Is the United Quest Card worth the higher annual fee?

The United Quest Card costs $350/yr vs $0/yr for the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $350 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the United Quest Card also lists travel credits).

Which card earns more rewards, the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card or United Quest 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 Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card have that the United Quest Card doesn't?

The Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card offers travel credits. The United Quest Card offers travel credits.

Should I get the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card or the United Quest Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the United Quest Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $350/yr.

Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card vs United Quest Card

Annual fees: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card $0/yr, United Quest Card $350/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card on dining, United Quest Card on hotels.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card American Express · No annual fee	United Quest Card Chase · $350/yr
Annual fee	$0 Lowest	$350
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	10,000 miles	Up to 90,000 miles
Rewards	Delta SkyMiles	United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	American Express	Visa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	2x	2x
Streaming	1x	2x Highest
Travel	1x	2x Highest
Everything else	1x	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	20% inflight purchases	$200 United travel $150 Renowned Hotels $80 Avis/Budget travel $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS 25% United inflight $150/yr JSX credit
Rideshare & transit	—	$100/yr rideshare · $8 monthly
Dining & delivery	—	$15/mo Instacart+ · $15 monthly 3 months Instacart+
Perks & access— means none on record
Airline perks	—	Annual 10,000-mile award flight discount Free first and second checked bags for you plus companion 2 Economy Plus upgrades after $40K annual spend Priority boarding on all United flights
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events 24/7 global travel assistance No foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees Premier upgrades on award tickets Earn 10,000-mile award discount after $20K annual spend
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	—	Trip cancellation coverage up to $6,000 per trip Trip delay coverage up to $500 per person after 12 hours
Baggage	—	Baggage delay coverage up to $100/day for 3 days Lost luggage coverage up to $3,000 per person
Rental car	Secondary car rental insurance coverage	Primary rental car insurance up to $60,000
Purchase & returns	Up to $10,000 per item against damage or theft	Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty	Extended warranty adds up to 1 year	Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges	—
Pros & cons
Pros	No annual fee makes it easy to keep long-term 2x miles on Delta purchases and at U.S. restaurants 20% back on in-flight Delta purchases No foreign transaction fees Pay with Miles feature for partial flight redemptions	Two free checked bags for cardholder plus companion (up to $440 per roundtrip) $200 annual TravelBank credit effectively reduces fee to $150 $180/year in Instacart credits ($15/month through 2027) 10,000-mile award discount annually plus another 10K after $20K spend Earns 1 PQP per $20 spent (up to 18,000 PQP/year) plus 1,000 bonus PQPs
Cons	No free checked bag or priority boarding Weak 10,000 mile welcome bonus compared to premium Delta cards 1x on non-category spend limits earning potential Rewards locked in Delta SkyMiles (no transfer partners) No elite status boost or companion certificate	$350 annual fee is substantial without lounge access TravelBank credits only work on United/United Express flights PQP earning cap of 18,000 limits status acceleration potential 2x on non-United travel is lower than some competitors Instacart credits expire December 2027
	Card details	Card details

Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
American Express · No annual fee
United Quest Card
Chase · $350/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
$0
Lowest
United Quest Card
$350
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
10,000 miles
United Quest Card
Up to 90,000 miles
Rewards: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles
United Quest Card
United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
None
United Quest Card
None
Network: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
American Express
United Quest Card
Visa Signature

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Dining: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
2x
United Quest Card
2x
Streaming: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
1x
United Quest Card
2x
Highest
Travel: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
1x
United Quest Card
2x
Highest
Everything else: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
1x
United Quest Card
1x

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

Travel: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
20% inflight purchases
United Quest Card
$200 United travel
$150 Renowned Hotels
$80 Avis/Budget travel
$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS
25% United inflight
$150/yr JSX credit
Rideshare & transit: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Quest Card
$100/yr rideshare · $8 monthly
Dining & delivery: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Quest Card
$15/mo Instacart+ · $15 monthly
3 months Instacart+

Perks & access— means none on record

Airline perks: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Quest Card
Annual 10,000-mile award flight discount
Free first and second checked bags for you plus companion
2 Economy Plus upgrades after $40K annual spend
Priority boarding on all United flights
Other perks: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
24/7 global travel assistance
No foreign transaction fees
United Quest Card
No foreign transaction fees
Premier upgrades on award tickets
Earn 10,000-mile award discount after $20K annual spend

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Quest Card
Trip cancellation coverage up to $6,000 per trip
Trip delay coverage up to $500 per person after 12 hours
Baggage: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Quest Card
Baggage delay coverage up to $100/day for 3 days
Lost luggage coverage up to $3,000 per person
Rental car: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Secondary car rental insurance coverage
United Quest Card
Primary rental car insurance up to $60,000
Purchase & returns: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Up to $10,000 per item against damage or theft
United Quest Card
Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Extended warranty adds up to 1 year
United Quest Card
Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Other protections: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
United Quest Card
—

Pros & cons

Pros: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
No annual fee makes it easy to keep long-term
2x miles on Delta purchases and at U.S. restaurants
20% back on in-flight Delta purchases
No foreign transaction fees
Pay with Miles feature for partial flight redemptions
United Quest Card
Two free checked bags for cardholder plus companion (up to $440 per roundtrip)
$200 annual TravelBank credit effectively reduces fee to $150
$180/year in Instacart credits ($15/month through 2027)
10,000-mile award discount annually plus another 10K after $20K spend
Earns 1 PQP per $20 spent (up to 18,000 PQP/year) plus 1,000 bonus PQPs
Cons: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
No free checked bag or priority boarding
Weak 10,000 mile welcome bonus compared to premium Delta cards
1x on non-category spend limits earning potential
Rewards locked in Delta SkyMiles (no transfer partners)
No elite status boost or companion certificate
United Quest Card
$350 annual fee is substantial without lounge access
TravelBank credits only work on United/United Express flights
PQP earning cap of 18,000 limits status acceleration potential
2x on non-United travel is lower than some competitors
Instacart credits expire December 2027

Card details

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

Category-by-Category Winner

The United Quest Card wins in 2 of 2 categories. The Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card leads in 0. 1 more category depend on booking channel or caps.

Streaming

United Quest Card earns 2X vs 1X

Travel

United Quest Card earns 2X vs 1X

Hotels

Depends: via Chase Travel

United Quest Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

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.

Close — depends on how much of the credits you use

Scenario	Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card	United Quest Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $166 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $166 Year one: $286	Rewards: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $437 − Annual fee ($350) Ongoing: $267 Year one: $1,227	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	United Quest Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $662 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $662 Year one: $782	Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $437 − Annual fee ($350) Ongoing: $807 Year one: $1,767	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	United Quest Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The United Quest Card costs $350/yr — that's $350 more than the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $350 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

The United Quest Card includes travel credits, 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 $350 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $350 fee gap means the United Quest Card needs roughly $350 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and dining and everyday spend.

What You Give Up

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

Choosing Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card means losing:

-Free checked bags
-Global Entry credit

The Bottom Line

Close — depends on how much of the credits you use

Published annual fees: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card $0/yr, United Quest Card $350/yr — a $350 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the United Quest Card worth the higher annual fee?: The United Quest Card costs $350/yr vs $0/yr for the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $350 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the United Quest Card also lists travel credits).
Which card earns more rewards, the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card or United Quest 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 Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card have that the United Quest Card doesn't?: The Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card offers travel credits. The United Quest Card offers travel credits.
Should I get the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card or the United Quest Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the United Quest Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $350/yr.

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Official issuer pages: American Express cards · 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.