The news: United Airlines rolled out the MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card in partnership with Sofi-owned Galileo, per a press release. The debit card is issued by Sunrise Banks and runs on the Visa network.

The details: The card’s $4 monthly fee can be waived for cardholders who keep $2,000 or more in the checking account.

Cardholders get access to the following rewards:

• One mile for every $1 spent on United purchases, as well as 0.5 miles on every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
• 10,000 bonus miles when they open an account and spend $500 in four months
• Bonus miles based on qualifying account balances (ranging from 2,500 miles a year for an average daily balance of $2,500-$4,999 to 70,000 miles for an average balance of $50,000+)

Why this matters: Southwest Airlines just rolled out a similar card last week. The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Debit Card also works with Sunrise Banks, Visa, and Galileo and offers similar rewards on spending with a fee or monthly balance requirement.

These back-to-back rollouts may signal a larger trend hitting the industry. Much of 2025 was focused on revamping premium travel cards—United revamped its entire cobrand credit card portfolio to attract more big-spending travelers. Now, players are shifting their attention to consumers on the opposite end of the financial spectrum.

These rewards debit cards help attract customers who may not qualify or want a co-brand credit card. The cards can tie them closer to airlines’ loyalty programs and encourage more spending—while also creating a pipeline to upsell them to the more profitable co-brand options.

Our take: United’s debit card may appeal to younger United customers who are early in their financial lives and are skeptical of credit cards. But for others, it may be a tough sell as loyal travelers could instead get the United Gateway credit card, which has no annual fee and stronger rewards.

And for customers who do sign up for the debit card, getting them to carry substantial account balances to qualify for the bonus rewards will be even more difficult, as consumers could instead hold their money in a higher-yielding savings account—limiting a key source of funding for the debit card’s rewards.