United(SM) Business Card vs. United Club(SM) Business Card

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Both cards give you valuable benefits on United, so which one is right for you? One is a mid-tier card that offers some perks for a reasonable annual fee, and the other is a premium airline credit card with airport lounge access and other benefits.

United℠ Business Card vs. United Club(SM) Business Card: Side-By-Side Comparison

Welcome Offer Winner: United Business

United℠ Business Card has this offer for new cardholders: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99. United Club(SM) Business Card offers this: Earn 50,000 bonus miles + 1,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

United miles are worth roughly 1.2 cents each, so United℠ Business Card has a welcome offer worth about $1,200, give or take. If you redeem your miles for flights you’ll get the most value, but you can redeem them for statement credits, gift cards or magazine subscriptions.

United Club(SM) Business Card offers fewer welcome miles, but it throws in 1,000 Premier Qualifying Points. Premier Qualifying Points are a sort of currency that reflects how much money you’ve spent with United. There are different tiers: Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum and Premier 1K. It gets complicated, but the basics are that the more you spend with United, the more perks you qualify for, such as upgraded seats when available and up to 11x miles per flight. But to qualify for Premier Silver, you need 5,000 PQPs (or 4,000 PQPs and 1,000 PQFs: this is why we say it gets complicated), so the bonus on the United Club(SM) Business Card only gets you a fifth of the way to Premier Silver status. Since United℠ Business Card offers 25,000 more miles in the welcome offer, we’re going to give it the win.

Rewards Winner: United Club Business

United℠ Business Card offers 2x miles on United purchases, plus 2x miles on dining, office supply stores, gas, and local transit. If you have a United Business card and a personal United card, you can earn 5,000 bonus miles on your cardmember anniversary. You also get one free checked bag, priority boarding, and 25% off your in-flight purchases. Two United Club one-time airport lounge passes each year are also included.

United Club(SM) Business Card offers cardholders 2x miles on flights and 1.5x miles on all other purchases. You get two free checked bags, Premier Access travel services (which includes priority check-in, security, and baggage handling to make going through the airport a breeze), and an invitation to Avis President’s Club. This comes with two car-class upgrades when available. The biggest benefit is the United Club membership, so you can use the airport lounge whenever you travel.

Both cards come with free employee cards and a one-year subscription to Dash Pass.

This is a tough call, because the United℠ Business Card is undeniably a better value, but you do get more and better benefits with the United Club(SM) Business Card, so we give it the nod.

Here are the details for each card.

United℠ Business Card Rewards

United Club(SM) Business Card Rewards

Interest Rates Winner: It’s a tie

Both cards offer the same interest rates, and neither has foreign transaction fees. Neither card is offering a 0% introductory APR offer.

Fee Winner: United Business

The biggest difference between these two cards is the annual fee. United℠ Business Card has an annual fee of $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99, whereas United Club(SM) Business Card has an annual fee of $450. Since neither card offers 0% introductory APR and neither has foreign transaction fees, based purely on the annual fee (and the value for the money) we give the win to United℠ Business Card.

Features and Benefits: United Business

For features and benefits, United Business wins. It offers almost the same benefits as the United Club(SM) Business Card for about a quarter of the price.

United Business

United Club Business

Who the United℠ Business Card is Best For

United℠ Business Card is an excellent value that features a lot of great United perks for a reasonable annual fee. If you travel for work just once or twice a year, this card is perfect for you. You get two United airport lounge visits a year plus a free checked bag. If you have a personal United card (such as the United Gateway℠ Card which has no annual fee) you earn 5,000 anniversary miles as well.

Who the United Club(SM) Business Card is Best For

United Club(SM) Business Card is a good choice for business owners who travel a lot and strongly prefer United Airlines. You can enjoy United Club airport lounge access, located in 45 cities around the U.S. You can also access Star Alliance lounges. This is by far the biggest benefit of this card.

If you travel a lot but don’t care what airline you fly with, consider The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. You’ll get a ton of non-airline specific travel and business benefits.

Does it Make Sense to Get Both Cards?

No, one card will be a better fit for you than the other, depending on how often you fly United. Both cards are issued by Chase, a conservative lender. If you apply for the United Business and decide the Club card is a better fit, you can upgrade (although you won’t get the welcome offer).

Approval Odds

United℠ Business Card

United Club(SM) Business Card

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any credit score information for the United Club(SM) Business Card, but given that both cards are issued by the same bank, we believe the underwriting is similar. You need excellent credit for either card.

Bottom Line

Both the United Business and the offer excellent value for business owners, but business owners who travel frequently will find more value in the . If you travel only occasionally for work, the United Business is a great choice.