The United Quest Card sits between the United Explorer Card and the premium United Club Card. Its $350 annual fee is substantial, but the card includes benefits that can make it surprisingly easy for regular United flyers to justify keeping.
United and Chase offer several personal MileagePlus credit cards. The no-annual-fee United Gateway Card sits at the bottom of the lineup, followed by the United Explorer Card, the United Quest Card and the United Club Card.
The Quest Card doesn’t include a United Club membership, so it isn’t aimed at someone looking for a premium airport experience. Instead, its value comes from a combination of United travel credits, award discounts, free checked bags and help earning MileagePlus Premier status.
That makes it a potentially useful card for someone who flies United regularly but doesn’t need or want to pay for the United Club Card.
United Quest Card
Annual Fee
The United Quest Card has a $350 annual fee.
That initially sounds expensive for an airline card without lounge access. However, the card automatically provides $200 in United TravelBank cash each year, effectively reducing the cost to $150 for anyone who would otherwise spend at least $200 on United flights.
The remaining question is whether the card’s checked-bag benefits, award discounts and other perks are worth that additional cost.
Current Welcome Offer
The United Quest Card currently offers up to 70,000 bonus miles plus 500 Premier qualifying points after completing the required qualifying activities, including adding an authorized user.
Because the offer is advertised as “up to” 70,000 miles, be sure to review the application page for the exact spending requirements and any additional steps needed to earn the full bonus.
The United Quest Card is subject to Chase’s application rules, including the unofficial 5/24 rule.
You also generally won’t qualify for the offer if you currently have the United Quest Card or received a new cardmember bonus for this specific card within the previous 24 months. Receiving a bonus on another United card, such as the Explorer Card, doesn’t automatically disqualify you from earning the Quest bonus.
Offers can change, so check the application page before applying.
Earning United Miles
The United Quest Card earns:
- 4X miles on eligible United purchases
- 5X miles on prepaid hotel stays booked through Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United Cardmembers
- 2X miles on other travel
- 2X miles on dining, including eligible delivery services
- 2X miles on select streaming services
- 1X mile on other eligible purchases
United advertises that general MileagePlus members can earn a total of 10 miles per dollar on eligible United flights. However, six of those miles come from the standard mileage earned by a MileagePlus member flying on a paid United ticket. The credit card itself adds four miles per dollar.
Four miles per dollar on United purchases is a strong return for a United card. The 2X categories are less impressive, especially because several flexible-points cards earn as much or more on travel and dining.
This is a good card for paying United expenses, but it probably shouldn’t become your default card for every purchase unless you’re also trying to earn Premier qualifying points or reach one of its spending thresholds.
The Benefits That Justify The Annual Fee
$200 In United TravelBank Cash Each Year
The most important benefit is the annual $200 United travel credit.
Rather than receiving a statement credit after making a purchase, cardholders receive $200 in United TravelBank cash after opening the card and again after each account anniversary. It can be applied toward eligible United- and United Express-operated flights.
For anyone who spends at least $200 with United each year, this is reasonably close to face value. Using the entire credit reduces the card’s effective annual cost from $350 to $150.
That’s the foundation of the card’s value. If you don’t regularly purchase United tickets, the Quest Card becomes much more difficult to justify.
10,000-Mile Anniversary Award Discount
Beginning with the first cardmember anniversary, Quest cardholders receive a 10,000-mile discount that can be applied to an eligible United award ticket.
For example, a United award priced at 50,000 miles could cost 40,000 miles after applying the discount.
This is more flexible than the card’s previous benefit, which provided two separate 5,000-mile rebates after completing qualifying award trips. The newer version gives you one 10,000-mile discount that can be applied when booking an eligible award.
How much this is worth depends on how you redeem United miles, but receiving 10,000 miles of savings each year can easily cover much of the remaining effective annual fee.
The discount expires at the following cardmember anniversary, so it’s only valuable if you actually book a qualifying United award during the year.
Discounted United Award Pricing
Cardholders also receive a discount of at least 10% when booking eligible United-operated flights with MileagePlus miles. Premier members receive a discount of at least 15%.
Since United uses dynamic award pricing, that doesn’t guarantee an award will be inexpensive. However, it means Quest cardholders may see lower prices than general MileagePlus members for the same flight.
