United Gateway Card evaluation: Earn airline miles at no annual charge

Our take: Though there’s no annual charge, the shortage of a checked bag perk or different flying advantages with the United Gateway℠ Card leaves us hungry for extra.

United Gateway℠ Card Overview

Card sort: Airline

The United Gateway℠ Card is an intriguing card at first look. This no-annual-fee airline bank card comes with an intro APR supply and earns elevated rewards in a number of helpful areas of on a regular basis spending. It’s additionally value noting that is the one co-branded United bank card that costs no annual charge, because the Gateway’s large siblings include value tags starting from $95 to greater than $500 per yr.

Sounds fairly interesting, proper? However like a souffle with out egg whites, the United Gateway card falls flat. With out airline-specific advantages like a free checked bag or precedence boarding, most people can be higher off with a card that earns a flat 2% money again on all the things, slightly than simply 2X miles again on some issues and 1X miles on the remainder. 

Those that hanker for a United co-branded card ought to know that there are three different client United co-branded playing cards obtainable, and all supply expanded Saver Award entry (that means extra potential for good offers when redeeming your miles for flights), checked bag perks, precedence boarding and extra, and one among them even waives the annual charge the primary yr. Extra on that under.

Who’s the United Gateway℠ Card good for? 

The United Gateway card is nice for 2 varieties of vacationers: Somebody who sometimes flies United and doesn’t must verify a bag and somebody who earns flexible travel rewards they’ll switch to United Airways and needs entry to Saver Awards ticket availability.

Who shouldn’t get the United Gateway℠ Card? 

The United Gateway Card will not be a superb match for somebody who continuously checks a bag or values precedence boarding. If you would like a United Airways bank card with these perks, there’s a plethora of different choices.

United Gateway℠ Card: The right way to earn rewards

The United Gateway card earns United MileagePlus miles on the following charges:

• 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, together with tickets, Economic system Plus, in-flight meals, drinks and Wi-Fi, baggage service costs and different United purchases. 
• 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, together with rideshare companies, taxicabs, prepare tickets, tolls, and mass transit.
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all different purchases.

There’s a first-year welcome bonus of 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months your account is open.

The right way to redeem United Gateway℠ Card rewards 

The United Gateway card earns United MileagePlus miles, which may be redeemed in a number of methods.

Use miles to e book United and associate airline award flights 

Utilizing your miles for flights is often the best worth use of your earnings. United Airways is a member of the Star Alliance airline group, which suggests you need to use your MileagePlus miles to e book flights on any of the 26 alliance members to over 1,200 locations worldwide. Award flights on each United and associate airways are dynamic, that means the worth and variety of miles required for bookings will rise and fall primarily based on demand.

United additionally presents Saver Award and On a regular basis Award fares on some flights. Saver Awards fares are flights provided on the lowest mileage requirement obtainable on an award flight. On a regular basis Award fares are sometimes extra obtainable however require extra miles than Saver awards. 

Though Saver Awards can be found on some flights to all MileagePlus members, proudly owning an eligible co-branded United bank card or having Premier elite standing will present “hidden” Saver Award availability on some routes that different MileagePlus members can’t entry. (For those who fly United sufficient to need expanded Saver Award entry, you might discover it worthwhile to get one of many United bank cards that costs an annual charge.)

Right here’s an instance of how redeeming miles to e book Saver and higher-class seats may be beneficial. Take into account this one-way flight from Newark to Los Angeles on Sept. 10, 2024:

As you possibly can see, the flight would price 18,100 miles with out Saver entry, however a choose variety of Saver Award seats can be found in economic system on the two p.m. flight for simply 15,000 miles.

The money value for those self same common economic system flights is $185 every plus taxes and charges. This might make the miles used to purchase that Saver economic system seat value about 1.2 cents per level, which is a just-OK redemption. 

For those who had your eye on a extra premium expertise, you’ll see that the two p.m. flight has a enterprise class seat for 80,000 miles plus taxes and charges and a money value of $1,334. This might make your miles value roughly 1.7 cents per level when you worth the added consolation.

You may e book flights utilizing simply your miles or a mixture of miles and money. Nevertheless, utilizing simply miles usually yields the perfect worth. 

It’s at all times useful to get extra for much less, notably in relation to rewards. Nevertheless, it nonetheless pays to do the mathematics to ensure the redemption you’re contemplating is an efficient use of your factors. In the end, the perfect redemption shall be totally different for everybody, however as a rule of thumb, you need to intention to get greater than a penny per level in worth out of your miles.

Different redemption choices

United MileagePlus miles may also be redeemed to e book journey together with lodges, rental automobiles and cruises by means of the United website, used to improve or pay for seat assignments, improve seats, prepay for checked luggage, cowl a TSA PreCheck utility charge or renewal charge, or pay for a United Membership membership, in-flight eating, in-flight WiFi or a meal at choose eating places and bars at Newark Airport (EWR) and Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

Nevertheless, a lot of the choices usually are much less beneficial than redeeming in direction of flights. For instance, it takes 11,000 miles to cowl the $78 TSA Precheck utility charge, which provides you a price of simply 0.7 cents per mile.

United Gateway℠ Card charges and charges

• Annual charge: $0
• Overseas transaction charge: None.
• Intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months. After that, 21.99%–28.99% variablevariable APR applies.
• Buy APR: 21.99%–28.99% variable.

