AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
The New United℠ Explorer Card offers a great lineup of benefits. It's a valuable card for most United travelers — even those who only fly the airline a couple of times per year. And even with a recently increased annual fee, the card should save you more money annually than it costs to keep it in your wallet.
Here's a balanced look at the United Explorer Card to help you decide if it's right for you.
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Earn a $100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 on purchases with your United℠ Explorer Card within a calendar year
- Over $400 in partner credits each year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®
- 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Page Contents
- United Explorer Card Pros
- United Explorer Card Cons
- United Explorer Card Welcome Bonus
- United Explorer Card Benefits
- Waived annual fee for the first year
- Check your first bag for free
- Expanded MileagePlus award availability
- Priority boarding
- Up to $120 credit for application to security programs
- 25% back on United in-flight purchases
- United Club visitor passes
- United elites are eligible for upgrades on award tickets
- Earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) toward elite status
- Earn more benefits with minimum spend
- Travel partner perks
- Instacart+ membership and discounts
- Travel and insurance protections
- United Explorer Card Earning Rates
- Redeeming Miles With the United Explorer Card
- Application Restrictions
- Alternatives to the United Explorer Card
- Bottom Line
United Explorer Card Pros
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee waiver of up to $120
- Free first checked bag
- Access to additional United saver award space
- Receive two one-time United Club passes per year
United Explorer Card Cons
- Issued by Chase, so it's subject to Chase's 5/24 policy
- United doesn't have an award chart with fixed prices, so it's hard to know what you can do with your miles
- Limited earning rates compared to other cards with similar annual fees
- Long-term annual fee of $150
United Explorer Card Welcome Bonus
The United Explorer Card currently features a limited-time welcome bonus. As a new applicant for the card, you can score 60,000 bonus miles bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
This is among the best offers we've ever seen on the United Explorer Card. And it's worth over $1,100 towards award travel — based on recent AwardWallet user redemptions.
Related: The Best Credit Card Offers This Month
United Explorer Card Benefits
Generally speaking, airline cards with moderate annual fees typically don't offer many benefits. But the United Explorer Card bucks the trend; you'll find a significant list of benefits on this card.
Waived annual fee for the first year
Cardholders will enjoy a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150 starting on the first day of the month after your cardholder anniversary. This gives you a year to check out the card's benefits without paying an annual fee, see if they're right for you, and then decide what to do when it's due in the second year.
Check your first bag for free
If you typically pay for checked bags, the United Explorer Card can pay for itself with a single round-trip flight for two passengers. United charges up to $40 per bag each way for your first checked bag, so you're looking at up to $160 in potential savings on bags alone just from that one round-trip. Better yet, this benefit even applies if you book a United basic economy ticket.
The most important thing to know about this benefit is that you must use your card to pay for the flight to get your free bags. The benefit also works for flights booked with miles, so long as you use your United Explorer Card to cover the taxes and fees.
The requirement to pay with your card is unique to the United co-branded credit cards. Most other airline cards provide a free checked bag benefit even if you use a different card to pay. This restriction also means that you won't be able to use the free checked-bag benefit on flights you've already booked before applying for the card.
Expanded MileagePlus award availability
If you have the United Explorer Card, you’ll get access to more flights bookable with miles than the general public. Access to this extra award space can mean the difference between scoring a great deal with miles or paying cash for a flight. This perk alone can potentially save you tens of thousands of United miles each year.
To learn more, check out our dedicated post on unlocking United's hidden award space for card members.
Priority boarding
With priority boarding, you and your travel companions booked on the same reservation will board before the non-elite crowd. That gives you early access to overhead bins and a chance to settle in, rather than standing in line. This even applies if you book a basic economy ticket.
Up to $120 credit for application to security programs
It's hard to overstate the convenience of expedited airport security and U.S. immigration screening. With this benefit, you'll get a credit of up to $120 every four years to reimburse the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS when you charge it to your card.
