United Quest Card Review: The Goldilocks United Card

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United Quest℠ Card

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• Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
• APR21.24% - 28.24% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$250
• Sign Up Bonus 70,000United MileagePlus Miles More Info

  Limited-time Offer: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Dollar Equivalent: $980 (70,000 United MileagePlus Miles * 0.014 base)

The United Quest℠ Card comes with a lot of flair, and it can be an excellent choice for United enthusiasts who don’t travel quite enough to justify paying for the airline’s premium credit card. The card charges an annual fee, which may be a good compromise for United airline loyalists who want perks, but aren’t ready to commit to the premium price tag of the United Club Infinite Card.

The Sweet Spot Card For United Loyalists

Airline credit cards can be incredibly competitive. But in most cases, you have to shell out $450 or more to get the best airline benefits. With the United Quest℠ Card, though, you can take advantage of some of the best perks United Airlines has to offer with an annual fee that’s easier to stomach.

The new card is offering an impressive 70,000-mile sign-up bonus plus 500 Premier qualifying points, which you’ll be hard-pressed to find with any other airline credit card. And if you’re a regular traveler, you’ll likely be able to make up for the card’s $250 annual fee in the form of perks.

The United Quest Card is just one of many credit cards the airline has issued through its partner Chase. If you’re hoping to get a lot of benefits when you fly United, but you don’t travel enough to merit applying for the United Club Infinite Card, this one might be the one for you.

Sign-Up Bonus

The United Quest Card is offering a sizable sign-up bonus to new cardholders. When you get approved, you can earn 70,000 bonus miles plus 500 Premier qualifying points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.

According to our points valuation guide, United MileagePlus miles are worth 1.4 cents apiece on average, which means you can expect roughly $840 in value from the incentive. However, depending on how you redeem your rewards, you may be able to squeeze even more value out of each mile.

Rewards Rates

The new United credit card also raises the bar for airline credit card rewards. In many cases, you earn an extra mile on purchases made with that airline, but that’s it.

With this card, though, you’ll receive 3x miles per dollar on United purchases, 2x miles per dollar on restaurants, select streaming services and all other travel and 1x mile per dollar on all other purchases.

Again, because United miles are worth more than one cent apiece, these reward rates hold up very well against the competition.

Perks and Benefits

As with any high-annual-fee credit card, you can expect to get a lot of value from the United Quest Card. However, you’ll likely need to travel fairly regularly to make it worth its cost. Here are some of the benefits you’ll get:

• $125 annual United purchase credit
• Up to 10,000 miles back when you book award flights — that’s 5,000 miles for each of your first two award flights booked each account anniversary year.
• The first and second checked bags free for you and one traveling companion
• Priority boarding and premier upgrades on award tickets
• Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® every four years — worth up to $100
• Earn up to 6,000 Premier qualifying points (PQPs) per year toward Premier status eligibility (up to and including Premier 1K) — that’s almost enough to get a cardmember to Sliver status (Effective January 1, 2023)
• 25% back on United inflight purchases, such as food, beverages and WiFi
• No blackout dates
• Exclusive events with United Card Events and United MileagePlus events
• Exclusive cardmember benefits with Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

Between the annual United purchase credit and award flight bonuses alone, you should be able to recoup the cost of the card’s annual fee. And if you regularly check bags, this card can be a lifesaver — most airline cards only offer the first checked bag free, so this would be a solid card to use for international flights.

Trip Protections

Having travel insurance can provide a lot of peace of mind, but it can be expensive if you purchase it through the airline or directly from an insurance company. Fortunately, the United Quest Card can help with some of its complimentary trip protections.

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance

If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations, you can get up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip in reimbursements for prepaid, nonrefundable fares.

Trip delay reimbursement

If your common carrier, such as a plane, bus or train, is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family can be covered up to $500 per ticket for unreimbursed meals and lodging expenses charged to your United Quest Card.

Baggage delay insurance

If your luggage is delayed by six hours or overnight, you’ll be reimbursed for essential purchases like clothing and toiletries, up to $100 per day for three days.

Lost luggage reimbursement

If your baggage is damaged or lost by a carrier, you can get up to $3,000 in coverage for the contents of your luggage.

Rental car insurance

Most travel credit cards offer rental car insurance, but this card’s coverage is relatively rare because it’s primary. This means that you don’t have to file a claim with your personal insurance policy first, which could raise your premiums.

Fees

The card charges a $250 annual fee, which you can make up for if you fly United frequently. It doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee, but may charge you if you’re late on a payment or have a payment returned.

Bottom Line

The United Quest Card comes with a lot of flair, and it can be an excellent choice for United enthusiasts who don’t travel quite enough to justify paying for the airline’s premium credit card. However, you’ll want to review all of the card’s features and determine whether it’s the right one for you based on your travel habits.

As always, it’s also a good idea to shop around and compare the card with other airline and general travel cards to determine which is the best fit for you.

The "Sweet Spot" United Card

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