United Business Card review: Free checked bags, priority boarding, and annual travel credits

Business owners who are loyal to United Airlines should consider the because of its earning power, elite-level benefits, and travel protections. As a new cardholder, you can also earn a generous welcome bonus based on your spending. Plus, you can add employee cards at no extra charge to earn miles on their purchases.

Learn more about this United credit card to see if it aligns with your business spending.

While the United Business Card’s earning power is capped at 2x miles per dollar, the real value is in its wide array of complimentary benefits. Use these benefits to unlock huge savings for your business when traveling:

• First checked bag free. Get the first checked bag free for yourself and one travel companion. This is a savings of up to $160 on a roundtrip flight for two people.

• Earn up to 1,000 PQPs. Accelerate your path to United MileagePlus elite status based on your annual spending. You’ll receive 25 PQPs for every $500 you spend, up to a maximum of 1,000 PQPs per year.

• Two United Club passes each year. Gain complimentary entrance to the United Club when flying on United or one of its partner airlines.

• Priority boarding. Get on the plane sooner by boarding ahead of general boarding. This provides early access to the overhead bins and allows you extra time to get comfortable before your flight.

• Inflight discounts. Save 25% on inflight purchases of drinks, snacks and WiFi on United flights when using your United Business Card. The discount also applies when buying premium drinks inside the United Club before or after a flight.

• United travel credits. Earn a $100 United travel credit when you purchase at least seven flights of $100 or more within each card anniversary.

• Anniversary bonus miles. Receive 5,000 bonus miles when you have both the United Business Card and any United personal credit card (on your business card anniversary).

• Free employee cards. There is no charge to add employee cards to your account. Each card has a unique credit card number, so you can track spending and set up individual spending limits.

• Travel protections. Receive complimentary travel protections when using your United Business Card to book travel. These protections include primary rental car insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost baggage reimbursement, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and trip delay reimbursement.

• Purchase protections. Eligible purchases are automatically covered with purchase protection and extended warranty coverage.

• No foreign transaction fees. Avoid fees of up to 3% when making purchases outside the U.S.

Related:

The offers a multitude of ways to earn United MileagePlus miles toward future flights.

When you use your United Business Card to make a purchase with United Airlines, you’ll earn 2x miles on every dollar.

But when you book flights with United Airlines, you can actually earn up to 7 total miles per dollar — 5x miles on fare as a United MileagePlus member and 2x miles with your card. You can also boost your mileage when you book hotels using United Hotels — 2x miles as a United MileagePlus member and 1x with your credit card for a total 3x on these hotel purchases.

Additionally, you’ll earn 2x miles on inflight food, beverages, and Wi-Fi. Upgrades, baggage fees, and other United charges will also earn 2x miles.

Take advantage of this card’s bonus categories to earn 2x miles on eligible purchases, including dining, gas stations, local transit and commuting, and office supply stores.

Even when you don’t earn bonus miles, you’ll still earn at least 1x mile per dollar on all of your other purchases. This can help your spending add up quickly toward booking award flights with your miles.

Business owners can add employee cards for free and set individual spending limits on each card. This allows you to earn rewards on their purchases while keeping track of their spending and limiting your risk.

Referring friends and family

Earn up to 100,000 United MileagePlus miles per year when referrals use your link to apply for any United credit card and are approved. You’ll receive 10,000 miles for each referral.

Using United personal and business cards

When you have both a United Business Card and any personal United credit card, you’ll receive an annual bonus of 5,000 miles on your business card anniversary. This “better-together” bonus rewards cardholders for earning United miles on their personal and business purchases.

Read more:

United Airlines offers numerous redemption options for its miles, including flights, hotels, rental cars, airline fees, shopping, experiences, and more. However, the most valuable options tend to revolve around booking flights and upgrades with the airline.

Here are a few ways you can spend your miles for maximum value.

• Book flights on United Airlines. Use your miles to book an award flight in every cabin class, from Economy to First Class.

• Money + Miles flights. If you don’t have enough miles or want to save them for another redemption, you can combine cash and miles to book an award flight.

• Award flights on partner airlines. United Airlines is part of the Star Alliance, which unlocks 24 additional airlines for you to redeem miles to travel across the globe.

• Upgrades on United flights. Buy a ticket in one class, then use your MileagePlus miles to upgrade to a premium seat. Pricing varies based on destination and fare class.

• United Club membership. You can buy a membership to access the United Club airport lounges when flying on United or one of its partner airlines. Prices vary based on your elite status and start at $650 or 85,000 miles.

The is ideal for business owners who prefer flying United Airlines and want to rack up miles on their business expenses. This card is best for people who want an accelerated path to elite status and fly United often enough that savings from the card can justify the annual fee.

• Numerous valuable benefits when flying on United Airlines

• Bonus miles on both United and everyday purchases

• Earn PQPs toward elite status based on spending

• Bonus categories offer meager multipliers, limiting miles earned

• No intro APR offer on purchases or balance transfers

• Annual fee of $99 applies after the first year

The United Business Card is a Visa business credit card, so it is accepted almost everywhere you can use a credit card. Visa is one of the most widely accepted credit cards, so it is a solid choice within the U.S. or when traveling internationally. The card does not charge foreign transaction fees, so you won’t be hit with fees of up to 3% on purchases outside the U.S.

Business owners should use the card when booking United flights and on bonus category purchases to maximize the number of miles they can earn on business purchases.

The United Business Card is issued by Chase, so you’ll need to use your Chase account to make payments.

• Log into your account online at Chase.com

• Make payments through the Chase mobile app

• Pay using cash or check at a Chase ATM

• Over the phone: (800) 436-7958

• In-person at a Chase Branch

• Mail payments to Cardmember Services, P.O. Box 6294, Carol Stream, IL 60197-6294

The United Business Card is an excellent choice for United loyalists, but it may not be the best small business credit card for your situation. Before applying, consider these alternatives to find the best fit for your business spending and travel needs.

Why we like it: The Ink Business Preferred Card is a fantastic card for business owners because it earns 3x points on the first $150,000 you spend each year on common business categories. The points you earn with your can also be transferred to 14 airline and hotel partners, including United Airlines.

Why we like it: If you’re a business owner who doesn’t want to worry about bonus categories, the Venture X Business could be a solid choice. It earns an unlimited 2x miles on every purchase (plus a boosted 5x on flights and vacations through Capital One Travel and 10x on hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel). While it has a $395 annual fee, it comes with a $300 annual travel credit for Capital One Travel bookings and 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary to help offset the cost.

You can use your card miles to cover previous travel purchases, book travel through Capital One Travel, or transfer to Capital One’s 15+ travel partners. United Airlines isn’t a current partner, but you can transfer to Star Alliance partners like Air Canada, Avianca, and Singapore Airlines.

Why we like it: While the United Club Infinite Card is a personal card instead of a business one, it is ideal for frequent United flyers who value airport lounge access. It costs $525 annually, but includes a complimentary United Club membership which allows entry for the cardholder and eligible travel companions and is worth up to $650 per year itself.

The card earns 4x miles on United purchases (double the United Business Card), 2x on travel and dining, and 1x on all other purchases. More benefits when flying with a include the first two checked bags for free, Premier Access travel services, up to 10,000 PQPs toward elite status per year (25 for every $500 in purchases), and more.

This article was edited by Kendall Little

Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn’t include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.