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United ClubSM Card vs United ClubSM Visa Infinite

REVIEW
 
 
REVIEW
 
 
By : Mr Credit Card

The Key Question for Legacy United Club Card Holders

The United Club Card ($450 annual fee) is no longer being issued since the introduction of the new United Club Visa Infinite Card ($525 annual fee). It is now a LEGACY card! They key question for most existing Club Card holders is whether they should switch to the new Club Infinite Card. In this article, we will compare both cards and recommend when one should switch and when one should keep their existing card.


Differences In Earning Miles

How you earn United miles differ significantly between these two cards and is one of the main factors Club holders should consider if they are thinking of switching to the Club Infinite. Here are the main differences.

  • United Club Infinite Earns 4X For United Purchases Vs 2X for Club Card - The United Club Infinite allows you to earn 4X on United Purchases. This includes seat upgrades; Economy Plus®; inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi; baggage service charges or other United fees.

    This is twice the miles you can earn versus the legacy Club card. In fact, one of the main criticisms of the legacy Club card was that you could only earn 2X for United tickets, and many considered that to be mediocre was cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve allow you to earn 3X on travel (and their points can be transferred to United).

  • United Club Infinite - 2X On Travel Related Expenses - The United Club Infinite allows you to earn 2X on Travel Purchases. Chase definition of "travel" is pretty broad so it will include hotels, cruises, taxi rides etc.

  • United Club Infinite - 2X on Restaurants Worldwide - The United Club Infinite also allows you toe earn 2X on restaurants worldwide whereas the original United Club does not have Restaurants as a bonus category.

  • Legacy United Club Card - 1.5X On Regular Purchases - The legacy United Club Card has an edge in earning miles over the Club Infinite. And that is in the regular spending category. You can earn 1.5X on regular purchases on the Club Card vs just 1X on the Club Infinite.



Additional Features Club Infinite Offers

The Club Infinite offers a statement credit when you apply for Global Entry/TSA Pre-check. The application fee is $100. The legacy Club Card does not have this feature and was heavily criticized (and rightly so) for it because of it's $450 annual fee.

The addition of this feature to the Club Infinite is a catch up (IMO).


Similar Features That Both Cards Have

I will now list the features that both cards have. The key feature of both cards is that both give you a United Club Lounge membership and the reason why this is a big deal (for some folks anyway) is because Premier members do not get access to lounge. In fact, the only folks who can get access during domestic flights are those who fly Business Class or Polaris Class trans-continental.

The second important feature that they both have in common is that they both allow you to earn up to 1,000 PQPs from credit card spending. You need to spend $12,000 to earn 500 PQPs. PQPs are one of the criteria for Premier membership qualification. You can use the PQPs that you earn from credit card spending to qualify for up to Platinum Premier Levels.

Update: For 2020, both cards allow you to earn up to 4,000 PQPs.

So here is a list of common features both cards have.

  • United Club Lounge Membership
  • Earn up to 1,000 PQP - For 2020, you can earn up to 4,000 PQPs
  • Complimentary Herts Gold Plus Rewards President's Circle Membership - Platinum and 1K Premier members already have this perk
  • Award Availability
  • Premier Access
  • Priority Zone 2 Boarding - Silver Premier members also board on Zone 2
  • 2 Free Checked Bags - Platinum Premier members also get 2 free checked baggages
  • Upgrading Award Tickets
  • Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance
  • Baggage delay insurance - up to $3000.
  • Lost luggage reimbursement - The required length of delay is 6 hour. You will be reimbursed for up to $100/day for three days.
  • Trip delay reimbursement - The required hours to be considered a trip delay is 12 hours and coverage is maximum of $500 per ticket.
  • Primary auto rental collision damage waiver - Chase CDW waiver insurance can be used in all countries
  • Purchase protection - $10,000 per claim with a $50,000 claim per year.
  • Extended warranty protection - extension period of 1 year with maximum initial warranty of up to 3 years.


Which Is Better?

If you are reading this review, then I would assume that you already have the United Club Card and are wondering if you should switch to the new United Club Infinite Card. And if you already have the Club Card, I would assume that the Club Lounge Membership is valuable and important to you.

There are two key factors to consider in deciding which of these two cards is better for you. They are

  • How Much You Can Earn From Each Card?
  • Is Statement Credit on Global Entry Application Important To You?


Which Card Will Earn More Miles?

Unfortunately, the answer depends entirely on your spending. The Club Infinite allows you to earn more miles on United purchases (4X vs 2X) and also on Travel Related Expenses and Restaurants (2X). However, the original Club Card allows you to earn 1.5X (vs 1X) on regular purchases. You have to breakdown your expenses and figure out which card allows you to earn more miles because the increase earnings on United purchases and other bonus categories on the Club Infinite is offset by the 1.5X on everyday purchases on the United Club Card.

Is Global Entry Application Fee Statement Credit Important To You?

While the Club Infinite will give you a statement credit for your Global Entry application (and the Club does not), you may or may not feel this is a big deal. And the reason might be that you already have another card that offers this feature. Or maybe you don't and find this a nice feature to have.

Keep Or Switch?

If you find that you can earn more miles with the new Club Infinite and if you find the Global Entry Application Fee credit useful, then you should switch to the new Club Infinite. However, you have to bear a few things in mind. If you have the Club Card for less than 24 months, then you are not eligible for the sign up bonus (which is presently 100,000 miles). If you have had the Club Card for more than 24 months, then you should apply for the new Club Infinite, get the sign up bonus and then cancel the Club Card.

If you find that you will earn more United Miles with the legacy Club Card, then keeping it makes sense.