The United Gateway credit card offers many benefits including 20,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months.
We rate cards based on value, cost, and perks.
Our ratings for this card are:
No Annual Fee
There is no annual fee on the Gateway card! We value United miles at $0.01 each, so a 20,000 mile bonus is worth $200. If you don't like annual fees, consider starting with the Explorer card which has 50,000 bonus miles instead of 20,000. The Explorer card's $95 annual fee is waived the first year. You can cancel the card or downgrade to the Gateway card before the first anniversary to avoid paying the fee.
Lounge access & companion certificate
This card does not give you any lounge access. If you want lounge access, then pay the higher annual fee on the Infinite card. This card also doesn't give you any companion certificates. Unlike other airlines, United does not offer companion certificates as a benefit of its credit card program.
2x miles earned on United purchases
If you spend a lot on United flights, the 2x miles earned per dollar is a nice perk. That's like earning 2% back on United flights. The Quest card earns 3x and the Infinite card earns 4x per dollar on United, so get the higher level cards if you want to earn more miles.
Priority boarding & other savings
This card does not give you priority boarding. You need to get at least the Explore level for a boarding benefit. However, you do get the 25% in-flight purchase discount like all the other cards.