United Quest Card

If you care about earning United Premier status, stop scrolling — the United Quest Card from Chase is your card. At $350 per year (up from $250 after the 2025 refresh), it offers one of the most aggressive PQP-earning structures of any personal airline card (only the $695 Club Infinite earns faster), letting you rack up qualifying points through everyday spending like groceries, gas, and streaming subscriptions.

But the Quest isn't just a status card. The $200 United travel credit, 2 free checked bags, $180 in Instacart credits, and a 10,000-mile award discount add up to $530+ in annual value — comfortably above the $350 fee. Think of it as the mid-tier United card that does everything well, with a status-chasing superpower that, among United cards, only the pricier Club Infinite tops.

• $200 United travel credit — received after account opening and on each anniversary. No spending threshold, no hoops. Just book a United flight.
• 2 free checked bags on United flights (terms apply). That's both bags, not just one.
• Priority boarding on United flights
• 10,000-mile award flight discount on card anniversary — free miles toward your next booking.
• Up to 18,000 PQP per year — earn 1 PQP per $20 spent. Second only to the Club Infinite's 28,000 PQP cap among personal United cards.
• 1,000 PQP annual bonus deposited within 8 weeks of February 1 each year, starting the calendar year after you open the card. Free status progress.
• Up to $180/year in Instacart credits — one $10 and one $5 Instacart credit per month with an active Instacart+ membership (through Dec 31, 2027)
• Up to $150 in JSX credits per year when booking flights directly with JSX
• No foreign transaction fees

Annual Fee: $350 per year (increased from $250 in the 2025 refresh).

Foreign Transaction Fees: None.

Other Fees: Standard Chase fee schedule applies.

The math that matters:

• $350 annual fee
• Minus $200 United travel credit = $150
• Minus $180 Instacart credits = effectively -$30 (you're ahead)

Before you even factor in the checked bags, the PQP value, the award discount, or the JSX credits, the Quest is paying you back more than it costs. The $100 fee increase from 2025 stings, but the credits more than cover it.

Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points (PQP) after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, plus 10,000 more miles for adding an authorized user in those same 3 months — up to 70,000 miles total. You're not eligible if you already have the Quest or earned a Quest bonus in the past 24 months.

At roughly 1.3 cents per United mile, the full 70,000 miles are worth approximately $910. The 500 PQP is a small nudge for status seekers — the real status engine is the 1 PQP per $20 you earn on every purchase.

The Quest adds travel (beyond United) and streaming as 2X categories — nice expansions over the Explorer. The 4X on United beats the Explorer's 3X but trails the Club Infinite's 5X. The 1X on everything else is unremarkable, but you're carrying this card for the status engine, not to maximize everyday earn.

The PQP machine: 1 PQP per $20 spent on all purchases, up to 18,000 PQP per year. To max that out you'd need $360,000 in spend — unrealistic for most. But even $100,000 generates 5,000 PQP, a serious boost toward Premier Silver (6,000 PQP required, plus four United flights) — add the 1,000 annual bonus PQP and you're there. The card earns PQP while you sleep.

Same MileagePlus redemption options as the rest of the United lineup — the Quest's perks here just make award flights cheaper:

• United and Star Alliance flights: Book award flights across 25+ airlines. Always the best-value redemption.
• United TravelBank: Convert miles to travel credits
• Upgrades: Use miles for cabin upgrades on select routes
• Hotels and car rentals: Through United's portal
• Cardmember award pricing: At least 10% fewer miles on United and United Express award flights (at least 15% fewer with Premier status).

That 10,000-mile award flight discount earned on your anniversary is essentially free miles — use it on a premium cabin redemption to maximize the value.

• $200 United travel credit: Received at opening and each anniversary. Simple, no-strings-attached value toward any United flight.
• 10,000-mile award flight discount: Earned on each card anniversary, reduces miles needed for an award booking. Spend $20,000 in a calendar year and you earn a second one.
• 2 free checked bags: On United flights for you and one companion on the same reservation (terms apply). Both bags, not just the first.
• 2 global Economy Plus seat upgrades: Earned after $40,000 in purchases each calendar year.
• Up to $180/year Instacart credits: One $10 and one $5 Instacart credit per month through Dec 31, 2027, as long as you keep an Instacart+ membership (free for 3 months, then half off). Great if you grocery-deliver; wasted if you don't.
• Up to $150/year JSX credits: Statement credits when booking JSX flights directly.
• Up to $150/year Renowned Hotels credits: Statement credits on prepaid hotel stays booked through Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United Cardmembers.
• Up to $100/year rideshare credits: Up to $8/month (Jan-Nov) and $12 in December on rideshare purchases (requires annual enrollment).
• Up to $80/year Avis/Budget credits: $40 in United TravelBank cash on each of your first two Avis or Budget rentals every anniversary year, booked through cars.united.com and paid with the card.
• 1,000 PQP annual bonus: Awarded within 8 weeks of Feb 1 each year, starting the calendar year after you open the card. Free status progress.
• Up to 18,000 PQP/year from spending: 1 PQP per $20 spent. The status-chaser's secret weapon.

Total quantifiable annual credit value: $860 on paper (Chase pitches it as over $850 in partner credits) — well above the $350 fee. This is one of the strongest mid-tier airline cards for United flyers who actually use the credits.

The Quest vs. Delta Platinum at $350 is the classic showdown: travel credit or companion cert? The Quest gives you a guaranteed $200 United credit plus a PQP engine that only the pricier Club Infinite beats. The Delta Platinum fires back with a companion cert worth $200-$500+ in a single use. If you travel with a partner, the Platinum wins on sheer savings potential. If you're solo or chasing United Premier status, the Quest is the stronger play. Both are excellent — just for different people.

• United Premier status chasers — if earning or maintaining status matters to you, the 18,000 PQP cap makes this card almost mandatory.
• Moderate-to-frequent United flyers who'll use the $200 travel credit and 2 free checked bags without thinking twice.
• Instacart regulars who can absorb $180/year in credits naturally.
• Solo travelers who want a guaranteed travel credit instead of a companion cert they can't use.

Not ideal for: travelers who want lounge access (that's the Club Infinite), people who don't fly United enough to use the $200 credit, or couples who'd get more value from the Delta Platinum's companion certificate. Know your travel style, pick your card.