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What we think: We understand that the $525 annual fee of the United Club Infinite is a bit high, but if United is your preferred airline and you fly a lot, it’s probably worth it. It comes with free United Club access, a benefit worth $650/year alone. Pile on its other perks, and that $525 annual fee starts to feel like a great deal.
United Club membership delivers free access to United lounges.
Earn the most points by making United purchases and lower rewards for buying retail, eating out or using eligible delivery services.
Enjoy perks like refunded fees for TSA PreCheck, travel insurance and baggage reimbursement.
The card may be worth it for loyal United customers but not if you don’t fly often or prefer another airline.
SUMMARY
The United Club℠ Infinite Card is a Chase credit card that focuses on purchases and perks most beneficial to United’s loyal customers. If you barely see an airport once a year and prefer to spend your time eating out or shopping, this card might not be up your alley. However, if you travel often and love everything United, it’s worthwhile to see what’s on tap.
To help you decide if this card is right for you, we’ll take a look at:
Earn 4X miles per dollar spent on United purchases, earn 2X miles per dollar on other travel and dining purchases and earn 1X miles on all other purchases. This card has a $525 annual fee.
Is the United Club Infinite Card worth it?
The United Club℠ Infinite Card is worth it for frequent flyers who tend to choose United Airlines over any other provider. It may be less interesting for individuals who don’t travel often or who don’t necessarily swear by United Airlines.
In a world filled with credit cards, this United credit card is a standout because of its singular focus on United customers and related rewards. With a hefty helping of bonus miles for new members and other perks geared toward travelers, anyone who flies with United often and likes the VIP treatment (especially lounge access) will likely think the card is well worth the investment.
If you only travel on United a couple of times per year and you aren’t concerned about hanging out in the airline’s lounge pre-flight, the cost of the card and lack of variety in terms of rewards probably means this card isn’t best suited for your needs. If you tend to fly with another airline or are just looking for a less restrictive card, another airline card may be a better option.
To help you evaluate how closely the card aligns with your needs, here’s a list of its main pros and cons.
United Club Infinite Card pros and cons
The generous welcome offer gets you well on your way to earning free flights.
It comes with United Club membership and free entry to United Club airport lounges.
This card outranks similar offers from other airlines with 4 points per dollar return on United purchases (2-3 point ROI is more typical).
Using your card to purchase and fly United delivers access to perks like priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling services.
Cardholders get to check their first and second bags free and 25% cashback (as statement credits) for all in-flight purchases.
The card’s annual fee is a sky-high $525 per year, but that does include United Club membership (usually around $650 annually on its own).
Unlike cards from other airlines, United does not give annual travel credits to help defray yearly card fees.
Travel benefits are limited to the cardholder and one or two additional guests, depending on the perk (other airlines extend card benefits to as many as eight travel companions).
The United Club Infinite Card comes with rewards that are mainly geared towards travel. As previously stated, if you’re a frequent United flyer, this card is an excellent option.
Welcome bonus offer
Signing up for the United Club Infinite Card makes you eligible for a welcome bonus of 80,000 points. However, earning these points requires you to spend $5,000 on eligible purchases within three months of opening the account.
How to earn miles with the United Club Infinite Card
To earn miles with the United Club Infinite Card, all you need to do is use the card for purchases.
We break down how many miles you’ll earn per dollar spent below:
United purchases, such as airfare: 4 miles per $1
Travel, dining, and eligible delivery services: 2 miles per $1
All other purchases: 1 mile per $1
How to use miles from the United Club Infinite Card
The best way to use up your miles is to trade them in for discounted or free flights from United or its Alliance partners. Additionally, United cards are a part of the Chase Pay Yourself Back program, which provides even more redemption options.
You can also redeem miles for:
Seating upgrades
Hotel reservations
Retail purchases
Gift cards
Travel experiences
The miles you earn with this rewards card do not expire as long as the card remains active.
United Club Infinite Card benefits and perks
Racking up airline miles is arguably the biggest benefit of using your United Club Infinite Card for key purchases, but several other perks make this card attractive for frequent United flyers too.
United Club airport lounge access
One of the biggest benefits is access to the United Club airport lounge, which services members flying on United as well as United Express and Star Alliance partner airlines. Entry is complimentary for the primary cardholder and eligible travel companions, which United limits to two adults or one adult and any dependents under the age of 21.
