United Explorer Credit Card Review 2025

It Makes Flying More Comfortable

For a reasonable annual fee, you get a taste of comfort travel with this United credit card. It nicely packages several benefits including priority boarding, free checked bags and 25% off United in flight and Club premium drink purchases. Once a year, you’ll also receive two United Club one-time passes. Plus, a statement credit toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS every four years can help you move through airport security faster as well.

Credits Are Generous for a Midtier Card

Usually, only ultra-premium cards come with a long list of statement credit offers, but The New United℠ Explorer Card bucks the trend. Cardholders can earn up to $100 in statement credits each anniversary year toward United Hotels purchases, $120 toward Instacart each calendar year (terms apply), $60 toward rideshare purchases each calendar year when you opt in and $100 for JSX purchases each anniversary year.

This is on top of two offers to earn United TravelBank cash: You can earn $100 in TravelBank cash for spending $10,000 on your card in a calendar year and $50 in TravelBank cash each anniversary year after making qualifying Avis or Budget rental car reservations.

Other United Explorer Credit Card Benefits

• Earn an award flight discount. Each calendar year you spend $20,000 or more, you’ll earn a one-time use discount of 10,000 miles off a United award.
• Expanded award availability. Get exclusive award access and lower prices available to only United cardholders and elites. This can help you stretch your miles a little further.
• Free upgrades for MileagePlus Premier members. For those with this status, the Explorer card will provide free upgrades when booking a United-operated award ticket. However, cardholders on award tickets are prioritized after all paid fare classes. This benefit will no longer be available after 8/1/25.
• Travel protections. You’ll also get perks like primary auto rental insurance, baggage and trip delay insurance, trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance and purchase protections.
• No foreign transaction fees. There are no surcharges for making purchases in other currencies while traveling or shopping abroad.
• Complimentary Instacart+ Membership. Cardholders can receive a three-month free membership to Instacart+ when activating before December 31, 2027. Terms apply.

Low Miles-Earning Potential

The New United℠ Explorer Card falls short for earning miles. At 2 miles per dollar on dining including eligible delivery services, hotel stays when booked with the hotel and United® purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases, the card is lackluster at best. There are better options for earning miles on any given category—and even some 2% cash-back cards could top this card. Because of this, you may choose not to use the card enough to reach spending thresholds for some card perks, like earning $100 TravelBank cash for spending $10,000 in a calendar year.

However, in the first year, the welcome bonus is nice: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

Statement Credits Can Be Hard To Use

Though there’s an impressive list of potential earned credits, they have very specific terms and conditions attached to reap their value. For example, hotels and car rentals need to be booked through United, and partner offers like rideshare credits are doled out in small monthly increments rather than a one-time lump sum payment.

Ideal for:

• Travelers who frequently check bags
• Customers looking for expanded United award flight inventory and discounts

Not ideal for:

• Elite flyers who may already receive many of the same perks when flying United
• Customers looking for the highest earning rates

Earning Rewards

The card earns:

• 2 miles per dollar on dining including eligible delivery services
• 2 miles per dollar on hotel stays when booked with the hotel
• 2 miles per dollar on United® purchases
• 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases

The New United℠ Explorer Card also comes with a welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

Redeeming Rewards

Though United’s rewards program is based on a dynamic model, the card’s welcome bonus could be enough for an economy-class round-trip flight to destinations in the U.S., Caribbean or Central America. If you’re flexible on dates, you could also afford to bring along a companion, travel to further destinations or upgrade to business class. All the miles you earn—whether from the welcome offer or everyday spending—will commingle with the miles you earn from flying so you can reach your award goals faster.

One thing we love about MileagePlus miles is that United doesn’t add a fuel surcharge to the cost of award tickets, leaving you only to pay the taxes and fees. That makes United miles more customer-friendly than some other airline rewards.