This is separate from the annual 10,000-mile award discount and can make the card more valuable for someone who regularly redeems United miles.
Two Free Checked Bags
The primary cardholder and one companion on the same reservation can each check their first and second standard bags for free on eligible United- and United Express-operated flights.
To receive the benefit, the primary cardholder generally must:
- Include their MileagePlus number on the reservation
- Purchase the tickets with the United Quest Card
- Travel on a United- or United Express-operated flight
Codeshare flights operated by another airline don’t qualify.
United values the first checked bag at up to $50 and the second at up to $60 each way. A cardholder and companion checking two bags apiece could therefore avoid as much as $440 in bag charges on a round trip.
Most travelers won’t check two bags on every trip. Still, this is one of the clearest reasons to choose the Quest Card over the Explorer Card, which only provides the first checked bag free for the cardholder and one companion.
For travelers who regularly check two bags, the benefit can cover the remaining effective annual fee with a single round trip.
Help Earning United Premier Status
1,000 PQP Each Year
Quest cardholders receive 1,000 Premier qualifying points each program year, beginning in the calendar year after opening the card.
This provides a useful head start toward United Premier status without requiring any card spending.
It doesn’t earn status by itself, but it could make a meaningful difference for someone who would otherwise finish slightly short of a Premier threshold.
Earning PQP Through Spending
The Quest Card earns 1 PQP for every $20 spent, up to 18,000 PQP per calendar year.
That’s more generous than the card’s previous structure of earning 25 PQP for every $500 spent, even though the rate works out the same. PQP now post in smaller increments rather than requiring spending to reach $500 blocks.
Earning 18,000 PQP would require $360,000 in annual spending, so the maximum isn’t realistic for most cardholders. Still, someone putting significant spending on the card could earn enough PQP to help reach the next Premier level.
Whether that makes sense depends on the alternatives. Giving up more valuable rewards on another card just to manufacture United status may not be a good trade.
Additional Benefits At Spending Thresholds
The card offers two more benefits tied to annual spending:
- An additional 10,000-mile award discount after spending $20,000 during a calendar year
- Two global Economy Plus seat upgrades after spending $40,000 during a calendar year
The additional award discount could be worthwhile for someone who already plans to spend $20,000 on the card.
The Economy Plus upgrades are less compelling. Requiring $40,000 in spending for two upgrades is a high threshold, particularly when that spending could earn more valuable rewards elsewhere. The upgrades are also only for the primary cardholder and are subject to availability and other restrictions.
These are useful bonuses when you naturally reach the thresholds, but I wouldn’t move large amounts of spending to the card solely to earn them.
Other United Travel Benefits
Priority Boarding
The primary cardholder and companions on the same reservation receive priority boarding on eligible United-operated flights.
Quest cardholders typically board in Group 2. As shown in our guide to United boarding groups, that still comes after several categories of passengers.
It’s most useful when you need overhead-bin space or are traveling on a Basic Economy ticket. Having an eligible United card also allows the primary cardholder and qualifying companions to bring a standard carry-on when flying United Basic Economy.
Premier Upgrades On Award Tickets
Cardholders who also have United Premier status may be eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades while traveling on award tickets. One companion on the same reservation may also be eligible.
Upgrades remain subject to United’s normal availability and priority rules, so this is far from guaranteed. However, it removes one of the limitations Premier members would otherwise face when redeeming miles.
25% Back On United Inflight Purchases
Cardholders receive 25% back as a statement credit when using the Quest Card for eligible:
- Food, beverages and Wi-Fi on United-operated flights
- United Wi-Fi subscriptions
- Premium drinks at United Clubs
It’s a useful benefit, but probably not one that will materially affect whether the card is worth keeping.
Expanded United Award Access
Holding an eligible United co-brand card provides access to additional United award inventory that may not be available to general MileagePlus members.
Those extra awards aren’t necessarily cheap. However, when cash prices are extremely high and you need to travel on a specific flight, having access to more award options can be valuable.
Global Entry, TSA PreCheck Or NEXUS Credit
The card reimburses up to $120 every four years for an eligible Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee.
This remains notable because not every card offering a trusted-traveler credit covers NEXUS.
However, this benefit has become common on travel cards. Anyone with several premium cards may already have more of these credits than they can use.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
The United Quest Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.
