Is the United Club Card worth the higher annual fee?

The United Club Card costs $695/yr vs $195/yr for the Aeroplan® Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $500 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the United Club Card also lists lounge access, travel credits).

Which card earns more rewards, the Aeroplan® Card or United Club Card?

Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.

What benefits does the Aeroplan® Card have that the United Club Card doesn't?

The Aeroplan® Card offers travel credits, dining credits. The United Club Card offers lounge access, travel credits.

Should I get the Aeroplan® Card or the United Club Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Aeroplan® Card has a lower $195/yr fee; the United Club Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $695/yr.

Aeroplan® Card vs United Club Card

Annual fees: Aeroplan® Card $195/yr, United Club Card $695/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Aeroplan® Card on travel, United Club Card on hotels.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Aeroplan® Card Chase · $195/yr	United Club Card Chase · $695/yr
Annual fee	$195 Lowest	$695
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	75,000 points	Up to 100,000 miles
Rewards	Aeroplan Loyalty Program	United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	Mastercard World Elite	Visa Infinite
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Travel	3x Highest	2x
Dining	2x	2x
Gas Stations	2x Highest	1x
Grocery Stores	2x Highest	1x
Hotels	1x	2x Highest
Ridesharing	1x	2x Highest
Transit	1x	2x Highest
Everything else	1x	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS · $120 every 4 years	$200 Renowned Hotels $100 Avis/Budget travel $200/yr JSX flights $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck 25% United inflight purchases · $25 per transaction
Rideshare & transit	—	$150/yr rideshare · $13 monthly
Dining & delivery	DoorDash DashPass	$20/mo Instacart+ · $20 monthly
Other credits	Up to $100 in Air Canada credits · $50 every 6 months Credit Journey	—
Perks & access— means none on record
Lounges	—	United Club membership with guest access
Hotel status & programs	Automatic Aeroplan 25K Status Aeroplan 35K Status at $75,000 spend	IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status
Airline perks	15% off Air Canada flight redemptions Free First Checked Bags	Earn up to 20,000-miles in award flight discounts each year Premier Access priority boarding and security lanes Free first and second checked bags for you plus companion Premier upgrades on award tickets
Car rental	—	Avis President's Club®
Other perks	No foreign transaction fees Mastercard 24/7 Concierge	10% or more off United awards MileagePlus miles don't expire United Card Events from Chase and United MileagePlus Events Earn up to 28,000 Premier® qualifying points (PQP) No foreign transaction fees
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance · up to $1,500 Trip Delay Reimbursement · up to $500	Trip cancellation coverage up to $10,000 per traveler Trip delay coverage up to $500 after 12 hours
Baggage	Baggage Delay Insurance · up to $100	Baggage delay coverage $100/day up to 3 days Lost baggage coverage up to $3,000 per traveler
Rental car	Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver	Primary car rental insurance up to $60,000
Purchase & returns	Purchase Protection · up to $500 24/7 Fraud Monitoring	Return Protection · up to $500 Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty	—	Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Other protections	Roadside Assistance	—
Pros & cons
Pros	—	Full United Club membership included ($750/year value) with 1 adult guest Highest PQP earning: 1 PQP per $15 spent, 28,000 annual cap, plus 1,500 bonus PQPs Two free checked bags for cardholder plus companion 5x miles on United purchases (highest among United cards) Save 10% or more when booking flights with miles
Cons	—	$695 annual fee is the highest among United cards United Club access only useful at airports with United presence Guest policy limited to 1 adult (plus children under 18) Renowned Hotels credit requires booking through specific portal No direct TravelBank credit like Quest card offers
	Card details	Card details

Aeroplan® Card
Chase · $195/yr
United Club Card
Chase · $695/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Aeroplan® Card
$195
Lowest
United Club Card
$695
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Aeroplan® Card
75,000 points
United Club Card
Up to 100,000 miles
Rewards: Aeroplan® Card
Aeroplan Loyalty Program
United Club Card
United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee: Aeroplan® Card
None
United Club Card
None
Network: Aeroplan® Card
Mastercard World Elite
United Club Card
Visa Infinite

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Travel: Aeroplan® Card
3x
Highest
United Club Card
2x
Dining: Aeroplan® Card
2x
United Club Card
2x
Gas Stations: Aeroplan® Card
2x
Highest
United Club Card
1x
Grocery Stores: Aeroplan® Card
2x
Highest
United Club Card
1x
Hotels: Aeroplan® Card
1x
United Club Card
2x
Highest
Ridesharing: Aeroplan® Card
1x
United Club Card
2x
Highest
Transit: Aeroplan® Card
1x
United Club Card
2x
Highest
Everything else: Aeroplan® Card
1x
United Club Card
1x