Related: Expedited Security Screening Programs: How To Get Them for Free
25% back on United in-flight purchases
When you pay with your United Explorer Card, you can get 25% back as a statement credit for purchases of food and drinks on United-operated flights. This benefit also covers in-flight Wi-Fi so you can stay productive en route to your destination, and it even applies to premium drinks at the United Club.
United Club visitor passes
You'll receive two one-time passes each year to access the United Club — United's airport lounges. Most United Club locations charge $59 per person for a walk-in entry, making this one perk potentially worth over $100.
United elites are eligible for upgrades on award tickets
Complimentary Premier Upgrades on United flights are typically limited to tickets purchased with money. Elite flyers can get a free first-class upgrade on paid tickets if the cabin doesn't fill up. With the United Explorer Card, you’ll be eligible for these upgrades on tickets booked with miles as well! This benefit also extends to one companion on the same reservation.
Earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) toward elite status
PQPs are the currency needed for qualifying for United MileagePlus elite status each year. With the United Explorer Card, you can earn 1 PQP for each $20 of qualifying spending — up to a maximum of 1,000 PQPs in a calendar year.
Related: Guide To Earning United Premier Qualifying Points Through Credit Card Spending
Earn more benefits with minimum spend
Cardholders who spend $10,000 on their card in a calendar year will earn a $100 United TravelBank credit. Additionally, those who spend $20,000 in a single calendar year will earn a 10,000-mile award flight discount.
Travel partner perks
Cardholders can earn travel or statement credits for making purchases through some of United's travel partners. They include:
- United Hotels credits: Up to $100 statement credit annually when you use your card to book hotel stays through United Hotels. This is broken up into two $50 statement credits.
- Avis/Budget credits: Up to $50 in United TravelBank credit (two $25 credits) when you pay for an eligible car rental through Avis or Budget with your card.
- JSX credits: Up to $100 in statement credits each year when you book a flight directly with JSX, a hop-on semi-private jet service.
- Rideshare credits: Up to $60 per year when you pay for rideshare services with your card ($5 per month).
Instacart+ membership and discounts
Receive a three-month Instacart+ membership with a 25% annual membership discount thereafter. Plus, cardholders will receive up to $120 in Instacart credits annually.
Travel and insurance protections
The United Explorer Card also provides several protections on purchases made with the card. These include:
- Primary auto rental coverage — Offers reimbursement up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage for most rental vehicles (with an MSRP of $125,000 or less).
- Baggage delay insurance — Reimburses you up to $100 a day for up to three days for essential purchases when your baggage is delayed for over six hours.
- Lost luggage reimbursement — Provides reimbursement of up to $3,000 per covered traveler for the cost to repair/replace luggage lost, damaged, or stolen during a covered trip.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance — Get reimbursed for up to $1,500 per covered traveler and $6,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable passenger fares if your trip is canceled or interrupted by a covered situation.
- Trip delay reimbursement — If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you are covered for unreimbursed expenses of up to $500 per covered traveler.
- Purchase protection — Covers eligible new purchases for 120 days from the date of purchase against damage or theft up to $10,000 per item.
- Extended warranty protection — Extends the time period of the manufacturer's U.S. warranty by an additional year.
- Visa Concierge — Get complimentary Visa Signature Concierge Service 24 hours a day.
- No foreign transaction fees — Swipe this card abroad without paying foreign transaction fees.
For policy particulars, please refer to your card's Guide to Benefits.
United Explorer Card Earning Rates
Outside the welcome bonus, you'll primarily earn miles from your daily spending and United purchases. Here are the United Explorer Card‘s earning rates:
- 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®
- 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
These aren't impressive earning rates by any stretch. You may fare better by analyzing your spending habits and choosing a credit card optimized for bonus earnings in those categories.
Redeeming Miles With the United Explorer Card
The process is quick and straightforward when it comes time to redeem your miles for travel rewards. United is a member of Star Alliance, so you can use your United miles for award flights on all alliance member airlines — including Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, ANA, Air Canada, and SWISS.
