Bottom Line

United cards offer their best redemption value toward United flights. So, if you aren't likely to choose United as your carrier, you'll probably want to pass on this card because of it's hefty annual fee. For those who don’t really care which airline they fly, this could be an option. Keep in mind the $450 fee is offset by a pair of annual United Club passes -- considering a club pass costs $550. However, if you'll only use the club pass 2-3 times per year, it might not be worth the expense of the annual fee.

Why You Might Want This Card

Fat Fee For United Perks

What makes this card so special (besides the $450 annual fee)? To start, it's a United card and United goes to many unique and exotic places such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. And now getting there doesn’t have to be a guessing game. That's because United is a great way to travel abroad. While you’re traveling, it’s important to utilize the unique perks associated with each card. Using the right perk can definitely make your 15-hour travel day more tolerable, if not enjoyable. This particular card gives you annual United Club Passes for two people, priority boarding, and free first checked bag for you and a companion. If you hit an unfortunate roadblock like trip delay or lost luggage, this card also covers you -- along with offering primary car rental coverage for business rentals. Lots of little goodies packed into a business card.

Check out our United Mileage Plus page for more details on United Points.

Exceptions To The Rule

About United MileagePlus

United Airlines MileagePlus is the most flexible rewards program for international flights, especially if you're invested in the Chase ecosystem. They tend to be more available and cost fewer points than Delta or American Airlines. (The biggest exception is Southwest to the Caribbean.)

With a little planning, you can get some fantastic redemption rates. Even if you have the Reserve Card 1.5x multiplier, we usually find better value using United's portal directly. For example, we booked first-class flights to Africa searching the "Business Saver" seats through United and got flights for 80,000 points. That would've cost 250,000 points through the Chase Portal.

Plus, being part of the Star Alliance, points have more flexibility in terms of global destinations, including smaller cities in Asia, Africa and other niche locations. So if you're focusing on international flights and/or Chase transfers, United is a great go-to for flexibility and solid value.

Where United Club Business Fits In This Point Ecosystem

Personal Experience