The United℠ Business Card is one of the best ways to get the perks of airline status, without being a frequent flier. You also get two United Club one-time passes per year and can add employee cards for no additional cost.

Point Multipliers

The United^SM Business Card has a wide variety of business categories to earn miles.

Point Multipliers:

• 2X Miles on United Airlines purchases
• 2X Miles on dining, including eligible delivery services
• 2X Miles at gas stations
• 2X Miles at office supply stores
• 2X Miles on local transit and commuting
• 1X Miles on all other purchases

This is a United card and earns United miles. Even though it’s within the Chase ecosystem, United miles can NOT transfer to become Chase Ultimate Reward points.

If you are not a fan of United miles, there may be better options such as the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card which all offer more flexibility.

Value of United Miles

If you want to maximize the value of United miles, your best bet is an international first and business class with Star Alliance partners.

Depending on the redemption, the value might be as high as 2 to 3 cents per point (CPP).

United is part of Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world. You can redeem United miles on all Star Alliance partners including:

• Aegean Airlines
• Air Canada
• Air China
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• ANA
• Asiana
• Austrian
• Avianca
• Brussels Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• Egypt Air
• Ethiopian Airlines
• EVA Airways
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• SAS
• Shenzhen Airline.
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• SWISS
• TAP Portugal
• THAI
• Turkish Airlines

In addition, United has a handful of non-alliance partners like Aer Lingus and Hawaiian Airlines.

United Business Card Travel Benefits and Rewards

The United Business Card offers many valuable benefits for the frequent flier. 

Free First Checked Bag

The primary card member and one companion traveling on the same reservation will each receive the first standard checked bag free on United-operated flights. The primary Cardmember must include their United MileagePlus® number and pay with the United Business Card to qualify for the free checked bag benefit.

The value of the free first checked bag benefit is up to $35 in value, each way, per person. You can save up to $140 in checked bag fees per roundtrip. 

United Club Passes

Cardholders receive two one-time passes each year—one after account opening and another on each card anniversary. You get this on every subsequent anniversary; in Year 2, 3… and onwards.

Access to the United Club is normally $59/per person. Given this, the retail value of two passes is $118, arguably covering the card's annual fee.

Note that these passes work for United Club lounges, NOT Polaris lounges. 

5,000 Bonus Anniversary Miles

If you have both the United Business Card and a personal Chase United card, you’ll receive 5,000 bonus miles each year on your United Business Card anniversary.

One benefit of United’s family of cards is that there are great no annual fee options on the personal side such as the United Gateway℠ Card.

If you’re looking for value, a personal card worth considering is the United Quest℠ Card. It has a handful of benefits each year making it a keeper for many people. This is due to the value of the credits and miles often outweighing the annual fee.

$100 United Travel Credit

If you make 7 United flight-related purchases of $100 or more within each card anniversary year, you’ll earn a $100 statement credit.

A wide variety of purchases count towards the 7 United flight-related purchases, including the flight itself, seat upgrades, and luggage fees.

Other Travel Benefits

• Priority boarding
• 25% back as a statement credit on United in-flight and Club premium drink purchases
• United Card Events from Chase and United MileagePlus Events
• Access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

United MileagePlus Status

The United Business Card lets you earn Premier qualifying points (PQP) to help you earn MileagePlus Premier® status. 

You'll earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 you spend on your United Business Card purchases. Earn up to 1,000 PQP in a calendar year that can be applied toward your Premier status qualification up to the Premier 1K® level. Learn more about how to qualify for MileagePlus Premier status.

If you’re going for status, the optimal strategy is to put a maximum of $24,000 of spend on the card to earn 1,000 PQPs. You’ll want to pair the United Business Card with a personal United card to maximize the PQP earning potential. 

However, this is still a hefty spending requirement to earn top-tier status. It might be a stretch to earn status on only credit card spend and it probably works better as a “top off” tool. 

Main Takeaway

Although the United Business Card has an annual fee, you might come out ahead if you can utilize four key perks:

1. Free first checked bag.
2. Two United Club one-time passes.
3. 5,000-mile better-together anniversary bonus.
4. $100 United travel credit after making 7 United flight purchases of $100 or more.

If you’re not breaking even from the annual fee, consider a general travel card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for travel benefits or another business card like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.