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United Explorer Card – Full Review [2023]

Name: United Explorer Card – Full Review [2023]
Item: United Explorer Card
Rating: 4.25
Author: Jarrod West

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"Travel in style on United without having to earn status first."

With priority boarding privileges, no foreign transaction fees and more, MileagePlus members will definitely enjoy their partnered card.

Learn More (at Chase's secure site)

Jarrod West

- Updated: March 6, 2023, 3:06pm CST|

17Comments

You travel United all the time, but you have heard that there could be ways to make your travel experiences even better, including priority boarding, free bags, and more miles.

You should consider the United℠ Explorer Card, because this card does all that and more!

Pros

2x miles per $1 on United purchases, dining purchases (including delivery services), and hotel stays
1x mile per $1 on all other purchases
First checked bag free for you and up to 1 traveling companion
25% statement credit on United inflight purchases
Priority boarding
Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS statement credit
2 United Club 1-time passes each year
Premier upgrades on award tickets
Travel and purchase protections

Cons

$0 intro for the first year, then $95 annual fee
Does not earn transferable rewards

United Explorer Card - Card Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info (Partner Content)
- Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays, and United® purchases
- Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
- Get one-year complimentary DashPass, a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar that provides unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. After that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. Activate by 12/31/24.
Card Categories:
Rewards Center
United MileagePlus Frequent Flyer Program
Customer Service Number
800-935-9935 (available 24/7)
Login Link
https://www.chase.com/credit-cards/rtbl/united-manageacc-rtbl
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Great Card If

United is your favorite or most frequently traveled airline, along with the rest of the Star Alliance airlines
You want the full range of travel insurances available through your credit card

Don't Get If

You don’t have a United hub near you or don’t fly much on Star Alliance
You’d rather have more frills for your card benefits

United Explorer Card - Fees

Annual Fee
- $95
Foreign Transaction Fees
None
Interest Rates
- 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
Late fees
- Penalty APR: Up to 29.99% Variable
Balance Transfers
- 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Cash Advance APR
- 29.49% Variable
- Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.

United Explorer Card - Is It Worth It?

united ticket agent bag check in — If you are looking to make a choice of airline loyalty, consider United Airlines. They have multiple options to earn points both with United credit cards and Chase Ultimate Rewards cards. Image Credit: United

The United Explorer card features tons of great benefits that regular United flyers are sure to love.

Not only does the card help you earn more United miles, but it helps you save money on each flight as well by offering benefits like free checked bags and a 25% discount on inflight purchases.

Further, the card offers solid travel protections, and even offers complimentary upgrades when booking award tickets on United.

Given all of the benefits the card offers, if you are someone who flies fairly often with United, then the United Explorer card would likely be very worth it for you.

United Explorer Card Top Benefits

United Explorer Card Benefits

Here is a glance at all of the best benefits that the card offers to you on your United flights.

Free Checked Bag for You and a Traveling Companion — Save up to $35 value, each way, per person, for a total savings of $140
Priority Boarding — Allows you and your companion to board before general boarding
25% Back on United Inflight Purchases — Includes food, beverages, and Wi-Fi
2 United Club 1-time Passes Each Year — Kick back and relax in a United Club lounge before your flight
Premier Upgrades on Award Tickets — You and your companion are eligible for a 1-class (space available) upgrade on United award tickets
Earn Premier Qualifying Points — 500 PQPs for every $12,000 you spend on the card, with a limit of 1,000 PQPs each year

United Explorer Card Protections

Of course, it’s not all about points and perks, so here are the ways your card keeps you covered when things go wrong.

Trip Delay Reimbursement — If your flight is delayed more than 12 hours you are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, for up to $500 per ticket
Baggage Delay Insurance — Provides coverage for essentials like toiletries and clothing if your baggage is delayed by more than 6 hours, for up to $100 a day for 3 days
Lost Luggage Reimbursement — If the airline loses your luggage, you’ll be covered for up to $3,000 per passenger
Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Insurance — Reimbursement of up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for non-refundable expenses if your trip is canceled or cut short by a covered situation
Primary Rental Car Insurance — Coverage that kicks in before your personal auto insurance
Purchase Protection — New purchases are covered for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year
Extended Warranty Protection — Extends the warranty of a purchased item by 1 additional year if the standard warranty is 3 years or less

How To Earn and Redeem United Miles

Once you’ve got a United card to use for your daily purchases, you might also wonder what else you can do to earn more miles. Fortunately, there are quite a few options! We’ve put together a comprehensive guide that breaks down all of the best options to help you earn more United miles.

When you’ve built up a nice balance of United miles, then you get to plan out your next trip! While there is no shortage of ways to redeem your United miles, if you want to get as much value out of them as possible, then read through our guide on the best ways to redeem your United miles.

Alternatives to the United Explorer Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you want a card that earns transferable rewards for the same annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card would be the card for you.

The card earns 5x points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points per $1 on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services, and 2x points per $1 on all other travel purchases. Plus, the points you earn can be transferred at a 1:1 rate to many airline and hotel transfer partners — including United.

United Quest℠ Card

If you’re a loyal United flyer, but are looking for a card that offers more perks than the United Explorer card, then the United Quest card would be an excellent option.

For starters, it earns 3x miles per $1 on United purchases instead of 2x with the United Explorer card. Further, the card offers all the benefits that the United Explorer card offers, plus a $125 annual United purchase credit, 2 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits each year, and a second free checked bag on all United flights.

Featured Image Credit: Chase

Frequently asked questions

Is the United Explorer Card worth it?

If you’re someone who flies with United often, is looking to earn more United miles, and receive benefits like free checked bags and discounts on inflight purchases, then yes, the United Explorer card would be worth it for you.

