United Gateway℠ Card Review [2024]: Good for Infrequent United Flyers

Card basics

Who should get the United Gateway Card?

You should get the United Gateway Card if you’re someone who doesn’t want an annual fee. You should also be someone who prefers to fly United. You might be someone who lives near a United hub or who flies a route that’s best served by United.

You’ll also get the most earnings out of this card if you drive extensively. For example, you might spend a lot on gas if you are a rideshare or delivery driver or have a lengthy daily commute. It also has elevated rates for local transit or commuting, so if you take a train, subway, or bus to work, that would earn a higher rate as well.

The Gateway card earns just 1x mile on all other purchases, though, which is a low rate but comparable to the base rate on other airline cards.

In fact, this card is very similar all around to Delta and American’s no-annual-fee cards.

Who should skip this card (and what to get instead)

If you’re fine with a modest annual fee, I wouldn’t get the United Gateway Card. And honestly, even if you do mind an annual fee, I’d still consider a different United card, as its benefits far outweigh the fee. And that card is the United℠ Explorer Card.

The United Explorer has an annual fee of $95 (waived first year). Its reward rate is comparable to the Gateway Card’s — just in a different category. More importantly, you get two one-time-use United Club passes per year and your first bag checked free, and one companion does as well. It would only take a couple of flights per year to save more than you paid with the annual fee.

United Gateway Card benefits and perks

Circling back to the United Gateway Card, it’s not entirely without perks.

Welcome offer

Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open (limited-time offer). As welcome offers go, this is an attainable one without an overly high spending requirement.

Introductory APR offer

If you are planning a large purchase, you can save on interest with this card as it offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months then 21.49% - 28.49% Variable. This is a very unique offer from an airline card.

Low fees

With a $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, you don’t have to stress about an annual cost or fees on purchases while traveling abroad.

United benefits

All purchases made with this card earn United miles and you also get 25% back in statement credits on in-flight purchases made with this card.

Chase benefits

This card offers complimentary protections and insurance, such as an auto rental collision damage waiver and trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance. The auto rental waiver is secondary, meaning your insurance pays first, and then the Gateway card’s insurance pays what’s not covered by your insurance (subject to your policy’s limits). There are travel cards that offer primary car rental insurance coverage, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card.

DoorDash benefit

Take advantage of the one-year complimentary DashPass subscription for cardholders. (Requires activation by 12/31/2024.) With DashPass, you'll pay no delivery fees and benefit from reduced service fees on eligible orders. After the first year, your DashPass subscription will renew at the regular monthly rate. If you order food often, the savings with this can add up significantly.

Drawbacks to this card

No free checked bag

Other United credit cards, including the United Explorer Card and United Quest℠ Card, can help you avoid checked bag fees with United Airlines, but the United Gateway Card doesn’t come with this benefit.

No premium benefits

The United Gateway Card is a travel card, but it doesn’t offer premium travel benefits like Priority Pass lounge access, TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee reimbursement, or annual travel credits. Benefits like these can save significant time and keep your travel much more comfortable. TSA PreCheck alone has made security lines much less of a hassle when I travel.

Chase 5/24 status

As a Chase credit card, the United Gateway Card falls under the Chase 5/24 rule. This means you can’t get this card if you’ve already signed up for five new credit card products from any issuer in the past 24 months.

Earning and redeeming United MileagePlus miles

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your United miles can add up with the United Gateway Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 1 cent per mile, though you may be able to redeem your miles for a higher value due to United’s dynamic award structure.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $897

Year two earnings: $552

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which looks at points earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee. This value assumes you are taking advantage of the bonus earnings, but not all your travel spending is with United. Obviously, the more you travel with United, the more this card could be worth to you.

Best ways to earn

The best way to earn United miles with the United Gateway Card is by using it to make purchases that earn bonus rewards. You can earn 2x miles on United purchases, at gas stations, and on local transit and commuting, and 1x mile on all other purchases.

It’s easy to start racking up miles if you use this card on some of your everyday expenses, as well as any United purchases you make.

