Airline credit cards can range from ultrapremium with hefty annual fees to more accessible with no annual fee. But you don’t always need to pay top dollar to get meaningful value from an airline you fly regularly, and that’s exactly where the United Gateway℠ Card comes in.
Issued by Chase in partnership with United Airlines, the United Gateway card launched in October 2020. Despite having a $0 annual fee, it still features a welcome offer for eligible applicants.
Looking at past bonus offers can give you a sense of what may come back in the future, which matters since welcome offer bonuses are typically a one-time opportunity. Let’s dive into the welcome offer history of the United Gateway card since 2020.
When To Apply for the United Gateway Card
The United Gateway card is aptly named for its base-level perks and access to the United MileagePlus rewards program.
Currently, the United Gateway card offers the following public welcome bonus offer:
- Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in the first three months of opening an account, plus 0% APR on purchases within the first twelve months (30K + 10K more miles with an authorized user).
Here’s how that compares with the card’s past publicly available bonus offers:
|
Offer Date |
Welcome Offer Details |
Value* |
|
Current Offer (August 2025 to Now) |
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$360 |
|
July 2025 to August 2025 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$240 |
|
May 2025 to July 2025 |
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$360 |
|
January 2025 to May 2025 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$240 |
|
November 2024 to January 2025 |
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$360 |
|
August 2024 to November 2024 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$240 |
|
June 2024 to August 2024 |
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$360 |
|
March 2024 to June 2024 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$240 |
|
November 2023 to March 2024 |
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$360 |
|
August 2023 to November 2023 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$240 |
|
June 2023 to August 2023 |
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. |
$360 |
|
January 2023 to June 2023 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$240 |
|
November 2022 to January 2023 |
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. |
$360 |
|
August 2022 to November 2022 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. |
$240 |
|
June 2022 to August 2022 |
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. |
$360 |
|
November 2021 to June 2022 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. |
$240 |
|
September 2021 to November 2021 |
Earn 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, earn 3x points on groceries in the first 12 months of account opening (up to $5,000 in purchases). |
$180 |
|
July 2021 to September 2021 |
Earn up to 30,000 bonus miles: 15,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months and an additional 15,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months your account is open. |
up to $360 |
|
February 2021 to July 2021 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. |
$240 |
|
December 2020 to February 2021 |
Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. |
$120 |
|
October 2020 to December 2020 |
Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. |
$240 |
* Valuations are based on our monthly points valuations and are not provided by the issuer.
As you can see from above, the United Gateway card’s welcome offer oscillates between 20,000 and 30,000 bonus miles every couple of months. Naturally, you’d want to apply for the higher bonus offer, so waiting around until the 30,000-mile bonus is offered is the smart choice.
Fortunately, the minimum spending requirement and introductory window have appeared consistent since the card’s launch: $1,000 and 3 months, respectively.
In addition, you’ll notice that many recent welcome bonus offers come with an introductory 0% APR spending period. This can be an added incentive for new cardholders:
- 0% Intro APR on purchases for 12 months; after that, 19.74% – 28.24% variable.
Upgraded Points derives our points and miles estimations every month from how much average value you’re able to achieve when redeeming rewards. The best way to redeem United MileagePlus miles is for United award flights or with its Star Alliance partner carriers, averaging a value of around 1.2 cents per mile.
United Gateway Card Benefits
Let’s also review what the United Gateway provides to cardholders in benefits and perks:
- Earn 2x miles on United purchases, gas stations, on local transit and commuting, and 1x miles on all other purchases.
- Get a 25% discount of inflight food, beverages, and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on United Club premium drinks.
- Earn 2 checked bags after you spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees.
The United Gateway card is unique among no-annual-fee airline credit cards by offering a path to up to 2 free checked bags on United flights after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year.
That works out to about $833 per month, which could be a manageable target if you plan on using it as your primary airline card.
Final Thoughts
The United Gateway card may be lighter on perks than others in the MileagePlus portfolio, but it still delivers with a welcome offer for new applicants. The bonus miles range from 20,000 to 30,000 miles, which is still considerable as the card comes with a $0 annual fee.