The United℠ Business Card packs useful perks for United flyers, including free checked bags, priority boarding, and two annual United Club passes. This practical business card proves worthwhile for small business owners who fly United even just a few times yearly.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
Welcome Bonus of United Business Card
The United Business Card currently offers the following welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles + 2,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Before applying, you’ll want to make sure you’re eligible. You can’t receive this bonus if you currently have this specific business card or got a bonus for it in the past 24 months.
The Chase 5/24 rule applies to applications, but since this is a business card, your account won’t count against your 5/24 status after approval. This makes it a smart choice for anyone carefully managing their Chase application strategy.
Earning Miles with United Business Card
The United Business Card earns United miles at the following rates:
This card offers a fairly basic earning structure that covers common business expenses but doesn’t really stand out in any particular category. One notable feature is that spending helps you progress toward elite status, earning 1 PQP for every $20 spent (up to 4,000 PQP per calendar year).
However, given this cap, it serves more as a supplement to flying activity rather than a primary path to status. For United purchases specifically, you can earn better rates with premium cards like the United Club cards or transferable points cards such as the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Annual Fee of United Business Card
The United Business Card has a $99 annual fee. The benefits that help offset this fee include a free first-checked bag, two United Club passes annually, a United travel credit, and 25% back on inflight purchases.
The card offers authorized user cards at no additional cost, and you can set individual spending limits for each employee card.
Benefits of United Business Card
The United Business offers several nice benefits, including: Free Checked Bag: Get a free first checked bag on United-operated flights for you and one companion on the same reservation when you purchase the flight with the United Business card. Two United Club Passes: You will receive two one-time visit passes to the United Club each account year. Priority Boarding: Receive priority boarding for cardholder and companions on the same reservation. This also helps you bypass the carry-on bag restrictions of basic economy. Increased Award Space: Get access to additional award availability when using your United miles to book a flight potentially saving you a lot of miles when redeeming points. In-Flight Savings: Receive 25% back as an account statement credit on purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi onboard United when you pay using your card. Potential Extra Bonus: If you have a personal United credit card (Explorer, Quest, Club, Gateway) and this United Business card, you can receive 5,000 bonus miles each year. Hotel Credits: Receive up to $100 annually as two $50 credits for your first and second prepaid United Hotels bookings. JSX Flight Credits: Get up to $100 back annually on flights with JSX, United’s semi-private jet service partner. Car Rental Credits: Earn up to $50 in TravelBank cash yearly ($25 per eligible rental, maximum two) when booking Avis/Budget through cars.united.com. Rideshare Credits: Enjoy $100 in annual rideshare credits distributed as $8 monthly (plus $12 in December) across various services. Instacart Benefits: Receive $120 yearly in Instacart credits ($10 monthly) through December 2027, plus a complimentary three-month Instacart+ membership. Economy Plus Upgrades: Earn two continental U.S. Economy Plus seat upgrades after spending $25,000 in a calendar year. FareLock Credits: Get up to $25 annually in statement credits for United FareLock flight price holds. Trip Delay Insurance: When your trip is significantly delayed due to covered reasons like equipment failures or severe weather, this protection reimburses you for reasonable expenses including lodging, meals, toiletries, and medication. The coverage activates when you pay for travel with your card and extends to family members on the same itinerary, though you’ll need to seek reimbursement from the travel carrier first. Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive. Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card. Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance: This protection reimburses you for non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel before departure or cut your trip short due to covered situations like severe illness or weather events. Coverage activates when you pay for your trip with the card, but it’s important to note that reimbursement only applies for specific covered reasons rather than any cancellation. Primary Rental Car Insurance: When you rent a car and pay with this card, you’ll receive comprehensive coverage including damage and theft protection. Simply decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver and charge the entire rental to your card to activate coverage. This insurance covers damage, theft, and valid loss-of-use charges worldwide. No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose. 120-Day Purchase Protection: Get 120 days of protection against damage, theft, and even loss of your purchases – one of the longest windows available. This premium coverage automatically applies when you pay with your card. Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans.