The lounge offers amenities like free drinks and food, high-speed Wi-Fi and private phone booths. Lounge access without a card costs $650 or 85,000 miles per year.
Free checked bags
United Club Infinite cardholders can check their first and second bags free for themselves and one travel companion. This represents savings of up to $80 per person ($35 for the first bag and $45 for the second) per person, per one-way flight.
Premier access
Sign up for a card and you get automatic Premier access, a benefit that pushes you toward the front of the line for things like initial check-in, TSA screening (depending on availability), actual boarding and baggage handling.
Premier upgrades
United MileagePlus Premier Elite members get complimentary upgrades for themselves and a companion, enjoying premium seating at the price of a lower/economy ticket (availability may differ depending on the travel destination and specific flight).
Premier Qualifying Points (PQP)
Trying to get to the next level of elite status? Use your United Club Infinite Card and get 500 PQP for every $12,000 you spend on eligible purchases. This perk maxes out at 8,000 PQP per year.
25% discount in-flight purchases
Make in-flight purchases, including drinks, snacks or Wi-Fi, and you’ll get 25% back as a credit that appears on your next United card statement. The initial purchase must also be made using the card.
Saver award discounts
Cardholders get a 10% discount on mileage requirements once you sign in through your MileagePlus account. For example, a flight advertised as redeemable for 8,200 points would only be 7,380 points after your 10% reduction.
IHG Rewards Club Platinum status
United Club Infinite enrollment comes with complimentary Platinum status from IHG Hotel’s Rewards Club program. You’ll receive a $75 end-of-year statement credit applied to any IHG purchases made using your United Card that calendar year. With this hotel credit card, you’re also in line for Platinum perks, such as complimentary room upgrades, bonus points on stays and late checkouts.
CLEAR membership discount
Another membership discount comes in the form of $40 off for CLEAR, a program that allows you to skip security lines in favor of verifying your identity through fingerprint scanning and facial recognition software at a CLEAR kiosk. This drops the annual cost of $189 per member to just $149.
Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee credit
Many frequent flyers have already signed up for NEXUS, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, but if you haven’t, you can get a refund of your application fee (up to $100 max) once every four years.
Travel insurance
If you book travel using your United Club Infinite Card, you’ll automatically get these types of Chase Sapphire travel insurance for your trip:
1
Trip delay coverage:
Get up to $500 back per ticket if your trip is delayed by more than 12 hours or requires an unexpected overnight stay.
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2
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance:
Get up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip back for prepaid, non-refundable expenses in the event your trip is canceled or interrupted.
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3
Primary rental car insurance:
Decline the pricey insurance offered by car rental companies and instead enjoy comprehensive theft and collision coverage for rentals in the United States and abroad.
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4
Baggage delay insurance:
If your baggage is delayed for more than six hours after landing, you can get as much as $300 per day for a maximum of three days to pay for essentials like clothes and toiletries.
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5
Lost luggage reimbursement:
Lost luggage is reimbursable at a rate of up to $3,000 per person.
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6
Emergency evacuation insurance:
Get a free trip home for you or a family member who is hurt or otherwise becomes incapacitated during a United-covered trip (this applies to medical services as well as transportation).
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Shopping protections
Shop with your United Club Infinite Card and enjoy purchase protection against damage or theft of your purchase for 120 days after you buy an item. Reimbursement is limited to $10,000 for each claim and a maximum of $50,000 per account each year.
Other shopping protections include return protection ($500 and $1,000 per year for items you want to return within 90 days of purchase that the store won’t accept) and extended warranty (extend U.S. manufacturer warranties of three years or less by an additional year).
Avis President’s Club
Interested in renting a car while you travel? Your United Club card gives you access to the Avis President’s Club and associated perks like car upgrades, guaranteed car availability and expedited rental service.
Visa Infinite concierge
Get help with your travel plans, sports ticket purchases and restaurant reservations courtesy of the Visa Infinite concierge, available 24/7.
Chase Luxury Hotel and Resort collection
Use your card to make accommodation reservations and get complimentary benefits like daily breakfast, free Wi-Fi, early check-in, extended checkout and room upgrades at more than 1,000 luxury properties.
