Compare the Features and Benefits of United Club℠ Card and
Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® Review

The United Club Card is a surprisingly robust offering from United Airlines and Chase.

The primary reason to get this card is because you fly United enough that you would like to have United Club lounge access for all of your flights.

The average person will save $55 by gaining United Club access via this credit card than by buying it directly – before taking into account all the other benefits and statement credits the card comes with. Why would anyone buy United Club access directly when it’s cheaper to pay a lower annual fee on the credit card?

By the way, the exact same thing applies to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite MasterCard® and as well as the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Credit Card. The Delta cards even offer American Express Centurion Lounge access when flying Delta, although they also have a limit on lounge visits per year.

You also have the ability to earn the most Premier Qualifying Points towards United elite status of any of the United credit cards. You’ll earn 1 PQP for every $15 you spend on purchases with your Club^℠ Card, up to 28,000 PQP in a calendar year. This can be applied toward your Premier® status qualification, up to and including the Premier 1K® level

Now, sure, outside of 4X miles per dollar spent on United purchases, the earn rate on other categories aren’t particularly strong. But the card’s features and benefits that we’ve described above that come on top of the United Club lounge access are incredibly compelling.

To recap, those benefits include:

• United Club lounge access
• First and second free checked bags
• Receive 25% Back on United inflight and Club Premium Drink Purchases
• Earn up to 28,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year (1 PQP for every $15 you spend on purchases)
• 1,500 Card Bonus Premier® qualifying points (PQP) each program year
• 10% Saver Award Flight Discount
• Expanded Award Availability
• Premier Upgrades on Award Tickets
• Premier Access including priority check in and priority boarding
• Return Protection for Items a Store Won’t Take Back + Extended Warranty and Purchase Protection
• Access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
• Primary Car Rental CDW Insurance
• Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS Reimbursement as a Statement Credit
• IHG Platinum Status
• Top Tier Avis President’s Club status
• Free Instacart membership and up to $240 in Instacart statement credits
• Up to $150 in rideshare credits
• Up to $100 in United travel credits on Avis or Budget car purchases
• Up to $200 in credit on JSX purchases annually
• Up to $200 in credits for Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United® Cardmembers

That’s not all of the card features, but it sure is enough to see that the value you are getting for that annual fee is pretty amazing.

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® is American Airlines’ mid-tier credit card option. All in all, it’s a solid card for semi-frequent American Airlines flyers who don’t live near an airport with an Admirals Club®. You’ll enjoy access to American Airlines lounges a few times per year, but you aren’t paying the hefty annual fee for unlimited access.

For starters, you’ll receive a $99 American Airlines companion certificate starting in your second year as a cardholder. Although it’s only valid on a main cabin domestic flight, you could potentially cover your entire annual fee from this benefit alone. You’ll also earn 3X miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, which is a great way to boost your AAdvantage miles balance.

You can earn three different statement credits annually — up to $240 back on Turo, up to $100 back on inflight purchases, and up to $100 for your Annual Splurge Credit, which can include merchants like Live Nation or AAdvantage Hotels. You’ll also earn a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years, which can provide value if you aren’t already enrolled.

The Flight Streak Bonus is also an interesting feature for anyone chasing status, allowing you to earn 5,000 bonus Loyalty Points for every four flights you take in a calendar year, up to 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points. If that’s not enough, you’ll earn 1 Loyalty Point for every AAdvantage mile you earn on purchases.

Plus, you’ll receive your first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries, enjoy preferred boarding, and a variety of travel and shopping protection benefits. When you add up each of these perks, it’s incredibly easy to find value in the card — much more value than a $350 annual fee.