Travel Benefits
Purchase Benefits
Redeeming United Miles
United MileagePlus offers numerous opportunities to redeem miles for flights on United and its extensive network of Star Alliance and other airline partners. Here are some of the best ways to use United miles: For international travel, business and first class award tickets often provide excellent value. You can fly Lufthansa first class from the U.S. to Europe for 121,000 miles one-way, experiencing one of the most sought-after premium cabins. United’s own Polaris business class to Europe starts at 80,000 miles one-way, featuring lie-flat seats with direct aisle access. United’s Excursionist Perk allows you to add a free one-way segment within a single region on round-trip international itineraries, effectively giving you a free stopover. This can be creatively used to visit multiple destinations on one award ticket. Short-haul flights under 800 miles outside the U.S. can be booked for just 8,800 miles in economy, making United miles useful for intra-region travel in places like Europe or Africa. Within the U.S., domestic flights can sometimes be found for as low as 5,000 miles one-way with United’s dynamic pricing. For long-haul travel, you can book business class to Africa on Star Alliance partners like Ethiopian Airlines or South African Airways for 88,000 miles one-way. ANA’s excellent business class to Japan, featuring “The Room” seats on some aircraft, starts at 110,000 miles. United miles can also get you to hard-to-reach places like the Galápagos Islands, with economy flights from Ecuador starting at just 8,800 miles one-way on Avianca. Caribbean destinations can be reached from 13,200 miles round-trip in economy from the U.S. Remember that United doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges for partner awards, keeping out-of-pocket costs low. While redemption rates may not always be the absolute lowest, the ease of booking online and access to extensive Star Alliance inventory make United MileagePlus a valuable program for award travelers.
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Airport Lounge Access: Two United Club passes annually provide a great way to escape the terminal chaos and enjoy lounge amenities, making this a standout perk for a card with a modest annual fee.
United Airlines Benefits: The combination of free first-checked bag for two travelers, United Club passes, annual United travel credit, and inflight purchase discounts can easily exceed the annual fee in value.
Many Bonus Categories: 2x miles on United purchases, dining, gas stations, office supplies, and transit/commuting covers many common business expense categories.
Cons:
Limited PQP Earning: The card caps PQP earnings at 1,000 per year and requires substantial spending to earn them, making it inefficient for status qualification.
Moderate Annual Fee: While not the highest, the $99 annual fee requires regular United travel to justify keeping the card long-term.
Travel Credit Restrictions: The $100 United travel credit requires making seven $100+ United purchases, which might be difficult for infrequent travelers to achieve.
Better Earning Options Available: Chase Ultimate Rewards cards often provide better earning rates on similar categories while maintaining the ability to transfer points to United, making this card less competitive for spending.
Card Alternatives to the United Business Card
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) offers great rewards for small business owners. With bonus points on travel, shipping, advertising, and communication services, plus valuable travel protections, it’s a solid choice for companies looking to maximize their everyday spending. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Rewards: 3x points on travel, shipping, advertising made with social media sites and search engines, and internet, cable and phone services on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year; 1x points on all other eligible purchases. Card Benefits: Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel, no foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation insurance, cell phone protection, purchase protection, and extended warranty. Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Emirates, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, IHG, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business (review) simplifies rewards earning with double miles on everything you buy. This straightforward business card lets you transfer miles to travel partners or redeem directly for travel purchases, making it a practical choice for business owners who want travel flexibility without complex bonus categories. Welcome Bonus: Earn a 50,000 miles bonus when you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months. Earn Rewards: 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars for bookings via Capital One’s travel booking site; 2x miles on all other eligible purchases. Card Benefits: Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, primary rental car insurance, extended warranty, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees. Transfer Partners: Accor (2 to 1), Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Choice Privileges, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, I Prefer Hotels (1 to 2), Japan Airlines(2 to 1.5), JetBlue (5 to 3), Qantas, Qatar, Singapore KrisFlyer, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Red, and Wyndham Rewards.
United℠ Explorer Card
The United℠ Explorer Card (review) delivers premium travel benefits without the premium price tag, making it ideal if you fly United just a few times yearly. You’ll enjoy practical perks like free checked bags and priority boarding alongside monthly credits for ride-sharing and grocery delivery that provide value throughout the year. Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Earning Miles: 2x miles on United Airlines purchases, dining (including eligible delivery services), hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel; 1x miles on all other purchases. Card Benefits: Free first checked bag for you and one companion, 2 United Club one-time passes each year, $120 Instacart credit, $100 JSX credit, $60 ridesharing credit, $100 United Hotels credit, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS application fee credit, 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases, no foreign transaction fees, travel insurance (primary rental car, trip delay, trip cancellation, lost luggage, and baggage delay), purchase protection, and extended warranty.
Is the United Business Card Worth It?
For small business owners who fly United even occasionally, the United Business Card offers exceptional value that extends far beyond its modest annual fee.
You’ll receive practical perks like a free first-checked bag, priority boarding, and two United Club passes annually. you can earn bonus miles on United flights, gas, office supplies, dining, and transit purchases.
The card’s $100 United travel credit after making seven qualifying purchases essentially nullifies the $99 annual fee, making this an easy choice if you’re planning to fly United a few times per year.
What really stands out is the ability to earn Premier Qualifying Points toward elite status through card spending and access to expanded award availability when booking tickets with miles. Plus, if you pair this with a personal United card, you’ll receive 5,000 bonus miles annually, making this an ideal choice for maximizing your United travel experience.
Learn How to Apply: United℠ Business Card.
