United Gateway Card Review: No Annual Fee & Up To 50K Bonus Miles

Chase and United offer a suite of co-branded credit cards, and the no annual fee option is the United Gateway℠ Card. The card earns 5x total miles on eligible United flights, 2x miles on all other eligible United purchases, and 2x miles on other travel purchases, including spending at gas stations and local transit and commuting. The United Gateway Card also gets you perks when you fly with United, but some of them require meeting an annual spending threshold on the card. This is my in-depth United Gateway Card review, so let’s dive into the card details, and whether I think the benefits are worth it below. Link: Learn more about the United Gateway℠ Card United Airlines Gateway Card summary & key details for October 2026United Gateway bonus, eligibility, & feesUnited Gateway Card welcome bonus up to 50K milesUnited Gateway Card bonus eligibility rulesUnited Gateway Card no annual feeUnited Gateway Card no foreign transaction feeUnited Gateway Card miles earning structureUnited Gateway Card 2x miles bonus categoriesUnited Gateway Card 1x miles on all other purchasesUnited Gateway Card benefits & perksUnited Gateway Card free checked bags with spendingUnited Gateway Card other United perksUnited Gateway Card travel and purchase protectionUnited Gateway Card intro APR offerIs the United Gateway Card worth it?Why you should get the United Explorer Card insteadUnited Gateway vs. American AAdvantage MileUp card comparisonUnited Gateway vs. Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex Card comparisonUnited Gateway Card FAQsBottom line United Airlines Gateway Card summary & key details for October 2026 Before I share my full thoughts on the United Gateway Card, let me take a moment to go over the top-level details, including the card’s welcome bonus, perks, and rewards structure. United Gateway Card annual fee: $0 United Gateway Card welcome offer: Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. Learn more. United Gateway Card miles earning rate: 2x miles on eligible United purchases and on other travel purchases including gas stations and local transit and commuting, 1x miles on all other purchases United Gateway Card foreign transaction fee: None United Gateway Card travel benefits with United: 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi onboard United-operated flights and on United Club premium drinks, plus after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year, save 10% or more on flights booked with miles, earn an additional 3x miles per dollar spent on United, and earn two first standard checked bags on United or United Express flights United Gateway Card other perks: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases, and then 19.99% - 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness, auto rental coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection Here’s what comes to mind for me as far as the main United Gateway Card pros and cons go: United Gateway Card prosUnited Gateway Card consNo annual feeSeveral of the United perks require meeting an annual spending thresholdSolid bonus spending categories for a no annual fee cardUnited Explorer Card has a better welcome bonus and stronger perksOffers some travel and purchase protection United Gateway bonus, eligibility, & fees The United Gateway Card is one of the better no annual fee airline credit cards out there, especially factoring in the welcome bonus. Let’s look at the card in more detail, including the welcome bonus, eligibility, fees, and more. United Gateway Card welcome bonus up to 50K miles The United Gateway Card has a limited time welcome bonus of 40,000 MileagePlus miles after spending $1,000 within the first three months. You can earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles when you add an authorized user within the first three months your account is open. Based on my latest miles & points valuations, MileagePlus miles are worth 1.3 cents each. That means to me, 40,000 miles are worth $520, while 50,000 bonus miles are worth $650. That’s an excellent welcome offer for a no annual fee card. United Gateway Card bonus eligibility rules Eligibility for the United Gateway Card welcome bonus is unrelated to any other Chase or United credit card bonuses, so you are eligible even if you have other co-branded United cards. The standard Chase application rules apply, including the Chase 5/24 rule (though there are increasingly reports of this no longer being consistently enforced). United Gateway Card no annual fee As I’ve already mentioned, the United Gateway Card has no annual fee. This applies both to the primary cardmember and any additional cardmembers. Back in the day, there weren’t many airline credit cards without annual fees, so it’s nice to see airlines increasingly offering this kind of product. United Gateway Card no foreign transaction fee The United Gateway Card has no foreign transaction fees, which means you can take it on all your travels without a second thought. Not every no annual fee airline credit card waives foreign transaction fees, so I appreciate this. Earn MileagePlus miles with the United Gateway Card United Gateway Card miles earning structure The United Gateway Card has a pretty simple rewards structure. You’ll earn 2x United miles on a handful of bonus categories, including United purchases, and then 1x miles on everything else. United Gateway Card 2x miles bonus categories The United Gateway Card has a solid rewards structure for a no annual fee card, as it offers: 2x MileagePlus miles on United purchases 2x MileagePlus miles on gas station purchases 2x MileagePlus miles on local transit and commuting, including