The last United card to update in the series of comparisons of the major US airlines’ credit cards is the United Gateway Card. This card sits at the lower end of United’s credit card line-up, offering minimal perks but also no annual fee. This card competes with the Delta Blue Card and the American MileUp Card.
I imagine this card primarily exists to try to catch the attention of travelers who don’t want to pay an annual fee but still want to earn United miles.
This blog is just for entertainment purposes. I provide the information here just to give readers a vague idea if the rewards offered by the card might make sense for them to consider the card. The information on this page has been collected independently, and all information should be confirmed with the card company before applying.
Welcome Offer
At the time of posting, the United MileagePlus Explorer card has a 30 000 bonus mile offer after spending $1 000 in 3 months. In general, United miles are worth around 1.2 ¢/pt. That makes this current welcome offer worth at least $360, which is pretty good for a no annual fee card. United has devalued its miles several times in recent years, which is the cause of this low cent per point valuation.
Earnings
The United Gateway Card has a decent earn rate for a co-branded card: 2x miles/$ on United Airlines, gas stations, and local transit/commuting and 1x mile/$ on everything else.
These earning rates are good for a $0 annual fee co-branded card. The 2x miles/$ categories are broad, make sense for a travel card, and potentially cover enough categories to justify using this card over a straight 2% cashback card.
This card does not earn PQP based on spend, which the same as the Delta Blue Card.
Benefits
For its $0 annual fee, this card offers only a single direct benefit: 25% back on inflight purchases and United Club premium drink purchases. If you spend $10 000 on the card in a calendar year, you can earn two checked bag vouchers, but otherwise, it does not offer any free checked bags or priority boarding perks.
How to use the points
The main use for United Airlines miles is to redeem them for United Airlines, Star Alliance, and other partners’ flights. United Airlines has dynamic pricing for its own flights and some partner flights that involve the United States. Outside the United States, award prices appear to be fixed. However, United has recently raised the base (saver) cost of international award tickets multiple times, so the miles have lost a fair bit of value recently. United Airlines is a transfer partner of Chase, so the miles are relatively easy to come by.
The other type of point earned, PQP, is used for United status. Starting in 2025, you need: 6 000 PQP for Silver, 12 000 PQP for Gold, 18 000 PQP for Platinum, and 28 000 PQP for Premier 1K (which can be reduced with a sufficient number of qualifying flights).
Examples of using the card
These examples assume you spend all your airfare budget on United Airlines.
Spend per month
| Example A | Example B | Example C | Example D | |||||
| Groceries (1x) | $300 | 300 | $200 | 200 | $600 | 600 | $400 | 400 |
| Gas (2x) | $0 | 0 | $100 | 200 | $200 | 400 | $100 | 200 |
| Airfare (2x) | $700 | 1 400 | $200 | 400 | $0 | 0 | $400 | 800 |
| Hotels (1x) | $1 000 | 1 000 | $200 | 200 | $0 | 0 | $300 | 300 |
| Gen Travel (2x) | $400 | 800 | $0 | 0 | $300 | 600 | $100 | 200 |
| Dining (1x) | $600 | 600 | $300 | 300 | $300 | 300 | $0 | 0 |
| General (1x) | $1 000 | 1 000 | $500 | 500 | $500 | 500 | $400 | 400 |
| Total | $4 000 | 5 100 | $1 500 | 1 800 | $1 700 | 2 400 | $1 700 | 2 300 |
| Average points/$ | 1.28 | 1.20 | 1.41 | 1.35 |
The somewhat limited earning structure means that the average points earned has a small range of 1.20 – 1.41 points/$, which is worth 1.44 – 1.69 ¢/$. That’s really not a bad return overall, but a lot of these categories should go on a 2% cashback card instead in my opinion. The range is dependent on how much and what portion of your budget each month is spent on United Airlines and other travel.
Specific examples
| Card | United Airlines Economy class ($750) (% return) | Marriott Hotel night ($230/night) | Points values (United/Hotel) |
| No rewards card | 3 500 UM (5.6%) | 2 200 MP (7.7%) | $42.00 / $17.60 |
| General 2% cashback card ($0) | 3 500 UM + $15.00 (7.6%) | 2 200 MP + $4.60 (9.7%) | $57.00 / $22.20 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95) | 3 500 UM + 1 500 UR (8.6%) | 2 200 MP + 460 UR (10.7%) | $64.50 / $24.50 |
| Amex Green Card ($150) | 3 500 UM + 2 250 MR (9.8%) | 2 200 MP + 690 MR (11.9%) | $73.50 / $27.26 |
| United Gateway Card ($0) | 5 000 UM (8.0%) | 2 200 MP + 230 UM (8.9%) | $60.00 / $20.36 |
Is this the right type of credit card for you?
This card could be a good way to test if United’s program is right for you. However, I don’t think this card makes sense to apply for first. Specifically, the United MileagePlus Explorer Card is free in its first year and has a higher welcome bonus (and better perks). It would seem to make more sense to start with that card, and if its perks aren’t worth the annual fee for you, you can always downgrade to this card after a year to avoid the annual fee.
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