United Business Card Review

The United Business Card is best for business owners who fly United Airlines often and want to earn more miles to use for award flights. You’ll need good or excellent credit to qualify, but this card’s miles-earning structure and perks are worth pursuing.

Pros Explained

• Lots of ways to earn miles: Unlike some airline credit cards that offer 2 miles per $1 spent only on airline purchases, this card offers double miles at restaurants, gas stations, and office supply stores, as well as when you charge eligible local transit and commuting costs.
• Generous bonus: The welcome offer is worth more than $1,300 according to our calculations—among the highest for cards in its class.  
• Valuable miles: United’s miles are worth an average 2.19 cents when redeemed for flights, more than all but one major U.S. airline (American Airlines) we researched.

Cons Explained

• Stingy free checked bag benefit: With this card, only the primary cardholder and one travel companion can check bags for free. If you frequently travel with more than one employee on the same reservation, you may not save as much as you would with a comparable American Airlines or Delta business card that extends the perk to several more travelers.

Bonus for New Cardholders

This card offers 60,000 bonus miles to new cardholders who spend at least $3,000 in their first three months with an account. That’s a pretty reasonable spending requirement for a business card offer, and since United miles are worth an average of 2.19 cents each, this bonus is worth about $1,314.

Earning Points & Rewards

You’ll earn 2 miles per $1 spent with the airline, at restaurants, gas stations, and office supply stores, as well as on local transit and commuting costs. You’ll get 1 mile per $1 spent on everything else you buy. Plus, there is a 5,000-mile anniversary bonus if you have a personal United credit card.

And remember, having free employee cards means you can earn miles when your employees make work-related charges, too. 

Redeeming Rewards

Miles transfer to your United MileagePlus account, and that’s where you’ll monitor, manage, and redeem them.

You can cash in miles for flights with United Airlines or its partners to more than 350 destinations around the globe. You can also redeem rewards for flight upgrades, hotel stays, cruises, merchandise, gift cards, and experiences like concerts or Broadway shows.

To see how the United Business Card’s miles stack up, check out our in-depth analysis of what credit card points are worth.

How to Get the Most Out of This Card

United miles are most valuable when redeemed for airfare, so that's what you should trade them in for, rather than gift cards or hotel stays. The value of those rewards can vary considerably.

On the earning side, you may want to consider pairing this card with a personal or business credit card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points (such as Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink Business Preferred. Chase lets you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines at a 1-to-1 ratio, and those cards offer better points earning rates in some other spending categories. When you’re ready to redeem, transfer your Ultimate Rewards to your United account.

United Business Card's Excellent Perks

The United Business Card offers a slew of important perks many credit cards leave out. These are the ones the editors of The Balance consider “excellent.” 

• Priority boarding: You and a companion traveling on the same reservation can board prior to general boarding. 
• United Club passes: You’ll receive two airport lounge passes once you become a cardholder and two more every year thereafter on your cardholder anniversary. 
• Primary auto rental coverage: Qualify for primary auto rental coverage when renting a car for business purposes. Coverage is good for up to the cash value of the car for theft and collision damage, although coverage is not valid for certain types of vehicles and in certain destinations. 
• Insurance coverage for lost or delayed luggage: Coverage for lost luggage is good for up to $3,000 per passenger when luggage is lost by a common carrier. If luggage is delayed by six hours or more, you’ll be reimbursed up to $100 per day (for up to three days) to cover the cost of incidentals.
• Insurance coverage for trip cancellation, interruption, or delay: Get reimbursed for up to $10,000 per trip in prepaid travel expenses when your trip is cancelled or interrupted for a covered reason. For trip delays, you’re covered for up to $500 of expenses.

United Business Card's Other Features

• Insurance for stolen or damaged purchases
• Extended warranties
• Concierge for booking event tickets, travel, and other services

Customer Experience

J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Small Business Credit Card Satisfaction Study ranked Chase fifth among eight credit card issuers. Chase scored 832 points which placed it below the national average of 840. 

As a major credit card issuer, Chase offers major credit card issuer customer service. You can access your account online or via an app, and there are multiple ways to reach a customer service rep. If you sign up for Chase’s Credit Journey service, you’ll have access to a free VantageScore credit score and other credit monitoring tools. 

Security Features

Chase offers industry-standard security features like fraud alerts, zero liability for fraudulent purchases, plus credit monitoring if you sign up for Credit Journey. 

Fees

Fees for the United Business Card, including the $99 annual fee (waived the first year), are pretty standard for a mid-tier airline card. There’s no foreign transaction fee, making this card a good option if you’re traveling outside the U. S.