How do I redeem United Explorer card miles?

Miles earned are deposited directly into your MileagePlus account. After that, you can redeem them for awards flights on United and other Star Alliance partners.

Miles can also be redeemed for other things, such as merchandise. See the United site for more details.

How long does it take for United Explorer card miles to post?

United miles can take 6 to 8 weeks to post to your account. If you think your miles haven’t been posted, you can contact Chase customer support.

What is the Chase credit card with United Club access?

A few Chase United cards actually offer you United Club access. However, the United Explorer card only offers you 2 free passes per year, while the United Club℠ Infinite Card offers unlimited lounge access.

Does the United Explorer card have an annual fee?

Yes, the annual fee of the United Explorer card is $0 intro for the first year, then $95.

About Jarrod West

Jarrod has been writing about the ins and outs of credit cards and loyalty programs, along with airlines and hotels, for over 6 years. He is regularly called upon to share his expertise on the latest news within the space, and has been featured in publications such as Matador Network, The New York Times, RetailMeNot, and Yahoo! Finance. Jarrod has over 20 credit cards in his wallet and has tested out dozens more in order to vet the very best card options for readers. As he is constantly sampling new cards, Jarrod also earns (and redeems) over 1 million points and miles each year. This allows him to book luxury travel experiences the world over, and save tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

17 comments

Jeff September 18, 2018
Great overview of the card but there’s one other benefit to the card you didn’t mention. It boosts miles earned buying gift cards through the MileagePlus X shopping app by 25% and the miles you earn through the online shopping portal. When you combine purchases there with purchases through the online shopping portal you can rack up a ton of miles since the United shopping portal doesn’t care if you pay with a gift card.
Reply
- Stephen Au September 18, 2018
  Great point, Jeff! We’ll update this post accordingly! Thanks for the tip!
  Reply
- SuperFlyBoy October 29, 2020
  Is this still valid? (The bonus miles for shopping through the online portal?)
  Reply
  - Christine Krzyszton October 29, 2020
    Here is the link to the 25% bonus for purchasing eGift cards via the MileagePlus X app and a link to the shopping portal for the additional miles for shopping there. MileagePlus X bonus: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/earn-miles/mileageplus-x.html United Shopping Portal: https://shopping.mileageplus.com/b____.htm
    Reply
Juan Garcia April 23, 2019
😡😡 This Card is not better than American Express. I have been a Chase Customer since the ’80s and they do nothing for you. I had a home Fire where I lost everything I owned recently… they cared less… I had bought an international trip with the card and they had the nerve to tell me my trip was not covered – I lost my USA PASSPORT in the fire and could not travel and couldn’t get the passport in time. They told me I had to be dead to get reimbursed… can you believe that!?! I will not be using this card or any chase card to purchase travel in the future… thinking strongly about switching my banking elsewhere since there is no customer appreciation at all. American Express is the way to go when buying travel.
Reply
KB June 5, 2019
What good is the initial offer, if you can’t actually use the card to purchase your flight until you have a card in hand? This is not the case with other airlines/cards.
Reply
- Jarrod West June 8, 2019
  Hi KB,
  Do you mean what is the initial sign-up offer good for? If you aren’t able to use those miles immediately for the flight you’re about to purchase, you can still use them for future flights!
  Reply
APK September 23, 2020
What do you think of travel card benefits in COVID and post-COVID world when many of us will not travel much? I am thinking of getting rid of cards focused on airline travel and hotels (United and Marriott) and just keep pure cash-back and cards giving benefits on dining. Can revisit after a couple of years.
Reply
- Jarrod West September 24, 2020
  Hi APK,
  It really just depends on your preferences. I am optimistic that travel will eventually return back to normal, so I am not planning on canceling any of my travel cards at this time.
  Reply
Jay October 24, 2022
In another article, you state that the United Explorer card offers primary rental car Insurance and in this article it states secondary. That’s a huge difference, which is it?
Reply
- Jarrod West October 25, 2022
  Hi Jay,
  The United Explorer card offers primary rental car insurance. This post has been updated.
  Reply
Kerri November 10, 2022
I applied for the United explorer card on October 22 through Chase. The $95 annual fee was $0 for 1st year and it had a bonus of 80,000 miles but when card was issued it was for 60,000 miles after $3000 spent in 3 months. I know this was not the original offer is there a way to check?
Reply
- Jarrod West November 10, 2022
  Hi Kerri,
  Did you by chance take a screen shot of the offer before you applied for it? Have you contacted Chase about this?
  Reply
G December 6, 2022
The Explorer Card terms say “You will receive one (1) statement credit (up to $100) every four (4) years after the first program (either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS) application fee is charged to your United℠ Explorer Card by you or an authorized user.” I used to have an Explorer Card, but cancelled it before having to pay the annual fee. The terms make it sound like the stand-down on that benefit is on the card rather than the owner of the account. So if I got a new card within the four year window do you know if I can get the benefit again? I had assumed not until I read the terms just now.
Reply
- Jarrod West December 13, 2022
  Hi G,
  My guess would be yes that you would receive the benefit, but you might want to check with Chase to double-check.
  Reply
Suzanne March 22, 2023
I just looked at my United Explorer card benefits, and don’t see any CLEAR or GE benefits. It does show an annual $100 statement credit for United flights.
Am I confused??
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton March 22, 2023
  Hi Suzanne. The United Explorer card shows coverage for the reimbursement of Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or the NEXUS fee (up to $100) under Travel Benefits. You can also check your Guide to Benefits or call the number on the back of your card.
  Reply

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