Earn up to 90,000 bonus miles with United Airlines credit card offers

With summer travel quickly approaching, United Airlines is offering elevated welcome bonuses for three of its co-branded credit cards: the United Quest℠ Card (see rates and fees), the United Club℠ Card (see rates and fees) and the United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees).

Whether you're seeking premium benefits like airport lounge access or simpler perks like free checked bags and discounts on in-flight purchases, there's an option for you. With these newest elevated offers, you'll need to add an authorized user within the first three months to qualify for the maximum bonus.

Depending on which United credit card you choose, you can earn a welcome offer of up to 90,000 bonus miles, which is a great way to save on upcoming flights. CNBC Select outlines these three new offers and how you can best redeem your United miles.

Bonus offer: Earn up to 70,000 miles: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles when you add an authorized user in the first 3 months your account is open.

CNBC Select's take: The United Quest℠ Card is a premium travel credit card that offers great benefits, including annual United Airlines travel credits and perks toward award flights.

Here are some of the benefits you receive with this card:

• $200 annual United travel credit and a 10,000-mile award flight discount on each account anniversary (terms apply)
• 10,000-mile eligible award flight discount after spending $20,000 on purchases each calendar year to use toward an eligible award flight with your United Quest Card
• Up to $120 in credits to enroll in NEXUS, TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
• Priority boarding for the cardholder and their companions
• Complimentary Premier® upgrades on award tickets
• 1,000 Card Bonus PQP each year, awarded within eight weeks after Feb. 1 each year (starting in the calendar year following your account open date)

Bonus offer: Earn up to 90,000 bonus miles: 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 10,000 bonus miles when you add an authorized user in the first 3 months your account is open.

CNBC Select's take: The United Club℠ Card is a premium travel credit card that offers great benefits, including annual United Airlines travel credits and perks toward award flights. The primary cardholder will also receive access to all United Club locations worldwide, but the card comes with a hefty annual fee of $695.

The card offers over $875 in partner credits each year related to rideshare, car rentals, flights and more, as well as:

• 10,000-mile eligible award flight discount after spending $20,000 on purchases each calendar year to use toward an eligible award flight with your United Club Card
• Up to $120 in credits to enroll in NEXUS, TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
• Priority boarding for the cardholder and their companions
• Free first and second checked bags for the cardholder and one companion
• Complimentary Premier® upgrades on award tickets
• 1,500 Card Bonus PQP each year, awarded within eight weeks after Feb. 1 each year (starting in the calendar year following your account open date)

Bonus offer: Earn up to 60,000 bonus miles: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after you add an authorized user to your account in the first 3 months your account is open.

CNBC Select's take: The United℠ Explorer Card is a good option for occasional travelers who want luxury benefits without paying the high annual fee of a premium credit card. It's one of the few low-cost airline credit cards that comes with lounge access and a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee credit.

The card's host of benefits includes:

• Free first checked bag when flying on United for you and a companion when you pay using the card (a savings of up to $200 per round-trip, terms apply)
• Two United Club one-time passes each year
• Priority boarding for the cardholder and companions traveling on the same reservation
• 25% back on in-flight purchases, as a statement credit
• Up to $120 as a statement credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS
• Up to 1,000 PQP toward United elite status per year; you'll earn 1 PQP for every $20 you spend on purchases

The two United Club one-time passes alone are worth over $100 per year, making it a good start to offset the card's $150 annual fee. What's even better is that the annual fee is waived for the first year, so you won't have to worry about recouping any fees until year two.

You'll get the best value from your United miles when using them to book flights on United or with its Star Alliance partners (including Air Canada, Avianca, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and more). It's important to note that United has switched to primarily dynamic pricing, so the exact cost of your trip will vary.

If you're looking to book flights within the U.S. in economy class, United could be a good option; flights from New York City to Boston start at just 9,500 miles. Plus, most co-branded United cards provide expanded award availability on these routes.

What's great about United miles is that they never expire and that you can use them to book any available seat on a United flight, even if it's the last seat on the plane. Just note that the closer to departure you book, the more expensive the award will be.

If you're an occasional traveler and don't want to be tied to United, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) is worth considering. The Chase Ultimate Rewards® points you earn with this card transfer to over a dozen airline and hotel partners, including United MileagePlus, making the Sapphire Preferred comparable or even superior to United's co-branded cards in several spending categories.

The Sapphire Preferred earns 2X points on all other travel and 5X points on travel booked through Chase Travel^SM (including United airfare and other airlines). You'll also earn 3X points on popular categories like dining, select streaming services and online groceries, which can really help you earn miles quickly.

The Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Card with Dining, Gas & Travel Rewards is great if you have fair or average credit and offers generous rewards on travel, dining and gas purchases. You'll get 10% cash back rewards when you book eligible hotels and rental cars through the Credit One Bank travel partner. Plus, it earns 5% cash back rewards on eligible dining, gas and travel purchases.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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