Credit Cards

Chase and United Reveal Updated Credit Card Bonus Offers

Since the year began, several credit card issuers have attempted to lure new customers by rolling out enhanced bonuses for some of their offerings. This has been especially true in the case of co-branded travel cards. Case in point: this week, Chase and United introduced a trio of new welcome bonus offers for new cardholders.

Starting at the top of United’s line-up, the United Club Infinite card is now offering 75,000 bonus miles after new cardholders spend $3,000 on purchases in their first three months. Previously, the Infinite actually didn’t offer a welcome bonus — although the $525 annual fee had been waived for the first year. Now, new applicants will need to pay this fee with their first statement. In terms of benefits, the United Club Infinite Card earns 4 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, 2x miles at restaurants and on eligible delivery service purchases, 2x miles on all other travel, and 1x miles on everything else. Additionally, the card comes with a complimentary United Club membership among several other travel benefits.

Next, the United Explorer Card has retained its welcome bonus of 40,000 miles when new cardholders spend $2,000 on purchases in their first 3 months. However, it’s added a second-tier bonus as well. Now cardholders can earn an additional 25,000 bonus miles when they spend a total of $10,000 total on purchases the first six months that their account is open. Incidentally, this demonstrates a growing trend in the credit card market, with several issuers experimenting with multi-tiered bonuses to encourage longer-term activity from cardholders. In any case, the United Explorer Card does carry a $95 annual fee, but this is waived for the first year. Not only does the card earn 2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases but also earns 2x points at restaurants and on eligible delivery service purchases, 2x miles on hotel bookings made directly through the hotel, and 1x miles on everything else. Cardholders can also enjoy two one-time United Club passes per year, free first check bags on United, priority boarding, and more.

Lastly, the no-annual-fee United Gateway Card — which first debuted last October — recently returned its welcome bonus back to where it was during its initial rollout. Currently, new cardholders can earn 20,000 bonus miles when they spend just $1,000 on the card in their first three months. As an added bonus, they’ll also earn 3 miles per $1 spent on grocery store purchases (up to $1,500 per month) through September 30th of this year. With the United Gateway Card, customers will earn 2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, 2x miles on at gas stations, 2x miles on local transit and commuting (including rideshare services, taxicabs, train tickets, tolls, and mass transit), and 1x miles on all other purchases. As mentioned, this card has no annual fee. Also notable is that, according to the Chase site, this particular offer is set to expire on May 5th, 2021.

Similar to what we’ve seen with other travel-centric cards, Chase and United are clearly hoping to catch new customers just as hope in resuming travel is beginning to materialize. Of course, this means that travelers in the market for a new card certainly have their pick of attractive offers to choose from. Therefore, the decision between these options will likely come down to loyalty and which product they’ll get the most use out of. On that note, if you are indeed a frequent United traveler or aspire to be, then these enhanced welcome bonuses may well be worth your time and money.

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