If you’re a current owner of the United Club℠ Mastercard (no longer available for new applicants), you’ll face an automatic product change to the United Club Infinite Card officially on Nov. 18, 2021. Accordingly, your annual fee will increase from $450 to $525.New to The Points Guy? Want to learn more about credit card points and miles? Sign up for our daily newsletter.Although the $75 annual fee increase may leave a bad taste for some, this new $525 annual fee won’t be charged to your account until late 2022. That means you’ll have more than a year to try out this product change before the new annual fee takes into effect.If this change applies to you, you should have received notice from Chase by now. Let’s dive into the new perks you’ll get with the United Club Infinite and review your options if you ultimately decide you don’t want this product change.Personal United card changes(Photo by Eric Helgas/ The Points Guy)If you currently hold the United Club Card — the predecessor of the United Club℠ Infinite Card — you’ll automatically get upgraded in November. Here are all the changes you need to be aware of:Improved rewards rate of 4x on United purchases, 2x on all other travel and restaurants, and 1x on all other eligible purchases.On award tickets, United MileagePlus Premier members will enjoy complimentary premier upgrades for one companion on the same reservation (upon availability).Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit every four years.$70 discount on a Clear membership — and if you sign up with the card before June 30, 2022, you’ll get 10,000 bonus miles (which TPG values at $130).In 2022, cardholders can earn 500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) for every $12,000 spent, for up to 4,000 PQPs total each calendar year.However, there is one key benefit that United Club Mastercard holders will lose: cell phone protection.If you relied heavily on this coverage, you might see this product change as a heavy loss. Despite this, these changes are a win in our book and will most likely justify the $525 annual fee. Check out this guide on cards that offer cell phone protection if you are dissatisfied with the loss of this perk.Cell phone protection is an important benefit that comes with a decent number of credit cards today. (Image by Irina Dobrolyubova / Getty Images)Those applying for United Club Infinite Card fresh can get a welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.However, those who are product changed to this — or any other card — would not receive the welcome bonus as part of a product change. You’d only be eligible for that if you applied outright.Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.What to do if you don’t want the upcoming product changeThere are some options if you don’t want your existing card to be automatically upgraded.Your first option is to downgrade to any of United’s other credit cards and/or apply for a new United card outright for more perks and a sign-up bonus. For example, the United Quest Card has a lower $250 annual fee and offers a bonus of 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.(Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)Bottom lineOver time, United has sunsetted its old cobranded cards while revealing an all-new lineup. Finally, these changes affect legacy cardholders, too — eliminating and replacing these old products altogether.As a result, you’ll want to weigh your options and decide if your new United Club Infinite card is worth keeping — or if you want to make a different change.Even though your card will automatically be changed to the Club Infinite on Nov. 18, you’ll have until late 2022 to be charged the $525 annual fee, which will give you a year to test how you like the product upgrade before you are imposed a higher fee. However, if you would prefer to apply for a different card outright, there’s plenty of time to do that, too.United actively offers five cobranded Chase cards — for a total of four personal cards and one business card:Application link: United Gateway card with 20,000 bonus miles: Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.Application link: United Explorer card with 50,000 bonus miles: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.Application link: United Quest card with 60,000 bonus miles: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.Application link: United Club Infinite card with 80,000 bonus miles: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening..Application link: United Business card with up to 150,000 bonus miles: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open. Plus, $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
