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About the Chase United Quest
According to Flyer Talk, Chase is about to launch the new United Quest credit card. This card may replace the classic United Explorer credit card (the one with the $95 annual fee). People who already have the original UA card may be automatically converted to the new card on March 21!
Here are the key features of this card:
- $250 annual fee
- $125 in UA purchase reimbursement per cardmember year
- 5,000 miles back each time you book an award ticket, up to twice per cardmember year
- Earning rates: 3x on UA purchases; 2x on other travel; 2x on streaming and dining; 1x on everything else
- First two checked bags free (domestic U.S.)
- Priority boarding
- Premier upgrades on award tickets
Detailed terms for each benefit:
What Should You Do?
First, this is just a letter sent to one cardholder, so it is still unclear whether everyone will be forced to upgrade to the Chase UA Quest. Personally, I think Chase will probably give people a choice, or offer some kind of upgrade bonus to encourage upgrades.
For Existing Cardholders
Looking only at the higher annual fee and the updated benefits, I think this change could make sense if you actually use UA flights or redeem UA award tickets. In exchange for the extra $150 annual fee, you get a more practical combination of a $125 reimbursement plus 10k UA miles per year (worth roughly $150). So the benefits can still offset the annual fee. Here is Chase’s comparison of the two cards, though of course the annual fee increase is not shown in the chart.
Of course, if you were not planning to keep this card anyway, I would still suggest using up the updated airline reimbursement and mileage rebate benefits before closing the card. After all, you already paid the $95 annual fee (or you are still in the first-year annual fee waiver period), and presumably Chase would not retroactively charge you more just because the card changed.
If You Don’t Have a UA Card
If you do not currently have a UA card, should you apply now? The current public offer on the official website is a 65,000-mile welcome bonus, and the first-year annual fee waiver is still pretty decent. If you end up being automatically upgraded, you might also get an extra reimbursement benefit.
- 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open**
- Plus, earn an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you spend $10,000 total on purchases in the first 6 months your account is open**
Also, based on previous DP, if you have held the original UA card before, this new Quest card may not conflict with the original welcome bonus rules, meaning you could potentially apply for the new card and still earn its new bonus. That said, nothing like this is ever 100% guaranteed, so there is no need to go too hard on it...