United Airlines and Chase Launch Limited-Time Credit Card Welcome Bonuses
Chase and United Airlines have raised welcome bonuses across four consumer credit cards, with offers reaching 100K MileagePlus miles. The advertised totals combine miles earned through spending with a separate bonus for adding an authorized user who makes a purchase.
The limited-time offers cover the Club, Quest, Explorer, and Gateway cards. Spending requirements range from $1K to $5K within the first three months, giving applicants different routes to building their mileage balance.
Club and Quest lead the offers
The United Club Card offers 90K miles after $5K in purchases within three months of account opening. Adding an authorized user who makes a purchase during that period earns another 10K miles, bringing the total to 100K.
Quest offers 80K miles after $4K in purchases within the same window, plus the 10K authorized-user bonus. It also awards 500 Premier Qualifying Points after the first purchase, providing a boost toward United elite status.
The United Business and United Club Business cards have welcome offers that include miles and Premier Qualifying Points. Those are separate from the four consumer-card offers.
Explorer waives the first annual fee
Explorer offers 70K miles after $3K in purchases within three months. Another 10K miles is available for adding an authorized user who makes a purchase during that period, taking the combined bonus to 80K.
The card has a $0 annual fee in the first year and a $150 fee afterward. Applicants weighing the offer should account for that ongoing charge alongside the initial miles.
Explorer’s spending requirement falls between Gateway’s $1K and Quest’s $4K. That makes the amount of spending already planned during the three-month window a useful starting point for comparing the offers.
Gateway has the lowest spending hurdle
Gateway offers 40K miles after $1K in purchases within three months, plus the 10K authorized-user bonus. It charges no annual fee, combining the lowest spending requirement in the consumer lineup with a potential 50K-mile total.
Travel Deel calls Gateway’s offer the best it’s seen. The full amount includes the authorized-user bonus, so meeting the $1K spending requirement alone earns 40K miles.
Gateway earns 5x total miles on eligible United flights and 2x on other eligible United purchases. It also earns 2x at gas stations and on local transit and commuting, with 1x on other purchases.
Cardholders receive 25% back as a statement credit on eligible onboard food, beverages, and Wi-Fi purchases. Spending $10K in a calendar year unlocks two checked bags, a separate threshold from the welcome offer.
The extra miles require another step
The additional 10K miles depend on adding an authorized user who makes a purchase within the first three months. Applicants should distinguish that requirement from the spending needed to earn the base bonus.
MileagePlus miles can be redeemed for award flights, including United Polaris business class to Europe or Asia. Checking a trip you want to book can help put the offered miles in context.
Club advertises twice Gateway’s maximum bonus but requires five times as much spending to earn its base offer. The better fit depends on which threshold your planned purchases can cover and what you intend to do with the miles.
