United Quest Card Review: Solid Perks for United Flyers, but No Lounge Access

United Quest Card Benefits

Welcome Bonus

The first thing most people look at when they select a new travel rewards credit card is the welcome offer, and the Chase United Quest Card has a strong bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

While United employs dynamic award pricing instead of a fixed award chart, the welcome bonus miles should be enough for several domestic round-trip award flights or an international trip. If you already have a strong balance of United miles, the bonus here can go a long way to making your next vacation a reality.

Cardmember Anniversary Bonuses

While there’s no getting around the fact that the United Quest charges a hefty $350 annual fee, cardmembers receive a couple of benefits every year to help offset that cost.

First, you’ll receive $200 in United TravelBank cash after account opening and every year on your account anniversary. If you mostly fly with United, that lowers your out-of-pocket cost to $150 right off the bat.

Additionally, every year on your account anniversary, you’ll receive a 10,000-mile award flight discount and the ability to earn a second one by spending $20,000 a year. That should easily be at least $100 in value, and potentially a lot more depending on how you use your miles.

United Premier Status Fast Track

United Quest cardholders earn 1,000 PQPs each February and 1 PQP for every $20 spent on their card, up to 18,000 PQPs per calendar year.

PQPs are how United determines qualification for Premier status, either in combination with Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) or just with PQPs by themselves. If you were to max out this benefit and earn 18,000 PQPs each year by spending $360,000 on your United Quest Card, that would qualify you for Premier Platinum status, United’s second-highest tier.

Additional Travel Credits and Discounts

The United United Quest has several additional benefits that can help make your overall travel experience more relaxing and hassle-free, including:

• Up to $120 in credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fees every four years
• 25% back on United in-flight and Club premium drink purchases
• Up to $150 in statement credits each year for prepaid bookings made directly with Renowned Hotels and Resorts
• Additional credits on Instacart, rideshare purchases and JSX

United Quest Card Drawbacks

High Annual Fee

Despite all the benefits mentioned above, the United Quest Card’s annual fee is on the higher end for airline and travel credit cards at $350 a year. While you may be able to recoup that expense by using all the card’s perks, it can be harder to get the full value since most of these benefits are restricted to travel with United Airlines.

No Airport Lounge Access

Given the card’s $350 annual fee, you might expect airport lounge access (or at least one-time passes to United Clubs, like the cheaper United Explorer Card). The United Quest does not provide any access to airport lounges.

To compare, for a $395 annual fee, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card provides access to Priority Pass and Capital One Lounges, and you don’t have to be flying a specific airline to use the benefit.

Limited Rewards Categories

The United Quest Card earns:

• 3x miles on United® purchases
• 2x miles on dining, select streaming services, and all other travel
• 1x miles everywhere else

While these categories are better than the cheaper United Explorer and The New United Gateway℠ Card, they’re not as diverse as the categories offered by some other premium credit cards.

High Spending Requirements To Unlock Benefits

The thought of earning United Premier Platinum status and all the bonus points and free upgrades it entails might be appealing, but to do that just from a credit card would require you to spend $360,000 a year on the United Quest.

Similarly, you have to spend $20,000 a year to earn a second 10,000-mile award flight discount and $40,000 a year to earn two global Economy Plus upgrade certificates. These are large numbers for anyone to hit, but even more so given that the United Quest isn’t especially rewarding for spending that isn’t on travel or United.

Who Is the United Quest Card Best For?

The United Quest Card is a strong choice for frequent United flyers who are looking to unlock additional perks and benefits with the airline. This makes extra sense if your home airport is a strong United hub, like Houston (IAH) or San Francisco (SFO). If you aren’t already flying United at least a couple of times a year, this probably is not the best choice for you.

The United Quest is also especially rewarding to bigger spenders who will be able to unlock more of the benefits that the card offers and help better outweigh the annual fee. It’s also important to look at what other cards are in your wallet already to decide if this is the right card for you. If you already have another card that offers free United checked bags (like the United Explorer or United Club), you may find some of the benefits of the United Quest to be redundant. And if you’re already qualifying for United Premier status through your organic travel, you may not need the extra PQP boost that the card offers.

Is the United Quest Card the Right Card for You?

The United Quest Card may be right for you if any of the following apply:

• You live in a United hub city or fly with United Airlines multiple times a year
• You’re looking for airline-specific perks like free checked bags
• You need a little extra push to qualify for United Premier status
• You’re a big spender who will be able to unlock all the benefits the card offers

Read more about how to choose an airline credit card to help narrow down your options. And be sure to consider Chase credit cards that earn transferable Ultimate Rewards® points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

You can convert Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United miles (as well as to miles/points with over a dozen other Chase transfer partners). You won’t get United-specific benefits from these cards, but that might not matter if you only fly the airline occasionally or already have elite status perks.

Alternatives to the United Quest Card

If the United Quest sounds close but you’re not sold, consider these other United cards:

• United Club Card: The most premium United co-branded card, the United Club charges a $695 annual fee but elevated benefits across the board, including United Club membership, 4x miles on United purchases (versus 3x with the United Quest), a competitive welcome bonus, and the ability to earn up to 28,000 PQPs a year (versus 18,000 with the United Quest).
• United Explorer Card: If you’re looking in the other direction, the United Explorer offers a more traditional entry-level option to consider. It charges a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150, while still offering a first standard checked bag free for you and a companion, two one-time United Club passes each year and 2x miles on United purchases.