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Credit Cards » Credit Card Reviews » United Business Card Review 2024

United Business Card Review 2025

The United Business card offers free first checked bag, priority borading and United travel credit. However, rewards rate could be better.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Interest Rates Last Update: February 1, 2025
The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Interest Rates Last Update: February 1, 2025

The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.

We earn a commission from our partner links on this page. It doesn't affect the integrity of our unbiased, independent editorial staff. Transparency is a core value for us, read our advertiser disclosure and how we make money.

United Business Card

United Business Card

Rewards Plan

1X – 2X 2X per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining (including eligible delivery services), at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting and 1X on all other purchases

Welcome Bonus

75,000 miles 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Credit Rating

Good – Excellent

0% Intro

N/A

Annual Fee

$99

APR

21.49% – 28.49% variable APR
United Business Card

United Business Card

Rewards Plan

1X – 2X 2X per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining (including eligible delivery services), at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting and 1X on all other purchases

Welcome Bonus

75,000 miles 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

0% Intro

N/A

PROS

CONS

APR

21.49% - 28.49% variable APR

Annual Fee

$99

Balance Transfer Fee

N/A

Credit Requirements

Good - Excellent

The United Business card is a good option for people who really like the United brand and don't want to spend a lot of money on an annual fee. The card comes with some nice advantages like getting money back on your statement, travel insurance, and extras that make your time at the airport and flying better.

However, because this card focuses a lot on United, if you don't fly with them regularly, you might find it a bit limited. If you don't have a strong preference for flying with United, there are other travel cards that offer similar benefits. These cards have the potential to give you even better rewards that can be used in different ways.

  • 0% Introductory APR
  • Anniversary Companion Certificate
  • Free First Checked Bags
  • Preferred Boarding
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees
  • Statement Credit for Inflight Purchases
  • Travel Insurance
  • High Annual Fee
  • No Bonus Categories
  • Low Rewards Rate
  • High APR

Does the card provide travel insurance?

Yes, the United Business card offers a variety of travel insurances including trip interruption/cancellation, trip delay, and baggage insurance. There is also primary rental car insurance if the rental is for business purposes.

What are card income requirements?

There are no official income requirements, but you do need to have good to excellent credit. This means that although your income will be assessed, it is not the only factor for consideration in an approval decision.

Can I get pre-approved?

Chase does not have a pre approval button on its website for this card, but you may receive a mailer or other marketing material offering pre approval, particularly if you log into your Chase account and check the offers section.

In this Review

Estimating Your Rewards: A Practical Simulation

Calculating the exact rewards you'll earn with this card can be tricky, as it depends on how you use it. Whether it’s your main card, a secondary option, or reserved for specific purchases, each factor impacts your rewards.

To help, we’ve done the math and come up with an estimate of the rewards you could earn with the United Business card. By looking at spending patterns in categories like groceries, travel, and dining, we've provided an average estimate of the total rewards you might receive.

United Business Card

Spend Per Category
United Business Card
$10,000 – U.S Supermarkets
10,000 miles
$3,000 – Restaurants
3,000 miles
$5,000 – Airline
10,000 miles
$4,000 – Hotels
4,000 miles
$4,000 – Gas
8,000 miles
Estimated Annual Miles
35,000 Miles
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amex platinum

Rewards Plan:
1X – 5X 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
80,000 points 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

amex brilliant

Rewards Plan:
2X – 6X 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program, 3 points at Worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
95,000 points 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of card membership.

Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum card

Rewards Plan:
1X – 3X 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
60,000 miles 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months
Advertiser Disclosure
The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.
Top Offers From Our Partners

amex platinum

Rewards Plan:
1X – 5X 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
80,000 points 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

amex brilliant

Rewards Plan:
2X – 6X 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program, 3 points at Worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
95,000 points 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of card membership.

Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum card

Rewards Plan:
Up to 3x miles 3 miles per $1 spent on United purchases immediately after earning your $125 annual United purchase credit, 2 miles on all other travel and select streaming services, 1 mile on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
60,000 miles Earn 70,000 bonus miles + 500 Premier qualifying points (PQP)
Advertiser Disclosure
The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.
Top Offers

amex platinum

Rewards Plan:
1X – 5X 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
80,000 points 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

amex brilliant

Rewards Plan:
2X – 6X 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program, 3 points at Worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
95,000 points 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of card membership.

Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum card

Rewards Plan:
1X – 3X 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
60,000 miles 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months
Advertiser Disclosure
The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.

