Our take: For frequent United Airline flyers, the United℠ Explorer Card presents helpful perks—like a free first checked bag, precedence boarding and TSA PreCheck assertion credit score. Plus, cardholders get important journey protections like misplaced baggage reimbursement and journey cancellation insurance coverage.
Professionals
- Free first checked bag
- Beneficiant welcome supply
- No international transaction price
Cons
- $95 annual price
- No intro APR
United Explorer Card Highlights
Card sort: Airline
- Welcome Bonus: 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Annual Price: $0 introductory annual price for the primary yr (then $95)
- Rewards: 2x miles on eating (together with eligible supply companies), resort stays, and United® purchases, 1x miles on all different purchases
Overview
Cardholders can rating a bunch of handy United advantages and earn modest rewards with the United Explorer Card. Whilst you’ll must pay $0 introductory annual price for the primary yr (then $95) for the cardboard, perks like getting the primary checked bag without cost for each you and one companion might be price excess of the annual price. For instance, in case you checked simply 4 pay as you go luggage without cost over a yr, you can save $120, which is price greater than the annual price.
The perks outweigh the annual price with the Explorer, however the rewards are modest, not spectacular. Nevertheless, you possibly can nonetheless earn a strong welcome bonus and use your rewards, MileagePlus miles broadly.
United Explorer Card: MileagePlus Miles
With the United Explorer, you’ll earn a barely larger rewards charge on United purchases, eating out, and resort stays. Cardholders earn 2X miles on United purchases (together with tickets, inflight meals, drinks and Wi-Fi, Economic system Plus® and extra), eating, and resort lodging booked instantly by means of the resort. You may earn 1x miles on all different purchases.
You can too rating a hefty welcome bonus with the Explorer. You’ll earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
The right way to redeem United Explorer Card MileagePlus Miles
One helpful perk of getting a United bank card is expanded Saver availability for award flights on United. Which means that you may have extra decisions at a decrease value if you need to redeem your miles. Expanded availability might be the distinction between redeeming and never with the ability to redeem your miles. We suggest holding on to the Explorer or one other United card long-term in case you plan to earn MileagePlus miles.
You should use your MileagePlus miles to e book United flights. United has ditched its award chart so costs will range broadly primarily based on availability. Home flights begin round 10,000 miles a method in financial system and go up from there. You may often discover saver flights to Europe from 30,000 miles a method in financial system or 60,000 in enterprise class.
You can too use United MileagePlus miles to fly accomplice airways. United is a member of the Star Alliance program, which is a community of member airways together with Air Canada, Avianca, Lufthansa, and extra. So if you wish to use your miles to e book flights with an airline that’s not United, you are able to do so with 26 different member airways. Flights on companions are priced a bit larger than related flights on United, however with a wider choice you will discover some good offers.
Different choices exist for redemption, however they’re sub-par in comparison with utilizing MileagePlus miles for flights.
United Explorer Card charges and costs
- Annual price: $0 introductory annual price for the primary yr (then $95)
- Buy APR: 21.99%–28.99% variable APR
- International transaction price: None
Further advantages
- Free first checked bag. While you use the Explorer card to e book a flight, you (and one companion) are eligible to obtain their first checked bag without cost, as much as a $35 worth per individual, in case you’re touring on the identical reservation.
- Precedence boarding. The cardholder and companions on the identical reservation get precedence boarding.
- DashPass Subscription. You may get a one-year complimentary DashPass membership in case you activate by December 31, 2024.
- World Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS assertion credit score. Get an announcement credit score of as much as $100 each 4 years to cowl the applying price of both Nexus, World Entry, or TSA PreCheck®.
- Upgrades on award tickets. You probably have MileagePlus® Premier® standing and are touring on an award ticket, you’re eligible for complimentary premier upgrades on choose United flights. Companions flying on the identical reservation are additionally eligible.
- 25% again on United inflight purchases. Obtain 25% again within the type of an announcement on meals and beverage purchases, Wi-Fi on United flights, and Membership premium drinks if you pay along with your card.
- Baggage Delay Insurance coverage. In case your baggage is delayed greater than six hours, it’s possible you’ll be eligible for reimbursement for important purchases as much as $100 a day for 3 days.
