United Club Business Card Review: Bells, Whistles, and Lounge Access for United Regulars

The United Club℠ Business Card has a lot to offer, particularly for frequent United flyers. While this business credit card comes with a hefty annual fee, the lounge access alone could make it a worthwhile investment. See all of the perks -- and drawbacks -- in our full United Club℠ Business Card review.

This credit card is a good fit for: Frequent United flyers who can take full advantage of all of the card's perks.

Top perks

This card has a ton of perks for regular United flyers that can both save money and improve the quality of your trip.

Sign-up bonus

Right from the get-go, the United Club℠ Business Card offers some great value with its large sign-up bonus. New cardholders can earn up to 50,000 United miles for spending $5,000 on their card in the first 3 months. (If this seems high, remember it's a business card. A $5,000 spending requirement isn't uncommon for business cards.) Short-haul economy flights with United can be found for as low as 5,000 points, so that bonus could score a lot of travel paid with points.

United Club℠ lounge membership

Airport lounge access is objectively the key benefit of the United Club℠ Business Card. Being a cardholder comes with an annual United Club lounge membership. Membership enables you to visit United Club lounges, as well as participating Star Alliance lounges. There are approximately 1,000 Star Alliance lounges worldwide.

To gain entry, you'll need to present your membership card, ID, and a same-day boarding pass for a United or Star Alliance flight. Members can also bring one adult and dependent children under the age of 21, or up to two adult guests.

Earn up to 2x United Miles

Even though the United Club℠ Business Card is a rewards credit card, oddly enough, the purchase rewards aren't really the focus. The other perks, like lounge access, are where it really shines. That being said, you earn United miles on purchases, and at a comparable rate with similar airline cards:

• 2x miles per $1 on United purchases
• 1.5 miles per $1 on other purchases

The bonus for United purchases applies to tickets, as well as in-flight purchases including food, beverages, and wifi.

Read more: Best Rewards Credit Cards

Two free checked bags on eligible flights

While most airline credit cards offer a free checked bag, the United Club℠ Business Card gives you two. Both you and a companion on the same reservation get two free checked bags each on United- and United Express-operated flights. This is a nice upgrade to a common perk, though it's worth mentioning that some airline cards let you apply the checked bag waiver to up to eight people on your reservation, rather than limiting you to one companion. Also, note that it only applies to regular-sized bags. You may still need to pay a fee for overweight or oversized bags.

No foreign transaction fees

Although this perk has become bog-standard for travel rewards cards, it's still worth a mention. Cardholders of the United Club℠ Business Card pay no foreign transaction fees on their purchases. Depending on how much you travel abroad, the lack of forex fees can mean huge savings. This is perhaps even more important for business cardholders than personal ones. Foreign transaction fees could apply to any purchases made with a foreign supplier, which can add up quickly for a busy business.

Avis President's Club® membership

As a United Club℠ Business Card member, you're eligible to enroll in the Avis President's Club. This gives you perks with a popular rental car agency. Perks can include:

• Expedited service
• Double rental car upgrades (when available)
• Guaranteed rental car availability
• Dedicated customer support

You'll need to join the Avis Preferred program and activate your President's Club status to start receiving the benefits. If you cancel your United Club℠ Business Card, you'll also lose access to President's Club status.

Premier Access® travel services

Premier Access® is an upgrade service available on United- and United Express-operated flights. It normally retails for $15 and up. Depending on your home airport, Premier Access® perks could be quite convenient. Some of the benefits of having Premier Access® include:

• Dedicated airport check-in lines
• Exclusive security lanes (at select airports)
• Priority boarding
• Priority baggage handling

That last perk is actually an extra; those who purchase Premier Access® don't get priority baggage handling. Keep in mind that not all perks are available at all airports, though you should receive them at most major U.S. hubs and several international hubs.

25% back on in-flight purchases

Unless you're in a premium cabin (hello, business class), you now need to pay for pretty much every amenity on a flight. United Club℠ Business Card users can save a little extra thanks to the 25% rebate on eligible in-flight purchases. This includes food, beverages (yes, even alcohol), and in-flight wifi. You'll need to use your United Club℠ Business Card to pay for the purchase. Since this is a rebate, not a discount, you won't get the 25% off at the time of purchase. Instead, your card account will be credited with the 25% back within 24 hours of your purchase posting to your account.

What could be improved

While this card is full of perks, they may not be useful for folks who don't fly frequently with United. They also come at a steep cost.

Annual card fee

Perhaps the most immediate drawback of the United Club℠ Business Card is that it'll cost you $450 a year for the annual fee. This is a big step-up from its sister card, the United℠ Business Card, which not only has a lower annual fee but also waives that fee the first year.

While the lower-priced United℠ Business Card offers two United Club day passes each year, if you compare the cost of the more expensive United Club℠ Business Card with the cost of a United Club annual membership, you actually come out ahead. So, if you want unlimited access to United Club lounges, the United Club℠ Business Card could be worth the higher fee.

Rewards and perks have limited utility outside United

As noted above, the United Club℠ Business Card is not an inexpensive card -- especially considering that the rewards and perks are mostly tied to United flights. For a similar cost, you could get a more versatile travel rewards card. Then, you could use your purchase rewards on flights with multiple airlines, instead of being limited to United flights.

Plus, those same points could score you free hotel stays, too. Premier travel cards also frequently offer Priority Pass, which gives you access to far more lounges than a United Club membership. Our list of card reviews is full of travel rewards options that offer far more versatility for folks who aren't tied to a single airline.

Personal guarantee required

The United Club℠ Business Card is a small business credit card, not a corporate credit card. As such, there's a personal guarantee in the card's fine print. Applying for this card means you agree to be personally responsible for the account and legally obligated to repay the balance regardless of your business status. In other words, even if your business closes, you'll still need to repay any outstanding balance and fees or else your personal credit may suffer. You'll also undergo a personal credit check as part of the application process.

Related: Best Business Credit Cards

Chase doesn't publish the credit score requirements for the United Club℠ Business Card. But it's fair to assume you'll need at least good personal credit -- a FICO® Score of 670 or higher -- to get approved. Moreover, since this is a small business credit card, Chase may check both your personal and business credit before making a decision.

• You are a frequent United flyer.
• You can get your money's worth out of the complimentary United Club annual membership because you spend that much time in United lounges.
• You travel frequently enough with United that you can redeem the rewards on United services -- because they have limited value elsewhere.

If these perks are not enough to justify the high annual fee, you're probably better off with a less expensive United card or a more versatile travel rewards card.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.