While United awards don't always have the lowest mileage rates, MileagePlus is one of our favorite programs because it's relatively easy to book a ticket — and there's a solid number of valuable MileagePlus sweet spots. Plus, the taxes and fees you'll pay out of pocket are often much lower than the competition.
And if you don't want to redeem for award flights, you can also put your miles towards upgrades, covering the cost of seats or bags, a United Club membership, and more. You can also put them towards unique experiences. Generally, these redemptions won't provide the best value for your miles, but they're still worth keeping in mind.
Related: The Basics of Booking an Award Flight with United
Application Restrictions
Let's start with restrictions that are clearly stated and then move to unwritten rules because there are a few that you should know about on the United Explorer Card. First, the card's application terms state:
“This product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of this credit card who received a new Cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.”
Thus, if you currently have this card or earned a bonus on it in the past 24 months, you won't be eligible.
Moreover, the United Explorer Card is issued by Chase, so it's subject to Chase’s 5/24 policy. If you have opened five or more credit cards across all banks in the past 24 months, you likely won't be approved for a Chase credit card.
Luckily, there are no restrictions on the number of United cards one can hold at one time. And earning a bonus on another United credit card won't affect your eligibility for this card. However, depending on your credit card strategy, it might not make sense to hold multiple United cards.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Alternatives to the United Explorer Card
For a lot of United travelers, the United Explorer Card makes a lot of sense. But if it's not for you, consider these options instead:
- If you're a regular United flier and want a card that earns more miles and PQPs, consider The New United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees). The $350 annual fee United Quest Card offers higher earning rates. Plus, you can enjoy free first and second checked bags, up to 18,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year (1 PQP for every $20 you spend on purchases), a variety of travel statement credits, and more. Our United Quest Card review has all the details.
- If you want a non-co-branded card that earns transferable points (that transfer to United), consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees). The Sapphire Preferred carries a $95 annual fee and is one of our favorite travel cards. You can earn up to 5X Ultimate Rewards points on purchases and transfer your points to 14 travel partners — including United at a 1:1 ratio. Learn more in our full Sapphire Preferred review.
- If you're over 5/24 and want a card that offers point transfers to United, consider The Bilt Mastercard®. This $0 annual fee (Rates & Fees) card earns 3X Points on dining, 2X Points on travel, 1X Points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year), and 1X Points on other purchases — provided you use your card 5 times each statement period. Bilt has several transfer partners, including United. And this card is issued by Wells Fargo, so it's not subject to Chase's onerous 5/24 rule. Learn more about the Bilt Mastercard in our full review.
- 5 miles per $1 spent at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
- 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
- 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants
- 2 miles per $1 spent on select streaming services
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
- 1x points on other purchases
Related: Which United Credit Card Is Right for You?
Bottom Line
The United Explorer Card is a fantastic travel rewards card for anyone who flies with United at least a few times a year. This card should quickly pay for itself with free checked bags, a 25% inflight discount, priority boarding, and access to extra flights with your miles. It's one of our favorites in United's credit card lineup.
However, there is something to be said about its new long-term $150 annual fee. For some travelers, this might be too steep a fee to pay every year — and if you can't take full advantage of the card's new statement credits, then it'll be difficult to justify. Just be sure to do the math and thoroughly review the new benefits before you apply to ensure it'll work for you.
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Earn a $100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 on purchases with your United℠ Explorer Card within a calendar year
- Over $400 in partner credits each year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®
- 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), The New United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Thanks for the information. Free checked luggage is a big plus. The expanded award availability is one of the best non-monetary benefits of this card.
I have had this card for a while, and I was just so-so on it, but when I started traveling more with my folks as they got older, it is well worth it, since they always check bags. Since I still do carry on, they get to take one more bag with my bag credit.
