The United Gateway℠ Card (see rates and fees) doesn’t charge an annual fee, but you’ll have to work for its best perks. To unlock checked-bag certificates, discounted award pricing, and stronger earnings when flying, you’ll need to spend at least $10,000 per calendar year on the card. If you’re looking for robust benefits, other United credit cards could be a better match. But for occasional flyers who pack light anyway, the card is a low-commitment way to earn MileagePlus miles.
*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
United Gateway card: The basics
The United Gateway Card is one of four personal United credit card options—and the only one without an annual fee. Because of this, don’t expect the usual airline credit card treatment. There’s no priority boarding, no lounge visits, and even the checked-bag benefit isn’t automatic.
But it does offer a few paths to earn United MileagePlus miles from card spending. You’ll earn extra miles with every United purchase as well as on gas stations, local transit, and commuting costs, plus 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. Those are modest earning rates that are comparable to what other airline credit cards offer.
I think the Gateway is best suited for someone who wants to earn United miles and may not need travel perks provided by a card. Someone who travels carry-on only, business travelers who expense checked bags anyway, or Premier status holders who receive complimentary bag allowances could find this trade-off worthwhile.
If you do happen to spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year, though, you’ll enjoy extra benefits like two free checked bag certificates, discounts on award flights and extra miles every time you fly with United.
United Gateway pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| <ul> <li>Earn bonus United miles</li> <li>No annual fee</li> <li>No foreign transaction fees</li> </ul> |
<ul> <li>High spending requirement to earn free checked bags and access special award pricing</li> <li>No Premier qualifying points through card spending</li> </ul> |
United Gateway benefits
No foreign transaction fees
As you might expect from a travel credit card, the United Gateway has no foreign transaction fees. When you pay with your card abroad, you won’t get hit with extra charges.
25% back on eligible United purchases
The United Gateway offers 25% back as a statement credit on eligible inflight food, beverage and Wi-Fi purchases, plus premium drinks at United Clubs when you pay with your card.
If you’ve ever run to catch a connection without time to grab a meal at the airport, that rebate toward one of United’s snack boxes could help keep your hunger at bay.
Travel and purchase protections
The Gateway offers relatively strong protections for a no-annual-fee card:
- Extended warranty coverage
- Purchase protection against damage and theft for up to 120 days
- Rental car coverage
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
These protections provide some peace of mind when traveling or making purchases, and are a generous set of benefits for a no-annual-fee card.
United Airlines benefits for high spenders
Cardholders who spend at least $10,000 on the card in a calendar year receive access to even better benefits. First, you’ll receive two certificates for a free first checked bag when flying on United or United Express. Each certificate covers one bag on a one-way trip, for up to $100 in total savings.
You’ll also save 10% or more on eligible award flights booked with your United miles, potentially the card’s best perk. With the savings, a flight that normally costs 80,000 miles would cost 72,000 miles. That’s about $96 based on TPG’s October 2026 valuations. But you can use the discount as many times as you like through the end of the calendar year after you earn it, so your savings could be much more.
Lastly, you’ll earn an additional 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible United airfare through MileagePlus, on top of your regular flight earnings — boosting your balance and getting you to your next redemption faster. If you only fly once a year, this might not be significant to you, but it adds up the more you fly.
It’s worth noting that comparable or better benefits come automatically with the reasonably priced United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees), which has a $0 annual fee for the first year, then $150. That’s likely a better option unless you’ll hit the $10,000 spending threshold without going out of your way.
How to earn and use your rewards
The United Gateway earns MileagePlus miles directly, so it’s most appealing if you already have a United redemption in mind. Earning miles is straightforward, but how much value you get from them depends on how you redeem them.
Earning miles
Most purchases on the Gateway card earn an easy-to-remember 1 mile per dollar spent. In addition, the United Gateway card earns bonus miles in several categories:
- 2 miles per dollar spent with the card on eligible United purchases, including flights
- 2 miles per dollar spent at gas stations and on local transit and commuting
For eligible United flights, general MileagePlus members also earn 3 miles per dollar spent on airfare through the loyalty program. Combined with the Gateway’s earning rates on eligible United purchases, that’s 5 total miles per dollar spent.
Many other credit cards out-earn the Gateway card in these categories (but often come with an annual fee).
However, Chase occasionally sends out targeted “ExtraMile” promotions to cardholders. These may offer bonus miles in specific spending categories for a limited time or provide a one-time bonus mileage offer if you hit a designated spending amount. Whenever I’ve been targeted, I’ve found these quite lucrative, so I go out of my way to use my Gateway card when I’m eligible.
Redeeming miles
Redeeming United MileagePlus miles for award flights is easy, thanks to its comprehensive booking engine. You can easily search and book for awards on United itself or its partners, such as Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.
For cardholders who have spent $10,000 or more in a calendar year, having access to expanded award availability and exclusive cardmember pricing is a huge benefit. It can save you tens of thousands of miles on a single trip. I love any opportunity to get more for my miles so I can travel more often.
