Premium United Travel Card
This is the "live in United Clubs" card. If United is your primary airline, the built-in United Club membership, two free checked bags for you and a companion, Premier Access, and a pile of partner credits can make the $695 feel fair. You also get better earn on United spend than the mid-tier cards.
If you don't actually visit lounges or fly United often, the credits will be homework and the fee will sting. Bottom line: frequent United flyers who value lounge time will like it; everyone else should consider a cheaper United card.
This is what makes or breaks a card for you. If you can use these credits in your normal spend, the perks and protections are all bonus for you. We have a calculator at the bottom of this section to help you calculate that. Below we break down exactly what every credit is to show you if it's easy or if they're going to make you jump through 17 hoops to redeem it.
| What It Is: | Up to $200 in statement credits per account year on prepaid hotel bookings via Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United Cardmembers. |
| How It Works: | Book prepaid stays through the designated portal; credit posts after the charge. |
| Gotchas: | Must book through the program; prices can differ from direct; prepayment required; limited property list. |
| Who Actually Benefits: | Travelers who already choose participating hotels and don't mind booking through a portal. |
| Practical Value: | Easy $200 if it matches your travel; otherwise $0. |
| What It Is: | Up to $150 per calendar year in statement credits on rideshare purchases: $12/month (Jan-Nov) + $18 in December. Yearly opt-in required. |
| How It Works: | Enroll yearly; use the card with participating services; credits post monthly up to the monthly cap. |
| Gotchas: | Yearly enrollment required; monthly caps don't roll over; participating providers only. |
| Who Actually Benefits: | Regular rideshare users. |
| Practical Value: | Easy $12-18/month if you ride regularly; $0 if you don't use rideshare. |
| What It Is: | $100 in United TravelBank funds after an eligible Avis/Budget car rental booked through the required path. |
| How It Works: | Book the qualifying rental; complete the rental; TravelBank funds deposit and can be used on future United flights. |
| Gotchas: | Specific booking paths/brands; TravelBank funds have use-by rules; not cash. |
| Who Actually Benefits: | United flyers who rent cars at least once a year. |
| Practical Value: | Real $100 if you rent anyway. |
| What It Is: | Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, once every 4 years. |
| How It Works: | Pay the application fee with your card, and the charge gets wiped automatically. |
| Gotchas: | One credit per 4 years, so if you already have it, you'll need to gift it to a friend or family member. Doesn't stack with other cards offering the same perk. |
| Who Actually Benefits: | Anyone without TSA PreCheck/Global Entry yet. Frequent travelers especially. |
| Practical Value: | Solid $100 saved every 4 years |
| What It Is: | Two $10 Instacart credits monthly (up to $20/month), totaling $240 per calendar year. |
| How It Works: | Enroll; use the card on Instacart orders; receive two $10 credits each month automatically. |
| Gotchas: | Must use Instacart monthly to get full value; service fees/tips not covered; monthly credits don't roll over. |
| Who Actually Benefits: | Households already using Instacart. |
| Practical Value: | Great $20/month if you use Instacart regularly; $0 if you don't shop there monthly. |
| What It Is: | Up to $200 back as statement credits each anniversary year when booking flights directly with JSX (a crowd-free hop-on jet service offering private jet perks without private jet prices). |
| How It Works: | Book flights directly with JSX using your United Club card; statement credits post automatically up to $200 per anniversary year. |
| Gotchas: | JSX only serves select routes (mostly West Coast and Texas); must book directly with JSX; credits reset each anniversary year. |
| Who Actually Benefits: | Travelers who fly JSX routes and want private jet-style service without the private jet price. |
| Practical Value: | Solid $200 value if you fly JSX routes; completely useless if you don't (JSX serves limited markets). |
This is effectively what you are paying for this card. It is now up to you if the perks, protections, and earning rates are worth this fee to you over other cards.
A big perk of United Club℠ Infinite (Chase) is lounge access — a built-in United Club membership. If a Club lives at your home airport, it's a real quality-of-life upgrade: decent food, working seats with outlets, showers at hubs, and usually calmer than the gate. United has been opening larger Clubs (Denver) and adding Club Fly grab-and-go concepts (Houston), so check locations and hours in the app before you bank on one.
Heads-up: The membership from this card starts at the Card membership level (you + 1 adult guest + dependent kids; no Star Alliance access). If you want partner lounge access and 2 adult guests, you'll need to earn All Access via $50,000 annual spend or Premier Gold (or higher). Polaris lounges remain off-limits unless your ticket qualifies.