The premium rewards card market is filled with choices. If you are into maximizing transferable rewards or prepared to gather extra perks to make use of together with your favourite loyalty program, including a bank card generally is a nice selection.
Two of our favourite choices characterize every of those decisions. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and charges) earns priceless Chase Ultimate Rewards factors that you would be able to switch to a number of packages, whereas the United Club℠ Card (see charges and charges) is the top-tier selection for United Airlines loyalists who wish 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 can assist you determine which is the perfect so as to add to your pockets.
United Club Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve comparability
| Card | United Club 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 May 7. | Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. |
| Earning 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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| Other standout advantages |
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United Club 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 on TPG’s April 2025 valuations, this welcome bonus is value $1,283 towards flights.
Meanwhile, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you will 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 Club Card. Its present welcome bonus is value about $50 extra.
Related: Have a brand new bank card? Here are 4 ideas that can assist you earn your welcome bonus
United Club vs. Sapphire Reserve advantages
When it involves advantages, these two playing cards present lounge entry and different priceless perks. Let’s evaluate them.
Lounge entry
The United Club Card affords a United Club membership that grants the first cardholder, one grownup visitor and dependent youngsters underneath 18 years outdated entry to greater 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 together with your United Club Card in a calendar yr, you will obtain United Club All Access membership. This upgraded tier contains entry to collaborating Star Alliance lounges and the power to carry an extra grownup visitor (for a complete of two) into United Clubs. You’ll additionally obtain 4 one-time passes in your licensed customers every year.
The Sapphire Reserve supplies entry to all eight (and rising) Chase lounges and a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. Priority Pass contains entry to greater than 1,700 lounges worldwide.
If you like United Club lounges or can spend to unlock All Access membership, then the United Club Card would be the better option for you. However, Chase continues to broaden its personal lounge footprint and comes with a broader perk with Priority Pass, 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.
Other advantages
The United Club is a superb choice in case you’re flying United and on the lookout for premium perks, together with:
- The first two checked luggage are free (for the first cardholder and a companion on the identical reservation)
- Premier entry: Priority check-in, safety screening, boarding and baggage dealing with (the place out there)
- Expanded award availability
- 25% again on United inflight purchases
With the cardboard, you will obtain as much as $200 in annual assertion credit to make use of on bookings with Renowned Hotels and Resorts. That’s United’s luxurious lodge portal, which grants cardholders perks reminiscent of every day breakfast for 2, complimentary Wi-Fi and room upgrades at check-in (when out there).
You’ll additionally obtain credit on ride-hailing, JSX and Instacart purchases, plus Avis/Budget automotive leases booked by means of United’s automotive rental portal. To study extra, try our full evaluation of the United Club Card.
With the United Club Card, you’ll be able to spend your manner towards elite standing with United. You’ll obtain a lift of 1,500 Premier qualifying factors every year, beginning in 2026. You’ll additionally obtain 1 PQP for each $15 spent on the cardboard (as much as 28,000 PQP in a calendar yr). This might be utilized as much as and together with the Premier 1K degree.
As for the Sapphire Reserve, it affords one of many easiest journey credit in the marketplace — protecting $300 assertion credit score in journey. This credit score routinely kicks in in your first $300 in journey purchases you make with the cardboard every account anniversary yr. Plus, Chase broadly defines journey, which means you will obtain it routinely on the primary $300 you spend on purchases for all the things from flights and lodges to tolls and parking.
Other standout Sapphire Reserve advantages embody:
- 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, every day free breakfast for 2 and room upgrades (upon availability) when reserving by means of The Edit
Both playing cards have journey and buying protections and as much as $120 in assertion credit towards Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus each 4 years. They additionally supply a free DoorDash SprintPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2027).
With the Sapphire Reserve, you will obtain particular privileges while you enroll in National Car Rental, Avis and Silvercar — however no credit. With the United Club Card, you will obtain as much as $50 every in United TravelFinancial institution money in your first and second Avis or Budget automotive leases booked every anniversary yr by means of United’s automotive rental portal — however no elite standing.
