The premium rewards card market is filled with choices. When you’re into maximizing transferable rewards or prepared to gather extra perks to make use of along with your favourite loyalty program, including a bank card could be a nice alternative.
Two of our favourite choices signify every of those decisions. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) earns invaluable Chase Ultimate Rewards factors that you could switch to a number of applications, whereas the United Club℠ Card (see rates and fees) is the top-tier alternative for United Airways loyalists who need to earn extra with the airline.
Let’s stroll by means of incomes charges, advantages and lounge entry options with every of those premium playing cards that will help you resolve which is one of the best so as to add to your pockets.
United Membership Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve comparability
| Card | United Membership Card | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | Earn 95,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. This supply ends Could 7. | Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. |
| Incomes charges
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| TPG’s April 2025 valuation | 1.35 cents per mile | 2.05 cents per level |
| Annual payment | $695 | $550 |
| Lounge entry |
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| Different standout advantages |
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United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve welcome supply
The United Club Card is providing 95,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Based mostly on TPG’s April 2025 valuations, this welcome bonus is value $1,283 towards flights.
In the meantime, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you may get a welcome supply of 60,000 factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. TPG’s April 2025 valuations peg this bonus at $1,230 while you issue within the worth of transferring to Chase’s loyalty companions.
Winner: United Membership Card. Its present welcome bonus is value about $50 extra.
Associated: Have a new credit card? Here are 4 tips to help you earn your welcome bonus
United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve advantages
With regards to advantages, these two playing cards present lounge entry and different invaluable perks. Let’s examine them.
Lounge entry
The United Club Card provides a United Membership membership that grants the first cardholder, one grownup visitor and dependent kids beneath 18 years previous access to more than 45 United Clubs worldwide. This perk is valued at $750, which greater than offsets the cardboard’s $695 annual payment.
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Then, in case you spend $50,000 on purchases along with your United Membership Card in a calendar yr, you may obtain United Membership All Entry membership. This upgraded tier consists of entry to taking part Star Alliance lounges and the power to convey a further grownup visitor (for a complete of two) into United Golf equipment. You will additionally obtain 4 one-time passes in your approved customers annually.
The Sapphire Reserve offers entry to all eight (and growing) Chase lounges and a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. Precedence Move consists of entry to greater than 1,700 lounges worldwide.
When you favor United Membership lounges or can spend to unlock All Entry membership, then the United Membership Card would be the better option for you. Nonetheless, Chase continues to increase its personal lounge footprint and comes with a broader perk with Precedence Move, giving cardholders entry to a better variety of lounges throughout the globe. So, the Reserve would be the better option for somebody who is not so loyal to United.
Different advantages
The United Membership is a good possibility in case you’re flying United and on the lookout for premium perks, together with:
- The primary two checked luggage are free (for the first cardholder and a companion on the identical reservation)
- Premier entry: Precedence check-in, safety screening, boarding and baggage dealing with (the place accessible)
- Expanded award availability
- 25% again on United inflight purchases
With the cardboard, you may obtain as much as $200 in annual assertion credit to make use of on bookings with Famend Inns and Resorts. That is United’s luxurious resort portal, which grants cardholders perks corresponding to each day breakfast for 2, complimentary Wi-Fi and room upgrades at check-in (when accessible).
You will additionally obtain credit on ride-hailing, JSX and Instacart purchases, plus Avis/Price range automotive leases booked by means of United’s automotive rental portal. To study extra, try our full review of the United Club Card.
With the United Membership Card, you may spend your method towards elite standing with United. You will obtain a lift of 1,500 Premier qualifying factors annually, beginning in 2026. You will additionally obtain 1 PQP for each $15 spent on the cardboard (as much as 28,000 PQP in a calendar yr). This may be utilized as much as and together with the Premier 1K stage.
As for the Sapphire Reserve, it provides one of many easiest journey credit available on the market — masking $300 statement credit in travel. This credit score mechanically kicks in in your first $300 in journey purchases you make with the cardboard every account anniversary yr. Plus, Chase broadly defines travel, which means you may obtain it mechanically on the primary $300 you spend on purchases for the whole lot from flights and inns to tolls and parking.
Different standout Sapphire Reserve advantages embrace:
- A $10 month-to-month Lyft in app-credit*
- A 50% bonus on factors redeemed by means of Chase Travel
- A $100 property credit score, each day free breakfast for 2 and room upgrades (upon availability) when reserving by means of The Edit
Each playing cards have journey and procuring protections and as much as $120 in assertion credit towards Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus each 4 years. Additionally they supply a free DoorDash DashPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2027).
With the Sapphire Reserve, you may obtain particular privileges while you enroll in Nationwide Automotive Rental, Avis and Silvercar — however no credit. With the United Membership Card, you may obtain as much as $50 every in United TravelBank money in your first and second Avis or Price range automotive leases booked every anniversary yr by means of United’s automotive rental portal — however no elite standing.
