United Quest Card: Piles of Perks and Credits, $350 Annual Fee
The Bottom Line
4.8
The $350 annual fee is not for everybody, but frequent United flyers who use the $200 flight credit should be able to extract plenty of value from the card.
Annual fee
$350
Rewards rate
1x-3x
Bonus offer
Debut Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 20.49%-28.99% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.24%, Variable
Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
$0
- Debut Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 500 PQP
- 3x miles on United® purchases
- 2x miles on all other travel, dining, and select streaming services
- 1x mile on all other purchases
- Receive a $200 United® travel credit and 10,000-mile award flight discount on each account anniversary (terms apply)
- Earn a 10,000-mile award flight discount after spending $20,000 each calendar year
- Earn 2 global Economy Plus® seat upgrades after spending $40,000 each calendar year
- Get a jump start on earning Premier status with 1,000 Card Bonus PQP each year, awarded within 6 to 8 weeks after February 1 each year, starting in 2026.
- Member FDIC
Pros and Cons
Pros
Bonus categories
New cardholder bonus offer
Free checked bag
Luxury perks
Cons
Has annual fee
Rewards have limited flexibility
No lounge membership
Detailed Review
The New United Quest℠ Card from Chase gives United Airlines flyers a way to earn more miles and perks than with the carrier’s more basic cards, while avoiding the massive annual fee for the airline's most expensive card that includes exclusive airport lounge access.
It's still on the pricey side, though, at an annual fee of $350. That means The New United Quest℠ Card slots in as a mid-to-upper-tier option among the three other United-branded Chase credit cards offered for personal use.
Fortunately, the Quest's $200 annual credit for United flight purchases can effectively defray more than half of its annual fee. Layer on other lucrative benefits like award-flight credits, progress toward elite status, extra free checked bags, and a credit toward a TSA Precheck, Global Entry or NEXUS application, and you’re quickly making out on the deal.
You'll also rack up United MileagePlus miles in useful bonus categories, including on United purchases, travel, dining and streaming services.
Airline credit cards, especially those with $350 fees, aren’t for everyone. But frequent United flyers should be able to get their fee back and more with The New United Quest℠ Card.
On March 24, 2025, all of United's consumer and business credit cards were revamped with new benefits and annual fees. Read more about the changes here.
United Quest Card: Basics
Card type: Airline.
Annual fee: $350.
Sign-up bonus: Debut Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Rewards:
5 miles per $1 spent on hotel stays when you use your card to prepay through Chase’s “Renowned Hotels and Resorts” collection.
3 miles per $1 spent on United purchases.
2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel, dining and select streaming services.
1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
NerdWallet values United miles at 1.2 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your United miles.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 20.49%-28.99% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fee: None.
Noteworthy perks:
$200 United flight credit when you open an account, and then every year after.
10,000-mile award flight credit per anniversary year.
Two free checked bags for the cardholder and a companion.
Priority boarding and seat upgrades.
Up to $120 credit on TSA Precheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.
25% back on United in-flight purchases, including Wi-Fi, food and beverages.
Travel protections.
Up to $80 in United travel credits on Avis or Budget purchases booked through cars.united.com, per anniversary year.
Through Dec. 31, 2027, a three-month complimentary Instacart+ membership and 50% off the normal annual rate (of $99) after that. Plus, up to $180 in Instacart credits per year (doled out in monthly installments) when you maintain your Instacart+ membership.
A one-year complimentary DashPass membership for both DoorDash and Caviar. Terms apply.
Up to $400 in statement credits each anniversary year for purchases with specific merchants, including ridesharing services, stays at Renowned Hotels and Resorts, and flights with JSX. (Some of these are doled out in monthly installments.)
How it compares with other United cards
United and Chase offer four co-branded credit cards for personal use, each with different benefits and annual fees.
For the Quest's annual fee of $350, you get some big upgrades from The New United℠ Explorer Card, which has an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $150. But you don’t get a United Club airport lounge membership, which comes with The New United Club℠ Card at a price of $695.
The New United Quest℠ Card mostly competes with The New United℠ Explorer Card. That’s especially true because if you’re able to regularly use the Quest's $200 airline credit, it effectively drops the annual fee to that of The New United℠ Explorer Card.
