Hey gang, today I had my third interview for a new job (with at least three more to go), and if I get it I'll be flying from the east coast to the west coast weekly for about three months, and then roughly twice per month for at least the next few years. I currently have a United Explorer card, which for an occasional trip is certainly sufficient, however, if I'm going to be spending 12-16 hours per week on a plane, I'm thinking lounge access and the additional perks of the United Club card might come in handy and be well worth the annual fee of $525 (an extra $430 over the Explorer card).
Now to my question, does it make more sense to ask Chase to upgrade my current card to the Club card, or to apply outright for a Club card. The reason I ask is the 80,000 mile SUB for the Club card (after spending $5,000 in three months) is fairly nice, and I don't know if the SUB would be offered if I do an upgrade. Has anybody out there done a PC from Explorer to Club and gotten a SUB? If not, I'll apply for the Club card and close the Explorer down the road.
You will definitely not get a SUB for upgrading.
Consider the United Business Club and compare the two before deciding though. Business Club gets 1.5 miles per dollar on general spend, PQM in the sub toward status, and lower annual fee, but Personal Club gets a better multiplier on United purchases.
Also you can pay the annual fee in miles
@coldfusion wrote:I don't know the current limit of your Explorer so I'll mention that one needs a CL of at least $15K on an Explorer to be eligible to upgrade it to a Club card.
Rather than an upgrade though you might as well just apply for a new Club card and earn the SUB, then after you have the new card in hand at some point reallocate all but $500 of the Explorer's current CL as you see fit (gotta leave $500 behind) to the Club or other Chase card and then close the Explorer. Doesn't matter if you go for the personal or Business Club as Chase allows reallocation of limit from personal to business cards, just not the reverse.
Great plan, thanks!
My Explorer only has an $8,000 limit, I suppose I could reallocate some money from my CFU ($23,600 limit), but that would be kind of silly. I'm inclined to simply apply for the Club card, and once approved (I'm assuming I will be approved, but in the immortal words of Fats Waller, "One never knows, do one"), I'll take your advice and move $7,500 to whatever limit they give me on that card, and then close the Explorer.
Thanks @coldfusion, I'll keep all of that in mind; given I have at least three more interviews to get through, and given I'm sure there are other candidates, getting this new gig is far from a certainty. 
I say skip the whole smoke-and-mirrors (score requirements, minimum limits for Visa Infinite, credit approvals, things Chase might look at as "funny business...") and just upgrade the Explorer. I upgraded my Quest last October after getting my annual $125 United purchase credit, then paying the $250 annual fee using pay yourself back with miles - essentially leaving me with an introductory annual fee of $275. Best decision I ever made (filing Ch 7 being the only other serious contender).
It's pretty much the only way I would have likely ever qualified for a card of this tier - by far the nicest I've ever gotten, and yes I care about a heavy black airline credit card... I agree though, don't do anything until you've signed the offer.
Thanks @SKBirdmind, in each of my interviews with the recruiter and the HR department of the company, I've been very forthcoming regarding whether I was the best candidate for the job, and in spite of my attempts to caution them about there being better candidates out there, they kept making noises about how good I'd be in the role. Finally on Monday the recruiter got back to me and said, "They'd like to pivot; they think you're a better fit for a different role, same money, benefits, and everything, but more in line with what you do/want to do." While details on the new role are a tad thin at this point (my first detailed interview on the new role is next Monday), it sounds very much in my wheelhouse and I think I'd love the new role.
Like you said, with everything else going on, I'm not making any moves until I've accepted an offer.
Kind of a side comment, I never thought my skills would be this much in demand at my age (I'll be 68 if/when I start the new job); ten years ago survived a "Reductions In Workforce" (RIF) and again in 2017, both times my job got off-shored to India, and I was afraid I was going to need to retire early. Since then I've switched disciplines and my jobs and income has been off to the races. Go figure.
My pleasure, sir - this is of course, merely a singular opinion. Good luck on the interviews! I have several this week and next too, initial phone screens with recruiters have been very positive...we'll see.
I should clarify that they billed my annual fee in October, I did the pay-yourself-back-with-miles thing, then they refunded said fee, and finally billed full $525 for the Club card February 1. I'm also a pretty heavy United loyalist - would consider doing more with Delta if I ever get approved for their equivalent AmEx... Though I live in a hub, Delta fares are often more expensive. Funny story, at dinner just last night I think I saw 4 x different Delta cards when it was time to pay our tabs - and my lone black United Visa. 
Good luck on your interviews!
Prior to moving down here to the Washington DC area last summer, we lived up in New Hamster, and by far the best airline for the places I flew was Delta. Before my 2015 BK13 I had an AMEX Platinum which made Delta all that more desireable to fly, but even after I lost that card (AMEX got burned pretty hard), I had status and didn't need to pay for baggage and got lots of upgrades. Then COVID happened and I stopped flying, I think I've been on one trip since; needless to say my Delta status has long since dried up, and given I'm nearly equidistant to DCA, IAD, and BWI, United looks to be a pretty good option. Funny thing, Chase got burned in my BK13 as well, however, they have welcomed me back with some pretty hefty credit limits, so it looks like my new favorite airline is United.