Next in the series of comparisons of the major US airlines’ credit cards comes the United MileagePlus Explorer card. This card sits as a middle card, offering entry-level perks without a high annual fee. This card competes with the Delta Gold Card, the American Aviator Red Card, and the American AAdvantage Platinum Select Card.
Historically, I’ve seen by far the most advertisements for this card on United flights compared to the other United cards, but recently, I’ve been seeing more advertisements for the other cards as well.
This blog is just for entertainment purposes. I provide the information here just to give readers a vague idea if the rewards offered by the card might make sense for them to consider the card. The information on this page has been collected independently, and all information should be confirmed with the card company before applying.
Welcome Offer
At the time of posting, the United MileagePlus Explorer card has a 60 000 bonus mile offer after spending $3 000 in 3 months and the annual fee is waived in the first year. In general, United miles are worth around 1.2 ¢/pt. That makes this current welcome offer worth at least $800, which was solid for a $95 annual fee card, but not that the card costs $150, that’s a bit weaker of an offer. Either way, better offers have been available before. United has devalued its miles several times in recent years, which is the cause of this low welcome offer valuation. You can also earn an additional 10 000 bonus miles after you add an authorized user within the first 3 months as well.
Earnings
The United MileagePlus Explorer Card has a good earn rate for a co-branded card: 2x miles/$ on United Airlines, hotels, and dining and 1x mile/$ on everything else.
These earning rates were alright for a $95 annual fee co-branded card, but I would’ve hoped with a >50% increase in the annual fee, they might have improved earnings. The 2x miles/$ on UA purchases is a particularly weak in my opinion.
This card also earn 1 PQP per $20 spent on the card, which is enhanced compared to 2024 earn rates but will be in line with other United cards (except the United Club Card) going forward.
Benefits
For its $150 annual fee, this card offers some straightforward benefits. As before, it offers 2 United Club (one-time) passes each year, priority boarding, and a free checked bag for you and a companion. The card also offers 25% back on inflight purchases and United Club premium drink purchases.
So, what does the extra $55/year get you? Well, a bunch of coupons: $100 in statement credits with United Hotels; $60 in statement credits when you use rideshare; $50 in travel credits when you book Avis/Budget through United; $120 in statement credits against Instacart purchases; and $100 in statement credits if you book JSX. Also, if you spend $10 000 in a calendar year, you get a $100 travel bank credit. So, in theory, the extra $55 opens “over $500” in new credits, but the credits are not particularly large and require you to be on top of what you’re doing.
Also, anecdotally, whenever I’ve flown out of San Francisco, around half the plane has group 2 “priority” boarding, and I assume this card is part of the reason. As much as American Airlines’ 9 boarding groups are a bit excessive, United only having 2 priority groups means there is little differentiation, and many times the gate agents start gate checking bags before group 2 has finished.
How to use the points
The main use for United Airlines miles is to redeem them for United Airlines, Star Alliance, and other partners’ flights. United Airlines has dynamic pricing for its own flights and some partner flights that involve the United States. Outside the United States, award prices appear to be fixed. However, United has recently raised the base (saver) cost of international award tickets multiple times, so the miles have lost a fair bit of value recently. United Airlines is a transfer partner of Chase, so the miles are relatively easy to come by.
The other type of point earned, PQP, is used for United status. Starting in 2025, you need: 6 000 PQP for Silver, 12 000 PQP for Gold, 18 000 PQP for Platinum, and 28 000 PQP for Premier 1K (which can be reduced with a sufficient number of qualifying flights).
Examples of using the card
These examples assume you spend all your airfare budget on United Airlines.
Spend per month
| Example A | Example B | Example C | Example D | |||||
| Groceries (1x) | $300 | 300 | $200 | 200 | $600 | 600 | $400 | 400 |
| Gas (1x) | $0 | 0 | $100 | 100 | $200 | 200 | $100 | 100 |
| Airfare (2x) | $700 | 1 400 | $200 | 400 | $0 | 0 | $400 | 800 |
| Hotels (2x) | $1 000 | 2 000 | $200 | 400 | $0 | 0 | $300 | 600 |
| Gen Travel (1x) | $400 | 400 | $0 | 0 | $300 | 300 | $100 | 100 |
| Dining (2x) | $600 | 1 200 | $300 | 600 | $300 | 600 | $0 | 0 |
| General (1x) | $1 000 | 1 000 | $500 | 500 | $500 | 500 | $400 | 400 |
| Total | $4 000 | 6 300 | $1 500 | 2 200 | $1 700 | 2 000 | $1 700 | 2 400 |
| Average points/$ | 1.58 | 1.47 | 1.18 | 1.41 |
The travel-focused earning structure means that the average points earned has a substantial range of 1.18 – 1.58 points/$, which is worth 1.42 – 1.90 ¢/$. That’s really not a great return given the annual fee. The range is dependent on how much and what portion of your budget each month is spent on United Airlines and other travel. For non-airline cards with a similar annual fee, you’d expect much higher returns, and you can earn United miles somewhat more efficiently with the Chase Sapphire Preferred. I think the enhanced earnings on the United Quest Card eclipse this card’s earnings given the other perks it offers to offset its annual fee.
Specific examples
| Card | United Airlines Economy class ($750) (% return) | Marriott Hotel night ($230/night) | Points values (United/Hotel) |
| No rewards card | 3 500 UM (5.6%) | 2 200 MP (7.7%) | $42.00 / $17.60 |
| General 2% cashback card ($0) | 3 500 UM + $15.00 (7.6%) | 2 200 MP + $4.60 (9.7%) | $57.00 / $22.20 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95) | 3 500 UM + 1 500 UR (8.6%) | 2 200 MP + 460 UR (10.7%) | $64.50 / $24.50 |
| Amex Green Card ($150) | 3 500 UM + 2 250 MR (9.8%) | 2 200 MP + 690 MR (11.9%) | $73.50 / $27.26 |
| United Explorer Card ($95) | 5 000 UM (8.0%) | 2 200 MP + 460 UM (10.1%) | $60.00 / $23.12 |
Is this the right type of credit card for you?
This card could be a good way to dip your toe in the United MileagePlus eco-system. It’s free the first year, but the increased $150 annual fee of this card may be frustrating to recoup. The good news is that you can recoup the fee through more than just checking bags (which isn’t helpful if you already have status) or through the club passes (which is insufficient). The bad news is that you have to do it by strategically booking rental cars/hotels through United and specifically using the card for rideshare and/or Instacart each month. I’m still of the opinion that if you fly United enough (i.e. several times a year) to really benefit from having a credit card with them, the United Quest Card might be the better option since it has more perks that have a direct monetary value to offset its (higher) annual fee.
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