It’s been two years since Chase announced a new card for United passengers called United Club℠ Infinite Map. Coinciding with the launch, Chase dropped the United Club card, formerly known for its premium travel benefits. Fortunately, for those who prefer air travel, the United Club Infinite card is a good alternative, offering an even higher reward rate but at a higher annual fee.
The United Club Infinite Card is currently offering a generous introductory offer of 100,000 bonus miles to those who spend $5,000 within the first three months. Read on to better understand all the benefits to see if it fits in with your spending habits and lifestyle.
Advantages of the United Club Infinite card
The United Club Infinite card can be a great addition to your United frequent flyer wallet. In addition to earning miles for purchases at United and one category for everyday use, the benefits of the card include privileges such as priority boarding and access to lounges.
Interest rate
With its 4 miles on purchases at United, 2 miles on all other trips and meals (including eligible delivery services like Grubhub and DoorDash) and 1 mile on all other purchases, the card is an attractive option for travelers who frequently fly with a carrier. Because the card only rewards in one everyday category—restaurants—it doesn’t really cater to cardholders who aren’t loyal to United Airlines or fly infrequently.
Bonus for registration
The United Club Infinite Card offers a pretty big welcome bonus of 100,000 miles if you spend $5,000 over three months. While the previous bonus was higher (120,000 miles), don’t let that discourage you from applying – with United miles worth 1.52 cents per point, the current welcome offer is worth $1,520. That’s a lot of money you can spend on United Airlines flights.
Redemption of rewards
Of course, a trusted rewards program like MileagePlus should offer many ways to redeem your miles. And since it’s an airline credit card, one of the best redemption options is airfare, whether it’s Saver Awards or Everyday Awards. The Saver Awards are particularly attractive because your miles will cost around 1.4 cents apiece for economy class tickets, although this type of ticket is capacity controlled and flight times are more inconvenient. Under the Everyday Awards program, your miles will cost around 1 cent per mile, but this type of ticket is generally more affordable.
If your chosen flight does not qualify for any of these options, you can always redeem your United Miles for a statement on your next United flight. Even though one mile will cost 1 cent if you use this method, the added flexibility is a big plus.
In addition to flights, MileagePlus allows you to use your points in a variety of ways. If you love to travel, you can redeem miles for hotels, car rentals, cruises, in-flight Wi-Fi and more.
When you are close to home, you can redeem your miles for merchandise, magazine subscriptions, Broadway shows, or an annual credit card fee (but since a mile will cost 0.8 cents, we don’t recommend it). Of course, the biggest benefit for you is if you can get a Saver Awards Business Class or First Class ticket that increases your miles by up to 2.7 cents each.
Perks
Like many other airline cards, the United Club Infinite Card offers special airline benefits that take the stress and discomfort out of your flight. These include free first and second checked baggage, priority boarding, a 25% refund on United in-flight purchases (good for premium Wi-Fi), and up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck app every four years to speed up your time in security line.
However, perhaps the best perk to justify the $525 annual fee is the free United Club membership, which typically costs $650. Membership gives you access to over 45 United Club locations where you can enjoy free snacks, drinks and high-speed Wi-Fi. This benefit is suitable for business people who spend a lot of time at airports, or even for families who fly very, very often (you can bring two adults or one adult and dependent children under 21 with you).
The card also offers many secondary travel benefits such as baggage delay insurance, lost baggage reimbursement, trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance, and more. You should also use this card when traveling abroad as it does not charge any foreign transaction fees.
United Club Infinite card maximization
First of all, you must spend $5,000 in three months to earn 100,000 bonus miles. For big ideas, we recommend using your card to pay for auto insurance, utilities, medical bills, and even rent (if possible). If that $525 annual fee isn’t an issue for you, we don’t think a $5,000 spending target would be an issue.
You should travel frequently. And when you fly, always fly with United Airlines and use your United Club Infinite Card to book flights. This way you will also earn miles and enjoy additional perks such as free baggage check-in and a 25% discount on in-flight purchases. And for it to be truly worth your time, be sure to visit the United Club locations for a relaxing and pampering experience before a stopover or long transatlantic flight.
Be sure to apply for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck before your next trip and get reimbursed on your credit statement. And wherever you dine – whether it’s a trendy French-American fusion establishment or an overnight order of French fries and McNuggets delivered by DoorDash, use your card to earn 2X miles.
bottom line
The United Club Infinite Card can be a great choice for any United frequent flyer who is looking for premium travel benefits such as lounge access and speeding through airport security. The perks of the card, especially United Club membership, and high interest rates can help offset high annual fees.
However, if you consider yourself to be more of a casual traveler, it probably won’t make sense for you to pay $525 a year to maintain this card. Always compare other travel card deals to make sure you get the one that suits your needs and budget.
Editorial disclaimer
The editorial content on this page is based solely on the objective judgment of our contributors and is not based on advertising. It was not provided or ordered by credit card issuers. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to our partners’ products.