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If you travel frequently, you want a credit card that will make your travels easier and save you money.
And if you’re loyal to a particular airline, then getting a co-branded credit card for that airline can make those flights better and even cheaper.
The United℠ Explorer Card offers excellent benefits for travelers on United-operated flights, like free checked baggage, travel insurance, and reimbursement of fees for travel programs like TSA PreCheck®.
Quick Facts: United℠ Explorer Card
- Rewards rate: 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays. 1x mile on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open
- Annual fee: $95 ($0 in your first year)
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Overview of the United℠ Explorer Card
The main pro of the United℠ Explorer Card is also its main downside: it’s specifically geared toward United travelers.
That makes it a great option for people who love United and have easy access to a United hub such as Chicago O’Hare International Airport or Denver International Airport.
On the flip side, if you’re not going to fly with United very often or you prefer using a variety of airlines, a more flexible travel rewards card will be better.
Pros
- Earn rewards miles you can redeem for United flights and other United purchases
- Comprehensive travel insurance coverage including trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- No annual fee for your first year
Cons
- Rewards redemption is not very flexible and primarily caters to United spending
- Annual fee after your first year
LEARN MORE: United℠ Explorer Card
Earning Rewards
The rewards you earn through the United℠ Explorer Card are in the form of miles, and you’ll earn the most miles from United purchases and certain other categories. It’s a fairly simple rewards-earning system, which can be great if you’re a creature of habit when it comes to travel and spending.
You can earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) that apply to help you qualify for Premier status tiers. For every $12,000 in net purchases, you’ll get 500 PQP, with a maximum of 1,000 PQP annually.
Some of the perks enjoyed at Premier® status include preferred seating, additional free checked bags, and higher rates for earning rewards miles on United flights.
Your MileagePlus miles never expire, which gives you plenty of time to stockpile your rewards.
Redeeming Rewards
You can redeem miles for flights on United Airlines as well as other airlines in the Star Alliance network, which covers over 1,300 destinations around the world. Plus, the program has no blackout dates.
MileagePlus miles can also be redeemed for car rentals and hotel stays. Use Cars.MileagePlus.com for car rentals and HotelAwards.MileagePlus.com for hotel reservations with your miles.
Finally, you have the option of shopping for general merchandise using your accumulated MileagePlus miles.
United℠ Explorer Card Benefits
The United℠ Explorer Card comes with lots of travel benefits to make things easier and save you money.
Keep in mind, the general rule to be eligible for many of these benefits is to pay for the experience (flight, Global Entry, rental car insurance, etc.) with your United℠ Explorer Card. Other limitations may apply.
Here’s a brief glance at the many main perks and benefits you’ll receive:
- Free checked bags for you and a companion on United-operated flights
- 25% off purchases inflight and in the United Club at airports
- Reimbursement for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS membership
- No foreign transaction fees
- Priority boarding on United flights
- Two UnitedClub one-time passes per year
- Concierge service phone line
- Insurance for baggage delays, trip cancellations/interruptions, and accidents
- Reimbursement for lost luggage and trip delay
- Car rental collision damage waiver
- Purchase protection and extended warranty protection
All in all, the card offers a huge selection of benefits that are easily worth the annual fee.
Who Should Get the United℠ Explorer Card?
If you love flying on United Airlines and plan to travel quite a bit, the United℠ Explorer Card is one of the top travel rewards cards, providing lots of travel perks.
Check which airlines are most readily available at your nearest airports — if United is on the list, you could be the ideal customer for this card.
Who Shouldn’t Get the United℠ Explorer Card?
If you don’t feel any particular allegiance to United Airlines when flying, you can pass on this card in favor of a more flexible travel rewards card.
Since you earn the best rewards as miles when making United purchases, and many of the convenience features are United-specific, don’t get this card if you’re not planning on traveling primarily via United Airlines.
Alternatives to the United℠ Explorer Card
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express
- Rewards rate: 2x miles on Delta purchases; 2x miles at U.S. grocery stores; 2x miles at restaurants worldwide and on U.S. takeout and delivery; 1x miles on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases in your first 6 months
- Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $150 (rates and fees)
. . .
If you’re planning to fly frequently on Delta rather than United, consider the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express. There are several other tiers of Delta-branded American Express cards, but the Gold level comes closest to the United Explorer Card in terms of the annual fee.
This card offers priority boarding, 15% discounts on Delta travel, and your first checked bag is free.
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold travel insurance coverage isn’t as robust as that under United, though: car rental insurance is secondary, and there’s no travel interruption or cancellation coverage.*
LEARN MORE: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Rewards rate: 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries; 2x on all other travel purchases; 1x on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
- Annual fee: $95
. . .
If you travel a lot but crave flexibility, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers just that. For a moderate annual fee, you get a highly-rated rewards card with a broad range of options for redeeming rewards, including but not limited to flights.
You can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points at a 1:1 ratio to travel partners, including United Airlines. It also comes with comprehensive travel insurance coverage.
One downside is that the Sapphire Preferred doesn’t reimburse fees for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry. Plus, you won’t get a free year of card membership.
However, the flexibility for earning and redeeming rewards will make this a better option if you don’t want to be tied to United.
LEARN MORE: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Rewards rate: Earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 2x miles on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Annual fee: $95
. . .
Another credit card that offers robust and flexible travel benefits is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
You can use rewards to book travel or shop at Amazon or PayPal. And you can transfer miles at a 1:1 ratio to a number of hotel and airline partners — although United isn’t one of them.
The travel insurance coverage isn’t nearly as comprehensive, but you do get travel accident insurance and rental car damage coverage, and your TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry application fee is reimbursed
With Capital One Travel, you can use miles to pay for all or part of bookings. There are even added benefits such as price drop protection, which refunds you up to $50 if you book a flight when Capital One suggests and the price decreases within 10 days of purchase.
LEARN MORE: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Bottom Line
The United℠ Explorer Card covers much of what you could want in a travel card: insurance protections, TSA PreCheck® fee reimbursement, free checked bags, and no foreign exchange fees.
The only catch is that the benefits are specific to flying with United. If that’s your airline of choice, then the card is tailored to you. If not, you may want to consider an alternate travel credit card.
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* Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
