Lounge access rules change often — confirm in the lounge's app or the card's benefits page before you fly.
The simplest way into United Clubs is the United Club card ($695 a year). It includes a membership for you plus one adult guest and your children under 18, and spending $50,000 or reaching Premier Gold upgrades it to All Access. Buying a membership costs $750 (just you) or $1,400 (All Access with guests and Star Alliance lounges), one-time passes are $59, and Polaris lounges are tied to your ticket. No card or membership gets you into a Polaris lounge.
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Access methods
| Method | Cost | Guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Club card (Chase, personal or business) | $695/yr | 1 adult + children under 18 | All Access (2 adults) at Premier Gold or $50K spend; no Star Alliance lounges until then |
| Individual membership | $750 or 94,000 miles | None | United Clubs only |
| All Access membership | $1,400 or 175,000 miles; $1,000–$1,300 for Platinum, 1K, Global Services | 2 adults, or 1 adult + children under 18 | Adds Star Alliance lounges |
| United Explorer card | Card fee | None | 2 one-time passes per year |
| Premier Gold+ / Star Alliance Gold status | Earned | 1 on the same flight | United elites: international Star Alliance trips only |
| Polaris business or Star Alliance long-haul premium | Fare | None in business, 1 in Star Alliance first | Polaris tickets also open Polaris lounges (not Base fares) |
| One-time pass | $59 | None | Within 3 hours of departure; can be refused when clubs are full |
How the 2025 overhaul changed things
United reorganized club access on March 24, 2025, and those rules are still in place in 2026:
- Two membership tiers replaced the old single membership. Individual ($750 or 94,000 miles) covers only you and only United Clubs. All Access ($1,400 or 175,000 miles) adds two guests and Star Alliance partner lounges. Premier Platinum pays $1,300, Premier 1K $1,200, and Global Services $1,000. Individual has no status discounts.
- The United Club card fee went from $525 to $695 in 2025. Its membership falls between the two tiers: one adult guest plus children under 18, with no Star Alliance lounges unless you unlock All Access.
- One-time passes have worked only within three hours of scheduled departure since May 1, 2025. The limit doesn't apply when you're connecting, and the passes aren't accepted at United Club Fly grab-and-go spots.
The United Club card
If you fly United regularly, this card is better value than buying a membership. The $695 fee is less than an Individual membership ($750), and it adds a guest. Key rules from Chase's terms:
- Base membership: you, one adult guest, and your dependent children under 18 on each visit. No Star Alliance partner lounges.
- All Access: unlocked by earning Premier Gold status or spending more than $50,000 on the card in a calendar year. It allows two adult guests (or one adult plus children under 18) and opens Star Alliance lounges.
- Authorized users don't get their own membership. They can enter only with the primary cardmember. If you have All Access and an authorized user, Chase deposits four one-time passes into your account each anniversary. Each pass works only when you or the authorized user is also entering.
There is also a United Club Business card with the same $695 fee and club benefit. See the United MileagePlus guide for how the card fits with status.
Cheaper cards: Explorer and Quest
The United Explorer card includes two one-time passes per year. They're useful for a couple of long layovers, but guests aren't included, and the three-hour limit and capacity rules still apply. United Quest and Gateway cardholders get no club passes.
Status and Star Alliance Gold
- United Premier Gold and higher (Star Alliance Gold): United Club access when traveling internationally on any Star Alliance airline, in any cabin, with one guest on the same flight. Domestic United trips don't qualify on status alone.
- Star Alliance Gold from another airline (for example, Air Canada Aeroplan or Lufthansa Miles & More): access with any same-day Star Alliance boarding pass, including domestic United flights, with one guest on the same flight.
- Global Services: access on all United-operated flights, including domestic ones.
Our airline alliances guide explains how to earn Star Alliance Gold through a partner program.
Premium cabins and Polaris lounges
United Clubs by ticket: Polaris business passengers can use United Clubs at departure, connection, and arrival airports, without guests. Star Alliance long-haul business passengers can use them at the departure airport (no guests), and Star Alliance long-haul first class passengers can bring one guest. Domestic United First on its own doesn't get you in.
Polaris lounges are United's premium lounges at Chicago O'Hare, Houston (IAH), Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles. Access depends only on your ticket. United Club memberships, cards, Priority Pass, Star Alliance Gold status, and one-time passes don't get you in. Two 2026 changes narrowed access:
- Base Polaris fares (rolling out since April 2026): United's new no-frills business fares on long-haul and premium transcon routes don't include Polaris lounge access. Those passengers get United Club access instead. Standard and Flexible Polaris fares keep Polaris lounge access.
- Partner airline restrictions (April 14, 2026): only select partners' premium passengers can still use Polaris lounges: ANA, Lufthansa, and SWISS in first class; Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, and Brussels in their basic and flex business fares; and ANA, Air New Zealand, and ITA in business class. Passengers flying business class on carriers like Singapore Airlines, Air India, and LOT now use United Clubs instead.
If your connection is through Houston or Newark, see the IAH lounge guide and EWR lounge guide.
Other ways in
- Active-duty U.S. military on a military fare with a Common Access Card or military ID.
- Air Canada Maple Leaf Club and Virgin Australia Velocity elites have their own reciprocal rules.
- Every method requires a same-day boarding pass on United, a Star Alliance airline, or a contracted partner. United may also ask for photo ID.
Which card should you get?
- You fly United mostly and want lounge access every trip: the United Club card. It costs less than an Individual membership and includes a guest, and Premier Gold status or $50,000 in spending turns it into All Access.
- You fly United a few times a year: the United Explorer. Two passes cover your worst layovers without a $695 fee.
- You fly anyone: a broad lounge card such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture X won't get you into United Clubs, but it covers Priority Pass and, at a few United hubs (Capital One at Denver and Dulles), the issuer's own lounges. Compare them in best cards for lounge access.
FAQ
How much is a United Club membership? Individual costs $750 or 94,000 miles and covers only you in United Clubs. All Access costs $1,400 or 175,000 miles ($1,000 to $1,300 for Premier Platinum, 1K, and Global Services) and adds two guests and Star Alliance lounges.
Can I buy a United Club day pass? Yes. One-time passes cost $59, can be used only within three hours of departure (no limit when connecting), don't include guests, and can be refused when a club is at capacity.
How many guests does the United Club card allow? One adult guest plus your children under 18. If you earn Premier Gold or spend $50,000 in a calendar year, All Access raises that to two adults (or one adult plus children) and adds Star Alliance lounges.
Does the United Club card get me into Polaris lounges? No. Polaris lounges are only for passengers on same-day Polaris tickets (Standard or Flexible fares, not Base) and select partner first and business passengers.
Does Star Alliance Gold get me into United Clubs? For United elites, only on international Star Alliance trips. Star Alliance Gold members from other airlines can use United Clubs on any same-day Star Alliance flight, including domestic United flights.
Do authorized users on the United Club card get lounge access? Only when traveling with the primary cardmember. Their main value is that, once you have All Access, Chase deposits four one-time passes each anniversary.
Related: Admirals Club access · Delta Sky Club access · ORD airport lounges · SFO airport lounges · United MileagePlus guide