Pros and Cons

Similar to other credit cards on the market, the United Business card has its own set of pros and cons

Pros
Cons
Free First Checked Bags
Limited Redemptions
Priority Boarding
Low Free Baggage Allowance
United Travel Credit
Low Rewards Rate
United Club Access
Inflight Discounts
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Rental Car Insurance
Trip Cancellation And Delay Insurance

When you fly on a United operated itinerary, you and one travel companion on the same reservation can have one free standard checked bag with no fee. This has the potential to save $140 per round trip.

As a cardmember, you and your travel companions on the same reservation will be invited to board your United operated flight before general boarding.

After seven United flight purchases of at least $100 within each card anniversary year, you can earn a $100 United travel credit.

After you open your account and on each subsequent card anniversary, you will receive two United Club one time passes. This provides access to approximately 45 lounges around the world.

You won't be charged any fees for making purchases abroad with the United Business card.

You can receive 25% back in the form of statement credit against purchases of in flight food, WiFi and beverages on your United operated flights.

You can also receive this statement credit for Club premium drinks. In either case, you need to use your United business card to pay for your purchases.

When you use your card to pay for the entire cost of your vehicle rental and decline the collision insurance at the rental company counter, your auto rental collision damage waiver will kick in.

This provides primary coverage if you’re renting for business purposes. The coverage has a limit of the actual cash value of the vehicle with reimbursement for collision damage and theft.

New cardholders will receive a complimentary one year DashPass for DoorDash and Caviar. This provides unlimited deliveries with zero delivery fees and lower service fees on your eligible orders.

You need to activate this benefit and cancel before the end of the year if you don’t want to be automatically enrolled for a DashPass at the current monthly rate after the promotion.

As is common with co branded cards, the redemption options for the United Business card are mostly limited to the United brand and its partners.

While you and one travel companion can get first checked bags free, this is a little low compared to other co-branded cards. 

For example, the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex offers free first checked bags for you and up to eight companions on your reservation when you fly Delta.

There are other United cards that have higher earning rates on many purchases. There are only a few categories included in the top 2x miles tier, which may be inflexible for some users.

If you have both a personal Chase United Card and the United Business card, you’ll receive a 5,000 miles bonus each year on your business card anniversary.

You can request additional cards for your employees at no additional cost. This will allow you to set individual spend limits for your employee cards to make managing your business spending easier and you can accrue miles from purchases across all your employee cards.

This card offers two types of baggage insurance. Firstly, you’ll have baggage delay insurance to reimburse you for essentials if your passenger carrier delays your bags for more than six hours. The coverage limit is $100 per day for three days.

There is also lost luggage reimbursement for you and your immediate family members. If your checked or carry on luggage is lost or damaged by your carrier, you will have coverage for up to $3,000 per passenger.

If your trip is cut short or canceled due to severe weather, sickness or another covered situation, you can be reimbursed for non refundable, pre paid passenger fares up to $1,500 per person

If your common carrier travel has a delay of 12 hours or more, or requires an overnight stay, you and your family will have cover for unreimbursed expenses of up to $500 per ticket.

Who is the United Business Card Best For?

As a co-branded card, this one is ideal for those who frequently fly with United. The rewards and benefits are tailored towards United travelers, so if you’re a regular flyer, you’ll be able to make the most of what this card has to offer.

The United Business Card is also a strong option for business owners looking for a travel card with a solid range of insurance coverages. With trip interruption/cancellation, trip delay, rental car, and baggage insurance included, this card has you covered for most unexpected situations while you’re on the go.

Card
Rewards
Annual Fee

JetBlue Business Card

1X – 6X 6X points on JetBlue purchases, 2X points at restaurants and office supply stores and 1X points on all other purchases
$99

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

1x – 3x 3X points on Southwest airlines purchases, 2X points on participating Rapid Rewards® hotel and rental car partners, 2X points on rideshares, and 1X points on all other purchases
$99

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
1x – 2x 2X on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. shipping purchases, on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants. Also, earn 1X on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
$99, $0 intro first year

CitiBusiness® AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard

CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
1x – 2x 2X on eligible American Airlines purchases, cable and satellite providers, gas stations, select telecommunications merchants, car rentals And 1x on other purchases
$99, $0 intro first year

united infinite card

Up to 4x miles 4x miles on United Airlines purchases, 2x miles on all other travel purchases, dining and eligible delivery services and 1x miles on all other purchases
$525

united_explorer_card

1X – 2X 2x per $1 spent on United purchases, hotel accommodations, restaurants & eligible delivery services and 1x per $1 spent on all other purchases
$95 ($0 first year)

United Personal vs Business Card

Chase provides various United co-branded cards for personal customers, with the United Explorer card being the closest equivalent for comparison purposes with the United Business card.

