United Quest℠ Card Review
This is United's mid-tier credit card offering, providing a slew of benefits and perks for those who fly United frequently without needing to shell out more in annual fees.
By John Ta - January 24, 2024
The United Quest℠ Card is one of United/Chase's newer cobranded credit card offerings, presenting itself as a mid-ranged opportunity versus the likes of the more expensive United Club℠ Infinite Card. However, while it doesn't offer club lounge access, the
United Quest Card Earn Structure
This card offers decent earnings on United purchases, but not as good on other categories:
- 3x miles per $1 spent on United purchases (immediately after earning your $125 annual United purchase credit)
- 2x miles on all travel, streaming (select, see T&C), and dining purchases
- 1x miles on all other purchases
Ideally, you would use this card for United purchases, but I would use the likes of the American Express® Gold Card for dining (4x at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.) or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for other travel (3x). I could even be convinced to not use this card on United purchases, purely because the earn rates at so poor when compared to other cards out there.
Earn Up To Two 5,000 Mile Anniversary Award Flight Credit
After completing an eligible award flight, the primary cardholders will receive two 5,000 mile award flight credits for future award bookings. These credits cannot be combined and are automatically applied whenever you make a points booking.
We value United Airline miles a little bit higher than 1 cent per point, meaning that (depending on your personal valuation of points), these two award flight credits can help negate the annual fee of this card significiantly
First & Second Checked Bag Free
The primary cardholder and one companion on the same reservation can receive their first and second checked bag free on United Airlines operated flights. Notably, this benefit does not apply to codeshare partner-operated flights. To receive this benefit, you must use your United Quest Card to purchase the ticket and include your MileagePlus number on your reservation.
If you're planning on checking in a bag on United, this benefit could prove tremendously useful. A prepaid checked bag on United Airlines usually is $30, so just by getting this card alone, you can waive that fee everytime you're at the airport.
$125 United Annual Travel Credit
You can get up to $125 in annual United Airlines statement credits for qualifying United purchases including:
- Airline tickets purchased from United
- Seat upgrades
- Economy Plus®
- Inflight food, beverages, and Wi-Fi
- Baggage service charges
- Other United fees
The statement credit will post the same day as your United purchase.
Earn Up to 9,000 PQP
The primary cardholder will earn 25 PQP for every $500 spent on purchases up to a maximum of 9,000 PQP in a calendar year. This is useful for hitting United Airlines status requirements, which can be steep for folks that don't fly a lot of paid fares via United.
Priority Boarding
The primary cardholder and companions traveling on the same reservation will receive priority boarding. To ensure this benefit is received, the primary cardholder needs to add their United MileagePlus number to their reservation. Furthermore, this benefit is only applicable when flying on United flights.
Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, Or Nexus Application Fee Statement Credit
You will receive up to $120 every four years when using your Quest card to apply for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or Nexus. This is a benefit offered by many premium credit cards, but is one worth noting if you don't have any type of trusted traveler benefits right now.
Upgrades When Flying On Award Tickets
Normally, MileagePlus® Premier® members only get complimentary upgrades on revenue tickets. However, cardholders and up to one companion traveling on the same award reservation are eligible for upgrades on that flight. This is an incredibly powerful benefit, as it further unlocks the value of your points for both you and a companion.
Is The United Quest Card Worth It?
This card offers a lot for individuals who frequently fly with United but don't have status or don't think they can justify lounge access via the Infinite card.
- For those without United Status: this card gives priority boarding, the first and second checked bags free, upgrades on award tickets, up to $125 annual United statement credits, up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits, and more
- For those with United Status: this card gives upgrades on award tickets, up to $125 annual United statement credits, up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits, and more
Depending on how often you fly with United, this card could be part of an robust credit card strategy to maximize and streamline your flying experience.
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