Earn up to 100,000 miles on Chase United cards with new perks

Check your wallet before you book your next flight. United Airlines, one of the biggest carriers in the sky, completely overhauled its credit card lineup to add heavy perks for frequent travelers. Moshe Klein, who runs a wholesale business in Lakewood and flies to Europe three times a year, opened his email last March to find that basic economy tickets on international routes no longer include a free checked bag. United now requires you to hold one of their co-branded cards to keep getting free bags for you and a companion. That perk alone beats American Airlines, which gives zero free bags internationally on their cards, and Delta, which stops at one. The real turn is that you do not even need to pay for the flight with the United card to get the baggage benefit for the first 90 days of cardmembership. Plus, cardholders now save 10 to 15 percent on all United award flights, opening up expanded economy and business class saver space that partner airlines cannot touch. If you fly basic economy without elite status, you must hold a card just to Earn miles on that ticket. To hit the big 100,000 mile signup bonus, business owners are finding creative ways to meet the spending limits, like paying federal taxes for a 1.75 percent fee or prepaying utility bills for a flat $1.65 charge. You can even share your increased flight earnings with up to eight of your kids under 18 by linking their accounts. You can also mix and match your bookings, using an American Express Platinum card to Earn 5 points per dollar while keeping your United card tucked away just for the perks. You can collect the bonus on each card as long as you have not held that exact card in the past 24 months. For a business owner juggling family trips and supplier visits, those free cancellations on mileage tickets bring major peace of mind when plans change overnight.