United Business Card Review: 125K Miles & Great Perks

Link: Apply now for The New United℠ Business Card

Chase and United Airlines have a close relationship. As part of that, they have several co-branded credit cards, and you can also transfer points from Ultimate Rewards to MileagePlus. This card portfolio has just been fully refreshed, and in this post, I want to take a look at The New United℠ Business Card. This is a popular business credit card that’s an excellent value for many small businesses, so let’s look at the details.

United Business Card Basics For March 2025

The United Business Card is a card worth considering for your small business, if you fly United with any frequency. The card has a huge welcome bonus, offers some helpful bonus categories, and comes with perks that can more than offset the annual fee.

United Business Card Bonus: 125,000 Miles

For applications through May 7, 2025, the United Business Card is offering a limited time welcome bonus of 125,000 MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first three months. I value United miles at ~1.1 cents each, so to me, the bonus is worth $1,375. This is an incredible bonus, the best you’ll find on any United card.

The welcome bonus on the United Business Card isn’t available to those who currently have the card or those who have received a new cardmember bonus on the card in the past 24 months. In addition to that, there are the typical restrictions when applying for Chase cards. You are eligible for the card if you’ve had any other United credit card.

United Business Card Annual Fee

The United Business Card has a $150 annual fee. You can also add authorized users to the card at no extra cost. This is a reasonable ongoing annual fee for a perks-rich card.

United Business Card Rewards Structure: Up To 2x Miles

While I wouldn’t say the bonus categories are industry-leading, the United Business Card does offer bonus miles on some purchases. With the card, you can earn 2x MileagePlus miles on:

• United Airlines purchases
• Local transit and commuting, including taxis, mass transit, tolls, and ridesharing services
• Gas stations
• Office supply stores
• Restaurants

You can earn 1x miles on all other purchases. While there are lots of cards offering bonus categories, I’d say that’s a pretty well-rounded rewards structure for an airline credit card.

Earn Premier Qualifying Points Toward Status

Spending money on the United Business Card can help you earn MileagePlus status, though not in as lucrative way as the more premium version of the card. The card offers one Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) for every $20 spent on purchases, up to a maximum of 4,000 PQPs per year.

As a reminder, below are the MileagePlus elite requirements for 2025. As you can see, spending on the card won’t put that much of a dent into earning higher elite tiers, given the cap of 4,000 PQPs.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

The United Airlines Business Credit Card has no foreign transaction fees, so this is a good card for purchases abroad. Visa has excellent global acceptance, and you may earn bonus miles for purchases abroad, including at restaurants.

United Business Card Benefits

The United Business Card has a big welcome bonus and a fairly solid rewards structure for an airline small business credit card. The good news is that beyond that, the card has great perks as well.

This is true whether you’re an occasional United flyer, or you’re an elite member who is looking for extra perks. Here’s what you need to know about all the benefits offered by the United Business Card.

Free First Checked Bag

The primary cardmember on the United Business Card and one companion traveling on the same reservation receive a standard free first checked bag when flying United or United Express. In order to be eligible for this, you have to pay for your ticket with your United Airlines credit card.

United charges $40 for a first checked bag, so this is a value of up to $160 on a roundtrip ticket.

Two United Club Passes Annually

For having the card you receive two United Club passes annually. This includes the year where you open your card, and in any subsequent years. These will automatically be deposited into your Mileage Plus account within four weeks.

United Club passes ordinarily cost $59 each, so that’s a value of up to $118.

Priority Boarding

For having the United Business Card, you and your companions receive priority boarding on United and United Express flights. You can board before general boarding, after customers with Premier Access, and those requiring special assistance. This would be in Group 2.

25% Back On Inflight Purchases

For having the United Business Card you receive 25% back in the form of statement credits on purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi, on United-operated flights when you pay with your United Business Card.

The statement credit should post within 6-8 weeks of your eligible purchase posting to your statement.

$125 United TravelBank Cash With Spending Annually

Every calendar year, you can receive a $125 United TravelBank cash if you make at least five United flight travel-related purchases on your United Business Card, each totaling at least $100.

This includes purchases like seat upgrades, Economy Plus, inflight food, beverages, and Wi-Fi, baggage service charges, or other United fees. The statement credit will post to your account within 24 hours of your fifth qualifying purchase of $100 or more.

Anniversary Bonus Of 5,000 Miles Annually

Every year on your account anniversary, you receive 5,000 bonus miles if you have this card in conjunction with a personal United credit card, like The New United℠ Explorer Card (review).

That’s a pretty awesome incentive to keep both a personal and business card, and frankly, it’s a really smart incentive for United to offer, given that many personal and business cards have overlapping benefits.