DoorDash DashPass membership
Order in for less with a complimentary year’s membership to DoorDash’s DashPass program. You’ll enjoy no delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders from restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores, and exclusive offers from featured merchants.
United Club Infinite Card fees, rates & limit
Like any credit card, the United Club Infinite comes with its set of fees, interest rates and limits. Here’s what you need to know.
United Club Infinite Card fees
Before you sign up for this United credit card, get to know the fee schedule so you know how best to spend (and how you definitely shouldn’t).
Below are the United Club Infinite Card fees:
Annual fee: $525, but it includes United Club membership (normally $650 annually)
Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the total amount transferred, whichever is greater
Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% of the total advance amount, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee: $0
United Club Infinite Card interest rates
The interest rates for the United Club Infinite Card are as follows.
APR type
APR rate
Regular APR
21.99% - 28.99% Variable
Purchase Intro APR
N/A
Balance Transfer Intro APR
21.99% - 28.99% Variable
United Club Infinite Card credit limit
The minimum credit limit for the United Club Infinite Card is $15,000. Card eligibility and individual-specific credit limits are determined by evaluating your credit history, credit score and debt-to-income ratio.
Chase is more than just a credit card issuer
The first step in growing and maintaining consistent savings is to understand your personal finances through checking and savings accounts, credit cards, and more.
The main advantage of this United card has versus other credit cards is that benefits and rewards are specifically geared toward United flyers. This can be a plus if you fly United often and can use the points you rack up over time and a drawback if you don’t travel often or prefer a different airline as the centerpiece of your travel plans.
United Club Infinite Card vs. United Explorer Card
The United Explorer Card has a much lower annual fee of just $80, but you’ll earn fewer points per dollar (just two per $1 versus a maximum of 4 per $1 with the Club Infinite card), and you won’t get access to United’s lounges.
United Club Infinite Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
Both cards offer similar annual fees, competitive reward point systems and perk lists, but Chase offers more flexibility in terms of how you can redeem those points versus United, which limits redemption to United products and offers from a narrow list of partners. Chase Sapphire Reserve also gives cardholders Priority Pass Select membership, with access to 1,400 airport lounges, restaurants and minisuites in 148 countries. United’s card only delivers United Club access, but that may be preferable if you only fly United and concentrate your travel in the United States.
United Club Infinite Card vs. The Platinum Card from American Express
The Platinum Card from American Express carries a sky-high annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees), with another $195 fee per person required if you want to add authorized users to your account. Amex’s welcome bonus offer isn’t as good as United’s, but you can earn up to 5 points per dollar for hotels and airfare purchased through Amex travel. Other purchases earn just 1 point on the dollar, which is lower than you’d get for restaurant or retail purchases with your United Club Infinite Card.
This United card may be the best credit card for you if you travel United frequently enough to focus your rewards on United products and if your reward points will offset the card’s hefty $525 annual fee.
You’ll need to provide personal information regarding your income, verify your identity and include your Social Security number so Chase (the backing bank) can run a credit check.
Once you’ve submitted the application, you should receive an answer in just minutes.
The United Club Infinite Card is worth it if you fly United frequently and want to concentrate the vast majority of your rewards on travel and travel-related point redemptions.
Is it hard to get the United Club Infinite Card?
It’s not difficult to get the United Club Infinite Card as long as you have a good-to-excellent credit score and a low debt-to-income ratio.
What credit score do you need for the United Club Infinite Card?
There is no concrete credit score required for acceptance as a United Club Infinite cardholder, but it’s recommended that you have a FICO score of at least 670 points before you apply. A higher score of 740+ greatly increases your chances of approval.
What is the credit limit for the United Club Infinite Card?
Credit limits for this United card start at $15,000 and will be determined based on your credit score and debt-to-income ratio.
Do you get priority boarding with the United Club Infinite Card?
United Club Infinite cardholders get priority boarding as well as priority TSA screening (where available) and priority luggage handling.
Does the United Club Infinite Card get you Premier status?
You do not automatically get Premier status with your United Club Infinite Card, but cardholders can earn PQP points faster than other United customers at a rate of 500 PQP for every $12,000 in eligible on-card spending.
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