- Misplaced Baggage Reimbursement. In the event you or a right away member of the family have baggage that’s broken or misplaced by the airline, it’s possible you’ll be eligible for insurance coverage as much as $3,000 per passenger.
- Airline lounge passes. Each anniversary yr, obtain two United Membership one-time passes.
- Journey Cancellation/Interruption Insurance coverage. In case your journey is canceled as a result of climate or different choose conditions, it’s possible you’ll be eligible for as much as $1,500 of reimbursements per individual and $6,000 per journey on your pre-paid, non-refundable passenger fares.
- Journey Delay Reimbursement. If journey is delayed greater than 12 hours or requires an in a single day keep, you and your loved ones may very well be lined for bills as much as $500 per ticket.
- Auto Rental Collision Harm Waiver. By declining the rental firm’s collision insurance coverage and utilizing your card when reserving a rental automotive, you’ll obtain protection for theft or collision harm of your rental car.
Bank cards much like United Explorer Card
In the event you’re not a United loyalist, there are various non-airline journey bank cards with related annual charges and welcome bonuses however higher rewards and extra flexibility in relation to redeeming these rewards. Some in style journey bank cards embody the Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card and Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card.
Capital One Enterprise Rewards Card vs. United Explorer Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a $95 annual price card that provides a dependable 2x miles on each buy. And proper now, you possibly can earn a really beneficiant welcome supply: 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases inside 3 months from account opening.
Whilst you gained’t get airline-specific rewards with the Enterprise Rewards, you’ll nonetheless get helpful journey advantages like a World Entry or TSA PreCheck credit score and protections just like the auto rental collision harm waiver and journey accident insurance coverage. Plus, you possibly can redeem your miles for any journey buy, to e book journey by means of Capital One or switch them to one in every of greater than 15 journey loyalty companions. Aeroplan is a Capital One accomplice that you should utilize if you wish to redeem miles to fly on United.
Chase Sapphire Most well-liked vs. United Explorer Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one other $95 annual card possibility that provides extra reward redemption flexibility, a strong welcome supply, and extra profitable rewards.
With the Sapphire Most well-liked cardholders earn 5x factors on journey bought by means of Chase Final Rewards® (excluding resort purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Final Rewards Resort Credit score), 2x factors on journey purchases, 3x factors on eating, on-line grocery purchases, choose streaming companies, and 1x factors on different purchases. And if you join the cardboard, you’re eligible to earn a 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
One of many main promoting factors of the cardboard is the boosted redemption worth you get when redeeming your rewards by means of the Chase Final Reward Portal—factors are price 25% extra, so if you wish to redeem 50,000 factors, that’s price $625 price of journey. You can too switch to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio, which suggests you can moderately earn extra MileagePlus miles from the Sapphire Most well-liked card than from related spending on the Explorer card.
Is the United Explorer Card best for you?
The United Explorer is greatest for United Loyalists who need fundamental flight advantages and to get essentially the most bang for his or her miles when it comes time to redeem. These cardholders will get essentially the most use out of advantages like precedence boarding, the primary free checked bag, and even the World Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS assertion credit score.
You may get a good welcome bonus on this card, however don’t join it primarily based on the rewards—the max miles charge is 2X miles on choose United, eating, and resort purchases. Maintain it behind your pockets for the perks and put your spending on a extra profitable travel card.
Often requested questions
Is the United Explorer card arduous to get?
The United Explorer card could also be arduous to get for some cardholders, as you’ll doubtless want not less than a good FICO score or higher to qualify.
Does the United Explorer Card waive the annual price?
For the primary yr, the $95 annual price is waived.
What does the United Explorer card get you?
With the United Explorer Card, you get TSA PreCheck or World Entry assertion credit score, a free first checked bag for you and a companion, precedence boarding, two United-Membership passes yearly, 25% again on choose United inflight purchases, and protections like journey delay reimbursement and baggage delay insurance coverage.
Please observe that card particulars are correct as of the publish date, however are topic to alter at any time on the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the cardboard issuer to confirm charges, charges, and advantages earlier than making use of.
