The premium rewards card market is stuffed with choices. In the event 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 selection.
Two of our favourite choices signify every of those decisions. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and charges) earns beneficial Chase Final Rewards factors which you can switch to a number of applications, whereas the United Membership℠ Card (see charges and charges) is the top-tier selection for United Airways loyalists who need to earn extra with the airline.
Let’s stroll by incomes charges, advantages and lounge entry options with every of those premium playing cards that will help you determine which is the perfect 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 Might 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
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 once 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 brand new bank card? Listed here are 4 suggestions that will help you earn your welcome bonus
United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve advantages
In the case of advantages, these two playing cards present lounge entry and different beneficial perks. Let’s examine them.
Lounge entry
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Then, if you happen to 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 collaborating Star Alliance lounges and the flexibility to deliver an extra grownup visitor (for a complete of two) into United Golf equipment. You may additionally obtain 4 one-time passes to your licensed customers annually.
The Sapphire Reserve supplies entry to all eight (and growing) Chase lounges and a complimentary Precedence Move Choose membership. Precedence Move consists of entry to greater than 1,700 lounges worldwide.
In the event you favor United Membership lounges or can spend to unlock All Entry membership, then the United Membership Card would be the more sensible choice for you. Nevertheless, 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 more sensible choice for somebody who is not so loyal to United.
Different advantages
The United Membership is a superb possibility if you happen to’re flying United and searching for premium perks, together with:
- The primary two checked baggage 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 Resorts and Resorts. That is United’s luxurious resort portal, which grants cardholders perks reminiscent of every day breakfast for 2, complimentary Wi-Fi and room upgrades at check-in (when accessible).
You may additionally obtain credit on ride-hailing, JSX and Instacart purchases, plus Avis/Price range automobile leases booked by United’s automobile rental portal. To be taught extra, take a look at our full evaluation of the United Membership Card.
With the United Membership Card, you possibly can spend your method towards elite standing with United. You may obtain a lift of 1,500 Premier qualifying factors annually, beginning in 2026. You may 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 gives one of many easiest journey credit available on the market — masking $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 may obtain it routinely on the primary $300 you spend on purchases for every thing from flights and motels 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 Chase Journey
- A $100 property credit score, every day free breakfast for 2 and room upgrades (upon availability) when reserving by The Edit
Each playing cards have journey and procuring protections and as much as $120 in assertion credit towards International Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus each 4 years. In addition they supply a free DoorDash DashPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2027).
With the Sapphire Reserve, you may obtain particular privileges once 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 to your first and second Avis or Price range automobile leases booked every anniversary yr by United’s automobile 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 listing of perks that may apply to a number of aspects 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: Priceless journey perks which you can get with a bank card
Incomes rewards on the United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve
If you pay with the United Membership Card, you may earn:
- 9 miles per greenback spent on United flights
- 5 miles per greenback spent on stays bought by Famend Resorts 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 once you use the cardboard to pay for United flights (based mostly on TPG’s April 2025 valuations), which is greater than some other airline bank card.
In the meantime, the Sapphire Reserve earns the next:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on resort and automobile rental bookings made by Chase Journey and eligible Peloton purchases over $150 (as much as 50,000 factors)
- 5 factors per greenback spent on flights booked by 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 once you make purchases with United and is the higher possibility if you happen to ceaselessly guide with the airline and need to gather United MileagePlus miles.
Nevertheless, with the Sapphire Reserve, you may obtain a greater return in a broader listing of bonus classes, together with basic journey and eating.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. The United Membership gives 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
Chase’s stable listing of switch companions consists of United, which implies you possibly can 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 once you switch your factors. That is very true with the award-friendly World of Hyatt resort program.
For instance, you would keep on the luxurious Park Hyatt Sydney for 35,000 to 45,000 factors per night time, which might be a improbable deal to your factors.
With the Sapphire Reserve, you may also guide journey by Chase Journey along with your factors at a set worth of 1.5 cents every. It is a nice possibility for boutique motels 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.
Nevertheless, the MileagePlus program nonetheless gives good worth by candy spots. As an illustration, 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 companion 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 factors and miles are value greater than different rewards
Ought to I get the United Membership or Sapphire Reserve?
Backside line
Each the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the United Membership Card are stable premium playing cards, however they serve completely different functions.
In the event you’re a United devotee searching for a collection of perks once you fly with the airline, the United Membership is the higher possibility. For many vacationers, nonetheless, the versatile rewards and broad advantages supplied by the Sapphire Reserve give it the sting.
Keep in mind that irrespective of which card you select, they’re each issued by Chase and can be subjected to the issuer’s 5/24 rule. In the event you’ve opened 5 or extra private bank cards prior to now two years, you are unlikely to be permitted for both card.
To be taught extra, take a look at our Chase Sapphire Reserve evaluation and United Membership Card evaluation.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Apply right here: United Membership Card