That should be expected from a travel card with a $350 annual fee, but it still makes the card suitable for eligible purchases outside the United States.
The Partner Credits
Chase advertises hundreds of dollars in additional annual credits. These can add value, but most require using a specific service, booking channel or monthly schedule.
Up To $150 For Renowned Hotels And Resorts
Cardholders receive up to $150 in statement credits each anniversary year for prepaid hotel bookings made through Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United Cardmembers.
Eligible stays can also include benefits such as daily breakfast for two, a property credit, Wi-Fi and possible room upgrades or flexible check-in and checkout times.
The problem is that you must book through United’s designated program. Rates should be compared with booking directly through the hotel and with other luxury hotel programs before assigning the credit its full $150 value.
Up To $100 In Rideshare Credits
After enrollment, the Quest Card provides:
- Up to $8 per month from January through November
- Up to $12 in December
Enrollment is required each year.
This is a classic monthly credit. Someone who already uses rideshare services every month may receive close to the full $100 value. Someone who uses Uber or Lyft only occasionally may leave much of it unused.
Up To $80 From Avis Or Budget Rentals
Cardholders can receive $40 in United TravelBank cash after each of their first two qualifying Avis or Budget rentals during an anniversary year.
The rentals must be booked through United’s car-rental portal and paid for with the Quest Card.
This could be useful, but only after comparing the portal rate with rates available directly from the rental company, through a corporate code or through another discount.
Up To $180 In Instacart Credits
Eligible cardholders can receive one $10 Instacart credit and one $5 credit each month through December 31, 2027.
The credits require enrollment in the card’s Instacart+ offer and come with several restrictions. Each credit must be used on a separate qualifying order, unused amounts don’t roll over and Instacart service fees, delivery charges and tips may still apply.
Anyone who already uses Instacart regularly may get meaningful value. For everyone else, it shouldn’t be treated as $180 in cash.
Up To $150 In JSX Credits
The card provides up to $150 in statement credits each anniversary year for flights booked directly with JSX.
That’s a real savings for someone who already flies JSX. For the majority of cardholders who don’t live near a JSX route or have no reason to use the airline, it has no practical value.
These partner benefits can improve the card’s overall return, but I wouldn’t add all of their advertised values together and conclude that the Quest Card provides more than $1,000 in annual value. A credit is only worth what it saves you on something you would have purchased anyway.
Travel And Purchase Protections
The United Quest Card includes several Chase travel protections, including:
- Primary auto rental collision damage coverage for eligible rentals when you decline the rental company’s collision coverage and pay with the card
- Baggage delay insurance after a delay of more than six hours
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement after a qualifying delay
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty protection
The primary rental coverage is particularly useful because it can cover eligible theft or collision damage without first requiring a claim through your personal auto insurer. As explained in our article about rental-car insurance, relatively few cards include primary coverage.
Coverage limits, exclusions and requirements can change, so consult the current Guide to Benefits before relying on any card insurance.
Who Should Get The United Quest Card?
The United Quest Card is best suited for:
- Travelers who spend at least $200 with United every year
- Couples who regularly check two bags each
- MileagePlus members who frequently book United award tickets
- United Premier members who can benefit from the annual PQP and award-ticket upgrade eligibility
- Travelers who want primary rental-car coverage
It’s less attractive for someone who rarely flies United, doesn’t redeem MileagePlus miles or would need to change their habits to use the card’s collection of partner credits.
Final Thoughts
The United Quest Card is no longer simply a slightly more expensive version of the Explorer Card. With a $350 annual fee, Chase and United have positioned it as a premium airline card without lounge access.
Fortunately, the $200 in annual TravelBank cash makes the fee easier to manage. Someone who would spend that money with United anyway is effectively paying $150 for the rest of the card’s benefits.
At that price, the annual 10,000-mile award discount, reduced award pricing, two free checked bags, 1,000 annual PQP and primary rental coverage can provide solid value.
The numerous hotel, rideshare, rental-car, Instacart and JSX credits may add more, but they shouldn’t be the main reason to get the card. Many require monthly use, enrollment or booking through a specific channel.
For an occasional United traveler, the Explorer Card will probably be enough. For someone who regularly buys United tickets, checks two bags or redeems MileagePlus miles, the Quest Card occupies a useful middle ground between the Explorer and the much more expensive United Club Card.
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