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If you fly more than a couple of times a year, opening one of the best airline credit cards can make a lot of sense, even if it charges an annual fee. These cards typically offer benefits that can save you money and hassle — and offset the annual fee cost — including free checked bags, priority boarding, and even travel insurance.

Premium cards come with more bells and whistles and often include upscale perks like airport lounge access, but calculating the value you'll get relative to the yearly fee can get a little murky.

Here's a breakdown of what each card offers and a side-by-side comparison to help you decide if the United Quest℠ Card or United Club℠ Infinite Card is a better fit.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

United Quest and Club Infinite Welcome Bonus Offers

Frequent flyers have six United credit cards to choose from, and the most expensive of them are the United Quest℠ Card and United Club℠ Infinite Card. These (and other) United cards are offering elevated welcome bonuses for a limited time.

United Quest and United Club Infinite bonuses

• United Quest℠ Card: Earn 70,000 bonus miles plus 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open (worth about $910 in travel, based on Insider's points and miles valuations)
• United Club℠ Infinite Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles plus 1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open (worth around $1,040 in travel, based on Insider's valuations)

These cards aren't for the casual United flyer (if that's you, check out the United℠ Explorer Card instead), and each has its pros and cons. The right card for you depends highly on your spending habits, travel preferences, and even your home airport — and whether or not you can squeeze enough value from the card's perks to justify the annual fee.

Rewards rates

For those who spend a lot on paid United tickets, the United Club℠ Infinite Card has a better earning rate of 4x United miles on United purchases versus 3x miles on the United Quest℠ Card. The United Quest℠ Card does have one advantage — it earns 2x miles on select streaming services, which isn't a bonus category on the United Club℠ Infinite Card.

Otherwise, the cards are equal, earning 2x miles on travel and dining and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.

United Quest and Club Infinite Benefits and Features

If you're looking at the cards' welcome bonuses alone, the United Club℠ Infinite Card has an edge, with a welcome bonus higher than that of the United Quest℠ Card. Beyond that, the benefits are the key to deciding which card is better for you.

United Club airport lounge access

As the name suggests, the United Club℠ Infinite Card includes United Club membership, which gets you access to over 45 United Club airport lounge locations plus partner lounges and Star Alliance lounges. To access United Club lounges, you (and up to two guests, or one adult guest and dependent children) must be flying on a United, partner, or Star Alliance partner-operated flight that day.

A paid United Club membership can cost up to $650, so if this is something you'd pay for anyway, the United Club℠ Infinite Card is a better value. United also sells lounge day passes for $59, so if you find yourself purchasing these a few times a year, it might be worth upgrading to a full membership through this card instead.

The value you'll get from a United Club membership really depends on how often you fly United and which airports you frequent. If your home airport has a United Club lounge, or you visit airports with United or partner lounges on a regular basis, having airport lounge access can be invaluable.

United Club lounges offer amenities like free food and beverages (including alcohol), better Wi-Fi, and a quieter place to work and relax before your flight. If you'd otherwise spend cash to grab meals, drinks, or upgraded Wi-Fi at the airport, a lounge membership could represent substantial savings.

The United Quest℠ Card doesn't offer any sort of lounge membership or day passes, though it does come with up to $125 in credits per year toward United purchases.

Statement credits

The United Quest℠ Card has a benefit that can effectively knock out half of the $250 annual fee. Each year, cardholders receive up to $125 statement credits toward eligible United purchases, so if you buy a United ticket even once a year, you should be able to maximize this perk.

Purchases that qualify include:

• Airline tickets purchased from United
• Seat upgrades
• Economy Plus
• Inflight food, beverages, and Wi-Fi
• Baggage fees 
• Other United fees
• United Card Events from Chase purchases 

However, United tickets booked through some discount travel websites or as part of a third-party travel package won't qualify, nor will United Cruises, United MileagePlus X, DIRECTV, and merchandise awards. 

The United Club℠ Infinite Card doesn't come with statement credits for United purchases. However, both the United Quest℠ Card and United Club℠ Infinite Card offer a credit of up to $100 towards the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee every four years.

