 United travel credit.

Today it pays 90,000 miles plus 2,000 Premier Qualifying Points after $5,000 in 3 months.

What the bonuses are worth

We value United miles at about 1.35 cents each. On that math the Explorer’s 70,000 miles comes to roughly $945 in flights, the Quest’s 80,000 to about $1,080, and the Club’s 90,000 to about $1,215. Even the Gateway’s 40,000 is worth around $540, on a card that costs nothing to hold.

United prices awards dynamically. The same miles buy more on a quiet Tuesday than on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Explorer or Quest

Most of the decision sits between these two.

The Quest costs $350 and hands back $200 in TravelBank cash every year, which pays for United flights. If you fly United at all, that money gets used. Your real cost is $150. That matches the Explorer after its free first year. For that same $150 the Quest gives you a second free bag, 4x instead of 3x on United, and the annual 10,000-mile award discount.

So the Explorer wins in year one, when it costs nothing. From year two on, the Quest is the better card for anyone who buys at least $200 of United travel a year and can live with paying $350 upfront.

If you fly United once or twice a year, stay with the Explorer. One round trip for two with checked bags covers its fee.

When the Club card makes sense

Only when you would pay for a United Club membership anyway. The card bundles that membership with two free bags and Premier Access. If you do not already want lounge access badly enough to pay for it, the Quest gets you most of the rest for half the fee.

How today’s offers compare with past ones

The Explorer’s 70,000 miles matches what Chase ran from late January through May 19, 2026, before it fell to 50,000 for the summer. On the Gateway, 40,000 is a record.

Both the Quest and the Club have been richer. From April 11 to May 20, 2026, the Club paid 100,000 miles plus 3,000 Premier Qualifying Points, and it reached 120,000 back in 2022. In June 2025 the Quest hit 100,000 miles plus 3,000 Premier Qualifying Points. Today’s offers are good without being the peak.

Wait on the Business card if you can. It sat at 100,000 miles for most of the past year, so 90,000 is below its usual level.

You can see every offer on the Offer History Tracker.

Which one to get

Start with the Explorer if you fly United a few times a year and check bags. The first year is free and the bonus is back at its 2026 high.

Four or more United trips a year is where the Quest takes over. The Club is for people who want the lounge and will pay $695 for it.

If you will not pay an annual fee, the Gateway is the only choice, and 40,000 miles is the most it has ever paid.

All five are Chase cards, so the 5/24 rule applies before any of this matters.