Up To $120 In Instacart Credits Annually

The United Business Card offers a $10 Instacart credit monthly, up to $120 total each calendar year. This applies for purchases made through Instacart with your United Business Card, and currently the benefit is valid through December 31, 2027.

If you use Instacart anyway, then this could be worth close to face value. For others, the small increments of the credits will make it hard to get much value.

Up To $100 In Credits On Rideshare Purchases Annually

The United Business Card offers up to $8 back per month on rideshare purchases (and $12 in December), in the form of a statement credit, when paying with your card. This allows you to earn up to $100 in statement credits every calendar year, and an annual opt-in is required.

On the one hand, these statement credits are easy enough to use. The catch is that there are probably better cards for rideshare spending in terms of maximizing rewards.

Up To $100 In United Hotels Credits Annually

United Hotels is United’s hotel booking platform. The United Business Card offers up to $100 back on United Hotels purchases each anniversary year. Specifically, you can get a $50 statement credit on both your first and second prepaid hotel stays purchased through United Hotels with your United Business Card.

This could prove valuable for some, though keep in mind there’s typically an opportunity cost to booking through a hotel portal (in terms of earning loyalty points, there being lower rates elsewhere, etc.).

Up To $100 In JSX Flight Credits Annually

The United Business Card offers up to $100 back on JSX flight purchases per anniversary year. This comes in the form of a statement credit, and you must use your United Business Card to make the purchase. JSX is a hop-on jet service, which United owns a stake in. If you fly JSX with any frequency, then this is a great perk

Expanded MileagePlus Award Availability

With an eligible United co-branded credit card, you get access to expanded MileagePlus award availability. Just log into your MileagePlus account, and you should have access to more EveryDay Award level tickets with no blackout dates. The value of this varies depending on where you’re trying to go.

Trip Delay & Lost Luggage Protection

The United Business Card offers a variety of protection benefits when traveling, assuming you pay for purchases with your card. These features include the following:

• Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance — be reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip when your trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather, etc.
• Trip Delay Reimbursement — if your flight is delayed by more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement — be reimbursed up to $3,000 per passenger if you or your immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost by an airline
• Baggage Delay Insurance — be reimbursed up to $100 per day for three days for essential purchases when your bag is delayed by over six hours

Make sure you check your cardmember agreement for all of the details since there are terms & conditions.

Primary Rental Car Coverage

The United Business Card offers a primary collision damage waiver (CDW) benefit. Just decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card.

Coverage is primary when renting for business purposes and provides reimbursement up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage for most rental vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or less worldwide.

Is The United Business Card Worth It?

In general, I don’t recommend using airline credit cards for everyday spending, unless you have a specific reason to do so.

In the case of the United Business Card, I think this is a card that’s worth getting for the welcome bonus and the long-term perks, which can more than offset the annual fee. That being said, I don’t think this card is worth spending much money on:

• The ability to earn PQPs is fairly limited with this card, and doesn’t justify the spending requirement
• While the card has some bonus categories, there are ultimately better credit cards for airfare, gas stations, restaurants, rideshare, etc.

What perks make this card worthwhile? Particularly for non-elite members, the priority boarding, first checked bag free, two United Club passes, and 25% savings on inflight purchases, could really come in handy.

Furthermore, the card offers hundreds of dollars in credits. While there are some hoops to jump through to maximize those credits, most cardmembers should be able to get at least some value from them.

My Favorite United Airlines Personal Card

If you’re looking for a personal United Airlines credit card, consider The New United Quest℠ Card, which has a pretty compelling value proposition. While the card has a $350 annual fee, the perks are potentially more than worth it.

The card offers a large welcome bonus and some unique perks, like $200 in United TravelBank cash annually, plus an award discount of up to 10,000 miles. For many, those two perks alone will more than offset the annual fee. The card also offers a variety of credits.

Read a full review of the United Quest Card.

Other Ways To Earn United Miles

The one thing I’d note is that while this is a great card for the perks, if you actually want to earn MileagePlus miles through spending, remember that MileagePlus is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, so you can convert Ultimate Rewards points into United miles at a 1:1 ratio.

There are so many great Ultimate Rewards cards that earn points at a potentially faster rate than you’d earn directly through United, so that’s something worth considering.

See this post for the best credit cards for earning United miles.

Bottom Line

If you have a small business and fly United Airlines with any frequency, then the United Business Card is definitely a card to consider. The card has a generous welcome bonus, and on top of that offers several perks that make this card worth holding onto. However, this isn’t a card I’d recommend using for your everyday spending.

If you want to learn more about the United Business Card or apply, follow this link.