United℠ Business Card Review [2024]: Generous Rewards and Free Checked Bags (2024)

Business owners who are looking for a way to earn travel rewards on their regular purchases should consider the United℠ Business Card. United and Chase recently revamped their business card offerings, which means you can take advantage of a potentially very valuable welcome offer.

The United Business Card offers value with all of its travel perks, but also with its miles-earning potential in popular spending categories. Let’s take a closer look at what makes this United Airlines credit card unique.

Who should get the United Business Card?

The United Business Card is designed for business owners who love earning award flights and other travel perks. First, you can’t glance over the 75,000-mile welcome offer attached to this card. This is a valuable welcome offer for any frequent United traveler.

If you’re already a frequent flyer with United Airlines, then the United Business Card could be the best airline credit card for you. It comes with several benefits beyond the welcome offer, including priority boarding, a free first checked bag, a credit for in-flight purchases, and lounge access. Cardmembers who take advantage of these extra perks will more than make up for this card’s annual fee of $99 (waived first year).

If you don’t travel much, especially with United Airlines, it’s hard to picture this card making sense for you. A cashback credit card or more versatile travel rewards credit card might be a better fit for your business purchases.

Card basics

United Business Card benefits and perks

• Generouswelcome offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Cardmembers who’ve received the United Business Explorer welcome offer in the past 24 months are still eligible to receive this offer unless they converted directly to this card from the United Business Explorer card.
• $100 statement credit: Each year, cardholders who make seven United flight purchases of $100 or more will receive a $100 United travel credit. Purchases could include everything from in-flight Wi-Fi to seat upgrades.
• 5,000 bonus miles: If you have both the United Business Card and a Chase United personal card, you’ll receive 5,000 bonus miles each account anniversary year.
• United Club passes: Gain access to United Club airport lounges worldwide, with two free one-time passes added to your MileagePlus account each year on your cardmember anniversary.
  
• Boarding privileges: Cardmembers and companions on the same reservation receive priority boarding on all United flights.
• Free checked bag: Skip costly baggage fees with the United Business Card. The cardmember and one travel companion on the same reservation get a first checked bag free on all United flights.That's a savings of up to $140 for you and a guest on a round-trip flight.
• DoorDash benefit: Take advantage of the one-year complimentary DashPass subscription for cardholders (activate by 12/31/24). With DashPass, you'll pay no delivery fees and benefit from reduced service fees on eligible orders. After the first year, your DashPass subscription will renew at the regular monthly rate.
  
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: If your trip gets canceled or interrupted for a covered reason, you could get up to $1,500 back per person, up to $6,000 per trip.
  
• Extended warranty protection: Eligible warranties for purchases made with your card can be extended by one year.
  
• Free employee cards: Get cards for employees at no additional cost.
  
• Premier Qualifying Points (PQP): If you want to level-up your business's MileagePlus loyalty status, this card lets you earn PQP that will count toward Premier status qualification. You can earn 25 PQP on every $500 spent on this credit card (up to 1,000 PQP per calendar year).

Drawbacks of the United Business Card

• Most valuable for United frequent flyers:If United is not your preferred or most frequently flown airline, you may be better off with a more versatile business travel credit card.
• Not great for everyday spending: There are better travel credit cards available that provide more value for your everyday expenses, such as gas or eating out.
• No intro APR offers: The United Business Card doesn't provide intro APR offers on purchases or balance transfers. Learn about better options for these types of offers in our list of the best 0% APR business credit cards.

Earning and redeeming United MileagePlus miles

Best ways to earn

There are several ways to earn United MileagePlus miles with the United Business Card. You can earn 2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting; plus 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. You can also build up miles quickly by supplying your employees with United Business Cards.

Maximizing your redemptions

The MileagePlus program through United Airlines offers many redemption options for cardmembers to enjoy. The main draw of having an airline credit card is to earn award tickets, which is possible with the United Business Card. You can redeem your miles for United flights and upgrades, as well as flights on more than 35 partner airlines through Star Alliance and MileagePlus.

Domestic one-way award flights typically start at 12,500 miles, but you can occasionally find United Saver Award flights as low as 5,000 points for a one-way economy fare. Domestic business and first-class flights start at 25,000 miles.

In addition to award flights, you can also redeem MileagePlus miles for hotel stays, cruises, and car rentals. You can even redeem points for credit on TSA PreCheck fees.

Outside of travel, other redemption options include:

• Merchandise
• Apple purchases
• Gift cards
• Exclusive experiences

Redemption values vary, so it’s important to make sure that you’re getting good value for your miles when redeeming through MileagePlus.

United Business Card transfer partners

If you have a Chase card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, you can transfer those points to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio. Transfers are instant, so if you need more United miles in a pinch, this is a decent way to boost your balance.

You can also use your MileagePlus miles for flights on more than 35 partner airlines in the Star Alliance and MileagePlus programs. Plus, United has partnered with several hotel rewards programs. You can earn MileagePlus miles for qualifying stays at a variety of properties.

United Business Card FAQs

Other cards to consider

If you’re looking for a more versatile business credit card, theInk Business Preferred Card is also worth considering. With this card, you can earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, you’ll gain access to Chase Ultimate Rewards, one of the most popular credit card rewards programs in the world. Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed through the Chase portal for travel or with 14 partner airline and hotel programs. The Chase Ink Business Preferred card has a $95 annual fee.