rideshare services, taxis, train tickets, tolls, and mass transit You’ll see the United Gateway Card marketed as offering a total of 5x miles on eligible United flights. However, that factors in the minimum of 3x miles (or more, if you have higher MileagePlus Premier status) that you ordinarily earn for being a MileagePlus member, so you should do the math incrementally. You’re earning an additional 2x miles for paying with the Gateway Card, and that’s what matters. United Gateway Card 1x miles on all other purchases For all spending outside of the 2x miles bonus categories, the United Gateway Card earns 1x miles per dollar spent. As mentioned above, the United Gateway Card has no foreign transaction fees, so this can be a great card to use abroad. There aren’t all that many no annual fee cards with decent rewards structures that also have no foreign transaction fees, so the card is pretty awesome in that sense. Earn 2x miles on United purchases with the United Gateway Card United Gateway Card benefits & perks The United Gateway Card offers several United-specific benefits, along with some more general perks like travel and purchase protection. I’ll start by looking at the airline-specific features. United Gateway Card free checked bags with spending As an incentive for spending, the United Gateway Card offers two standard checked bag certificates after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year. United ordinarily charges $45-50 for a first checked bag, so that’s a value of $90-100 right there. Let me emphasize that this is a total of two free checked bag certificates, so you’re not getting two free checked bags on every itinerary. It’s nice to have some incentive for spending, though it’s probably not worth spending $10,000 on the card annually just to receive that perk. Note that United’s more premium cards offer free checked bags as part of the standard card perks, with no spending required. United Gateway Card other United perks Generally speaking, one of the main reasons to consider picking up an airline credit card is for the perks that it offers. As you’d expect, United Airlines’ no annual fee credit card has the fewest perks of any card in the portfolio. That being said, the United Gateway Card does offer some benefits, as follows: 25% savings on United inflight purchases, including purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi A discount of 10% or more on flights booked with miles after you spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year (MileagePlus Premier members save even more) 8x total miles on eligible United flights, meaning 6x miles as a MileagePlus member on top of the standard 2x miles you’ll earn with the United Gateway Card after spending $10,000 on purchases on the card in a calendar year While the award flight discount and 8x total miles are useful, you’ll need to spend a minimum of $10,000 on the United Gateway Card in a calendar year to unlock those. Unless United miles are the most valuable rewards currency to you, you’re probably better off putting that spending on another card with better bonuses on everyday spending — possibly a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, since you can transfer those to United. Save on inflight purchases with the United Gateway Card United Gateway Card travel and purchase protection I also appreciate that the United Gateway Card comes with a handful of travel and purchase coverage benefits. You’ll need to pay with the card to get coverage, and there are some exceptions to note in the card’s benefits guide, but here’s a brief overview: Auto collision damage waiver (rental car coverage) Trip cancellation and interruption insurance of up to $1,500 per covered traveler and up to $6,000 per trip Purchase protection of up to $500 per item for damage and theft up to 120 days from the date of purchase Extended warranty protection of up to one additional year United Gateway Card intro APR offer The United Gateway Card also comes with an introductory APR offer: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases, and then 19.99% - 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness It’s specifically for purchases, not balance transfers. Some cards offer longer intro APR periods, so if this is an important benefit for you, be sure to compare some other options. Is the United Gateway Card worth it? For a no annual fee airline card, it doesn’t get much better than the United Gateway Card. The card offers an impressive welcome bonus, 2x miles on select purchases with no foreign transaction fees, savings on inflight purchases, and more. If you absolutely want a no annual fee United card, then this is obviously the card to go with. The one thing I’d like to emphasize is that United has in recent times transformed its MileagePlus program to create very strong incentives to pick up a co-branded credit card. This is true on both the MileagePlus earning and redemption front. When it comes to earning miles, you earn an additional 3x miles per dollar spent if you have select co-branded credit cards. With the United Gateway Card, you only unlock that better return on airfare spending if you spend at least $10,000 per year. So that’s one major opportunity cost to having this card in comparison to other United cards. MileagePlus statusMileagePlus earn rateCardmember earn rateGeneral member3x miles per dollar6x miles per dollarPremier Silver5x miles per dollar8x miles per dollarPremier Gold6x miles per dollar9x miles per dollarPremier Platinum7x miles per dollar10x miles per dollarPremier 1K9x miles per dollar12x miles per dollar Then when it comes to redeeming miles, those with elite status and/or a co-branded credit card