United Quest Card

The United Quest Card occupies the $350 tier of Chase's United lineup, and unlike most airline cards at this price, its fee math is mostly automatic: $200 in United TravelBank cash lands at account opening and again every anniversary, cutting the effective cost to $150 for anyone who flies United at all. The August 2026 offer is 60,000 bonus miles plus 500 Premier qualifying points after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months, with 10,000 more miles for adding an authorized user, up to 70,000 total. Earning is 4 miles per dollar on United purchases (marketed as 10x total on United flights once the 6x MileagePlus member fare earn is included), 5x on prepaid stays at Renowned Hotels and Resorts, 2x on other travel, dining, and select streaming services, and 1x on everything else. The variable APR is 19.74% to 28.24% and there are no foreign transaction fees. Flight benefits scale up meaningfully from the $150 Explorer: first and second standard checked bags free on United-operated flights, worth up to $50 and $60 per bag each way, plus a 10,000-mile award flight discount every anniversary and a second one after $20,000 in purchases in a calendar year. Status seekers get 1,000 bonus Premier qualifying points each year plus 1 PQP per $20 spent, capped at 18,000 PQP per calendar year, one of the more direct spend-your-way-to-Premier paths United offers. The refresh-era coupon book applies here too: hotel, rideshare, JSX, Instacart, and Avis/Budget credits (up to $150, $100, $150, $180, and $80 a year respectively) that arrive in monthly or per-use increments and require you to shop in specific places. Treat them as incidental upside. The recurring, dependable value is the $200 TravelBank deposit, the checked bags, and the award discounts. Choose the Quest if you fly United several times a year, check bags, and will actually spend the TravelBank credit; for that traveler the bundle routinely outruns $350. Skip it if you want lounge access (Quest has none; that requires the United Club card), if you fly United only occasionally, or if you would not use the award discounts: the Explorer or a flat cash back card serves casual flyers better. Carrying a balance at a 19.74% floor APR wipes out all of it.