How I Consistently Get $625+ in Annual Value From My United Explorer Card

I originally applied for the United℠ Explorer Card for the complimentary first checked bag, but it didn’t take long to realize this card offers far more than that.

Despite being positioned as a lower-tier airline credit card, I learned that it delivers value far beyond just complimentary checked bags and has become part of my regular travel card rotation thanks to its outsized features and benefits.

Here’s a look at how I extract value from the United Explorer card every year that far outweighs its annual fee ($0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150).

United Explorer Card Overview

A fairly recent move to Chicago meant I had to reevaluate my entire flying strategy. While I haven’t committed to an airline (and I may never), I figured I’d pick up one of United’s co-branded credit cards to give myself access to a few perks since I don’t have any elite status with the airline.

In fact, the United Explorer card is an excellent option for anyone who flies United frequently — especially out of a hub — and wants some perks that elevate the travel experience from start to finish.

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United℠ Explorer Card

U.P. Rating 

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

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United℠ Explorer Card

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

Welcome Offer

Earn 70,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $3,000 on qualifying purchases in the first three months of opening an account, plus $0 annual fee for the first year.

70,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$840

Annual Fee

$150

APR

19.74% - 28.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

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 & Cons

Pros

• 5x total miles per $1 on hotel stays through United Hotels
• 2x miles per $1 on United purchases, dining purchases (including delivery services), and hotel stays
• 1x mile per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150
• Does not earn transferable rewards

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Card Highlights

• Earn 70,000 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
• Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
• Priority boarding on United^® flights
• 2 United Club one-time passes per year - over a $100 value
• Over $500 in partner credits each year
• Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck^® or NEXUS fee credit
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.74% - 28.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

United MileagePlus Frequent Flyer Program

The card is offering an elevated welcome bonus offer for a limited time only:

• Earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $X on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, get a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150 after that. 

Why the United Explorer Card Is Worth It

With just a handful of benefits on my United Explorer card, I can get at least $625 in value with little effort, which far outweighs the card’s ongoing $150 annual fee. Keep in mind that new cardholders are eligible for the elevated welcome offer, and the annual fee is waived for the first year — making the first year of card membership all upside.

Free Checked Bag ($350 in Value)

The free checked bag perk on United flights was my primary motivation for applying for the United Explorer card, and without a doubt, it delivers strong value to me every year. I’m a notoriously bad packer and often end up bringing a large bag on many trips.

United typically charges $35 for a first checked bag if it’s prepaid online at least 24 hours before departure, or $40 if it’s paid for at the airport.

Assuming I take 5 round-trip flights per year with a checked bag, I save at least $350 annually, and even more if I were to forget to pay for my bag in advance (which is very possible). Even better, the free checked bag benefit extends to one companion on your itinerary.

2 Annual United Club Passes ($118 in Value)

One of my favorite perks of the United Explorer card is the 2 single-use passes to United Clubs across its network. This is a neat perk I value highly, since I have no other way to access United lounges without paying each time.

A one-time United Club pass typically costs $59, and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) is home to numerous United Clubs, making it a perk I can use easily on 2 trips of my choosing throughout the year. Alternatively, these passes can be used if I have a long layover, when spending time in a lounge is highly preferable to hanging out in the terminal for several hours.

United Hotels Credit ($100 in Value)

I’ve found that the United Hotels credit is fairly easy to use and has already come in handy for me as a frequent traveler. The ability to save $50 on a hotel twice per year is a great perk and can help reduce the cost of a larger trip in a meaningful way.

That said, your hotel must be booked through the United Hotels platform, so you’ll have to be OK with giving up elite benefits and earnings you’d otherwise realize if you were booking a property directly.

However, my goal for this credit is to use it for quick stays — often at airport hotels — when I simply need a place to lay my head for a quick night. These properties tend to be cheaper, so I typically don’t care about elite benefits when I have a brief overnight stay at an airport property. As such, I easily achieve the full $100 in annual value from this perk each year.

Rideshare Credits ($60 in Value)

Living in a big city means ridesharing is a fact of life. I like the rideshare credits on my United Explorer card because they’re flexible and easy to use.

I’ve added my card to both my Lyft and Uber accounts, and I select it as my payment method for 1 ride per month to get the $5 statement credit.

It’s not a huge amount, but many of the rideshares I take aren’t all that expensive to begin with, so it’s a nice discount. Once I receive my $5 statement credit, I switch the payment method to another card that offers a better return on rideshare purchases.

Other United Explorer Card Benefits

The benefits and credits outlined above deliver the most easily quantifiable value for me, but the United Explorer card offers much more, though it’s not as easy to assign a precise value.

For example, it offers up to $120 in Instacart credits (available as $10 per month). Cardholders can also get a 3-month complimentary Instacart+ membership; after the 3-month period, cardholders get 25% off an annual membership. I prefer going to the grocery store myself, so I don’t use this benefit very often. Still, the up to $10 per month in statement credits is a nice bonus if and when I decide to place an Instacart order.

The card offers some interesting United perks, too, such as a $100 flight credit after spending $10,000 annually and a 10,000-mile discount on an award ticket after spending $20,000.

I haven’t spent enough on my United Explorer card to earn either of these, but if I decide to shift more spending onto the card in the future, I could easily take advantage of those perks, considering how much I’m flying.

Finally, it’s hard to assign a precise value to these benefits, but remember that the United Explorer card also offers a wide range of travel protections and insurance, including trip delay insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary rental car insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection.

You hope you won’t have to engage any of these benefits, but they can make you whole if something goes wrong on a trip, which is something I value tremendously.

Final Thoughts

Before applying, I thought I’d only regularly use the complimentary checked bag perk. Still, as I looked into it more, I realized the card is much more than just that, and I’ve found myself regularly using several benefits in ways that return hundreds of dollars of value every year — all without considering the value of its increased welcome offer!