United Club Infinite Card Review: Worth It for Lounge Lovers

Lounge membership

A regular membership to United Club airport lounges generally costs $650 a year. So if you’re planning to join anyway, it’s a no-brainer to get the credit card instead and save money.

Membership offers access to more than 45 United Club locations, as well to airport clubs of participating partners in the Star Alliance airline group. One-time passes to United Club lounges cost $59. So, based on lounge visits alone, you’ll need to enter the club about nine times to break even on the credit card’s annual fee.

In the lounges, many of which have been renovated in recent years, you’ll generally find bar service, light snacks, free Wi-Fi and usually quieter and more comfortable surroundings than an airport gate.

United Club members can bring one adult and dependent children under age 21, or up to two adult guests, according to membership rules. Authorized users on a card account do not receive their own United Club membership and are eligible for access only if they are traveling with the primary cardmember.

» MORE: 6 things to know about United lounges

Sign-up bonus

Sign-up bonuses can change, but frequent-flyer miles you can earn as a new cardholder are usually enough for one, or even several, round-trip domestic flights in economy if you figure such flights cost 25,000 miles each. The current offer: Limited-time Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Rewards

The 4 miles per dollar spent on United purchases is especially good for an airline card and will help you rack up frequent-flyer miles as you buy airfare, for example. The double miles on non-United travel purchases and restaurant spending is good because the bonus categories are useful to travelers. And the definition of travel is nice and broad: airfare (non-United), trains, local transit, cruise lines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, resorts, ride shareservices and tolls.

Spending on the card can also help you earn elite status. For every $500 you spend on the card, you'll receive 25 PQP (up to 10,000 PQP per year).

Extra free bags and premier access

You and a companion traveling on your reservation can each get your first two checked bags free. The first bag typically costs $40; the second, $50. So depending on how often you travel, this perk could go a long way to covering the card's annual fee.

The top-tier United Airlines card also gives you and your companions on the same reservation more than priority boarding. It comes with Premier Access, a type of elite status that includes priority airport check-in, security screening (where available), boarding and baggage handling.

Global Entry, TSA Precheck or NEXUS credit

This statement credit for TSA Precheck, Global Entry or NEXUS is worth up to $120 every four years and can be used to cover your application fees for these programs. All statuses last for five years.

Other perks

The card includes numerous other benefits, such as 25% off onboard purchases when you pay with the card, primary rental car coverage, perks at some hotels and resorts and additional benefits at Avis rental cars.

A high annual fee

The most obvious drawback is the card’s annual fee of $525. However, the fee is on par with other premium cards, including airline cards that offer airport lounge access.

United Club membership is the primary selling point of the United Club℠ Infinite Card. If you don't consider it important to park yourself in the lounge on every trip, take a look at this card's more basic sibling, the United℠ Explorer Card. It gives you two one-time United Club passes each year, along with a free checked bag for you and a companion, for an ongoing annual fee that's far lower: $0 intro for the first year, then $95. The sign-up bonus: Limited-time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

For the difference in annual fee, you can buy seven additional one-time passes to the lounge for a total of nine per year.

Limitations on free checked bags

The primary cardmember and one traveling companion on the same reservation are each eligible to receive their first two checked bags free. Two checked bags each is nice and might suffice for many trips, but many other airlines offer a free checked bag for far more travel companions. For example, American Airlines’ comparable card, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, offers a free checked bag for the cardholder plus eight companions, potentially worth $540 roundtrip. And Delta Air Lines' lower-tier card, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, also offers free checked bags for a total of nine travel partners (terms apply — see rates and fees).

Less flexibility

If you mix your flying with other airlines, a general travel card might be a better fit. For those looking for premium perks, good choices include the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express.

For a lower annual fee in a general travel card, check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

How the United cards stack up

For United loyalists, the other choices among consumer cards are the United Quest℠ Card, United℠ Explorer Card and the United Gateway℠ Card, which offer lesser rewards and perks without the big fee and without unlimited airport lounge access.

Here’s how the United Airlines consumer cards compare on key features: