United Club Infinite Card Review: A High-End Card for United Airlines' Most Frequent Flyers

Of the United Airlines credit cards, the most luxurious, feature-rich option is the United Club℠ Infinite Card. It offers a membership to United's airport lounge program and a high rewards rate to help you rack up miles quickly. However, those benefits come with a hefty annual fee. Explore this card's benefits and drawbacks in our United Club℠ Infinite Card review.

This credit card is a good fit for: Frequent flyers who take trips with United several times a year. Those who typically purchase a United Club℠ membership would get more value by opening this card.

Features and benefits

If you fly with United Airlines often, this card doesn't disappoint. It makes every part of the process better, from earning more miles on your flight booking to providing a smoother, more relaxing experience at the airport.

Generous bonuses to earn miles more quickly

It won't take long to have enough miles for your next flight. This United card offers a sign-up bonus of 80,000 miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

Award ticket prices with United vary, but many domestic flights cost 10,000 to 15,000 miles each way (20,000 to 30,000 miles roundtrip). Flights from several major U.S. cities to Europe normally start at 30,000 miles each way in economy and 60,000 miles in business class.

Like other airline credit cards, this card also earns miles on your purchases. It earns 4 miles per $1 on United purchases, so it's great for flight bookings and all your other spending with United. It also earns 2 miles per $1 on travel and dining.

For everyday purchases, the United Club℠ Infinite Card isn't the best. Outside of its bonus categories, it earns 1 mile per $1.

A United Club℠ membership for a better time at the airport

The highlight of this card is a complimentary United Club℠ membership. With it, you get unlimited access to United Club℠ airport lounges. You can also bring up to two adult guests, or one adult guest and dependent children under the age of 21.

Airport lounge access is one of my favorite travel upgrades. It's much more relaxing to wait for your flight in a comfortable lounge, with free food and drinks, instead of sitting in a stiff chair in the boarding area. Some United Club℠ locations are better than others, but the ones I've visited have been good. Not ultra-luxurious, but nice enough to kick back before a flight.

This benefit alone could already make the United Club℠ Infinite Card worth getting. A United Club℠ membership costs $650, although it's available for $550 to $600 if you have high enough status in the United MileagePlus program. That's still more expensive than this card's $525 annual fee.

One thing worth mentioning here is that a United Club℠ membership doesn't include access to United Polaris lounges. While there aren't many of these lounges, they are the airline's best, so it's a shame that this card doesn't get you access to them.

All the travel perks United offers to improve your air travel experience

Since this is United's top card, it's feature-packed. Here's a quick summary of its many air travel perks:

• Free checked bags: If you haven't embraced the whole "travel light" idea, this card could save you some money. When you use it to book United flights, your first two checked bags fly free. A travel companion on the same reservation can also check two bags free of charge.
• Premier Access® travel services: It's never fun to wait in line -- especially when you have access to an airport lounge and want to make the most of it. As a cardholder, you can use the priority check-in lane and security lanes. You also get priority boarding and baggage handling (where available).
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit: Take your pick of these expedited security programs. This card will reimburse one of them every four years with a credit of up to $100. I recommend Global Entry. There's a longer wait time for an interview, but it also includes TSA PreCheck, so it's basically a two-for-one deal.
• 25% back on in-flight purchases with United: This covers food, beverages, and wifi, so those in-flight cocktails and internet service will be 25% cheaper.

Elite status with IHG and Avis gets you exclusive benefits on the ground

Most of this card's benefits are air travel-related, but not all of them. As a cardholder, you'll be eligible to enroll in:

• IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status: This is the second-highest tier in IHG's loyalty program, so it includes some valuable benefits. You'll be eligible for complimentary upgrades, when available, and you'll get a welcome amenity at check-in (either points or a drink/snack).
• Avis President's Club: This is the highest tier Avis offers in its loyalty program. Benefits include complimentary two-car class upgrades, guaranteed car availability, and expedited rental service.

Travel and purchase protections are there when you need them

Few things are worse than waiting at the baggage carousel, only to realize that your bag isn't coming out. It's one of the reasons why using a tracking device, like an AirTag, is a good idea. And it's also why you should have your bag insured.

The United Club℠ Infinite Card covers the most common baggage issues. It has baggage delay insurance and lost luggage reimbursement, as long as you book with your United card.

Those are just two of many complimentary protections this card offers. It also has:

• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Purchase protection against damage or theft
• Return protection
• Extended warranty coverage

Drawbacks to know about

There's a lot to like about the United Club℠ Infinite Card. While it doesn't have any major issues, there is a potential downside to know about.

Not enough spending credits to balance out the annual fee

High-end travel credit cards have been getting more expensive, so this card's $525 annual fee isn't anything unusual. There are plenty of other cards in the same price range or higher.

Many of these cards also have spending credits to balance out their fees. For example, some travel cards offer credits for $200 in airline fees, or $20 per month toward ride-hailing services. That's an area where this United credit card falls short.

The United Club℠ Infinite Card doesn't have many spending credits. It has the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS credit, but that's only worth up to $100 every four years. And it has a credit of up to $75 for IHG Hotels and Resorts purchases, but only in 2024.

Because you're not getting much back on this card's annual fee, you really need to make sure you'll use its benefits to make up for the cost. If you're not sure you fly United enough to get your money's worth, you're better off checking out other credit card reviews.

If you're interested in applying for the United Club℠ Infinite Card, you should have good to excellent credit, meaning a FICO® Score of at least 670. Although your credit score is one of many factors a card issuer will use to evaluate your application, it's difficult to qualify for the best rewards cards or travel cards without good credit.

Given that this is a cobranded credit card offered through United Airlines and Chase, there's one other factor to keep in mind when applying. Chase's 5/24 rule typically results in a denied application if you've opened five or more credit cards in the previous 24 months.

You normally fly with United Airlines at least four or five times per year. When you're taking that many trips with United, you'll likely be able to maximize this card's perks and rack up a lot of miles from all your purchases with the airline.

If you were planning on purchasing a United Club℠ membership, you should get this card instead. The United Club℠ Infinite Card costs less, and it includes more benefits. For frequent flyers with United, this is one of the best credit card options.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.