The premium rewards card market is stuffed with choices. When you’re 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 alternative.
Two of our favourite choices symbolize every of those decisions. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs) earns precious Chase Final Rewards factors that you may switch to a number of packages, whereas the United Membership℠ Card (see charges and costs) is the top-tier alternative for United Airways 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 will help you determine which is one of the best 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 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. | Earn 100,000 bonus factors plus a $500 Chase Journey℠ promo credit score* after spending $5,000 within the first three months from account opening.
*Word that the phrases for the journey credit score state: The promotional credit score is legitimate for a one-time use solely, if you happen to apply the promotional credit score to a transaction lower than $500, you’ll forfeit the remaining steadiness. |
| Incomes charges
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| TPG’s August 2025 valuation | 1.3 cents per mile | 2.05 cents per level |
| Annual payment | $695 | $795 |
| Lounge entry |
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| Different standout advantages |
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United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve welcome supply
The United Membership Card is providing 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Based mostly on TPG’s August 2025 valuations, this welcome bonus is price $1,040 towards flights.
In the meantime, with the Sapphire Reserve, you may earn a welcome supply of 100,000 bonus factors plus a $500 Chase Journey promo credit score after spending $5,000 within the first three months from account opening. TPG’s August 2025 valuations place this bonus at $2,550 if you issue within the worth of transferring to Chase’s loyalty companions with the total $500 credit score.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve.
Associated: Have a brand new bank card? Listed below are 4 ideas that will help you earn your welcome bonus
United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve advantages
On the subject of advantages, these two playing cards present lounge entry and different precious perks. Let’s evaluate them.
Lounge entry
The United Membership Card provides a United Membership membership that grants the first cardholder, one grownup visitor and dependent kids beneath 18 years previous entry to greater than 45 United Golf equipment worldwide. This perk is valued at $750, which greater than offsets the cardboard’s $695 annual payment.
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Then, if you happen to spend $50,000 on purchases together with your United Membership Card in a calendar 12 months, you will obtain a United Membership All Entry membership. This upgraded tier consists of entry to collaborating Star Alliance lounges and the flexibility to convey a further grownup visitor (for a complete of two) into United Golf equipment. You may 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 Precedence Go Choose membership. Precedence Go consists of entry to greater than 1,700 lounges worldwide. Plus, cardholders obtain entry to over 20 Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges once they’re touring with a Star Alliance airline.
When you favor United Membership lounges or can spend to unlock All Entry membership, then the United Membership Card might be a more sensible choice for you. Nonetheless, Chase continues to develop its personal lounge footprint and comes with a broader perk with Precedence Go, giving cardholders entry to the next variety of lounges throughout the globe. So, the Reserve would be the better option for somebody who is not so loyal to United.
Different advantages
The United Membership Card 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 obtainable)
- 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 Famend Lodges and Resorts. That is United’s luxurious lodge portal, which grants cardholders perks reminiscent of day by day breakfast for 2, complimentary Wi-Fi and room upgrades at check-in (when obtainable).
You may additionally obtain credit on ride-hailing, JSX and Instacart purchases, plus Avis/Finances automotive leases booked by means of United’s automotive rental portal. To be taught extra, try our full overview of the United Membership Card.
With the United Membership Card, you may spend your method towards elite standing with United. You may obtain a lift of 1,500 Premier qualifying factors every year, 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 12 months). This may be utilized as much as and together with the Premier 1K degree.
As for the Sapphire Reserve, it provides one of many easiest journey credit available on the market: a versatile $300 assertion credit score in journey. This credit score robotically kicks in in your first $300 in journey purchases you make with the cardboard every account anniversary 12 months. Plus, Chase broadly defines journey, which means you will obtain it robotically on the primary $300 you spend on purchases for all the pieces from flights and inns to tolls and parking.
Different standout Sapphire Reserve advantages embrace:
- As much as $500 in annual credit with The Edit, earned as two $250 biannual credit
- As much as $300 in annual StubHub and Viagogo credit (by means of Dec. 31, 2027), earned as two $150 biannual credit
- As much as $300 in annual eating credit score with Sapphire Reserve Unique Tables, earned as two $150 biannual credit
- As much as $250 yearly in complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions (by means of June 22, 2027)
- As much as $120 in annual in-app Lyft credit (by means of Sept. 30, 2027)
- As much as $120 in Peloton credit, earned as $10 month-to-month credit (by means of Dec. 31, 2027; activation required)
Each playing cards supply journey and purchasing protections and as much as $120 in assertion credit towards International Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus each 4 years. Additionally they each supply a free DoorDash DashPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2027).
