United Explorer Card
- Best for: Travelers who fly United a few times a year, check a bag, and often book with a companion
- What Sets It Apart: Free first checked bag for you and a companion; early Group 2 boarding; two United Club lounge passes a year
- Cost: $0 annual fee the first year, then $150; 19.99% to 28.49% variable APR; no foreign transaction fees
- Welcome Offer: Up to 80,000 bonus miles, 70,000 after $3,000 in purchases and 10,000 for adding an authorized user, both in the first 3 months
- Rewards: 3 miles per $1 on United purchases; 2 on dining and on hotels booked directly; 1 on everything else
- Features: Up to $120 every 4 years toward a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee; at least 10% fewer miles on United flights booked with miles
- Pros: Free first bags for two can cover the $150 fee in one round trip; welcome offer worth about $960 at NerdWallet’s value of 1.2 cents a mile
- Cons: Advertised $500-plus in credits split across specific partners; only 1,000 Premier qualifying points a year toward elite status; no companion ticket
Get the United Explorer Card if you fly United a few times a year and check a bag. At United’s $50 airport bag fee, free first bags for you and a companion save $200 on one round trip, $50 more than the $150 annual fee. And there’s no annual fee the first year.
Chase issues the Explorer as United’s mid-tier personal card, between the no-fee Gateway and the $350 Quest. Its airline perks work only on United and United Express flights, so its value depends on how often you fly them.
Key Features
- $0 annual fee the first year, then $150, and no foreign transaction fees
- 19.99% to 28.49% variable interest rate (APR) on balances you carry
- Up to 80,000 bonus miles, 70,000 after $3,000 in purchases and 10,000 for adding an authorized user, both in the first 3 months
- 3 miles per $1 on United purchases, 2 on dining and on hotels booked directly, and 1 on everything else
- Free first checked bag for you and one companion, early Group 2 boarding, and two United Club lounge passes a year
Pros
- Free first bags for two that can cover the $150 fee in one round trip
- Two lounge passes a year, which Chase values at over $100
- Welcome offer worth about $960 by our math, at NerdWallet’s value of 1.2 cents per mile
- At least 10% fewer miles on United flights you book with miles, or at least 15% fewer with United elite status
- Up to $120 every 4 years toward a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee
Cons
- At $50 a bag each way, one round trip saves a solo traveler $100, $50 short of the $150 fee
- Free bag only on tickets bought with the card, a rule waived for flights in your first 90 days
- Advertised $500-plus in yearly credits split six ways, from $5 a month for rideshares to a $100 United travel credit after $10,000 in yearly spending
- Only 1,000 Premier qualifying points a year toward United elite status, earned at 1 per $20 spent
- No companion ticket or fare discount
Open the Explorer if you fly United a few times a year and check a bag, especially with a companion. If you check two bags or fly United most months, step up to the United Quest Card, and if you rarely fly United, choose a general travel card.
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