United Club Infinite Card Review

Card Type

The United Club Infinite Card is a co-branded travel rewards credit card. It’s issued by Chase, but earns miles toward United’s Mileage Plus loyalty program.

Annual Fee

This card costs $525 annually, so its fee is similar to the most premium travel cards on the market, like Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum Card from American Express.

Welcome Offer

This card’s welcome offer is one of its main draws — you can earn 120,000 bonus United MileagePlus miles after spending $6,000 within the first three months of account opening. Just make sure that sum (about $2,000 per month) falls within your regular budget — or an upcoming big-ticket travel spend — before you apply.

However, Chase does specify that you cannot earn the welcome offer if you have any United Club card already, or if you’ve received a new cardmember offer for any United Club card in the past 24 months.

Introductory Offer

There’s no introductory APR for new purchases or balance transfers with this card.

Rewards

With the United Club Infinite Card, you’ll earn rewards on United purchases and a few additional bonus categories:

• 4x miles on purchases from United — including tickets, Economy Plus®, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and more
• 2x miles on all other travel — including other airfare, trains, local transit, cruise lines, hotels, car rentals, taxis, resorts, rideshare services, and tolls
• 2x miles on dining including eligible delivery services
• 1 mile per dollar on everything else

When you’re ready to redeem, you’ll get the most value for your miles by using them to book award flights or upgrades with United. Unlike some other airlines, United doesn’t have a standard award chart; the value of United MileagePlus miles fluctuates depending on your itinerary and when you book.

Fees

At $525, this card’s annual fee is a major detail to consider before applying. Other fees to note include a late payment and returned payment fee up to $40, plus a penalty APR up to 29.99%.

There are no foreign transaction fees and the ongoing variable APR is 16.49%-23.49%.

Other Benefits

Like many premium travel options, this card is heavy on added benefits — which can help offset its large annual fee. 

As for United benefits, you’ll have United Club membership, for access to United Club lounges and participating Star Alliance lounges — Chase estimates the value of membership for this benefit alone at $650 per year. You can also get 25% off select in-flight purchases, upgrades when available, and free first and second checked bags for you and a companion (worth up to $320 in value per round-trip flight).

Other benefits include fee credits toward TSA PreCheck/Global Entry/NEXUS membership, $70 discount on Clear membership, Premier Access travel benefits for priority security and boarding, access to the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, IHG Rewards Platinum Elite status. Plus, you can get travel and purchase protections including primary rental car coverage, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and more.

Benefits of United Club Infinite Card

The United Club Infinite Card comes with plenty of benefits for frequent United travelers. Not only can you get a great 4x rewards rate on United Airlines purchases, but you can also earn on other travel (including transit and rideshares) and dining. The plethora of added benefits can also help frequent travelers offset the high cost. If you travel often, prefer flying United or live near a United Airlines hub city, and you value things like priority airport lines and lounge access, this card has plenty of value to offer.

Drawbacks of United Club Infinite Card

The biggest drawback of this card is its annual fee, and limitations for flyers not loyal to only United Airlines. With such a high price, this card really only makes sense for those who fly often and prefer to book every trip with United Airlines. If you’re looking for premium travel benefits like lounge access and annual credits, but you’re not loyal to a single airline, there are many other travel credit cards with more flexible rewards and added benefits that can help you maximize your travel spending.

How to Use United Club Infinite Card

The best way to use a United Club Infinite Card is by using it to book travel with United Airlines — both by earning miles on purchased flights and redeeming them for award flights.

To start, time your application so you can score the huge 120,000-mile welcome offer. You’ll need to spend $6,000 within just three months, so if this doesn’t fall within your regular spending, consider applying when you need to book an upcoming trip or have saved up for another large purchase.

Just make sure you practice good credit habits and pay your balance in full each month. Already, this card’s $525 annual fee is costly, but racking up debt at this card’s high APR can quickly wipe out any rewards value you earn.

When you’re ready to redeem your rewards, you’ll get the most value by booking award flights with United and its partners. United’s award flight pricing is dynamic, and dependent on your itinerary, but you can typically get at least one cent per point value.

For example, say you’re planning to travel from New York to Los Angeles over Labor Day weekend. For a total of 56,600 miles (plus $11.20 in fees), you could book an economy fare round trip ticket between Sept. 1-5. The same flights would be $637.20 if you paid in cash. For this specific flight on a holiday travel weekend, your miles would be worth 1.1 cents per mile. 

You can also keep up with United’s featured award deals, which is a daily look at the airline’s lowest award fares to popular destinations.

And when you’re actually traveling, make sure you take full advantage of this card’s many benefits, including priority boarding and security lanes, lounge access, in-flight discounts, and more.

United Club Infinite Card Compared to Other Cards

Is the United Club Infinite Card Right for You?

If you fly often and live near a United Airlines hub or prefer to always fly United, this card may help you save money and travel more easily. The high annual fee is a drawback, but if you already spend money on the included benefits — such as checked baggage fees, TSA PreCheck or Clear membership, and lounge access — you can quickly make up the cost difference. 

However, there are other options worth considering, too. If you prefer United but only fly a few times each year, consider other United Airlines co-branded card options that aren’t as pricey, like the $95 United Explorer Card or no-fee United Gateway Card.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for premium travel rewards and luxury perks, but you’re not sold on always flying United Airlines, a more general travel rewards card might be a better option. Look for travel credit cards from Chase or American Express that earn more flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards points and still offer the benefits you’re looking for.

Frequently Asked Questions