The Sapphire Reserve outshines the United Membership Card for many vacationers due to its versatile journey credit score and broad checklist of perks that may apply to a number of sides of journey and life-style purchases. Nonetheless, 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. It has broader advantages for cardholders to make use of when touring and making day by day purchases.
Associated: Invaluable journey perks that you may get with a bank card
Incomes rewards on the United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve
Once you pay with the United Membership Card, you will earn:
- 9 miles per greenback spent on United flights
- 5 miles per greenback spent on stays bought by means of Famend Lodges 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 a close to 12% return if you use the cardboard to pay for United flights (primarily based on TPG’s August 2025 valuations), which is larger than every other airline bank card.
In the meantime, the Sapphire Reserve earns the next:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on Peloton gear and accent purchases (by means of Dec. 31, 2027) of $150 or extra, with a most of fifty,000 factors
- 8 factors per greenback spent on purchases made by means of Chase Journey, together with The Edit
- 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides by means of Sept. 30, 2027
- 4 factors per greenback spent on flights and inns booked immediately
- 3 factors per greenback spent on eating worldwide
- 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases
The United Membership shines brighter if you make purchases with United and is the higher possibility if you happen to ceaselessly ebook with the airline and wish to acquire United MileagePlus miles.
Nonetheless, with the Sapphire Reserve, you will obtain a greater return in a broader checklist of bonus classes, together with flights and inns booked immediately and eating. You will need to observe that the United Membership Card earns bonus factors on normal journey, whereas the Sapphire Reserve doesn’t. Nonetheless, you may earn bonus factors for utilizing Chase Journey.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. The United Membership provides profitable earnings on United flights, however the Sapphire Reserve’s broader classes usually win out.
Redeeming and transferring rewards on the United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve
The Sapphire Reserve provides extra versatile rewards than the United Membership Card, making it a greater possibility for many vacationers seeking to maximize rewards. You may get essentially the most worth out of your Chase Final Rewards factors by transferring them to considered one of Chase’s 14 airline and lodge companions.
Chase’s strong checklist of switch companions consists of United, which implies you may 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 unbelievable redemptions if you switch your factors. That is very true with the award-friendly World of Hyatt lodge program.
For instance, you may 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 ebook journey by means of Chase Journey together with your factors for as much as 2 cents per level, due to Factors Increase, relying on the redemption. It is a nice possibility for boutique inns 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 far more restrictive since they’ll 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 implies that redemption charges range considerably relying on the ticket you ebook.
Nonetheless, the MileagePlus program nonetheless provides good worth by means of candy spots. As an illustration, Katie Genter, TPG’s lead factors and miles author, redeemed 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, a journey 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 far more versatile.
Ought to I get the United Membership or Sapphire Reserve?
The Sapphire Reserve is the higher all-around journey card, because it earns precious Final Rewards factors throughout a number of high-earning bonus classes. Plus, you may switch these factors to United if you happen to’re actually into the airline. Nonetheless, the cardboard options a number of assertion credit which may be troublesome for some to totally use, and the $795 annual payment is larger than the United Membership Card.
The United Membership Card is the higher possibility in case you are fiercely loyal to United, need entry to United Golf equipment and worth precedence perks when flying the airline. Plus, the annual payment is barely decrease, at $695.
Backside line
Each the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the United Membership Card are strong premium playing cards, however they serve completely different functions.
When you’re a United devotee searching for a collection of perks if you fly with the airline, the United Membership is the higher possibility. For vacationers searching for broader luxurious perks, a number of credit to maximise and extra versatile rewards, the Sapphire Reserve is the selection.
Do not forget that regardless of which card you select, they’re each issued by Chase and might be subjected to the issuer’s 5/24 rule. When you’ve opened 5 or extra private bank cards previously two years, you are unlikely to be authorised for both card.
To be taught extra, try our Chase Sapphire Reserve overview and United Membership Card overview.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Apply right here: United Membership Card
Associated: Why transferable factors and miles are price greater than different rewards