The Sapphire Reserve outshines the United Club Card for many vacationers due to its versatile journey credit score and broad listing of perks that may apply to a number of sides of journey. Conversely, the United Club 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. Maximum assertion credit score is as much as $120 yearly.
Related: Valuable journey perks that you would be able to get with a bank card
Earning rewards on the United Club vs. Sapphire Reserve
When you pay with the United Club Card, you will earn:
- 9 miles per greenback spent on United flights
- 5 miles per greenback spent on stays bought by means of Renowned Hotels 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’s an over 12% return while you use the cardboard to pay for United flights (primarily based on TPG’s April 2025 valuations), which is larger than some other airline bank card.
Meanwhile, the Sapphire Reserve earns the next:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on lodge and automotive rental bookings made by means of Chase Travel and eligible Peloton purchases over $150 (as much as 50,000 factors)
- 5 factors per greenback spent on flights booked by means of Chase Travel 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 Club shines brighter while you make purchases with United and is the higher choice in case you regularly e book with the airline and wish to gather United MileagePlus miles.
However, with the Sapphire Reserve, you will obtain a greater return in a broader listing of bonus classes, together with normal journey and eating.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. The United Club affords profitable earnings on United flights, however the Sapphire Reserve’s broader classes win out once more.
Redeeming and transferring rewards on the United Club vs. Sapphire Reserve
The Sapphire Reserve affords extra versatile rewards than the United Club Card, making it a greater choice for many vacationers seeking to maximize rewards. You’ll get probably the most worth out of your Chase Ultimate Rewards factors by transferring them to one in all Chase’s 14 airline and lodge companions.
Chase’s stable listing of switch companions contains United, which suggests you’ll be able to nonetheless use your factors earned with the Sapphire Reserve towards United flights if you wish to fly the airline and its companions.
Plus, the flexibleness of Chase factors opens up the potential for unimaginable redemptions while you switch your factors. This is very true with the award-friendly World of Hyatt lodge program.
For instance, you possibly can keep on the luxurious Park Hyatt Sydney for 35,000 to 45,000 factors per evening, which might be a unbelievable deal in your factors.
With the Sapphire Reserve, you may as well e book journey by means of Chase Travel together with your factors at a hard and fast worth of 1.5 cents every. This is a superb choice for boutique lodges that do not belong to a bigger model. It’s additionally nice for reserving flights when money costs are low.
Meanwhile, 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 are additionally topic to devaluation. Dynamic award pricing additionally signifies that redemption charges range considerably relying on the ticket you e book.
However, the MileagePlus program nonetheless affords good worth by means of candy spots. For occasion, Katie Genter, TPG’s lead factors and miles author, redeemed simply 6,000 United miles per particular person 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 associate 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 Airlines from Denver to Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. Its redemption and switch choices are way more versatile.
Related: Why transferable factors and miles are value greater than different rewards
Should I get the United Club or Sapphire Reserve?
The Sapphire Reserve is the higher all-around journey card, because it earns priceless Ultimate Rewards factors throughout a number of high-earning bonus classes. Plus, you’ll be able to switch these factors to United in case you’re actually into the airline. But the United Club Card is the higher choice if you’re fiercely loyal to United, need entry to United Clubs and worth precedence perks when flying the airline.
Bottom line
Both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the United Club Card are stable premium playing cards, however they serve totally different functions.
If you are a United devotee on the lookout for a collection of perks while you fly with the airline, the United Club is the higher choice. For most vacationers, nevertheless, the versatile rewards and broad advantages provided by the Sapphire Reserve give it the sting.
Remember that irrespective of which card you select, they’re each issued by Chase and can be subjected to the issuer’s 5/24 rule. If you have opened 5 or extra private bank cards previously two years, you are unlikely to be accredited for both card.
To study extra, try our Chase Sapphire Reserve evaluation and United Club Card evaluation.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Apply right here: United Club Card