Further advantages

• Get 25% again on United in-flight and Membership premium drink purchases: You’ll obtain 25% again as a press release credit score on purchases of meals, drinks and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Membership premium drinks whenever you pay with the cardboard.
• Journey cancellation/interruption insurance coverage: In case your journey is canceled or minimize quick by lined conditions like illness or damage you may be reimbursed as much as $1,500 per particular person and $6,000 per journey on your pre-paid, non-refundable passenger fares.
• Buy safety and prolonged guarantee protection: New purchases are lined for as much as 120 days towards harm or theft,  as much as $500 per declare and $50,000 per account—and eligible warranties may be prolonged for as much as an extra yr on purchases made with the cardboard.
• One-year complimentary DashPass subscription: Enroll and obtain a membership for each DoorDash and Caviar meals supply companies with limitless deliveries with $0 supply charges and decrease service charges on eligible orders. After that, you’re routinely enrolled in DashPass on the present month-to-month fee. Activate by 12/31/24.

Bank cards much like the United Gateway Card

For those who’re out there for a low-cost journey card to achieve some advantages and perks, there are different choices that could be a greater match than the United Gateway card. Right here’s how two common choices stack up.

United Gateway℠ Card	UnitedSM Explorer Card	Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card
Annual charge	Annual charge	Annual charge
$0	$0 introductory annual charge for the primary yr (then $95)	$95
Welcome bonus	Welcome bonus	Welcome bonus
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months your account is open.	Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months your account is open.	Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards	Rewards	Rewards
2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, 2 miles per $1 spent at fuel stations, on native transit and commuting, together with rideshare companies, taxicabs, prepare tickets, tolls, and mass transit, 1 mile per $1 spent on all different purchases.	2x miles on eating (together with eligible supply companies), resort stays, and United® purchases(together with tickets, inflight meals, drinks and Wi-Fi, Economic system Plus® and extra). 1x miles on all different purchases.	5x factors on journey bought by means of Chase Journey℠ (excluding resort purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Chase Journey Resort Credit score), 3x factors on eating at eating places, together with takeout and eligible supply companies, 2x factors on journey purchases not booked by means of Chase Journey, 1x factors on different purchases and 5x factors on Lyft rides by means of March 31, 2025 (that is 3x factors along with the 2x factors you already earn on journey).

United^SM Explorer Card vs. United Gateway℠ Card

For those who’re flying United sufficient to contemplate getting a co-branded card, a low-cost various to the Gateway card can be the United^SM Explorer Card card. For a $0 introductory annual charge for the primary yr (then $95), you get a free checked bag perk for you and a companion, plus a International Entry/TSA Precheck utility charge reimbursement each 4 years. These perks alone could make up for the price of the comparatively low annual charge when you fly considerably often. 

The Explorer Card additionally earns 2X miles per greenback on United purchases (together with tickets, in-flight meals, drinks and Wi-Fi, Economic system Plus® and extra), eating, and resort lodging booked instantly by means of the resort. You’ll earn 1x miles on all different purchases. The welcome supply can be extra sturdy than what’s provided on the Gateway card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months your account is open. 

Somebody looking for United perks by means of bank card possession will discover that the Explorer card, or its costlier and more and more perk-laden siblings, the $250-annual-fee United Quest card and the $525-annual-fee United Membership℠ Infinite Card have extra to supply than the Gateway card.

Chase Sapphire Most popular^® Card vs. United Gateway℠ Card

Though the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card carries a $95 annual charge and doesn’t include any airline-specific advantages, rare flyers might discover better worth on this card over the no-annual-fee Gateway card. The Chase Sapphire Most popular presents as much as $50 in assertion credit yearly towards resort bookings made by means of Chase.

Plus, this card has a wealthy rewards construction of 5x factors on journey bought by means of Chase Journey℠ (excluding resort purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Chase Journey Resort Credit score), 3x factors on eating at eating places, together with takeout and eligible supply companies, 2x factors on journey purchases not booked by means of Chase, 1x factors on different purchases and 5x factors on Lyft rides by means of March 31, 2025 (that is 3x factors along with the 2x factors you already earn on journey).

New cardholders even have the chance to earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

The principle profit the Sapphire Most popular has over the Gateway card is that it earns Chase Final Rewards, that are versatile factors that can be utilized to e book flights, lodges, and different varieties of journey by means of Chase or transferred at a 1:1 fee to associate airline and resort applications. Utilizing your factors for journey by means of Chase presents 25% extra worth, that means every level is value 1.25 cents in comparison with the 1 cent per level worth you’d get if redeeming your rewards for money again. 

United Airways is amongst Chase’s checklist of journey companions, in addition to different common applications resembling Southwest Airways Speedy Rewards and World of Hyatt. Transferring rewards to companions is commonly the way in which to maximise your redemption worth when you’re prepared to spend a while strategically searching for the perfect deal. In brief, the Sapphire Most popular’s plethora of redemption choices provides you way more decisions of what to do together with your rewards then the Gateway card.

Is the United Gateway℠ Card best for you?

The United Gateway Card is correct for only a slim slice of journey rewards seekers: Those that want to earn United miles and might’t stand to pay an annual charge—even when they’ll get a free checked bag perk—or these trying to downgrade an present higher-priced United card. If this sounds such as you, the Gateway card will serve your wants.

Continuously requested questions 

What’s the credit score restrict on a United Gateway bank card?

Like most bank card issuers, Chase doesn’t reveal prematurely how a lot of a credit score restrict you’ll get with the United Gateway card. Upon approval, the issuer will let the credit score restrict you’ll be granted. Credit score limits typically rely on elements resembling your credit score historical past and the issuer’s evaluation of your means to repay what you cost to the cardboard.

Do you get free baggage with the United Gateway℠ Card?

The United Gateway card doesn’t include a free checked baggage perk. If you wish to verify a bag, you’ll must pay for it.

Which United card provides entry to airport lounges?

The United Explorer card presents two United Membership lounge passes per yr, and the United Membership Infinite Card presents the first cardmember, and eligible journey companions, entry to all United Membership areas and collaborating Star Alliance affiliated lounges worldwide as a good thing about proudly owning the cardboard. 

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