Airline card review
United Gateway℠ Card
The no-fee United card. No checked bag, so it is really a way to hold MileagePlus miles for free.
Open to new applicantsPartly verified
Status
Refreshed on 1 October 2026.
At a glance
Annual fee$0
Welcome offerUp to 50,000 bonus miles40,000 + 10,000 for an authorized user; $1,000 in 3 months
IssuerChase
Rewards programUnited MileagePlus
Foreign transaction feeNot confirmed
Welcome offer
Up to 50,000 bonus miles (40,000 after $1,000 in 3 months, plus 10,000 for an authorized user) after $1,000 of spending within 3 months.
NerdWallet calls this the card's highest welcome offer ever, superseding our earlier read showing 40,000 as current and 50,000 struck through as a past offer.
Offers vary. Welcome offers on this card can differ by applicant, by referral and by the link you apply through. The figure above is what our source showed on the date given, not a guarantee of what you will be offered.
Earning rates
Not verified. We could not confirm this card's earning rates against a page we could read during this build, so none are listed. We would rather leave this blank than print a number we have not checked. The issuer's own product page has the current rates.
Benefits and credits
- No annual fee
Restrictions worth knowing
- Chase 5/24 applies.
- No free checked bag.
How to use it well
- Useful as the card you downgrade an Explorer or Quest into, so your miles account stays active without a fee.
- If you want the checked bag, you need the Explorer or higher.
Sources and freshness
What we checked: Name and fee confirmed on Chase's own United card page, 2 November 2026. Welcome offer updated 9 November 2026 against NerdWallet's United card refresh coverage. Earning rates not displayed.
- NerdWallet: United credit cards’ new welcome offers — read November 9, 2026
- Chase: United credit cards — read November 2, 2026
Last updated: November 9, 2026.
Other United cards
- United Club℠ Card — $695, open to new applicants
- United Quest℠ Card — $350, open to new applicants
- United℠ Explorer Card — $150 after year one, open to new applicants