The United℠ Business Card review: Decent United travel perks for small-business owners
Snapshot
4.3
Bottom line
This business card offers solid perks for small-business owners loyal to United Airlines, but it may not be the most rewarding option for frequent travelers.
Best for United benefits
on Chase's secure site
See Rates & FeesIntro offer
Earn 100,000 bonus miles
Rewards Rate
1x - 2x
Annual fee
$150
Regular APR
19.74% - 28.24% Variable
4.3
Bankrate score
Rewards value
APR
Rewards flexibility
Features
Why you'll like this: Its diverse mix of everyday bonus categories makes it easy to earn United miles even without spending a ton on flights.
Reward Details
Card Details
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The United℠ Business Card Overview
If you're a small-business owner who prefers to fly with United Airlines, you can likely find a good amount of value in this card. It offers a substantial welcome offer, and the card’s travel perks make it one of the better airline business credit cards available.
That said, this card’s ongoing rewards rates aren’t especially impressive. It doesn’t earn much on everyday spending (2X miles in certain categories), so it’s likely not an ideal choice if you only travel occasionally or aren’t looking for United-specific perks. A general travel card with potential to earn higher rates on everyday, or business, purchases may be a more lucrative choice, especially if it lets you transfer points to other airlines.
Quick highlights
- Rewards Rate: 2X miles on United Airlines purchases, dining, at gas stations, on office supplies and local transit and commuting; 1X miles on all other purchases
- Welcome Offer: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- Annual Fee: $150
- Purchase Intro APR: N/A
- Balance Transfer Intro APR: N/A
- Regular APR: 19.74% - 28.24% Variable
- Foreign transaction fee: N/A
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
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Travel perks like the first free checked bag and the yearly United Airlines statement credit can help you quickly offset the annual fee.
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Cardholders can earn United miles on everyday business purchases at office supply stores.
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This card comes with a free first checked bag perk and an annual travel credit.
Cons
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This card’s annual fee could be difficult to offset with rewards alone if you aren't able to use the perks.
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This card doesn't offer some key travel perks found on other cards, like credits toward a TSA PreCheck application.
Rewards
The United Business Card earns 2X miles on United purchases and in a few other common spending categories, including dining and gas, and 1X miles on everything else. It can be a good choice for United Airlines loyalists, but even if you’re a business owner who doesn’t travel much, you can still earn boosted miles on purchases outside of travel. Additionally, if you have employees who travel frequently for business, you can earn rewards from their travel spending too.
You can redeem your rewards through the United MileagePlus portal toward flights with United Airlines and with a number of United Airlines partners, including airlines that are part of the Star Alliance network. However, if you don’t want to redeem miles for airline travel, you can redeem them toward the cost of cruises, for gift cards, travel experiences or other gifts.
How much are the rewards worth?
Based on Bankrate’s latest airline mile value estimates, MileagePlus miles are worth an average value of around 0.9 cents per point. This means 100,000 United miles could be worth an average of $900 when transferred to a high-value transfer partner.
That said, the value you get for your miles will vary based on the details of your booking. To calculate your mile value, simply divide the cost of a booking in cash by its cost in miles. If you get a value of more than 0.9 cents, you’ll be getting a good deal, based on Bankrate’s valuations.
