There has been some speculation on the details for the Chase United MileagePlus Club card. The United website has shown the card for a couple of weeks, but details were still to be released. This past weekend I happen to randomly see that the cards are now officially available for release.
There is both a personal and business version of the cards:
MileagePlus Club Card
MileagePlus Club Business Card
My initial reaction…where are the miles? There is no large mileage bonus upon signing up. In fact, there is no mileage bonus, and a measly $95 credit to cover part of the annual fee ($395) after your first purchase. The cards appear to be nothing worthy of investing my time into getting. However, upon closer inspection of the benefits, maybe the card might have some advantages worthy of discussion.
– Both cards earn a standard 1.5 miles per dollar spent across all categories. In addition, 2 miles/dollar are earned on United tickets.
– Either card will keep your United airline miles from expiring.
– By holding onto the Club card, you do not need to pay close-in fees on award bookings. What this means is that you avoid having to pay a fee for changes to award tickets within 21 days of departure.
– What I consider possibly the best and most valuable benefit of the United MileagePlus Club cards is that redemption of miles for award seats have no blackout dates or restrictions. If a seat is available, it can be redeemed at the standard award level. This means that just by holding the card, you now are granted access to every flight operated by United for reward redemption, provided there is a seat available.
When I redeem miles for award seats, I like the find the best value, which is available at the super saver levels; therefore, while the last benefit might be the best of the group, it will not work for our family.
Additional benefits include:
– Unlimited United lounge access for the cardholder and a guest
– Priority airport services
– First and second free checked bags on United flights for the cardholder and a guest
– No foreign transaction fees
– Hotel partner privileges
– Platinum Hyatt status and exclusive Avis program
Overall, I just do not think this card offers much to our family, as the benefits are not there yet. I really expect this card to sit out there awhile with little activity except for frequent United flyers. Eventually, Chase may have to kick in some miles to make this card worthwhile, at least to get our family interested.
There has also been discussion, and Million Mile Secrets pointed out, a method on being able to possibly get the $395 annual fee waived if you currently have status with United. It is all too much work for too little gain on our end.
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