The New United Gateway℠ Card | The New United℠ Explorer Card | The New United Quest℠ Card | The New United Club℠ Card |
ANNUAL FEE | |||
$0. | $0 intro for the first year, then $150. | $350. | $695. |
BONUS OFFER FOR NEW CARDHOLDERS | |||
Debut Offer: Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. | Debut Offer: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. | Debut Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. | Debut Offer: Earn 95,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. |
FREE CHECKED BAGS | |||
Two free checked bags after spending $10,000 per year. | First checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation. | First and second checked bags free for you and one companion on your reservation. | First and second checked bags free for you and one companion on your reservation. |
REWARDS ON SPENDING WITH UNITED AIRLINES | |||
2 miles per $1. | 2 miles per $1. | 3 miles per $1. | 4 miles per $1. |
REWARDS ON OTHER SPENDING | |||
• 2 miles per $1 at gas stations. • 2 miles per $1 on local transit and commuting. • 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases. | • 5 miles per $1 on hotel stays purchased through United Hotels. • 2 miles per $1 at restaurants. • 2 miles per $1 on hotels (when booked directly with the hotel). • 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases. | • 5 miles per $1 on stays purchased through Renowned Hotels and Resorts • 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel (including other airlines, hotels, car rentals and more). • 2 miles per $1 on dining (including takeout and delivery). • 2 miles per $1 on select streaming services. • 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases. | • 5 miles per $1 on stays purchased through Renowned Hotels and Resorts. • 2 miles per $1 on all other travel. • 2 miles per $1 on dining. • 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases. |
AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS | |||
None. | 2 United Club one-time passes each year. | None. | Annual membership to all United Club locations. |
CREDIT FOR TSA PRECHECK, GLOBAL ENTRY OR NEXUS | |||
None. | Up to $120 every four years. | Up to $120 every four years. | Up to $120 every four years. |
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
Sign-up bonus
One of the joys of getting a new airline credit card is reaping a huge cache of bonus miles if you’re able to meet the minimum spending requirements. That windfall of miles potentially means free flights soon after you get the card. The New United Quest℠ Card offers the following bonus: Debut Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Rewards for spending
Earning extra miles for United purchases as well as travel and restaurant spending is useful and welcome on an airline card. Bonus rewards on streaming services don't quite fit the travel theme neatly, but they can be useful and give you an excuse to use the card for non-travel spending.
Overall, though, it's easier to rack up ample United miles with this card than with other options.
$200 annual United purchase credit
When you open your account, you’ll automatically get a $200 United TravelBank credit, and then each anniversary year after that. TravelBank credits are valid for five years and can be used to buy flights on United and United Express. Although you can use them alone or with card payments, they cannot be combined with travel certificates, future flight credit or miles.
A key way to think about this benefit: Fully used, it effectively cuts the card's annual fee by more than half.
Credits for booking award flights
Each year, when you rack up enough miles and book a free flight — called an award flight — you’ll get a 10,000-mile discount. You can also use those miles on a future award flight, and the benefit starts on your first anniversary with the card.
Plus, when you spend $20,000 with your card each year, you’ll get an additional 10,000-mile award flight discount.
The value of frequent-flyer miles changes over time, but if United miles were worth a penny each, that’s a potential value of $200 per year if you spend enough with your card. Note that those credits do not carry over from year to year, though. It’s "use it or lose it."
Status Boost bonuses and seat upgrades
Through spending on the card, you can earn up to 18,000 premier qualifying points (PQPs) per year toward Premier status eligibility. That’s enough to get you to Platinum status, which at the time of this writing requires 18,000 PQPs. Earn 1 PQP for every $20 in card spend, up to 18,000 PQPs in a calendar year.
You can also earn two Global Economy Plus seat upgrades when you spend $40,000 with the card each year.
Starting in 2026, holders of The New United Quest℠ Card will earn 1,000 bonus PQP each anniversary year. PQP can be applied toward Premier status qualification, up to and including the Premier 1K level. To earn this yearly bonus, your Quest card must be open through the previous year and must be open when PQP are applied.
Other valuable perks
Free checked bags and priority boarding. 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 this perk alone could nearly cover the card's annual fee.