And while business and first class redemptions often get all the attention, I recently redeemed 20,000 United miles for an economy flight from León/Bajio International Airport (BJX) in Guanajuato, Mexico to Denver International Airport (DEN) that otherwise cost $585. After subtracting the $99 in taxes and fees, I received about 2.4 cents per mile in value — roughly double our valuation of United miles at 1.2 cents apiece. More importantly, it meant I could afford to travel to an event that would otherwise be unjustifiable.
MileagePlus miles can also be redeemed for nonflight purchases, including United Club memberships, inflight Wi-Fi, TSA PreCheck, car rentals and hotel stays. All of these tend to yield a lower value per mile, though.
Where the United Gateway falls short
While this card makes sense for me during a transitional period of my life, it’s not without its drawbacks. For starters, it has unremarkable everyday earning rates. Considering there are a number of cards offering 2 points per dollar spent on all purchases, sticking with the Gateway card may mean leaving other points and miles on the table.
The other glaring downside is that for an airline card it offers almost no benefits while flying, especially if you don’t hit that $10,000 spending threshold. Anyone looking to breeze through their next travel experience will be vastly disappointed.
And unlike other Chase cobranded United credit cards, the Gateway doesn’t offer a path to earning Premier qualifying points (PQPs) through card spending. Starting in 2027, United will use PQPs rather than PQFs to determine Premier status, so this is worth considering.
United Gateway Card vs. United Explorer Card
Anyone looking to dip their toes into earning miles with a United credit card should take a hard look at the United Explorer, too.
The Explorer card has no annual fee for the first year, then $150. That gives you a full year to try its benefits before deciding whether the card fits your needs longer-term.
The United Explorer has a lot of advantages the Gateway can’t compete with. There’s no minimum spending requirement for free checked bags or award discounts, plus it includes two free passes to United Clubs after account opening and each anniversary year, priority boarding, and credits toward ride-hailing and eligible spending with partners like Instacart after enrollment.
Even infrequent United flyers may prefer the Explorer if they can use its two annual United Club one-time passes, especially since the Gateway doesn’t offer lounge access.
Is the United Gateway worth it?
The United Gateway is worth considering if you fly United occasionally, prefer to avoid annual fees and don’t need checked-bag benefits. You’ll get immediate value from its introductory bonus and can continue adding to your MileagePlus balance with ongoing spending. However, the $10,000 annual spending requirement makes several of the card’s most valuable benefits harder to access.
Most travelers will likely be looking for something a little more, so if you fly United frequently, a different airline card might make more sense.
When to apply for the United Gateway Card
New cardholders can currently earn up to 50,000 bonus miles:
- Earn 40,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.
That makes the bonus worth up to $600, according to our valuations, which place United miles at 1.2 cents each. This is higher than previous United Gateway card welcome offers, making now a great time to apply. Even if you can’t add an authorized user, the offer is stronger than usual.
New cardholders can also access a limited time 0% introductory annual percentage rate (APR) on purchases for 12 months from account opening; after that, a variable APR of 19.99%-28.49% applies. If you have a big purchase coming up, this could be another vote in the Gateway’s favor.
This offer is not available to current or previous cardmembers who received a new bonus within the past 24 months. Chase’s 5/24 rule also applies.
Other cards to consider if you don’t want the United Gateway Card
If you want a card with more United perks, these cards may be a better fit:
- For a full suite of United benefits: The United Quest℠ Card (see rates and fees) generously provides annual United TravelBank cash, elite status boosts, statement credits and partner perks, as well as the checked bag allowances and award flight discounts you’d have to spend handsomely to earn on the Gateway. The trade-off, of course, is being attached to a higher annual fee. To learn more, read our full review of the United Quest Card.
- For United club access: The United Club℠ Card (see rates and fees) offers a large set of benefits, with the most notable being a United Club membership. The card’s $695 annual fee is a premium price tag, but that’s actually cheaper than buying a United Club membership directly — even before factoring in the card’s other perks and high earning rates. To learn more, read our full review of the United Club Card.
- If you’re focused on earning rates and don’t need perks while flying: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) has higher earning rates on gas plus additional bonus categories in dining, online grocery purchases, select streaming services, select vacation homes, and all other travel. It doesn’t earn United miles directly, but you can transfer the Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn into United MileagePlus. To learn more, read our full review of the Sapphire Preferred.
For additional options, check out our full list of best cards for United Airlines flyers and best no-annual-fee airline cards.
Bottom line
If an annual fee is a hard stop but you want to earn United miles, the United Gateway Card can be an easy way to start with the MileagePlus program. It won’t transform your next trip, but for occasional flyers, that simplicity may be enough.
I see it as a low-maintenance way to keep a MileagePlus balance growing, especially when the welcome offer or a targeted promotion is strong. Frequent United flyers, though, will probably outgrow it quickly and get more from a card with richer travel benefits.
Apply here: United Gateway Card
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Source: thepointsguy.com
