United Chase Credit Card Changes: Higher Fees, More Perks & Status

United MileagePlus and Chase have a suite of co-branded credit cards. Well, these cards are getting a complete overhaul — we’re seeing annual fees increase, though we’re also seeing new benefits added.

Whether these changes are positive or negative depends entirely on the type of consumer you are, and how much you value the ability to spend your way to elite status. Separately, I’ve covered changes to United Club access, which also tie into this announcement.

United MileagePlus overhauls credit card portfolio

United MileagePlus credit cards now have a new value proposition, and this applies for both new and existing cardmembers effective immediately. While the annual fees on some cards are going up, the cards are getting new perks, ranging from airline and rideshare credits, to Instacart perks. Furthermore, there are opportunities to spend your way to status beyond what has been possible in the past.

These changes apply to United’s five co-branded Chase credit cards with annual fees, so let’s cover the details, starting with the personal cards and then the business cards, ranked by annual fee.

United Explorer Card changes ($150 annual fee)

The United Explorer Card is United’s entry level personal card with an annual fee. The card’s annual fee has increased from $95 to $150, and the card now offers several new perks, including:

• Up to $60 in rideshare credits per year, in the form of a $5 monthly credit, with yearly opt-in required
• Up to $100 in statement credits on United Hotels purchases, in the form of a $50 credit every six months
• Up to $100 in statement credits on JSX flight purchases every anniversary year
• Up to $120 in Instacart credits annually, in the form of a $10 monthly credit, in addition to a complimentary three-month Instacart+ membership
• A $100 United Travel Bank credit after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year
• A 10,000 mile award discount for a future ticket after spending $20,000 on the card in a calendar year
• Earn one Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) per $20 spent, up to 1,000 PQPs per calendar year

United Quest Card changes ($350 annual fee)

The United Quest Card is United’s more premium, mid-tier personal card. The card’s annual fee has increased from $250 to $350, and the card now offers several new perks, including:

• $200 United Travel Bank credit on account opening and each anniversary year
• A 10,000 mile award discount for a future ticket each anniversary year
• Up to $100 in rideshare credits per year, in the form of a $8 monthly credit ($12 credit in December), with yearly opt-in required
• Up to $150 in statement credits on Renowned Hotels and Resorts purchases
• Up to $150 in statement credits on JSX flight purchases every anniversary year
• Up to $180 in Instacart credits annually, in the form of a $10 and $5 monthly credit, in addition to a complimentary three-month Instacart+ membership
• Earn one Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) per $20 spent, up to 18,000 PQPs per calendar year, plus a head start of 1,000 PQPs per year, starting in 2026

United Club Card changes ($695 annual fee)

The United Club Card is United’s most premium personal card. The card’s annual fee has increased from $525 to $695, and the card now offers several new perks, including:

• Up to $150 in rideshare credits per year, in the form of a $12 monthly credit ($18 credit in December), with yearly opt-in required
• Up to $200 in statement credits on Renowned Hotels and Resorts purchases
• Up to $200 in statement credits on JSX flight purchases every anniversary year
• Up to $240 in Instacart credits annually, in the form of two $10 monthly credits, in addition to a complimentary Instacart+ membership
• A 10,000 mile award discount for a future ticket after spending $20,000 on the card in a calendar year, and a second one if spending $40,000
• Earn one Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) per $15 spent, up to 28,000 PQPs per calendar year, plus a head start of 1,500 PQPs per year, starting in 2026

United Business Card changes ($150 annual fee)

The United Business Card is United’s more basic of two business cards. The card’s annual fee has increased from $95 to $150, and the card now offers several new perks, including:

• Up to $100 in rideshare credits per year, in the form of a $8 monthly credit ($12 credit in December), with yearly opt-in required
• Up to $100 in statement credits on United Hotels purchases, in the form of a $50 credit every six months
• Up to $100 in statement credits on JSX flight purchases every anniversary year
• Up to $120 in Instacart credits annually, in the form of a $10 monthly credit, in addition to a complimentary three-month Instacart+ membership
• A $125 United Travel Bank credit after spending $100 or more on five purchases with United in a calendar year
• Earn one Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) per $20 spent, up to 4,000 PQPs per calendar year

United Club Business Card changes ($695 annual fee)

The United Club Business Card is United’s most premium business card. The card’s annual fee has increased from $450 to $695, and the card now offers several new perks, including:

• Up to $150 in rideshare credits per year, in the form of a $12 monthly credit ($18 credit in December), with yearly opt-in required
• Up to $200 in statement credits on Renowned Hotels and Resorts purchases
• Up to $200 in statement credits on JSX flight purchases every anniversary year
• Up to $240 in Instacart credits annually, in the form of two $10 monthly credits, in addition to a complimentary Instacart+ membership
• Earn one Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) per $15 spent, up to 28,000 PQPs per calendar year

My take on United MileagePlus credit card changes

I have a few thoughts on this complete overhaul of United’s credit card portfolio. For one, Chase and United are following the industry trend, by adding a bunch of perks that are designed to keep cards front of wallet, and also to create breakage.

We’re talking about $5-15 monthly rideshare credits, $5-10 Instacart credits, $50 hotel credits, etc. In the marketing bullets, these credits are treated as basically being worth face value. Honestly, it’s really hard to put any specific value to these perks, since there’s almost always an opportunity cost to using these cards for those categories, given that other cards may have a better return on spending. Most people can only dedicate so much mental energy to keeping track of $5 credits.

The higher annual fees aren’t great, though I think for the casual United flyer, the United Explorer Card continues to be valuable for the basic perks that it offers (like free checked bags), while the United Quest Card is perhaps the sweet spot in terms of value proposition.

Now, the single biggest change being made is that United is finally letting members earn higher tier elite status exclusively through credit card spending. Up until now, United has greatly limited the number of PQPs that can be earned through credit cards. That will no longer be the case, and that’s not a surprise, as United is following in the footsteps of American and Delta.

Obviously loyalty programs are a major source of income for US airlines, and co-branded credit card spending is much higher margin for airlines than people actually flying on their planes. The United Club Card and United Club Business Card now let you earn enough PQPs through spending to earn Premier 1K status, which requires 28,000 PQPs per year.

However, what’s kind of remarkable is how much you have to spend to earn elite status — on the most premium cards, you’d have to spend $420,000 to earn 28,000 PQPs, which would be enough for Premier 1K. That’s way higher than the requirements for top tier status with American and Delta. However, we know that Delta essentially wants the requirements to be that high, but the company backtracked after there was backlash to SkyMiles changes some time back.

Bottom line

United MileagePlus and Chase have overhauled their credit card portfolio, with cards having higher annual fees, but also getting new perks. A lot of the new perks come in the form of credits that can take some effort to maximize, so that’s probably not great.

I’d argue that the biggest change here is the increased ability to earn elite status through credit card spending. I figured this would happen soon enough, since American and Delta are leaning heavily into this, while United hasn’t, up until now.

What do you make of the United & Chase credit card changes?