Chase Launching New United Quest Card

Chase and United Airlines are partnering on a new credit card called the United Quest card. Certain United credit card holders will have their accounts migrated to the new card automatically on March 21. While the new card is packed with benefits, not all of its features are clear, and it's uncertain if or when new applicants will be able to get it.

What the New United Quest Card Offers

The new United Quest Card will replace the United Platinum Class Visa card for existing cardholders. The latter will be retired on March 21. 

Retiring credit cards is a rare event. Even if a credit card issuer stops offering a certain card to new applicants, it typically continues to service existing accounts. In some cases, existing cardholders with another card may request a product change to a card that isn't available for new enrollees.

The new United Quest Card comes with a relatively steep annual fee of $250, which is $90 higher than what the Platinum Class Visa card charged. But here's what cardholders can expect to receive:

• 3 miles per dollar on United purchases, 2 miles per dollar on restaurants, select streaming services, and all other travel, and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
• $125 annual United purchase credit.
• Up to 10,000 miles back when you book award flights—that's 5,000 miles for the first two award flights you book each account anniversary year.
• First and second checked bags free.
• Priority boarding and premier upgrades on award tickets.
• Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance and trip delay reimbursement.

Should You Get the New United Quest Card?

To date, Chase has only confirmed that Platinum Class Visa cardholders will receive the new card, beginning on March 21. 

If this affects you and you don't want the new card, you can cancel the account or call Chase and ask to switch to a different Chase United credit card. Just keep in mind that you won't earn the welcome offer if you request a product change like this.

That said, there's no clear information yet about if or when the card will become available to new applicants.

If Chase chooses to launch the card on the market, you'll want to compare several options to see if it's the best fit for you. For example, the United Quest Card's $125 United purchase credit combined with its $250 annual fee puts it fairly close in cost to the United Explorer Card, which charges a $95 annual fee after the first year. But that's only if you use the $125 purchase credit every year.

Beyond that, the Quest card also offers two free checked bags instead of one. So if you expect to travel internationally often and need to check multiple bags, it may be worth it.

However, there are features that aren't yet clear about the new card, such as what the welcome offer might be and whether it also offers United Club passes and other perks the United Explorer Card provides.