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United Club Card Appears to Add Inflight Savings Benefit

Summer Hull
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Summer Hull , aka Mommy Points, ran the Mommy Points site for families who want to travel more for less using miles and points for seven years. She now heads up a variety of special projects at TPG when she isn't exploring the world with her own two girls.
Aug. 20, 2019
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3 min read
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United Club Card Appears to Add Inflight Savings Benefit
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For over a year now, the United Explorer Card has provided 25% back in the form of a statement credit when you use the card to make a United inflight purchases such as Wi-Fi, snacks or alcohol. That was great news for Explorer cardholders, but what wasn't great was that those with the pricier United Club Card didn't enjoy the same 25% back on those purchases. Fortunately that seems to have recently changed.

Thanks to a tip from TPG reader Adam, I peeked at some recent inflight Wi-Fi charges made within the last few days on my United Club Card. Sure enough, the 25% statement credit was indeed present.

While my recent purchases were solely Wi-Fi, based on how the credit operates on the United Explorer Card, we presume this statement credit also works for inflight food and beverages, though TPG has reached out to Chase for confirmation. We've yet to receive an official response from Chase.

Update: Thanks to TPG readers for sending screenshots showing that the credit has started to work for food and beverage purchases made with their United Club Card, too!

Related: The Best Credit Cards for Flying United

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When deciding which United card is right for you, keep in mind that the biggest perk of the United Club Card is United Club membership for the primary cardholder (who can then bring with them immediate family comprised of one adult and children under 21 or two guests). The card comes with a $450 annual fee, but that’s still $200 less than the normal $650 annual membership fee to join the United Club outright.

United Club at London Heathrow (Photo by Daniel Ross/The Points Guy)

Additionally, those with the United Club Card receive select Premier Access benefits, two free checked bags, 2x miles per dollar on all United purchases, 1.5x miles per dollar on all other spend, no close-in award booking fees and improved access to United award inventory.

As a reminder, following similar moves by Delta and American, beginning Nov, 1, 2019, United Club members and one-time pass holders will only be able to access the United Club when traveling with a ticket for a same-day United, Star Alliance or partner flight.

The information for the United Club card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom Line

This 25% statement credit on inflight United purchases may be a small addition for a $450 per year card, but for frequent United travelers, it's still likely a welcome addition (that was arguably about a year overdue). If you are looking for ways to save on inflight Wi-Fi across a variety of airlines, here's a rundown of all the credit cards that can help you out.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.