unlock better award pricing. Once again, those with the United Gateway Card only start to unlock better award pricing after spending $10,000 in a year. MileagePlus award pricing varies wildly based on status & credit card So there’s a real opportunity cost to going this route, rather than going for a United card with an annual fee. So I’d like to talk a bit more about why it could make sense to pick up another United credit card, and also compare it to the no annual fee cards offered by other airlines. Why you should get the United Explorer Card instead If you’re considering picking up a United Airlines credit card, I’d apply for the United℠ Explorer Card (learn more) over the United Gateway Card. Why? The United Explorer Card offers a much bigger welcome bonus, which gets you significantly more value upfront The United Explorer Card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 If you decide after a year that you don’t want the United Explorer Card, you should be able to downgrade it to the no annual fee United Gateway Card The United Explorer Card offers all kinds of valuable incremental perks, like two United Club passes annually, a free first checked bag, priority boarding, rideshare credits, improved mileage earning, and much more There’s simply no reason not to give the United Explorer Card at least a try. The United Explorer Card offers a much bigger bonus All of the “big three” carriers in the United States have no annual fee cards, so how does the United Gateway Card compare to the credit cards issued by American AAdvantage and Delta SkyMiles? United Gateway vs. American AAdvantage MileUp card comparison The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® (learn more) offers: 15,000 American AAdvantage miles plus a $100 statement credit after spending $500 within the first three months 2x AAdvantage miles for American Airlines and grocery store purchases 1x Loyalty Points per dollar spent, so spending counts toward status 25% savings on inflight American Airlines purchases The card does have foreign transaction fees The United Gateway Card comes out ahead for having a higher welcome bonus (though the minimum spending requirement is higher too) and for waiving foreign transaction fees. But if you’re a loyal American Airlines flyer, you may appreciate how spending on the American MileUp Card counts toward status, while spending on the United Gateway Card doesn’t. United Gateway vs. Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex Card comparison The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (learn more) (Rates & Fees) offers: 10,000 Delta SkyMiles after spending $1,000 within the first six months 2x SkyMiles for Delta and restaurant purchases 20% savings on inflight Delta Air Lines purchases in the form of a statement credit The card doesn’t have foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees) As you can see, there are pros and cons to each product, though I’d say that the United Gateway Card might just be the most lucrative of the bunch. The card offers the best welcome bonus, the best spending bonuses (all with no foreign transaction fees), 25% savings on inflight purchases, and good purchase and travel protection. So for a no annual fee airline card, it doesn’t get much better than that, if you ask me. American Airlines also has a no annual fee credit card What are the benefits of a United Gateway Card? The main benefits of the United Gateway Card are no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, 2x miles on a variety of bonus categories, and some basic perks like 25% back on eligible in-flight purchases when you fly United. Does the United Gateway Card get free checked bags? The United Gateway Card can get you two first standard checked bags on United- or United Express-operated flights, but you’ll need to spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year to unlock this benefit. Does the United Gateway Card have an annual fee? The United Gateway Card doesn’t charge an annual fee. It’s the entry-level option in United’s lineup of co-branded credit cards offered through Chase. Does the United Gateway Card get lounge access? The United Gateway Card doesn’t offer lounge access. The United Explorer Card, which is one step up from the United Gateway Card with a $150 annual fee that’s waived the first year, comes with two United Club passes annually. Does the United Gateway Card get priority boarding? No, the United Gateway Card doesn’t offer priority boarding on United as a benefit. Is the United Gateway Card hard to get? The United Gateway Card isn’t necessarily hard to get. Chase doesn’t share a credit score requirement for this card, but it will look at your credit score, income, other accounts with Chase, and other factors when evaluating your card application. What is the United Gateway Card's credit limit? There isn’t a set credit limit on the United Gateway Card. For this card and most other cards, Chase will set your credit limit based on your other existing Chase credit card accounts, your income, and your credit score. Bottom line The United Gateway Card is United Airlines’ no annual fee personal credit card. The card has no foreign transaction fees and offers 2x miles in select bonus categories. On top of that, the card offers 25% savings on inflight purchases, as well as useful purchase and travel protection. If you want a no annual fee airline credit card, this is as good as it gets. I think the better strategy is to pick up the United Explorer Card. If you decide after a year that you don’t want the card, you can always downgrade it. What do you make of the United Gateway Card? The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (Rates & Fees).