The Gateway card, which replaces the United TravelBank Credit Card as the no-annual-fee credit card option for United Airlines fans, is offering new cardholders 3 United MileagePlus miles per $1 spent on groceries (for the first $1,500 of grocery purchases each month) through Sept. 30, 2021. Neither of the other United-branded credit cards, both of which charge annual fees, offer bonuses on groceries. Cardholders who spend $1,000 within their first three months will also earn 20,000 miles, more than twice as many miles as several competing airlines offer on their most basic credit cards. Those miles are worth $438, based on The Balance’s average valuation of United miles. As previously reported, United Gateway cardholders will earn 2 miles per $1 spent on gas, local transit, and commuting costs, in addition to flights and other purchases made with United. All other purchases will earn 1 mile per $1 spent. Those are fairly typical earning rates when compared to similar cards branded by other airlines. The United Gateway Card offers fans of the airline a more conventional way to earn extra frequent flyer miles than the TravelBank card—the no-annual-fee card it’s replacing. The TravelBank card, which had a more unusual rewards structure and no bonuses for local or on-the-ground travel, was closed to new applicants in May. This new United-branded card follows Chase’s launch of the Freedom Flex in September.
