Chase Refreshes United Credit Cards with More Benefits and Higher Fees

Increasing annual fees and adding partner benefits (payable via monthly credits) is the hot trend with credit cards right now. I’m not a huge fan of this development, as I don’t like paying higher annual fees and keeping track of spending these monthly credits.

Yesterday, Chase announced changes to its lineup of United MileagePlus personal and business cards. You can see all the new offers here.

United Gateway Card

This card still has no annual fee. Two new benefits are unlocked after spending $10,000 in a calendar year:

• 2 free checked bags
• special member award pricing

United Explorer Card

The annual fee is increasing from $95 to $150 (starting in 2026 for current cardholders). Current welcome bonus is 80,000 miles and the annual fee is waived for the first year. New benefits include:

• $60 in rideshare statements ($5 per month)
• Two $50 statement credits for booking hotels through United hotels
• Two $25 statement credits for booking with Avis and Budget car rentals
• $100 statement credit for JSX flights
• 3-month free Instacart membership plus $120 in statement credits
• $100 United Travel Bank credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year.

United Quest Card

The annual fee is increasing from $250 to $350 (starting after August 1, 2025 for current cardholders). New benefits include:

• $100 in rideshare statements ($8 per month January-October, $12/month in Nov-Dec)
• $200 United Travel Bank credit upon card opening and card anniversary
• 10,000 mile credit on card anniversary
• $150 statement credit at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
• Two $40 credits from Avis/Budget
• $150 JSX credit
• $180 Instacart credit

United Club Card

The annual fee is increasing from $525 to $695 (starting after August 1, 2025 for current cardholders). New benefits include:

• $150 in rideshare statements ($12 per month January-October, $18/month in Nov-Dec)
• $200 statement credit at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
• Two $50 credits from Avis/Budget
• $200 JSX credit
• $240 Instacart credit

United Business Card and United Club Business Card

The annual fees on these cards are increasing to $150 and $695 respectively, with similar added benefits as their personal card counterparts.

My Thoughts on These Changes

I currently own the United Explorer Card, and I’m not happy with these changes. Because the rideshare statement credit are broken out by month, they aren’t as useful to me since I mainly take Uber to the airport every few months. I don’t fly United often, but I do like getting the special member award pricing. Thankfully, I don’t have to make a decision about renewing this card until 2026.

What do you think of these changes?