Trying to decide if the United Airlines credit card is right for you? Then you need to see this review of the new United MileagePlus cards.

United Airlines Visa card
As I’m sure you know, Continental and United Airlines have been undergoing a merger for quite some time. Chase actually managed both of their credit cards pre-merger, but up until recently it was unclear which of the two programs would survive and continue onward.

Well back during the later part of 2011 we finally got the answer when Chase launched a brand new card, the United MileagePlus Explorer, which combines the best of both worlds. This will be beneficial for consumers and here’s why…

The Enhanced Signup Promotion...
For years now, CreditCardForum has actually advertised cards for both airlines, but this latest deal is something really unique because you are getting several incentives and benefits all at once:
  • You get 25,000 bonus miles after your very first purchase
  • Plus you get another 5,000 mile bonus simply for adding an authorized user
  • Plus you get a recurring 10,000 mile bonus every year you spend at least $25k
  • And to top it all off, your annual fee is waived for the first year
When you add up the value for all of the above, it’s worth quite a bit of money (especially being that it takes just 25k miles for a domestic roundtrip saver award ticket).This is significantly better than the promotions Chase has previously offered. Go here to find out more about this offer.

Better Rewards Program
Thanks to the merger, United is now the largest carrier in the world. This gives the United Airlines credit card some distinct advantages and benefits over the other guys…
Reason #1 – More Destinations
Being that you have almost 370 destinations across 6 continents, with nearly 5,600 daily flights… you are getting access to the world’s most comprehensive airline network.
Reason #2 – The Star Alliance
You have the ability to earn and spend miles on the 27 Star Alliance partner airlines. Since Star Alliance is by far the biggest airline network, it’s definitely the one you want access to.
Reason #3 – Award Seat Availability
Nothing is more annoying than attempting to redeem miles, only to be prompted with that classic line “there are no reward seats available on this flight.” Well, as reported by the Wall Street Journal last May, an independent study by Idea Works made 6,720 requests for domestic award flights on 24 different airlines. Every airline was tested for 20 different routes, 14 different dates for each. Guess what they found? Availability for standard-mileage award seats was a success rate of 71.4% of the time on United-Continental in this study!
Conclusion? Not only will you be earning an unlimited 2x miles on United/Continental flights and 1x on everything else – but most important of all – you will have lots of options when it comes time to spend them.

More Benefits
The predecessor credit cards (the Continental OnePass and United Mileage Plus Visa) each had unique strengths, so many people (myself included) were skeptical how these two programs would be merged. Fortunately what ended up happening is Chase took the most popular benefits from each and incorporated them on this new United MileagePlus Explorer card. Then they even added new benefits on top of that. Review the perks for yourself…
  • First bag flies free
    Your first checked bag flies free, which equals a roundtrip savings of 50 bucks. On top of that, if a person is traveling with you they also get their first bag free, which saves you another 50 bucks.
  • Priority Boarding
    With this United Airlines card you receive priority boarding on both United and Continental flights.
  • United Club Access
    This new benefit gives you 2 free day passes every year for access to their airport lounges. Normally this would cost you $50/visit if you didn’t have a first-class ticket or aren’t a VIP frequent flyer. So the yearly value of this benefit is up to $100.
  • Primary Rental Collision Damage Waiver
    Almost every credit card offers secondary coverage, but those plans kick in after your personal insurance pays out (and hence, you still end up with a claim dinging your record). However what’s so unique about this United Airlines card is that it offers primary coverage, which means it pays out first. Aside from United-Continental, I can’t think of any other airline branded cards which provides this.
  • Travel and Shopping Benefits
    Coverage for trip delay, trip cancellation, lost/stolen luggage. For shopping you get purchase protection and price protection, the latter of which you won’t even find on any AmEx card. There’s also complimentary concierge and the luxury hotels and resorts program, which offer special pricing and perks.
Are there any drawbacks?
So we’ve gone over the pros but how about the cons? Well, this United Airlines credit card review wouldn’t be complete without going over the drawbacks too. Here's what I dislike…

The APR is 14.24%. This is actually on the lower side for a rewards card, but in my personal opinion it still isn’t low enough to use for carrying a balance long term. So if you’re someone who regularly carries a balance, either get a plain vanilla card from a credit union (because they’re about the only places that offer low rate cards these days) or play the 0% balance transfer game to avoid interest.

Verdict?
The pros far outweigh the cons and given that this is the largest carrier now, if you’re going to have an airline credit card this is obviously the one to go with. And just to recap, what Chase is offering right now for the beginning of 2012 is by far the most lucrative package they've ever had:
  • You get 25,000 miles after your first purchase + 5,000 more for adding an authorized user
  • Your annual fee is waived the first year and that’s $95 value
  • For each and every year you spend at least $25k on your MileagePlus Explorer card, you get a recurring annual spend bonus of 10,000 miles