United Quest credit card review: Earn 100,000 bonus miles plus plenty of perks

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United flyers will want to check out the New United Quest℠ Card, which boasts a generous sign-up bonus and ongoing benefits that are often better than those of other United credit cards. As part of this Chase-issued card’s welcome offer, you can earn up to 100,000 bonus miles when reaching a couple of tiered spending requirements within the first six months of account opening.

This is a great airline credit card for those who want to earn miles and take advantage of United perks like free checked bags, credits for spending with United, and points that help qualify you for United Elite status. Here we take an in-depth look at this card with our United Quest Card review.

Chase United Quest Review

Current offer

As part of a introductory offer, you can earn up to 100,000 bonus miles with this card as follows: 

• 80,000 miles after spending $5,000 with the card within the first three months of account opening
• 20,000 miles after spending $10,000 with the card within the first six months of account opening

Based on our United miles value calculations, this full bonus translates to around $1,300 in United Airlines travel — and potentially more, if you follow the best ways to use United Airlines miles.

Benefits and perks

In addition to the impressive sign-up bonus, this card offers an attractive ongoing rewards structure. You’ll earn points at the following rate:

• 3 miles per $1 spent with United (immediately after earning your $125 annual United purchase credit).
• 2 miles per $1 spent on travel, including airfare, hotels, resorts, cruise lines, car rentals, taxi cabs, and ride sharing services
• 2 miles per $1 spent on dining and select streaming services
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

In addition to points, the United Quest Card comes with a host of other perks that include (terms and conditions apply):

• $125 annual United purchase credit: Each anniversary year, you’ll automatically receive up to $125 credited to your statement for United purchases you’ve charged to the card.
• Up to two 5,000-mile award flight credits each year: Beginning with your first cardmember anniversary, you’ll be awarded 5,000 miles back after you take a United flight booked with your miles. You can receive this benefit up to two times each anniversary year. This is the equivalent of 10,000 United miles per year, so it’s valued at around $130, based on our estimated value of United miles at 1.3 cents a piece.
• Up to 3,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) each year: This will help you work toward United Elite status. The way this perk is structured is you’ll earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 you spend with the card (with a limit of 3,000 PQP in a calendar year).
• Two free checked bags per trip for you and a companion: This perk is worth up to $320 round trip for you and a friend or relative traveling with you.
• Additional miscellaneous benefits: You’ll also enjoy priority boarding on United flights, travel protections like trip delay reimbursement, and 25% back on in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi in the form of a statement credit.

Is the annual fee worth it?

This card carries a $250 annual fee, and while you might feel that’s a bit steep, the fee can pretty easily be offset by the host of benefits we’ve listed above, including the $125 annual purchase credit, the 5,000-mile award flight credits, and the free checked bags.

In all, this middle-of-the-road option can be just the right alternative to the entry-level United℠ Explorer Card (with no annual fee the first year, and then $95 each year after that) and the premium United Club℠ Infinite Card (with a $525 annual fee).

Who is the United Quest Card for?

In addition to its generous welcome bonus and points rewards, the United Quest Card is a good option for United flyers who could benefit from perks like the $125 annual United purchase credit, the 5,000-mile award flight credits, the free checked bags, priority boarding, and travel protections.

If you’re a United traveler who is not in need of this extensive list of United perks, you might instead apply for the the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, all of which can earn points that can be converted into United Airlines miles. This is because United is a Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partner.

It’s also worth noting that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® awards 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on travel and dining, whereas the United Quest Card only pays out 2 points per dollar on these categories. (These points are transferrable to United at a 1:1 ratio.)

For any points and miles collector, it’s also important to know that the United Quest Card, and most of the others mentioned above, are subject to what’s known as the Chase 5/24 rule, which states that Chase will not approve you for most of its credit cards if you have been issued five or more cards from any bank within the past 24 months. (Note that certain business credit cards do not count.)

Credit cards similar to the United Quest card

The United Quest Card joins other co-branded Chase cards tailored to loyal United flyers. The previously mentioned United Explorer Card carries no annual fee the first year, followed by an annual fee of $95. While this alone would make it a more viable option for some, as you might imagine the perks aren’t as extensive: The welcome bonus is smaller, as are the points-earning opportunities. What’s more, you’ll only receive one free checked bag per flight for yourself and a companion.

On the other end of the spectrum is the United Club Infinite Card, with its considerable annual fee of $525. This card does pay for itself, however, for anyone who desires a United Club membership (valued at up to $650 per year). Like the United Quest Card, this one provides up to two free checked bags per flight for yourself and a companion, as well as 25% back on United in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi.

Bottom line

The United Quest Card joins the United credit card family as an intermediate option for those who want more benefits than provided by the basic United Explorer Card, yet without all of the premium perks afforded by the United Club Infinite Card. If you’re a United flyer, we would say it’s definitely worth trying for at least the initial year, thanks to up to 100,000 in bonus miles when you meet the tiered spending requirements.

The card’s attractive ongoing perks make it worthwhile for anyone who flies United with any frequency and who desires priority boarding, free checked bags, and discounts on in-flight purchases, as well as insurance on things like lost luggage and flights that are delayed or canceled.

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