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Airline Cards Intent Page

No Annual Fee Airline Credit Card: What's Available and Whether It's Right for You

True no-annual-fee airline cards are rare. Among the major co-branded airline cards, only one in our current dataset charges nothing — the United Gateway Card. This page explains exactly what you get with it, what you give up compared to cards with a small fee, and how to decide which is the better call for the way you travel.

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Why This Card Type

No-fee airline cards are hard to find — here's why that matters

Most airline co-branded cards charge an annual fee, typically $95 to $150 for mid-tier cards, because the perks they bundle — free checked bags, priority boarding, lounge passes — have real cost to the airline. A no-fee card generally strips those perks out and focuses on one thing: putting miles into your loyalty account while you spend normally.

For the right traveler, that's a good trade. If you fly once or twice a year, don't check bags, and just want a card that earns United miles on gas station fill-ups and everyday spending without a recurring fee eating at your wallet — the United Gateway Card is the cleanest option available. No fee means zero break-even math required. It either earns miles you value or it doesn't.

Top Pick

The only no-fee airline card in the current dataset

Among the five airline cards we track, one has a $0 annual fee — permanently, not just for the first year.

No Annual Fee — Permanent

United Gateway Card

The United Gateway Card charges $0 — not a waived first year, not an introductory offer, just $0. You earn 2X miles on United purchases and gas stations, and 1X mile on all other purchases. Miles go directly into your United MileagePlus account. The card also charges no foreign transaction fees, which means you can use it abroad without paying a 3% surcharge on every purchase. It does not include a free checked bag or priority boarding, but there is nothing to cancel, no fee to justify, and no break-even calculation to worry about.

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When the Fee Is Worth It

Two cases where paying $95–$150 beats paying nothing

A no-fee card is not always the best choice. Here are the two situations where stepping up to a low-fee card saves you more money than the fee costs.

You Check Bags

United Explorer Card — $0 first year, then $150

The United Explorer Card waives its $150 annual fee for the first year, then charges $150 after that. What you get: a free first checked bag for you and one companion on United flights, 2 United Club one-time passes per year, and 2X miles on United purchases, dining, and hotel stays. A single checked bag on United costs around $35 each way. One round trip with a checked bag saves $70. Two round trips saves $140 — nearly the full fee. If you check bags when you fly, the math favors the Explorer over the no-fee Gateway.

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You Fly Southwest

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card — $99/year

Southwest bags fly free for everyone regardless of which card you carry — so the bag savings argument doesn't apply here. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus charges $99 per year and earns 2X points on Southwest purchases, gas stations, and grocery stores (first $5,000 per year combined), plus 3,000 anniversary bonus points each year. Those anniversary points alone are worth a meaningful discount on a future flight, often offsetting a large portion of the $99 fee. If Southwest is your airline, this low-fee card earns faster than any free alternative.

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What To Look For

Three things to weigh before choosing no-fee vs. low-fee

Do you check bags?

This is the single most important question. If you pack a carry-on and never check a bag, the free-bag perk on higher-fee cards has no value to you. The United Gateway's $0 fee with 2X miles on United purchases is a cleaner deal. If you regularly check bags, run the math: fee savings on bags vs. the card's annual cost.

Do you carry a balance?

Both the United Gateway and United Explorer carry a 19.74% to 28.24% variable APR. If you carry a balance month to month, the interest charges will quickly outweigh any miles or perk value you earn. No-fee or low-fee doesn't matter much when interest is compounding. These cards are best used as pay-in-full cards.

Is this your primary card or a specialty card?

If you already have a general travel card as your primary card, a no-fee airline card like the United Gateway makes sense as a secondary card — use it only for United purchases to earn 2X miles, and put everything else on your primary card. If this is your only card, a no-fee card may earn more slowly than a general travel card with broader rewards categories.

Not Sure Which Fits You

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The quiz on the main airline card comparison page takes under a minute and shows you the card from the current dataset that best fits your situation.

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