Chase United Quest Card Review 2022: Exceptional Rewards for United Flyers

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Chase United Quest Overview

If you’re a United frequent flyer looking for additional perks but don’t want to fork over the $525 required by the United Club Infinite Card, then the Chase United Quest Card might be the perfect middle ground.

The APR on this card is 18.74%-25.74% variable, and the annual fee is $250, which might seem high on first look — but the fee is less than half the amount of the United Club Infinite Card, and the Chase United Quest Card doesn’t skimp on features.

Key Features

The United Quest card earned a score of 4.8 from GOBankingRates. Here are the features that rank the highest:

Number of Rewards

From its generous sign-up bonus to its $125 annual United purchase credit, the Chase United Quest Card offers a bevy of rewards.

Cardholders who spend $4,000 with their new card within the first three months after opening the account earn a bonus of 70,000 miles. You’ll also earn two 5,000-mile bonuses each year for booking a United flight with your miles, starting after your first account anniversary. Daily spending earns miles, too — three miles per dollar spent on United purchases after the first $125, two miles per dollar on other travel, dining and qualifying streaming services and one mile per dollar spent on everything else.

Beyond these headline benefits, however, the Chase United Quest Card offers additional perks that aren’t as often discussed. All of these additional features come with the Chase United Quest Card:

• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip
• Baggage Delay Insurance up to $100 per day for up to three days
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement up to $3,000 per passenger
• Visa Concierge
• Trip Delay Reimbursement up to $500 if the delay is longer than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver — primary coverage, while many other cards offer only secondary coverage
• Purchase Protection for 120 days, covering damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year
• Extended Warranty Protection for an additional year after the manufacturer warranty
• One year complimentary DashPass membership for free delivery on DoorDash and Caviar orders

While some card holders may never need these services, they comprise a significant amount of additional perks for no additional cost.

Foreign Transaction Fees

The Chase United Quest Card does not charge foreign transaction fees — you won’t pay extra for transactions overseas with this card, whether you are making a purchase in-person or buying from a foreign website.

Number of Travel Benefits

In addition to its everyday rewards, the Chase United Quest Card offers an impressive number of travel perks. United flyers will receive priority boarding, a 25% discount on in-flight purchases and two free checked bags when using the card. It also offers a reimbursement of up to $100 for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS every four years.

Your first $125 spent on United purchases will be reimbursed automatically as a statement credit each year, and you can access exclusive benefits with the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection when you book with your card, like breakfast for two, dining or spa credits and room upgrades, depending on what’s available at the hotel you book.

Destinations

If you’re looking to use miles to travel for free, it pays to use a card that has an airline partner that flies to multiple destinations across the globe. As United Airlines has one of the largest flight networks in the world — particularly when coupled with its Star Alliance partners — the Chase United Quest Card makes sense for those seeking a large number of destinations.

How the Chase United Quest Card Stands Out

While not a top-tier credit card, the Chase United Quest Card is slotted nicely in the mid-tier range, offering a significant range of bonuses for its $250 annual fee. That fee is effectively cut in half for frequent United travelers, as it comes with a $125 annual United purchase credit.

You can even earn bonus miles by referring friends to any United MileagePlus card — once your friend is approved, you earn 10,000 bonus miles, up to 100,000 miles per year.

Comparable United Card Options

Chase offers a variety of credit cards designed to appeal specifically to the United frequent flyer. These cards are strategically arranged into four tiers, although the bottom-tier, no-fee Chase United Gateway Card offers minimal benefits on a comparable basis. The mid-tier Chase United Quest Card slots in between the bottom-tier United Explorer Card and the top-tier United Club Infinite Card.

Here’s a look at how these two cards stack up against the United Quest Card.

United Explorer Card

The United Explorer Card offers fewer perks than the Quest or Club cards, but it also carries a much smaller annual fee of just $95 — and that fee is waived for the first year.

This card is more attuned to the casual United traveler and provides similar perks as the United Quest Card, just to a smaller degree. For example, the United Explorer Card offers 2x miles on United purchases, vs. the 3x miles on the United Quest Card, and its sign-up bonus is 50,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months vs. the Quest Card’s 70,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months. Similarly, the United Explorer Card offers one free checked bag vs. the Quest Card’s two free checked bags.

But both cards offer the same credit of up to $100 for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS once every four years, along with the same ancillary benefits such as trip cancellation insurance, lost baggage protection, primary auto rental insurance and so forth.

The bottom line is that you’re getting most of the same perks with the United Explorer Card as the United Quest Card, just to a lesser degree — and for a significantly reduced annual fee.

United Club Infinite Card

If you’re looking to maximize your United benefits and cost is no object, the United Club Infinite Card may fit the bill. Potential card holders might be scared off by the steep $525 annual fee, but for heavy United users, this card can more than pay for itself.

The headline perk of this card is its United Club membership, which is valued at up to $650 all by itself. Beyond that, the benefits of the card are quite similar to the United Quest Card, just at a higher level — it offers 4x miles on United purchases and 80,000 miles after sending $5,000 in the first three months as a sign-up bonus.

The United Club Infinite Card is a good way for frequent flyers to buy United Club membership at a slight discount and then receive the additional benefits of the card essentially free of charge. However, for the casual traveler, the Quest or Explorer cards are better choices.

How To Apply 

Applying for the Chase United Quest Card is easy on the Chase website. You’ll need to provide both personal and financial information, from your name, address and date of birth to your Social Security number, employment status and annual income.

In many cases, your application can be approved online in a matter of seconds. For some applicants, however, Chase will require additional verification, which may take seven to ten business days. 

Who the Chase United Quest Card Is Best For 

Although the Chase United Quest Card provides benefits for all cardholders, it’s really best suited for frequent United flyers. Although many could make use of the generous sign-up bonus, the additional perks are tailored towards United customers.

For example, while you’ll earn 2x miles on charges for travel, dining or streaming services, you’ll only earn the maximum 3x miles on United purchases. Similarly, you can receive a $125 credit per year that halves the cost of the annual fee, but only on United purchases. Combine that with the two 5,000-mile annual flight award credits, priority boarding, free checked bags and 25% off in-flight purchases — all of which only apply to United flights — and it’s clear exactly who this credit card is best suited for.

Final Take

Unless you’re looking for airport lounge access, the Chase United Quest Card checks most of the desired boxes for an airline credit card. From benefits at the airport to the sign-up bonus and ongoing benefits, the Chase United Quest Card is packed with features.

You’ll have to pay a moderately high $250 per year to access the benefits, but this is at least partially offset for frequent United flyers who avail of the $125 annual United purchase credit. Those who can take advantage of the full $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS credit will effectively receive all remaining benefits for just $25 in the first year, making the card an outstanding value.

However, if you’re not tied in to the United frequent flyer program, your benefits are severely limited. In that case, you might be better off picking up a general travel rewards card with points that can be used for a variety of different programs, and whose benefits are not primarily dependent upon spending and flying with United.

Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. All other information on accounts is accurate as of Oct. 5, 2022.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.

The information related to the Chase United Quest Card, United Gateway Card, United Explorer Card and United Club Infinite Card was collected by GOBankingRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see the issuer’s website for current information. GOBankingRates does not receive commission for this product.

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