Like the Business card, the personal card waives the annual fee for the first year. However, the personal card has an annual fee of $95 ($0 first year), while the business card has a fee of $99. Both cards offer the same rewards rate for United purchases.

Regarding the benefits suite, there are similarities and notable differences. Both cards offer perks such as free first checked bags, priority boarding, two United Club one-time passes, and statement credit for inflight purchases. They also provide similar travel insurance coverage and purchase protections.

However, personal customers have the advantage of receiving a statement credit for reimbursement of TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or Nexus application fees. On the other hand, they do not receive the United travel credit that is available with the business card.

Top Offers

amex platinum

Rewards Plan:
1X – 5X 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
80,000 points 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

amex brilliant

Rewards Plan:
2X – 6X 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program, 3 points at Worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
95,000 points 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of card membership.

Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum card

Rewards Plan:
1X – 3X 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
60,000 miles 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months
Advertiser Disclosure
The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.
Top Offers From Our Partners

amex platinum

Rewards Plan:
1X – 5X 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
80,000 points 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

amex brilliant

Rewards Plan:
2X – 6X 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program, 3 points at Worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
95,000 points 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of card membership.

Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum card

Rewards Plan:
Up to 3x miles 3 miles per $1 spent on United purchases immediately after earning your $125 annual United purchase credit, 2 miles on all other travel and select streaming services, 1 mile on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
60,000 miles Earn 70,000 bonus miles + 500 Premier qualifying points (PQP)
Advertiser Disclosure
The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.
Top Offers

amex platinum

Rewards Plan:
1X – 5X 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
80,000 points 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

amex brilliant

Rewards Plan:
2X – 6X 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program, 3 points at Worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
95,000 points 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of card membership.

Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum card

Rewards Plan:
1X – 3X 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
60,000 miles 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months
Advertiser Disclosure
The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.

FAQs

Your rewards will be automatically added to your United MileagePlus account. When you are ready to redeem your miles, you can log into your account and explore the redemption options.

If you want to book an award flight, you can search for flights as usual, but you will then use your miles as the payment method.

If you have decent credit, you should not find it particularly difficult to qualify for this card. However, it is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule.

This means that your application will be declined if you’ve opened up five or more new credit card accounts with any issuer over the last 24 months, regardless of your credit.

This card is not a good idea if you don’t typically fly with United on a regular basis. Since the rewards and benefits are weighted towards United, if you don’t fly at least several times a year, you will be unable to get the full value from the card.

In this case, you would be better suited to a general travel rewards card, which will offer greater flexibility and potentially more rewards.

Picture of Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor.  Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.
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Best Cards Per Category
Top Offers

amex platinum

Rewards Plan:
1X – 5X 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
80,000 points 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

amex brilliant

Rewards Plan:
2X – 6X 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program, 3 points at Worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
95,000 points 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of card membership.

Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum card

Rewards Plan:
1X – 3X 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
60,000 miles 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months
Advertiser Disclosure
The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.
Top Offers From Our Partners

amex platinum

Rewards Plan:
1X – 5X 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
80,000 points 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

amex brilliant

Rewards Plan:
2X – 6X 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program, 3 points at Worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome Bonus:
95,000 points 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of card membership.

Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum card

Rewards Plan:
Up to 3x miles 3 miles per $1 spent on United purchases immediately after earning your $125 annual United purchase credit, 2 miles on all other travel and select streaming services, 1 mile on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus:
60,000 miles Earn 70,000 bonus miles + 500 Premier qualifying points (PQP)
Advertiser Disclosure
The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.

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Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

Credit Card Reviews Methodology

In order to determine the best possible credit cards, we look at things like fees, interest rates and rewards. We do this with companies that are associated with us as partners as well as other offerings. From there, we make a decision about what the best card is related to different categories and needs. We focus on interest rate cost & fees, especially the cost of carrying a balance, rewards – cards accumulate rewards in different currencies—points, miles, cash back—and their values vary widely usability – cards that accept a wide range of credit profiles and offer simple solutions for things like checking your credit score or contacting. We also consider customer reviews.

We look at cards related to good or excellent credit ratings that will then provide a range of different benefits and improvements for someone who has these scores. We also look at low fees when it comes to those who have lower credit scores.

This website is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).

This website does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace. This website may use other proprietary factors to impact card offer listings on the website such as consumer selection or the likelihood of the applicant’s credit approval.

This allows us to maintain a full-time, editorial staff and work with finance experts you know and trust. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impacts any of the editorial content on The Smart Investor.

While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, The Smart Investor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.

Learn more about how we review products and read our advertiser disclosure for how we make money. All products are presented without warranty.