Is there a United Airlines credit card with no annual fee?

The only United Airlines credit card with no annual fee is  the United TravelBank card. You’ll get a $150 cash bonus when you spend $1,000 in the first three months, and 2% cash back per $1 spent on United Airfare, and 1.5% on all other purchases. The Explorer Card has no annual fee for the first year, but will charge you $95 after 12 months.

A credit card with no annual fee can save you anywhere from $25 to more than $550 a year over cards that charge annual fees. An annual fee will appear on your statement, usually on the statement following your card anniversary date. The fee is entered on your statement as a charge, just like a purchase. It will also reduce your credit limit by the amount of the fee. Annual fees do not earn reward points or miles.

There are a few reasons why a credit card would charge an annual fee. The primary reason for airline rewards cards such as United is that some of the rewards and benefits its cards offer are not cheap. Charging an annual fee allows them recoup some of the costs of all of those perks.

Here are some good airline miles credit cards with no annual fee:

• United TravelBank: $0 annual fee.
• American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp: $0 annual fee.
• American Airlines AAdvantage Aviator: $0 annual fee.
• Capital One VentureOne: $0 annual fee.
• Blue Delta SkyMiles: $0 annual fee.
• Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard: $0 annual fee for first year, $89 after.
• United Explorer: $0 annual fee for first year, $95 after.
• Capital One Venture Rewards: $0 annual fee for first year, $95 after.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: $0 annual fee for first year, $95 after.
• Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select: $0 annual fee for first year, $99 after.

The truth is, some cardholders regard an annual fee as the cost of doing business, and will pay the fee once a year, knowing that it will pay for itself down the road.

The flipside is that others may never fly or earn enough rewards to justify the cost of any annual fee. If you’re an infrequent traveler, or don’t plan to make any big purchases over the course of a year, sticking with a United Airlines credit card with no annual fee is probably the safer bet.