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Travel: Aeroplan® Card
$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS · $120 every 4 years
United Club Card
$200 Renowned Hotels
$100 Avis/Budget travel
$200/yr JSX flights
$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck
25% United inflight purchases · $25 per transaction
Rideshare & transit: Aeroplan® Card
—
United Club Card
$150/yr rideshare · $13 monthly
Dining & delivery: Aeroplan® Card
DoorDash DashPass
United Club Card
$20/mo Instacart+ · $20 monthly
Other credits: Aeroplan® Card
Up to $100 in Air Canada credits · $50 every 6 months
Credit Journey
United Club Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges: Aeroplan® Card
—
United Club Card
United Club membership with guest access
Hotel status & programs: Aeroplan® Card
Automatic Aeroplan 25K Status
Aeroplan 35K Status at $75,000 spend
United Club Card
IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status
Airline perks: Aeroplan® Card
15% off Air Canada flight redemptions
Free First Checked Bags
United Club Card
Earn up to 20,000-miles in award flight discounts each year
Premier Access priority boarding and security lanes
Free first and second checked bags for you plus companion
Premier upgrades on award tickets
Car rental: Aeroplan® Card
—
United Club Card
Avis President's Club®
Other perks: Aeroplan® Card
No foreign transaction fees
Mastercard 24/7 Concierge
United Club Card
10% or more off United awards
MileagePlus miles don't expire
United Card Events from Chase and United MileagePlus Events
Earn up to 28,000 Premier® qualifying points (PQP)
No foreign transaction fees

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Aeroplan® Card
Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance · up to $1,500
Trip Delay Reimbursement · up to $500
United Club Card
Trip cancellation coverage up to $10,000 per traveler
Trip delay coverage up to $500 after 12 hours
Baggage: Aeroplan® Card
Baggage Delay Insurance · up to $100
United Club Card
Baggage delay coverage $100/day up to 3 days
Lost baggage coverage up to $3,000 per traveler
Rental car: Aeroplan® Card
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
United Club Card
Primary car rental insurance up to $60,000
Purchase & returns: Aeroplan® Card
Purchase Protection · up to $500
24/7 Fraud Monitoring
United Club Card
Return Protection · up to $500
Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty: Aeroplan® Card
—
United Club Card
Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Other protections: Aeroplan® Card
Roadside Assistance
United Club Card
—

Pros & cons

Pros: Aeroplan® Card
—
United Club Card
Full United Club membership included ($750/year value) with 1 adult guest
Highest PQP earning: 1 PQP per $15 spent, 28,000 annual cap, plus 1,500 bonus PQPs
Two free checked bags for cardholder plus companion
5x miles on United purchases (highest among United cards)
Save 10% or more when booking flights with miles
Cons: Aeroplan® Card
—
United Club Card
$695 annual fee is the highest among United cards
United Club access only useful at airports with United presence
Guest policy limited to 1 adult (plus children under 18)
Renowned Hotels credit requires booking through specific portal
No direct TravelBank credit like Quest card offers

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

Both cards win in 3 categories each — it comes down to which categories matter most to you.

Grocery Stores

Aeroplan® Card earns 2X vs 1X

Travel

Aeroplan® Card earns 3X vs 2X

Gas Stations

Aeroplan® Card earns 2X vs 1X

Hotels

United Club Card earns 5X vs 1X

5X via issuer travel portal

Ridesharing

United Club Card earns 2X vs 1X

Transit

United Club Card earns 2X vs 1X

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Scenario	Aeroplan® Card	United Club Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $250 Credits (our usable estimate): $93 − Annual fee ($195) Ongoing: $148 Year one: $1,123	Rewards: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $440 − Annual fee ($695) Ongoing: -$75 Year one: $1,005	Aeroplan® Card	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $998 Credits (our usable estimate): $93 − Annual fee ($195) Ongoing: $896 Year one: $1,871	Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $440 − Annual fee ($695) Ongoing: $465 Year one: $1,545	Aeroplan® Card	Aeroplan® Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The United Club Card costs $695/yr — that's $500 more than the Aeroplan® Card ($195/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $500 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

The United Club Card includes travel credits, lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, free checked bags. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $500 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $500 fee gap means the United Club Card needs roughly $500 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and travel and everyday spend.

What You Give Up

Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.

Choosing Aeroplan® Card means losing:

-Airport lounge access

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Aeroplan® Card if you:

+Do most of your spending at grocery stores

Get the United Club Card if you:

+Fly frequently and value airport lounge access

The Bottom Line

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Published annual fees: Aeroplan® Card $195/yr, United Club Card $695/yr — a $500 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the United Club Card worth the higher annual fee?: The United Club Card costs $695/yr vs $195/yr for the Aeroplan® Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $500 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the United Club Card also lists lounge access, travel credits).
Which card earns more rewards, the Aeroplan® Card or United Club Card?: Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
What benefits does the Aeroplan® Card have that the United Club Card doesn't?: The Aeroplan® Card offers travel credits, dining credits. The United Club Card offers lounge access, travel credits.
Should I get the Aeroplan® Card or the United Club Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Aeroplan® Card has a lower $195/yr fee; the United Club Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $695/yr.

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Official issuer pages: Chase cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.