Chase’s lineup of United credit cards changed significantly today. The Chase United Gateway card will continue to carry no annual fee, but there’s a new welcome bonus as well as some long-term changes to benefits designed to encourage spend on the card. Note, though, that the value of those benefits may not justify the required spend.
Chase United Gateway card
New Offer & Key Card Details
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
Limited Time Offer: 30K Miles ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 30K miles after $1K spend in first 3 months (Offer Expires 7/16/2025)No Annual Fee This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Earning rate: 2X United ✦ 2X on United Hotels ✦ 2X gas stations ✦ 2X local transit and commuting Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: Earn 2 checked bag certificates after $10K spend in a calendar year ✦ Earn access to Member Pricing after $10K spend in calendar year Noteworthy perks: No foreign exchange fees ✦ 25% back on United in-flight and Club Premium drink purchases |
What’s new and changing?
- Big spend bonuses:
- Earn 2 checked bag certificates after $10K spend in a calendar year
- Earn access to Member Pricing after $10K spend in a calendar year (note that we don’t see this listed on the landing page, but it was included in information we received about the changes)
Quick Thoughts
In bright news, the Chase United Gateway card will continue to have no annual fee, which will make it a good downgrade option for those who decide they no longer want a United card with an annual fee.
However, the bad news is that the Gateway card will no longer come with automatic expanded access to United award space. Instead, moving forward, cardholders will need to spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year to qualify for member pricing on awards.
This card is also going to add the opportunity to earn 2 checked bags, but that will also require $10K spend in a calendar year. If you make $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year, you’ll receive 2 checked bag certificates. You will be required to buy your tickets through your MileagePlus account using your MileagePlus card and you’ll have to apply the certificates during the checkout process. Those certificates will only be available on United and United-express operated flights. Each certificate will be valid for 12 months from date of issue, though it isn’t clear to me whether the certificate must be applied to a purchase before it expires or whether travel must be completed by the time the checked bag certificates expire.
Either way, this isn’t a benefit that I would recommend chasing. I believe that the fee for a first checked bag is usually $35 and a second bag is $45. It isn’t totally clear to me whether these certificates can be used for another traveler. At most, you’ll get $80 in value out of this benefit (an incremental 0.8% in value on $10K spend). Further, since it sounds like these must be applied at the time of booking, I don’t think these will be handy if you purchase a ticket and only later realize that you’ll need to check a bag (I usually don’t have our baggage needs planned out until a couple of days before departure).
Overall, I’d still recommend considering this card as a downgrade option if you open a United Explorer, United Quest, or United Club card and eventually decide that the benefits no longer exceed the cost of the annual fee. However, it seems that expanded award access will no longer be automatic, which would make it a less compelling downgrade option.
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