Perfect example of why it’s important to match a card to your particular travel or spending behavior and then still evaluate the match now and again.
Appreciate the review and reminder on the double miles for restaurant purchases. Question, I find it interesting that a card with such a low fee includes reimbursement for Global Entry/Pre-Check, having this card and the AmEx Platinum, is there an advantage of which card to use to take advantage of the credit? Personally, I cann’t think of any as you would not get points/miles for the purchase as it is reimbursed.
You might be surprised. When my wife and I renewed Global Entry last year, we earned points on our purchase (and the statement credit didn’t subtract points). So, that’s a little added incentive to use all of the credits that you have for friends and family members 🙂
Thanks for the information. The extra award availability makes it worth it.
Denied to get this card as Chase 5/24 rule. But this card is truly a good card. I like it.
The expanded award availability is one of the best non-monetary benefits of this card.
pretty much one of the only cards that provides an easy/instant return on value based on its annual fee. (thumbs up)
Free checked luggage is a big plus. you are unaware of this benefit of the United card, but it is certainly to take into account.
It was mentioned in the early comments that this card gets you extra United points if you use the MileagePlus X app. You don’t even need to make the purchase with that card. Just by being a cardholder you earn 25% more miles when you buy a gift card through the app. The points have always posted immediately so buying a gift card for something you know you’ll use could be a way of getting those last few miles needed for a redemption right now.
Thank you so much for highlighting this hidden gem feature.
Can the lounge passes be used by anybody or just the cardholder?
It used to be that Chase would send you physical passes that could be transferred easily. Now, Chase digitally deposits the passes into your MileagePlus account. The T&C says that you can print the passes. While you can’t sell the passes, the T&C doesn’t forbid transferring them.
According DOC blogpost, theres a way to get 2500 more miles on top of the 60k miles. Overall this is a good offer and good value for $ spent.
The club passes are not valid on domestic flights. You must fly international to use the pass. I had a first class domestic ticket from an upgrade. The attendant said no to my first class ticket, and then I pulled out the club pass. She also said no. It was so embarrassing when I was refused entry with a long line of people behind me.
The club passes are absolutely, 100%, valid for when you are taking domestic flights. The information provided to you by the agent is incorrect.
Polaris or Club?
I wasn’t really happy with this card. I rarely fly United so the perks didn’t offset the cost. Plus it’s really difficult to use UA miles. I’m much more satisfied with my Sapphire Preferred and if I need miles I can transfer them to United.
i didn’t really like this card either. Tried it for a year and changed to Sapphire Preferred. I’m much happier with the flexibility of this card!
I cancelled this card since I had too many cards and wasn’t flying United that much. Big mistake. The option value of having this card just for Priority Boarding as well as free checked bags is worth keeping the card and paying the annual fee. Even if you only have use once per year, it will be worth it. Also, the United club passes are worthwhile, and it keeps your United points fresh.
Just found out flights from Hawaii’s out islands via Honolulu are now 6k miles cheaper. Gonna get my sister to apply for this one.
When will you be heading to Hawaii for your well deserved vacation?
if you spend a great deal on the card every year, the united club card may be a much better deal as you get 1.5 miles per dollar spent
Having the Sapphire Reserve and its awesome earnings on spending, I have a difficult time finding a reason to ever use my Explorer card. When I travel, even when going internationally for a couple months at a time, I have checked a bag twice in 6 years (but I was flying First Class domestic both times, so checking the bag carried no extra charges anyway). However, for anyone who checks bags with frequent sufficiency, the AF will be paid for quickly and that benefit can make this card a very good deal indeed. At that point, the 2 Club passes are just icing on the cake.
The reason I’ll personally end up keeping the card though, is the fact that, when searching for award tickets, you’ll see more award seats available than folks who don’t have the card as long as the card is linked to your frequent flyer number. (Even seeing saver availability when a non-card-holder would see none). That is an excellent ongoing benefit!