The Sapphire Reserve outshines the United Membership Card for many vacationers because of its versatile journey credit score and broad checklist of perks that may apply to a number of sides of journey. Conversely, the United Membership Card is healthier for many who are extraordinarily loyal to United since its standout perks are associated to flying with the airline.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. Its advantages are broader and simpler for the on a regular basis traveler to make use of.
*Excludes Wait & Save, bike and scooter rides. Most assertion credit score is as much as $120 yearly.
Associated: Valuable travel perks that you can get with a credit card
Incomes rewards on the United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve
While you pay with the United Club Card, you may earn:
- 9 miles per greenback spent on United flights
- 5 miles per greenback spent on stays bought by means of Famend Inns and Resorts
- 4 miles per greenback spent on all different United purchases
- 2 miles per greenback spent on eating and all different journey
- 1 mile per greenback spent on all different purchases
That is an over 12% return while you use the cardboard to pay for United flights (based mostly on TPG’s April 2025 valuations), which is larger than every other airline bank card.
In the meantime, the Sapphire Reserve earns the next:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on resort and automotive rental bookings made by means of Chase Journey and eligible Peloton purchases over $150 (as much as 50,000 factors)
- 5 factors per greenback spent on flights booked by means of Chase Journey and Lyft rides
- 3 factors per greenback spent on all different journey and eating purchases
- 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases
The United Membership shines brighter while you make purchases with United and is the higher possibility in case you steadily guide with the airline and need to acquire United MileagePlus miles.
Nonetheless, with the Sapphire Reserve, you may obtain a greater return in a broader checklist of bonus classes, together with common journey and eating.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. The United Membership provides profitable earnings on United flights, however the Sapphire Reserve’s broader classes win out once more.
Redeeming and transferring rewards on the United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve
The Sapphire Reserve provides extra versatile rewards than the United Club Card, making it a greater possibility for many vacationers trying to maximize rewards. You will get probably the most worth out of your Chase Final Rewards factors by transferring them to one in all Chase’s 14 airline and hotel partners.
Chase’s strong checklist of switch companions consists of United, which suggests you may nonetheless use your factors earned with the Sapphire Reserve towards United flights if you wish to fly the airline and its companions.
Plus, the pliability of Chase factors opens up the potential for unimaginable redemptions while you transfer your points. That is very true with the award-friendly World of Hyatt resort program.
For instance, you can keep on the luxurious Park Hyatt Sydney for 35,000 to 45,000 factors per night time, which might be a improbable deal in your factors.
With the Sapphire Reserve, you too can guide journey by means of Chase Journey along with your factors at a hard and fast worth of 1.5 cents every. This can be a nice possibility for boutique inns that do not belong to a bigger model. It is also nice for reserving flights when money costs are low.
In the meantime, United miles are way more restrictive since they will solely be redeemed for United flights, flights with its companions and different United-related purchases. They’re additionally topic to devaluation. Dynamic award pricing additionally signifies that redemption charges differ considerably relying on the ticket you guide.
Nonetheless, the MileagePlus program nonetheless provides good worth by means of sweet spots. As an example, Katie Genter, TPG’s lead factors and miles author, redeemed simply 6,000 United miles per individual for a one-way flight from Amsterdam to Munich.
There are additionally different methods to seek out worth in this system, such because the United Excursionist Perk or reserving accomplice awards with United miles. For instance, Rachel Craft, an affiliate factors and miles author at TPG, redeemed 88,000 United miles for a one-way business-class ticket on Ethiopian Airways from Denver to Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. Its redemption and switch choices are way more versatile.
Associated: Why transferable points and miles are worth more than other rewards
Ought to I get the United Membership or Sapphire Reserve?
The Sapphire Reserve is the higher all-around journey card, because it earns invaluable Final Rewards factors throughout a number of high-earning bonus classes. Plus, you may switch these factors to United in case you’re actually into the airline. However the United Club Card is the higher possibility if you’re fiercely loyal to United, need entry to United Golf equipment and worth precedence perks when flying the airline.
Backside line
Each the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the United Membership Card are strong premium playing cards, however they serve completely different functions.
When you’re a United devotee on the lookout for a set of perks while you fly with the airline, the United Membership is the higher possibility. For many vacationers, nonetheless, the versatile rewards and broad advantages provided by the Sapphire Reserve give it the sting.
Do not forget that irrespective of which card you select, they’re each issued by Chase and will probably be subjected to the issuer’s 5/24 rule. When you’ve opened 5 or extra private bank cards prior to now two years, you are unlikely to be permitted for both card.
To study extra, try our Chase Sapphire Reserve review and United Club Card review.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Apply right here: United Club Card
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