Maximizing your redemptions

The best way to use United miles is by redeeming them for award flights. This will typically give you the most bang for your buck compared to other redemption options, such as online shopping and gift cards.

Some of my tips for maximizing your United MileagePlus award flight redemptions include:

Be flexible with travel dates

United uses a dynamic pricing model, so the cost of a flight can vary depending on your dates and other factors. If you’re not tied down to a specific date, it's much easier to find a flight that you can cover with your miles.

Using the Excursionist Perk

If you have a multi-city itinerary, the United Excursionist Perk is a fun way to get a free flight that’s sandwiched between other flights during a trip. With the Excursionist Perk, if you book three or more one-way award flights, you may be able to receive one of those flights for free if it meets certain criteria.

I was able to book a free flight from Lisbon to Berlin during a trip where I was already planning to fly from San Francisco to Hong Kong and then Glasgow to Las Vegas.

Booking partner flights

United is a Star Alliance member, which means you can use United miles to fly with different United partners. In my experience using the Excursionist Perk, I flew on United, TAP Air Portugal, LOT Polish Airlines, and Air Canada – all booked with United miles.

Taking advantage of award sales

United has a dedicated flight award deals page and will sometimes release featured deals. It’s worth keeping an eye out for these deals because you never know when one might align with your travel plans. An especially good deal I remember is being able to book one-way flights to New Zealand and Australia from the U.S. for only 35,000 miles.

United transfer partners

United MileagePlus members can use their miles to book flights with many partner airlines. As a member of the Star Alliance, United’s miles can be used with other Star Alliance members, and several other partner airlines as well.

United also partners with hotels and car rental companies to provide MileagePlus members with additional benefits. These loyalty program partners allow you to earn United miles through their programs:

The availability of airline partners allows for greater flexibility and earning potential when it comes to using your United miles. Remember to take advantage of these partners so you can maximize your redemptions and make the most of your rewards.

Another card to consider

If you’re not sure how much you’ll fly with United, the Chase Sapphire Preferred could be a better choice.

It does have a $95 annual fee, but with that, you get a more flexible travel rewards card. The Sapphire Preferred earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be redeemed for travel, cash back, gift cards, or as a transfer to any Chase Travel℠ transfer partners.

And because your points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal on this card, it makes it a lot easier to get loads of value from your travel redemptions. New Sapphire Preferred cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Check out our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

FAQ

Bottom line

The United Gateway Card is a $0-annual-fee card with a decent welcome offer. But it can’t really compare to other cards with low annual fees and better benefits.

If you’re still deciding, consider other travel cards that might make more sense. Check out our list of the best travel credit cards for better options.

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Current Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase and pay the annual fee in the first 90 days

Annual Fee

$99

Rewards Rate

2X miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and 1X mile per dollar spent on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase and pay the annual fee in the first 90 days
• 2X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases
• Intro APR on balance transfers
• In-flight savings options, first check bag free, preferred boarding
• No foreign transaction fees

Drawbacks

• Has annual fee
• Best for American Airlines travelers

Card Details

• Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase and pay the annual fee in the first 90 days
• 2X miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and 1X mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
• Intro balance transfer 0% APR offer: 0% for 15 billing cycles (on balance transfers that post within 45 days of account opening) then 20.74% to 29.99% (variable)

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®, is credit cards specialist. For over a decade, he's leveraged credit card points and miles to travel the world. His expertise extends to other areas of personal finance — including loans, insurance, investing, and real estate — and you can find his insights on The Washington Post, Debt.com, Yahoo! Finance, and Fox Business.

Author Details

Melinda Sineriz, ABFP™

Melinda Sineriz is a Lead Editor at FinanceBuzz and an Accredited Behavioral Finance Professional™ designee. Melinda has a B.A. in English from Miami University and a master’s degree from Bard College. Before focusing on personal finance content, she worked in insurance for six years, educating clients on Medicare supplements, life insurance, long-term care, and annuities.