I should add that I also find the Chase United card customer service very pleasing. There have been a few times where I forgot to use my United card for paying the reward ticket $5.60 charge, and they still refunded me the baggage fee. I’ll continue to make that my primary card and therefore, my primary airline.
This card has really good benefits though it doesn’t compare to the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred!
Well, that’s interesting to know. I admit I wouldn’t have known this about the card with United since I am really looking at the Chase Sapphire.However, 2 lounge passes, Air Canada as a partner, Lufthansa as a partner (my in laws are from Germany so maybe more love from them? lol!) Really something to look. PLUS, United does let you redeem miles towards getting a TSA PreCheck number. Quite a few pluses to look at. Thank you for info I would never have looked for on my own!
It’s so easy to spend $3,000 in the first 3 months but 50 000 miles can get you quite far if you spend them wisely. Very good deal indeed, thank you for sharing.
2 lounge passes is pretty weak. No way I would value a United club at 50 per visit, 10 max for a newspaper, a cup of coffee, a banana and a miller light or bud which is the only free beer they have.
Have 2 cups of coffee, 4 bananas, and 10 miller lights. 🙂 The LAX lounge has some decent food…. and it much quieter than the rest of the airport..
I personally don’t love this card and will stick with Sapphire preferred
I just got this card…sadly I got in when the bonus was only $30K, so jump on this!
All around, it’s a pretty nice card for earning some extra United miles. In particular, check out the Mileage Plus app if you sign up for this card; there are a lot of brick-and-mortar stores that you can use the app at to get extra miles, and having the co-branded card automatically gets you a 25% bonus.
Thanks for the information on MileagePlus app bonus info! I’m planning to apply for this card so I’ll be looking into that!
This card has some good benefits though I wish the earning rate was higher.
Interesting post! Does the United card offer any kind of trip delay insurance? And, if so, is it only for UA flights, or for all flights booked with the card? Thank you!
I’m not sure if this is the most current guide, however: https://www.chasebenefits.com/unitedVW4 states that you will receive benefits and they’re not tied to UA flights specifically.
Thank you very much, that’s really helpful!
Worth it for the 50k alone.
any chance to get this card from outside US?
There are a number of requirements to be eligible for this card, one of them is “You must have a valid permanent home address within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia”. Terms here: https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/pricing.do?card=FLF8
Really wish to see a United co-branded card in Canada.
I wish the Lounge passes didn’t expire so quickly..
This card has a very impressive set of benefits indeed, and the two lounge passes are the icing on the cake.
Isn’t the free bag only free if you use the card to pay for your airfare?
That is correct. You must use your card to pay for your ticket / taxes/fees to receive the benefit.
It’s nice to see the 50k offer available publicly. Previously, one needed to wait to be ‘targeted’; although admittedly, pretty much every MileagePlus member eventually was.
Thanks for the review and information on this card. It’s very timely for me because I just received a mailer with an offer of 70,000 bonus miles with $3,000 spending in 3 months.
Kristen, that is awesome! Targeted offers rock.
Targeted offers rock indeed! If only 5/24 didn’t exist! I’d have this card and so many other Chase cards already!
I’m so glad you mentioned the 70k promo, since I rarely think about United anymore. But I did receive the promo as well and will take up this offer. I really need to keep my eyes open!
I love any travel card that will offer me lounge access. For that perk alone, I’m in.
This card only gets you 2 lounge passes a year.
It is only 2 lounge passes a year, but when planned strategically, it can be very useful. I live in a United hub that has very few other lounge options in the same gate area. If you get the card now, I would wait for covid to be less restricting as the food options were slim when I went last month.
I would love to get this credit card, signup bonus with authorized user 55,000 miles. Only need to spend $5,000 for enough miles for a saver award to Europe. Unfortunately I am still under the 5/24 rule. I tried for two Chase credit cards last year, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve and turned down both times. I called the Chase Reconsideration and the answer was “NO”.