Quick answer: Since October 1, all four consumer United cards run elevated offers up to 50,000 miles on Gateway, 80,000 on Explorer, 90,000 on Quest, and 100,000 on Club Card, each including 10,000 miles for adding an authorized user within three months. For most families, Explorer is the sweet spot at $0 the first year then $150, since its 80,000 miles are worth roughly $960 at about 1.2 cents per mile.

Since October 1, all four consumer United cards have been running elevated welcome offers — and two of them are at or near their all-time highs. If your family flies United even a couple of times a year, this is the window.

The four offers, side by side

Card	Annual fee	Welcome offer	Spend required
United Gateway	$0	Up to 50,000 miles	$1,000 in 3 months
United Explorer	$150 ($0 first year)	Up to 80,000 miles	$3,000 in 3 months
United Quest	$350	Up to 90,000 miles + 500 PQP	$4,000 in 3 months
United Club Card	$525	Up to 100,000 miles	$5,000 in 3 months

Every offer has the same two-part structure: the base bonus after meeting the spend requirement, plus 10,000 extra miles for adding an authorized user within the first three months. The “up to” number includes that AU kicker — so the Gateway’s headline 50,000 is really 40,000 + 10,000.

Two details worth knowing:

• Gateway’s 50,000 is the highest that card has ever offered. For a no-annual-fee card, 40,000 miles after $1,000 in spend is genuinely strong.
• Explorer’s 80,000 matches its previous high. With the first year at $0, this is the best value-per-dollar in the lineup.
• Quest throws in 500 Premier Qualifying Points after your first purchase — no spend threshold for the PQP piece. If you’re anywhere near United elite status, that’s a head start.

At ~1.2¢ per United mile (October 2026 valuations), these bonuses are worth roughly $600 to $1,200 in flights.

The family math

United miles are a family currency: one signup bonus covers a lot of together-travel. 80,000 Explorer miles is two round-trip domestic saver awards with miles left over. 50,000 Gateway miles — from a card with no annual fee — is a round trip for one and a head start on the second.

The honest framing: don’t chase the biggest number, chase the card you’ll keep. The Club Card’s 100,000 miles is the headline, but $525 a year only makes sense if you’ll use the United Club lounge access regularly. For most families, the decision is between two cards:

• Explorer if you want the sweet spot: $0 the first year, then $150, free checked bags and priority boarding for the family, and an 80,000-mile bonus at its historic high.
• Gateway if you want miles with zero commitment: no annual fee, ever, and a 50,000-mile offer that’s the best this card has seen.

The gotchas

• These are limited-time offers. Chase doesn’t publish an end date — when they’re gone, they’re gone. Confirm the offer on Chase’s site before you apply.
• Chase’s 5/24 rule applies. Five or more new cards in 24 months and you’re likely denied.
• One bonus per card per 24 months. If you held the Explorer two years ago and closed it, you can be eligible again — but read the offer’s eligibility text.
• The authorized-user 10,000 miles requires actually adding someone within three months. Don’t leave it on the table.

The bottom line

Elevated across the board, two at historic highs, and the cheapest card in the lineup has never been better. If a United card was ever on your list, apply while these offers are live — and put the family bag fees you stop paying toward the next trip.