United Quest Card review: A suite of United Airlines benefits for the more-than-casual flyer

Our take: If you find yourself flying out of a United hub or on United airlines with any regularity, the United Quest℠ Card will let you not only earn a large amount of miles quickly but also waive many of those pesky fees. You’ll be able to unlock baggage fee waivers, mileage credits, rebates and more.

United Quest℠ Card Overview

Card type: Airline

United’s mid-tier card offers a slew of benefits for those flyers who find themselves on United planes with any regularity. While the large welcome bonus might be a huge draw for the casual traveler, you’ll need to take into account the higher-than-usual annual fee. There are plenty of ways to help offset the $250 however, so long as you’re taking advantage of all the benefits.

Say goodbye to irksome bag fees for you and a guest traveling with you on every United flight. This equates to a savings of potentially $320 on each and every round trip taken as it applies to both first and second bags. To help offset the sting from the $250 a year, Chase is offering a $125 United® purchase credit and up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits each year (terms apply). Lastly, if you redeem your miles for flights on United, you can earn 10,000 miles back as a rebate, to the tune of 5,000 miles twice a year. 

The card’s benefits stretch beyond United and their partners into a card that helps you with travel protections as well. The United Quest card comes with baggage delay protection, lost luggage reimbursement, and potentially the most useful extra benefit, trip interruption and trip cancellation protection. 

Who is the United Quest℠ Card good for? 

If you’re a traveler that doesn’t hold any elite status and finds yourself checking bags on your vacation, then the free baggage that comes with this card is a huge money saver. Also, if you’re not too turned off by the $250 annual fee, the benefits more than offset the cost of the card.

The flight discount is automatically applied, so there’s no worrying about entering promo codes or forgetting to use it. Simply buy a ticket and the credit will apply. This card does not come with any lounge access, so just know that if you’re often arriving at the airport early and you want to relax in one of the United clubs, you’ll have to pay a fee for that.

Who shouldn’t get the United Quest℠ Card? 

Since even Silver status gets one free bag and United Gold status gets two free checked bags, elite members might not see much value on this card. Also, if you enjoy the freedom and flexibility that transferable currencies provide, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, this card does have one big downside. All the rewards earned come in the form of United MileagePlus miles. You won’t be able to exchange your United miles for any other airline’s miles, so you will be stuck redeeming for United and their partners’ flights.

United Quest℠ Card: How to earn United miles

When you use your United Quest card for your normal day to day spending, you’ll see varying levels of rewards. You’ll earn 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, from airline tickets to seat selection fees. You’ll also rack up 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, select streaming services & all other travel, take out, and food delivery services. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.

The welcome bonus is pretty attractive with a 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Always wonder how those people get upgraded to first class? Well, you can top off your PQP balance with 6,000 Premier qualifying points (25 PQP for every $500 you spend on purchases). If you’re aiming for a higher elite status, the ability to spend your way there is a huge perk of the card.

How to redeem United Quest MileagePlus miles

Since this card earns United MileagePlus miles, you’ll be redeeming your miles through United’s website or mobile app for flights. United doesn’t have an award chart for their own flights, so the amount of miles you’ll need for each flight varies. United does have dozens of partners, both in the Star Alliance of airlines and also with some of their other partners, from which you can redeem flights. Some popular airlines include Air Canada, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, and Singapore Airlines.

If you’re considering using your miles to pay for a coach flight and then move up to business or first class, the option exists, but there are some hoops to jump through. You’ll need to make sure that the flight you want has availability and you book a specific kind of ticket, so it’s best to give United a call and ask for an assist from one of the phone representatives.

Lastly, you can redeem for a wide variety of other experiences and products such as hotels, rental cars, TSA PreCheck memberships, in flight wifi, and more, but the redemption rate is going to be less rewarding. Afterall, you probably didn’t sign up for a United Airlines credit card in order to get free WiFi. It’s best to hold on to your miles and redeem them for a free flight somewhere around the world.

United Quest℠ Card rates and fees

• Annual fee: $250
• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Intro APR: None
• Purchase APR: 21.99%–28.99% variable APR

Additional benefits

• Annual $125 United® purchase credit and up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits each year (terms apply)
• 25% rebate on in flight purchases
• Eligible for upgrades
• Priority Boarding
• $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• One year complimentary Doordash DashPass membership

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card vs. United Quest℠ Card

For the casual traveler, Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card makes a lot of sense, especially since the earning structure might be more appealing. Chase Ultimate Rewards® can be transferred into United Airlines at a 1:1 ratio, so all points earned via your spend can be moved over to United instantly.

You’ll find that earning with the Chase Sapphire Preferred is much more rewarding than the United Quest card. Earn 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit), including all airlines, not just United Airlines. You’ll earn 3x points on dining, 3x points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x points on travel purchases such as rental cards and hotels, and 1x points on other purchases.

The card also comes with the same Dashpass as the United card but also adds in benefits with Lyft, Instacart, and Peloton. The card offers many of the same travel protections as well, so as long as you’re not tied to the free baggage benefit from the United Quest card and you consider yourself an airline free agent, this card’s a winner.

United Club℠ Infinite Card vs. United Quest℠ Card

The higher annual fee isn’t the only thing that differentiates these two United credit cards. The United Club℠ Infinite Card offers a free United Club membership to you and your companion when you’re traveling. Considering that a club membership starts at $650 a year, this can be a substantial savings, especially if you find the other benefits of the card attractive.

Instead of the 3X miles offered by the Quest card on United purchases, you’ll snag 1 extra mile for a total of 4X miles with the United Club Infinite card. Many of the other perks are the same, but you won’t have the 5,000 mile rebate twice a year for the Infinite version of the card.

The United Club Infinite card does come with a higher welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and the cap is higher on the number of PQP you can earn with 10,000 instead of 6,000 with the Quest Card. While 10,000 extra miles is a nice jump, it’s not necessarily a reason to choose one card over the other.

Is the United Quest℠ Card right for you?

If you can find use from the statement credits and mileage rebates and don’t have another way to offset the baggage costs then yes, this card could be a good fit. Make sure that you won’t be losing out on rewards by potentially using a different card and also make sure that you’re taking full advantage of all of the extra United perks offered by this card. At a minimum, if you’re taking a couple of flights a year and checking luggage, then this card could be a rewarding option for you.

Frequently asked questions

What information do I need to apply for the United Quest℠ Card?

The requirements to sign up for this card aren’t terribly different from any other credit card application that you might be used to. Make sure to have all of your important personal information available such as your name, income, address, date of birth and social security number. If your application is put on hold and the credit card company needs more information, typically they’ll reach out via phone or mail.

Is the United Quest℠ Card a good credit card?

The perks are in line with a lot of mid-tier airline credit cards, so this card could be good for you if you’re going to use the benefits associated with it. Don’t get roped in just because of the high welcome bonus, since that’s gone after the first few months of card use. Make sure this card has sticking power in your wallet and that you’ll use the features such as the mileage rebate and the United flight credit.

How can I get the most value out of the United Quest℠ Card?

The best way to squeeze the most out of the United Quest card is to utilize this card for all the bonus categories. If you’re going to be ordering food delivery, heading out for dinner, or even purchasing other travel related items, make sure to use your Quest card. This will ensure that you’re not letting any purchase go unrewarded. Since this card offers bonus miles with those purchases, you’ll be sure to earn the most possible rewards throughout the year, meaning a free flight is closer than you think.

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