Chase Changing United Quest Credit To Travel Bank

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• UA just sent out an email about the biz card's $100 statement credit. That credit will also turn into a $100 travelbank funding in March. However, the T&C in the email state that unused TB cash expires 12 mo after issuance. See below:

  TravelBank Cash: TravelBank cash must be used for bookings on a United- or United Express®-operated flight or as otherwise permitted by United, and the reservation must be made prior to the expiration date of the credit. TravelBank cash may not be combined, transferred, extended beyond expiration date or re-credited for miles. Each unused award flight credit will expire 12 months after date of issue. TravelBank cash can be used alone or in combination with most other forms of payment. You can't combine TravelBank cash with travel certificates, future flight credit or miles. Flight purchases made with Money + Miles do not qualify for applying TravelBank cash. TravelBank cash credit must be used toward a reservation made within 12 months from the issue date. For more information about TravelBank cash, visit united.com/TravelBankTerms.

• These are terrible and could take days to even get a refund.

• Is this saying…

  • cardholders will get $125/year in travelbank credit, or
  • the first $125 of purchases on United Quest card will be reimbursed as travelbank credit instead of statement credit

  ?

• United Airline just contacted me that I need to schedule a or take a flight before January or lose $25. I guess I will lose $25.

  • pay more to buy a cheap flight, and change that flight later?

• I can't see how they won't set the expiration to 1 year (like IHG 180 days) instead of 5 like normal Travel bank, making this worse on all accounts since you could have always bought Travelbank for what you hadn't used organically. I hope to be proven wrong.

• It's bad because now we can't pay the award ticket taxes from it. It's the stupidest and most annoying thing that they don't let you use travel bank for anything United.

• Regardless of this change, Quest is still not a ‘keeper’ card because the $125 (now Travel Bank) credit does not offset the $250 annual fee; so, it’s fine as a churn and burn (have for a year to get the sign-up bonus, close, reset). In my opinion, the only keeper card in the United portfolio is UnitedClub, $525 annual fee, but only if you visit UnitedClubs and take guests at least 10x/year, so definitely not for everyone. And I prefer not to check bags on domestic flights, so I do not even consider that in a valuation of these cards.

  American is slightly better with its Citi Executive card with lounge access, Grubhub/Lyft credits, and $130 Avis credit, but those credits really do not offset the fee, unless again you fly American and visit Admirals Clubs 10x/year.

  Delta is the winner with its Amex Delta Reserve, namely because of the enhanced Companion Certificate, which offsets that expense annual fee, regardless of the other benefits, $20/mo Resy, $10/mo rideshare reimbursement, etc.

  I am looking forward to what jetBlue and Alaska do with their new ‘premium’ cards and perspective new lounges (for jetBlue at least).

  • I travel with a firearm for work, so I need to be able to check bags for free.

    • @guest_1970655 Respect.

      Sorry to be that guy, but I believe you *want* to be able to check bags for free, though you may *need* to travel the equipment for work. Would your employer reimburse you for the fees; or, if you are self-employeed, run your own business, couldn't that be a legitimate business expense on your 1120s? Either way, I suppose your annual fee could qualify as well. Safe travels.

  • Free carry on and 2 checked bags seems like a good benefit still for only $125. Book basic economy ticket and you automatically get to bring a free carry on bag with the card

    • That's an interesting take, @guest_1970277.

      For United, I was not aware of the carry-on exception with Quest, or any of the credit cards, for Basic Economy. If true, then you found the angle, and I applaud you. Track those wins, sir!

      Also, if you really need two checked bags at least once per year, I suppose that works for you, too, but rarely has that been the case for me, unless I was literally moving across the country, and even then, I am probably driving all my stuff.

      Many of us fly enough to earn at least Premier Silver, so we get a free checked bag that way, regardless of the credit cards. The nuanced view is that it's going to be a different for each unique user, I suppose.

• Travel Bank couldn’t be applied when purchasing ticket for other with Plus Point, it makes the value lower.

  • Seriously. The way United does not allow Travel Bank to be used with Flight Credits is also frustrating. I had to break up a roundtrip to two one-ways in order to attempt to use everything I’ve had at times. The silly IHG $25 semi-annual Travel Bank credits are the worst.

• If this TravelBank credit is similar to the TravelBank cash you can buy with an Amex Platinum's fee, then it will last for 5 years before expiring.

• This is a negative change. Before you could cash out the travel bank by paying for award fees or booking a refundable ticket. I wonder what kind of retention offer they will give when I cancel in April

  • how do you cash out by booking a refundable ticket? just got this card. So you book a refundable ticket, then I am assuming Chase issues a credit statement, and then you cancel and get a refund from United? and Chase does not grab the statement credit back? thank you

    • Yes. The $125 credit I always got back in cash because I book and cancel award tix with high taxes and fees often.

  • Yeah it’s a pretty big negative. You could use it before on any number of things (seat selection, award taxes, even on board food) and straight credit would also let you book using e.g., miles+cash whereas you can’t with TB. Plus as I said below if this is time fenced to your anniversary year, you’ve got 4 fewer years to use it vs before if you’d just bought TB yourself. It’d probably reduce my personal valuation by 20+% tbh.

  • About time they start handing out retention offers as Travel bank cash - expiring in 6 months.

    • My impression is that unused Travel bank cash expires in five years.