Chase United Club Infinite Credit Card: 90,000 Sign-Up Bonus

This card has a new sign-up bonus, now 80,000 + 10,000 UA miles, and the annual fee has also increased to $695. It adds quite a few reimbursement and mileage-related perks, so if you can make use of them, you can still get some of the annual fee back.

• Apply here

United Club Infinite Credit Card Introduction

Benefit Breakdown

• IHG Rewards Platinum membership + $75 reimbursement: Starting in 2022, cardholders automatically receive IHG Rewards Platinum status, and can get up to $75 in reimbursement for IHG hotels in 2022, as long as you use this card to pay for the stay
• Metal card: Heavy and premium-feeling; a great date magnet
• Product change option: Can be converted to the no-annual-fee UA MileagePlus Card
• $120 Global Entry application fee reimbursement once every four years

UA Benefits

• 25% off UA inflight purchases
• UA and Star Alliance lounges: Cardholders receive a United Club Membership directly ($650 on the official website), which allows unlimited access to UA lounges and some Star Alliance partner lounges
• Free checked bags for two bags: On flights operated by UA, you can check two bags for free, and one companion on the same reservation can also get two free checked bags. You must use this credit card to buy the ticket or pay taxes/fees on an award ticket to qualify. See “UA baggage fee waiver explanation”
• Award ticket advantage: You can see XN inventory for award tickets, greatly increasing the chances of finding award space
• Premier Access on flights: Priority boarding, priority security, priority baggage handling, etc. See "official explanation"
• Includes all the benefits of UA Explorer (except the two club passes): rental car insurance, MPX 25% mileage bonus, extra shopping portal rewards, bonus offers for enrolling in various promotions, etc. You can see details in "UA Explorer Card" + “Hidden benefits of the UA card”
• 10% discount on economy award tickets: Only for UA Economy Saver awards within the United States (Continental US) and Canada. For example, an award that would normally cost 20,000 miles would only cost 18,000 miles.
• Get 1,500 PQP each year, directly helping you work toward elite status
• Earn 1 PQP for every $15 spent: up to 28,000 per year (previous cap was 15,000)
• Spend $40,000 per year and get two global Economy Plus seat upgrades: can be used for upgrades
• 4 United Club passes and a United Club All Access membership each year: available after spending $50,000 per year or earning UA Premier Gold status, and you also need to add an authorized user. This All Access benefit lets another person enter the UA Lounge for free.

Reimbursement Benefits

• Instacart+ Membership: two $10 credits per month, $240 total per year
• $200 Renowned Hotels and Resorts reimbursement: Similar to AMEX FHR, these are mostly upscale hotels. If you book through this program, you can enjoy free breakfast for two, hotel credits, and other benefits. It depends on the individual hotel. Official introduction
• $150 rideshare reimbursement: $12 per month from January through November, and $18 in December.
• Avis or Budget rental car spend rebate: Up to $100 in United travel credits per year. You must book through windowcars.united.com. For the first and second bookings each year, if you pay with this card, you can get $50 back each time.
• JSX ticket reimbursement of $200: Pay with this card and receive $200 reimbursed each year

Drawbacks

• The annual fee is as high as $525, and the only way to really offset it is the IHG reimbursement
• If you don't need the baggage and lounge benefits, the mid-tier United Explorer Credit Card is enough

Using United Miles

United's biggest advantage is its extensive international route network, which makes it more convenient to use. United is one of the founding members of Star Alliance, the world's largest airline alliance, with 25 airline members. United also has many non-alliance partners, which makes MileagePlus one of the most flexible currencies when it comes to redeeming award tickets. To emphasize this, United miles can be used not only for United-operated award tickets, but also for award tickets operated by Star Alliance partners and partner airlines, so they are extremely versatile. You can redeem them for domestic U.S. flights, flights from the U.S. to China, Europe, and the Americas, and even flights from China to Japan and Europe.

• United Airlines (UA) Membership and Miles Guide

My Take

This card is a refresh of UA Club. At the moment, the sign-up bonus waives the first year's annual fee (previously it was 100,000 miles, and the $525 annual fee was not waived). After the refresh, UA spending earns 4x points, which is a significant boost for big spenders; 2x points on travel and dining is still a good change; other spending has been reduced to 1x, which I personally think is not a big deal. It also adds the usual TSA and $100 Global Entry benefits. The annual fee increasing to $525 feels acceptable, since people who keep this card mainly want unlimited UA Club access and two free checked bags. Also, tickets and award tickets purchased with this card receive two free checked bags. It's a great card for people who fly United for business travel.

Of course, if you're not a business traveler, it's still fine to apply for this card and keep it for a year. The sign-up bonus is still pretty good, and it's a lot more than the first year's annual fee. Plus, being able to check two bags on United flights can save quite a bit in baggage fees. After holding it for a year, you can convert it to the "no-annual-fee United card" or something like United TravelBank, both of which are solid options.

Apply

• This card requires a credit limit of at least 5,000, so if your income is too low or your credit history is too short, you may not be approved
• This is a United co-branded credit card. You can enter your UA membership number when applying; if you leave it blank, the system will automatically assign you a new one
• This card does not conflict with other UA co-branded cards, and you can still get the bonus when applying

Chase Credit Card Application Guide

• Chase application status check link (login required). Or call: 888-338-2586
• The 5/24 rule: if you have opened more than 5 new cards in the past 2 years (including cards from other banks), you will not be approved for a new Chase card
• You can be approved for at most two Chase credit cards within every 30 days
• If you have received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months (48 months for the Sapphire family), your application will be automatically denied
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-453-9719) to expedite card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• Having a Chase Checking account can help with getting approved for a credit card
• More on applying for Chase credit cards

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