The premium rewards card market is stuffed with choices. For those who’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 characterize every of those selections. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs) earns priceless Chase Final Rewards factors that you could 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 incomes charges, advantages and lounge entry options with every of those premium playing cards that will help you resolve 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 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, in case you apply the promotional credit score to a transaction lower than $500, you’ll forfeit the remaining steadiness. |
| Incomes charges
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|
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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 provide
The United Membership Card is providing 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Primarily based on TPG’s August 2025 valuations, this welcome bonus is value $1,040 towards flights.
In the meantime, with the Sapphire Reserve, you may earn a welcome provide 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 while you issue within the worth of transferring to Chase’s loyalty companions with the complete $500 credit score.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve.
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
With regards to advantages, these two playing cards present lounge entry and different priceless perks. Let’s examine them.
Lounge entry
The United Membership Card gives a United Membership membership that grants the first cardholder, one grownup visitor and dependent kids underneath 18 years outdated 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, in case you spend $50,000 on purchases together with your United Membership Card in a calendar yr, you may obtain a United Membership All Entry membership. This upgraded tier contains entry to taking part Star Alliance lounges and the flexibility to carry an extra grownup visitor (for a complete of two) into United Golf equipment. You will additionally obtain 4 one-time passes to your licensed customers annually.
The Sapphire Reserve gives entry to all eight (and growing) Chase lounges and a complimentary Precedence Move Choose membership. Precedence Move contains entry to greater than 1,700 lounges worldwide. Plus, cardholders obtain entry to over 20 Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges after they’re touring with a Star Alliance airline.
For those who want United Membership lounges or can spend to unlock All Entry membership, then the United Membership Card might be a more sensible choice for you. Nevertheless, Chase continues to broaden its personal lounge footprint and comes with a broader perk with Precedence Move, giving cardholders entry to the next 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 Card is a superb choice in case you’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 out there)
- 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 Inns and Resorts. That is United’s luxurious lodge portal, which grants cardholders perks reminiscent of every day breakfast for 2, complimentary Wi-Fi and room upgrades at check-in (when out there).
You will additionally obtain credit on ride-hailing, JSX and Instacart purchases, plus Avis/Funds automotive leases booked by United’s automotive rental portal. To study extra, try our full overview of the United Membership Card.
With the United Membership Card, you may spend your approach towards elite standing with United. You will obtain a lift of 1,500 Premier qualifying factors annually, beginning in 2026. You will 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: a versatile $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, that means you may obtain it routinely on the primary $300 you spend on purchases for all the things from flights and resorts to tolls and parking.
Different standout Sapphire Reserve advantages embody:
- 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 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 June 22, 2027)
- As much as $120 in annual in-app Lyft credit (by Sept. 30, 2027)
- As much as $120 in Peloton credit, earned as $10 month-to-month credit (by Dec. 31, 2027; activation required)
Each playing cards provide journey and buying protections and as much as $120 in assertion credit towards World Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus each 4 years. In addition they each provide a free DoorDash DashPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2027).
The Sapphire Reserve outshines the United Membership Card for many vacationers because of its versatile journey credit score and broad record of perks that may apply to a number of aspects of journey and life-style purchases. Nevertheless, the United Membership Card is healthier for individuals 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 every day purchases.
Associated: Precious journey perks that you could get with a bank card
Incomes rewards on the United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve
While 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 Inns 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 while you use the cardboard to pay for United flights (based mostly on TPG’s August 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 Peloton tools and accent purchases (by Dec. 31, 2027) of $150 or extra, with a most of fifty,000 factors
- 8 factors per greenback spent on purchases made by Chase Journey, together with The Edit
- 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides by Sept. 30, 2027
- 4 factors per greenback spent on flights and resorts booked straight
- 3 factors per greenback spent on eating worldwide
- 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases
The United Membership shines brighter while you make purchases with United and is the higher choice in case you regularly e-book with the airline and wish to accumulate United MileagePlus miles.
Nevertheless, with the Sapphire Reserve, you may obtain a greater return in a broader record of bonus classes, together with flights and resorts booked straight and eating. You will need to be aware that the United Membership Card earns bonus factors on common journey, whereas the Sapphire Reserve doesn’t. Nevertheless, you may earn bonus factors for utilizing Chase Journey.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. The United Membership gives profitable earnings on United flights, however the Sapphire Reserve’s broader classes typically win out.
Redeeming and transferring rewards on the United Membership vs. Sapphire Reserve
The Sapphire Reserve gives extra versatile rewards than the United Membership Card, making it a greater choice for many vacationers trying to maximize rewards. You will 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 stable record of switch companions contains United, which suggests 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 flexibleness of Chase factors opens up the potential for unbelievable redemptions while you switch your factors. That is very true with the award-friendly World of Hyatt lodge program.
For instance, you can keep on the luxurious Park Hyatt Sydney for 35,000 to 45,000 factors per night time, which might be a incredible deal to your factors.
With the Sapphire Reserve, you can even e-book journey by Chase Journey together with your factors for as much as 2 cents per level, because of Factors Increase, relying on the redemption. This can be a nice choice for boutique resorts 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 implies that redemption charges differ considerably relying on the ticket you e-book.
Nevertheless, the MileagePlus program nonetheless gives good worth by candy spots. As an example, Katie Genter, TPG’s lead factors and miles author, redeemed 6,000 United miles per individual 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 way 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 priceless Final Rewards factors throughout a number of high-earning bonus classes. Plus, you may switch these factors to United in case you’re actually into the airline. Nevertheless, the cardboard options a number of assertion credit that could be troublesome for some to totally use, and the $795 annual payment is greater than the United Membership Card.
The United Membership Card is the higher choice 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 stable premium playing cards, however they serve completely different functions.
For those who’re a United devotee searching for a collection of perks while you fly with the airline, the United Membership is the higher choice. For vacationers searching for broader luxurious perks, a number of credit to maximise and extra versatile rewards, the Sapphire Reserve is the selection.
Keep in mind that regardless of which card you select, they’re each issued by Chase and might be subjected to the issuer’s 5/24 rule. For those who’ve opened 5 or extra private bank cards previously two years, you are unlikely to be permitted for both card.
To study 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 value greater than different rewards
