United Gateway Card Review 2025

Earn United Miles With No Annual Fee

As the card name implies, this card is meant to introduce new members to the world of MileagePlus credit cards. It earns United Airlines MileagePlus miles on purchases and is the only United credit card without an annual fee.

Low Introductory APR

For cardholders who need some time to pay down a purchase, the United Gateway’s intro APR can assist. You’ll have access to a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, followed by a regular 20.49% to 28.99% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies. That time without interest can help you cover airline tickets or other expenses without worrying about added costs.

Other United Gateway Card Benefits

• 25% back on United inflight purchases. Earn 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi aboard United operated flights.
• No foreign transaction fees. When making purchases in other currencies, costs will be converted to USD on your account with no additional fees.
• Earn two free checked bags per year. If you spend $10,000 or more on your card in a calendar year, you’ll receive two free checked bags.
• Earn member pricing. If you spend $10,000 or more on your card in a calendar year, you’ll be eligible for member pricing.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Reimburses up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for prepaid, nonrefundable passenger fares if a trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations like sickness or severe weather.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver. Provides secondary theft and collision damage coverage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad.
• Purchase protection. Covers new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Extended warranty protection. Extends the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less.

Earning Opportunities are Limited

With only a few exceptions, the vast majority of potential expenses earn only 1 mile per dollar spent, which is a meager return. There are dozens of other rewards cards that could get you closer to a free trip faster—and with more flexibility.

United Benefits are Nearly Nonexistent

Compared to other airline credit cards, this one doesn’t come with any notable benefits when flying with the airline, like priority boarding, free checked bags or airport lounge access.

Ideal For:

• Occasional travelers who want to earn United miles without an annual fee
• United flyers with high spending on gas, local transit and commuting

Not Ideal For:

• Travelers seeking perks when flying
• Customers who want miles redeemable on multiple airlines

Earning Rewards

The card earns:

• 2X on United® purchases, including flights and most incidentals
• 2X at gas stations
• 2X on local transit and commuting
• 1X on all other purchases

It also offers a welcome bonus: Earn 30,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

Redeeming Rewards

Like most frequent flyer programs, MileagePlus miles can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, but the most common—and most valuable—use is for award flights. Miles can be used to pay for flights operated by United as well as select flights on Star Alliance and other partners like Lufthansa, Asiana and Aer Lingus. Using miles to upgrade a purchased ticket is also available, with pricing available on United’s website.

United doesn’t offer a flat-rate award chart. Instead, its award pricing is dynamic and many of its awards roughly correlate with the cash prices of its tickets. In other words, tickets that are more expensive when paying cash (like those on peak dates, popular routes or in premium classes of service) may also be more expensive when redeeming miles. Tickets may be as low as 5,600 miles one way but you can search real-time pricing for your exact trip at United.com.

Rewards Potential

Using data from various government agencies, Forbes Advisor has developed estimates for how much a family in the 70th percentile of income spends annually in various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $127,200 annually and has $40,398 in expenses that can be charged to credit cards.

The New United Gateway℠ Card Rewards Potential

Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
United Spending	2X	$805	1,610
Gas Stations, Transit and Commuting	2X	$3,110	6,220
All Other Purchases	1X	$36,483	36,483
			Total: 44,313 United MileagePlus Miles

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Our cardholder in the example above would earn 44,313 United MileagePlus Miles from using the card in an average year. Though pricing varies and is never guaranteed, that’s likely enough to cover the cost of one round-trip economy flight within the U.S., if not more.

The New United Gateway℠ Card offers new cardholders a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, followed by a regular 20.49% to 28.99% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 20.49% - 28.99% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $0
• Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: $0

The New United Gateway℠ Card isn’t a perfect fit for everyone. These alternate cards may also be worth your consideration.

Account Features	The New United Gateway℠ Card	The New United℠ Explorer Card	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	Citi Double Cash® Card
Annual Fee	$0	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150	$95	$0
Welcome Bonus	30,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening	80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening	100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening	$200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
Standout Rewards	2X on United purchases, gas and transit	2X on United purchases, dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel	3X on dining and 2X on travel	2% cash back on every purchase (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay)
Major Travel Benefits	N/A	Free checked bag when flying United; Two one-time passes to United Clubs	$50 credit toward hotels booked with Chase Travel; Flexible miles	N/A
Foreign Transaction Fee	$0	$0	$0	3%

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The New United Gateway℠ Card vs. The New United℠ Explorer Card

If you regularly fly United Airlines, mid-level The New United℠ Explorer Card could be a worthwhile upgrade. The card’s annual fee ($0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150) pays for itself after only one or two trips through its benefits. Right off the bat, you’ll get two annual United Club one-time passes and a free checked bag for the primary cardholder and one companion traveling on the same reservation.

Other benefits include a variety of potential statement credits toward eligible United® Hotels, rideshare, JSX and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® purchases made with your card. More comprehensive travel protections are also included on eligible trips paid for with your card.

The earnings structure on the United Explorer is different, rewarding hotels and dining rather than gas and transit. So, carefully consider what types of things you’ll use your card for before determining which one has more potential for your lifestyle. However, the United Explorer doesn’t include an introductory APR offer.

The New United Gateway℠ Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Travelers who aren’t completely loyal to United might be better off with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which can be transferred to United and a number of other airlines and hotels or used to book trips through Chase Travel at 25% more value. That versatility can be a plus for someone always looking for the best deal.

Earning rewards with the Sapphire Preferred comes quicker since a few categories earn more than double the miles compared to the United Gateway. Specifically, you’ll earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. You’ll also get an anniversary points bonus after renewing your card, equal to 10% of your purchases in the previous year. The earning rates and bonus mean you can actually earn more miles on United purchases on this card than with the Gateway.

The Sapphire Preferred does charge an annual fee of $95. The hit to your wallet is somewhat offset by a hotel credit of $50 offered once per year for reservations made with Chase Travel and generous trip protections.

The New United Gateway℠ Card vs. Citi Double Cash® Card

Redeeming miles strategically can require some finesse. For an easier solution, the no annual fee Citi Double Cash® Card is a fine alternative. The card offers an effective 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off, and earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. That cash back can then be applied as a statement credit to offset any purchase you want—United or otherwise.

Over time, the Citi Double Cash could be more rewarding since every purchase earns a net 2% once paid off and the United Gateway only earns 2 miles per dollar in select spending categories. The simplicity also factors into the card’s value proposition.

The Double Cash falls short in a few ways, though. First, it charges a foreign transaction fee of 3%, so it won’t be good for international travelers. Its introductory APR also lags the United Gateways because it isn’t valid on new purchases. On the Double Cash, you’ll get a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the standard variable APR will be 18.24% to 28.24%, based on creditworthiness. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies to transfers completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, the fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

Generally speaking, this isn’t one of the best United Airlines credit cards. There are very few benefits included with the card. You can earn a few by spending $10,000 on the card, but that spending won’t earn many rewards, making it a poor tradeoff. A few travelers looking to earn United miles through gas and transit spending may find it a reasonable option, but for everyone else, the fee-based United cards or other travel rewards cards represent a better choice overall.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual rewards
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

We give greater weight to the card features we believe cardholders will use most frequently. These factors combine to generate a star rating for each card.

To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.