Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.

Changes Are Coming to United Credit Cards and Pay Yourself Back

Ryan Smith's image
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith's image

Ryan Smith

News Managing Editor

429 Published Articles 722 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 197U.S. States Visited: 50

Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and is letting his wife choose their destinations, including revisiting some favorites. Over the years, he’s written ...
Edited by: Nick Ellis
Nick Ellis's image

Nick Ellis

Senior Editor & Content Contributor

226 Published Articles 994 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 35U.S. States Visited: 25

Nick’s passion for points began as a hobby and became a career. He worked for over 5 years at The Points Guy and has contributed to Business Insider and CNN. He has 14 credit cards and continues to le...
& Kellie Jez
Kellie Jez's image

Kellie Jez

Director of Operations & Compliance

6 Published Articles 1267 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 10U.S. States Visited: 20

Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...
Jump to Section

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

It looks like changes are coming soon to your United Airlines co-branded credit card.

Messages on recent cardholder statements indicate that as of April 1, 2025, these cards will see changes to which purchases qualify for the Pay Yourself Back benefit.

Let’s take a look.

Advertisement

Changes to United Credit Cards and Pay Yourself Back

So far, we’re seeing the same message on cardholder statements for The New United Gateway℠ Card, The New United℠ Explorer Card, and The New United℠ Business Card. It reads as follows:

“Starting April 1, 2025, only purchases of $50 or more in the United airfare purchases category will be eligible for Pay Yourself Back.”

United Explorer Pay Yourself Back change message
Image Credit: Chase

Presently, Chase’s Pay Yourself Back program allows United cardholders to redeem MileagePlus miles at a rate of 1.5 to 1.75 cents per mile toward their card’s annual fee, if it has one, or toward recent United purchases at 1 cent per mile in value. However, this situation appears to be changing with the message shown on recent card statements.

Going forward, it appears that cardholders will only be able to redeem miles through Pay Yourself Back toward United Airlines airfare purchases of at least $50. That’s very different from the current offer.

What Does This Change Mean for Cardholders?

Chase has updated and extended its Pay Yourself Back categories multiple times, so another change isn’t a massive surprise. Moreover, we don’t know what the redemption rates will be with this new setup on April 1. They could remain 1-cent-per-mile or change to something else.

We value United MileagePlus miles at 1.2 cents apiece. Redeeming your miles toward your card’s annual fee at 1.5 or 1.75 cents per mile is definitely above-average value. It’s not flashy or fun, though, and there are definitely ways to redeem your United miles for even better value. Redeeming miles toward United purchases at 1 cent is definitely a sub-par redemption value.

Hot Tip:

Advertisement

Final Thoughts

Starting on April 1, changes are coming to United Airlines’ co-branded credit cards and how cardholders can use their miles through Pay Yourself Back. Based on messages on recent cardholder statements, only purchases of airfare with United that cost at least $50 will qualify for Pay Yourself Back. That sounds like the option to redeem miles against your card’s annual fee could go away, though we haven’t been able to confirm that specific detail yet.

We have reached out to Chase for a statement on these changes and to clarify the details. As of the time of publication, we haven’t received a response, but we’ll be sure to update this story when we do.

Ryan Smith's image

About Ryan Smith

Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and is letting his wife choose their destinations, including revisiting some favorites. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publications including AwardWallet, The Points Guy, USA Today Blueprint, CNBC Select, Tripadvisor, Point.me, and Forbes Advisor.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy  and terms of service  apply.

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse
DMCA.com Protection Status