The United TravelBank visa has always been an interesting card in my opinion. While it is a United card on the surface, it actually doesn’t earn United miles. Instead, it earned TravelBank cash, which as the name implies, banks the cash that you earn from using the card, to be used for travel. This means, that the TravelBank card was not a simple catchall card, in fact, it only earned cash that could be used for United flights. Well, it looks like that was too confusing, and United is making a change to this card.
The News
Chase has sent letters out to United TravelBank cardholders stating that their card will become Chase United Gateway cards on 9/21/20. The main differences in the card is the change from TravelBank cash into miles, the point redemptions are outlined below:
| TravelBank | Gateway | |
| United Purchases | 2x TravelBankCash | 2x Miles |
| Gas Station | 1x TravelBankCash | 2x Miles |
| Everywhere Else | 1x TravelBankCash | 1x Miles |
In addition to these changes, the other notable change is the removal of price protection.
Final Thoughts
If you previously had a TravelBank Visa, I’m not sure that you got a good deal in the first place. The “cash” earned on the TravelBank card was not a true cashback card, but instead, was earning a currency that could only be used for United flights. While the redemptions on the card was a low $1, unless you were flying United frequently, the card didn’t really make much sense in the first place. The change to a card that will only earn United miles makes sense in my opinion.
The new card will be more consistent across the United portfolio with the earning of miles. I felt that the old card was a little bit misleading with the earning of “cash”. If you wanted a strictly cashback card, just about every other one was a much better option. The good news with this new card is that it’ll earn 2x miles in another place (gas stations), the bad news is that price protection is now removed.
What do you think about the changes coming to the United TravelBank Visa? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
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