Even if you're already enrolled in one of these trusted-traveler programs, you can use your card to pay for someone else's fee and get reimbursed.

Free first and second checked bags on United flights

Many lower-tier airline credit cards (including the United℠ Explorer Card) offer a single free checked bag on eligible itineraries. The United Quest℠ Card and United Club℠ Infinite Card take that perk a step further with a free first and second checked bag on United flights for yourself and one companion traveling on the same reservation.

One caveat: To get your free bag(s) with any United credit card,  you'll need to use your card to pay for your flight, or for the taxes and fees on an award ticket. Other airline credit cards don't typically have this restriction.

United charges $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second, so if you're flying with a companion, you could get a value of $160 each way or $320 round-trip if you each check two bags. This could be a particularly lucrative benefit if you travel as a family or group, because you could easily make up the annual fee on either card in just a trip or two.

5,000-mile rebate on award travel

When you have the United Quest℠ Card, starting on your first card anniversary, you can earn a 5,000-mile credit up to two times a year when you redeem United miles for an award ticket. These credits will be applied (for future use) to your account approximately four weeks after your card anniversary.

United miles are worth 1.3 cents each, on average, according to our points and miles valuations — so you can expect to get a value of around $65 from each 5,000-mile rebate, if you use it.

You'll actually get the 5,000-mile rebate in your United account within two weeks of completing (not booking) an eligible award flight. Eligible award flights are those that include at least one United- or United Express-operated flight, and must include the primary cardholder on the reservation. Unused credits will expire 12 months after issue, and you can't transfer, combine, or extend them.

The United Club℠ Infinite Card doesn't offer a mileage rebate of any kind.

Travel and purchase protection and United flight benefits

When it comes to other travel benefits, like inflight discounts, priority boarding, and protections like primary car rental and trip delay insurance, both cards are fairly evenly matched.

The United Club℠ Infinite Card does come with a handful of extras that give it a slight edge over the United Quest℠ Card, including:

• Better trip cancellation/interruption insurance: The United Club℠ Infinite Card covers up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip; the United Quest℠ Card maxes out at a much lower $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip.
• Premier Access travel services: Both cards offer priority boarding, but United Club℠ Infinite Card cardholders also get perks like priority check-in and security (where available) and baggage handling. 
• Return protection: If you purchase an eligible item and the store won't take it back within 90 days of purchase, the United Club℠ Infinite Card offers up to $500 per item and up to $1,000 per year in reimbursement. 
• Avis President's Club elite status: United Club℠ Infinite Card cardholders can enroll and receive Avis President's Club elite status, which offers upgrades and other perks.

United Quest vs United Club Infinite Side-by-Side Comparison

Which United Credit Card Should You Get?

If making up for the annual fee on the United Club℠ Infinite Card or United Quest℠ Card in a way that's easy to quantify is important to you — especially when the upfront expense is a factor — the United Quest℠ Card is probably a better bet.

Right off the bat, you can offset half the annual fee when you max out the $125 United statement credit, and perks like free checked bags and the 5,000-mile rebates (after the first year) can get you a value that far exceeds the annual fee.

However, if the out-of-pocket cost isn't a dealbreaker — and you fly United often enough to take advantage of United Club airport lounge access — the United Club℠ Infinite Card can be an excellent deal. This is especially true if you'd otherwise pay for a United Club membership or day passes and put a high value on airport lounge amenities. 

Before you decide to apply for either card, think about your travel plans for the upcoming year. Will you fly United a lot of the time and check bags? Does your home airport have a United Club lounge, or do you often travel to airports that do?

If the answer is no to both, you're probably better off skipping these cards altogether and looking at the United℠ Explorer Card instead. The annual fee is $0 intro for the first year, then $95, and it offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open. Cardholders get one free checked bag on United flights, which is plenty for most people, plus two one-time day passes to United Club lounges each year.

It also has many of the same travel and shopping benefits the premium United cards do, including priority boarding, primary car rental insurance, and trip cancellation/interruption coverage. You can find out all the details in our United Explorer card review.