New United Airlines Quest credit card with 100,000 mile sign-up bonus

Today, Chase released the new United Quest credit card with a tremendous 100,000-mile sign-up bonus.  You get 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months, and another 20,000 miles after spending an additional $5,000 within the first 6 months.  So $10,000 in spending within 6 months will get you the 100k bonus.  I value United miles at a penny a piece, the the sign-up bonus is worth around $1,000.  This limited-time sign-up offer ends on June 2, 2021.


Quest card benefits

In addition to the generous 100k sign-up bonus, the new Quest card comes with the following annual credits to help offset the $250 annual fee:
  • $125 annual United Airlines purchase credit
  • Up to 10,000 award miles back on United-operated award flight redemptions annually - receive 5,000 award miles back per award redemption, up to twice annually
The $125 is automatically credited back to your credit card for United purchases, whether it be a single flight purchase or several <$125 purchases.  This should be easy to earn as long as you fly on a paid United flight at least once per year.  The 10,000 award miles does require at least 2 United metal redemptions per year, which should be doable for most when travel starts picking back up.  Valuing United miles at 1 cent per piece, the $125 annual credit and 10,000 award miles would be worth around $225 annually.

Get up to $125 and 10,000 award miles back annually flying with United with the Quest card

In addition to the annual credits, the Quest card also offers the following benefits, which could be invaluable for many:
  • Complimentary first and second checked bag for you and a companion on the same reservation
  • Priority boarding for you and your companions on the same reservation
  • 25% back on United in-flight purchases
  • Complimentary upgrades on award tickets if you’re a Premier member
  • Expanded access to MileagePlus award flight availability
  • Up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check credit once every four years
  • Ability to earn up to 3,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) for spending on the card; earn 500 PQPs for every $12,000 spent on purchases
  • No foreign exchange transaction fees
Priority boarding is a welcome benefit when flying on United, especially since finding overhead space can be a war once travel picks back up.  And you'll be able to lessen your carry on load entirely should you choose to check bags with the generous 2 free checked bags.  Domestically for non-elite members, United charges $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second checked bag, so you could leverage up to $80 value per flight if you're checking bags, and $160 with a companion also checking bags.


Quest card earnings potential

The new Quest card will earn the following United miles on purchases:
  • 3x on United purchases
  • 2x on select streaming services and all dining and travel purchases
  • 1x on all other purchases
While not having the broadest bonus spending categories, this is still amongst the best we typically see for airline credit cards, which typically only get 2x miles for their respective airline purchases and 1x on everything else.


Who can get the new Quest card?

You can have the Quest card as long as you've never had it before, which shouldn't be anyone since the card is brand new.  The nice thing is that you can hold the Quest card along with any of the other United credit cards.  But like most Chase cards, the Quest card does fall under Chase's 5/24 rule, which means that you won't be eligible if you've signed up for over 5 consumer credit cards in the past 24 months from any and all financial institutions.


Bottom line

The Quest card is a welcome addition to United Airlines' line of credit cards, particularly with the generous 100k sign-up offer.  The $250 annual fee may seem high, but can be easily offset if you purchase a United flight just once a year and redeem miles for United-operated flights twice a year.  You'll also be treated to other valuable benefits including free checked bags, priority boarding, and more.

From all of us at Flying for Fitness, please stay healthy during this trying time.  We hope you enjoyed this post.  Please consider visiting one of our sponsors by clicking on the advertisements.  Our sponsors pay us for customer visits and help us to keep the lights on.  Thanks!



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