Priority boarding. Getting on the plane earlier means you’re more likely to find overhead bin space for your roll-aboard. And some flyers like to board earlier to get settled before the cabin gets crowded. Either way, priority boarding is usually a welcome perk, although it also comes with the The New United℠ Explorer Card, which is cheaper to hold.
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. The statuses for these options last for five years.
Primary rental car coverage. This feature, by the wonky name “auto rental collision damage waiver,” is unusual. Unlike most airline and travel cards, this card comes with car rental coverage that's primary, meaning the card’s benefit kicks in before your own auto insurance. That can save you money — your insurance deductible — if you have an accident in a rental. To use this benefit, you must pay for the rental with the card and decline the rental company's coverage. Plus, there are additional rental car perks: You can receive up to $80 in United travel credit on Avis or Budget purchases, $40 for each rental car you book with your card, per year.
Yearly statement credit for eligible purchases. When you pay with your card, you can get up to $100 in statement credits (doled out in monthly increments) on rideshare purchases each year (when you opt in); up to $150 as statement credits for stays at Renowned Hotels and Resorts per anniversary year; and up to $150 as a statement credit each year when you book flights directly with the hop-on jet service JSX.
Drawbacks and Considerations
High annual fee
You don’t expect these kinds of rewards and perks on a card with no annual fee. And the Quest's fee is comparable to what similar cards in the same tier charge. But if $350 a year is too much to stomach, you could drop down to one of the lower-priced United cards. Or, you might find a better fit with a general travel card.
For example, the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card costs less to carry, and it earns points in similar categories. You get 2 points per $1 spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases. It also offers $200 in statement credits, including up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee and up to $100 for airline incidentals, such as seat upgrades, checked bags and day passes to lounges.
No lounge access
Competing travel rewards cards offer some airport lounge access. Even The New United℠ Explorer Card, which is cheaper to hold, offers two United Club lounge passes per year. The Quest card has none.
If lounge access is your top priority, The New United Club℠ Card is an obvious choice. Or go with another premium card instead — The Platinum Card® from American Express. It offers access to more than 1,400 airport lounges worldwide, along with a bevy of other benefits. The annual fee is huge, but for perpetual travelers who can take advantage of everything it offers, it could be worth the cost. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Free checked bags for only one extra traveler
With The New United Quest℠ Card, the primary card member and one traveling companion on the same reservation are each eligible to receive their first two checked bags free. Two checked bags each might be overkill for most trips, but many other airlines offer a free checked bag for more travel companions, which is potentially more useful. For example, Delta Air Lines’ comparable card is the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. It offers free checked bags for a total of nine people. Terms apply, see rates and fees.
Limited redemption options
Generally, the best redemption options for United MileagePlus miles are award flights and seat upgrades on United and its Star Alliance partners. That’s pretty limiting compared with general travel cards, which allow you to apply rewards to a wide range of travel-related expenses.
If you mix your flying with other airlines, a comparable card is the American Express® Gold Card, which also has useful bonus categories for everyday spending. Terms apply, see rates and fees.
For those looking for premium perks, good choices include the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card 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.
No companion fare
The same-tier credit card from Delta Air Lines, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, comes with an annual companion certificate — a rare and valuable perk that covers the cost of a round-trip domestic, Caribbean, Mexico or Central American economy ticket for someone flying with you.
The New United Quest℠ Card doesn't come with a companion-fare benefit.
Visit NerdWallet's roundup of top cards if you're having trouble deciding which credit card is best for your needs.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
If you can use the $200 yearly flight credit on this card, it probably makes it a superior choice to its less expensive sibling, The New United℠ Explorer Card (one of NerdWallet’s perennial favorite airline credit cards). The additional perks on The New United Quest℠ Card have a real cash value, while its lucrative bonus categories help boost your bank of frequent-flyer miles.
If you mix your flying with airlines, a general travel card might be a better pick, but frequent United Airlines flyers should take a hard look at The New United Quest℠ Card
To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page.
The The New United℠ Explorer Card isn't as generous with rewards or other perks, but it costs less to carry and, unlike the Quest, offers two United Club lounge passes per year.
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Methodology
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About the author
Gregory Karp
Senior Writer