Rewards Potential

Based on government data, a family in the 70th percentile of wage-earning households in the U.S. makes $127,200 per year, with $40,398 in purchases that can be reasonably charged to credit cards.

The New United℠ Explorer Card Rewards Potential

Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
United Purchases	2X	$805	1,610
Hotels	2X	$2,963	5,926
Dining	2X	$4,995	9,990
All Other Purchases	1X	$31,635	31,635
			Total: 49,161 United MileagePlus Miles

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If our sample household exclusively uses the United Explorer card there’s a potential total of 49,161 miles each year. This is in addition to the first-year welcome bonus and on top of the other perks the card offers when flying United.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 20.49% - 28.99% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150
• Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: $0

Account Features	The New United℠ Explorer Card	The New United Quest℠ Card	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®*
Annual Fee	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150	$350	$95	$99
Welcome Bonus	80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening	90,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening	100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening	60,000 bonus miles after your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days of account opening
Standout Rewards	2X on United, hotels and dining	3X on United; 2X on travel, dining and select streaming	3X on dining, online groceries and select streaming; 2X on travel	2X on American Airlines purchases
Major Benefits	Two one-time United Club passes included	$200 in United TravelBank cash; 10,000-mile award discount	$50 in annual hotel credits	Introductory APR on balance transfers
Reward Type	United miles	United miles	Chase Ultimate Rewards® points	American Airlines miles

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The New United℠ Explorer Card vs. The New United Quest℠ Card

While the Explorer card can be an approachable starter card, The New United Quest℠ Card could make sense for the more devoted traveler. It comes with a steep $350 annual fee but much richer benefits. Every year, cardholders receive $200 in United TravelBank cash and a 10,000-mile award discount, so your next airfare purchase will be more affordable, whether you’re paying with cash or miles.

Another selling point of the Quest card is its Premier qualifying points benefit. Cardholders will receive 1,000 PQPs each qualifying year, starting in 2026, just for having a card account open and in good standing. You’ll earn another 1 PQP for every $20 spent on the United Quest card, up to 18,000 PQPs per year. Loyal United flyers seeking status will find these benefits invaluable.

The New United℠ Explorer Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Many of Chase’s premium cards earn Ultimate Rewards® points, which are freely convertible to airline miles including United. That makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card an intriguing alternative way to earn United airline miles. Its $95 annual fee is slightly more affordable than holding the United Explorer, and its rewards opportunities are stronger, too: You’ll earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

Where this card stands out, though, is the option to have greater flexibility in redeeming points. Instead of being locked into United miles, you can transfer them to various other airlines or hotels, redeem points at 1.25 cents through the Chase Travel booking portal or choose cash back at a flat rate of 1 cent per point.

By choosing the Sapphire Preferred, you’ll lose out on United-specific benefits (like free checked bags) but can still enjoy general travel perks like no foreign transaction fees, trip protections and a $50 annual credit toward hotels booked with Chase Travel.

The New United℠ Explorer Card vs. AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®*

If you’re not loyal to United Airlines and are open to earning miles with another airline, the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®* has some advantages over what the United Explorer offers. Right off the bat, its welcome offer is one of the easiest to earn in the market. You’ll get 60,000 bonus miles after your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days of account opening. The earning rates on this card are otherwise uninspiring, with nearly every purchase earning a single mile per dollar spent.

That leaves the benefits when flying as the primary reason to choose this card. You’ll get the first bag free for up to four companions on the same reservation, with preferred boarding, statement credits on in-flight Wi-Fi purchases and discounts on food and beverage onboard. Another major advantage of this card is its balance transfer offer, which the United Explorer does not offer: 0% intro APR on eligible balance transfers for 15 billing cycles, followed by a regular APR of 21.24% - 29.99% variable APR on purchases and balance transfer. Balance transfer must be completed within 45 days of account opening and a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.

If you are a regular United flyer who doesn’t already have Premier status, the free checked bag perk alone could justify the card’s annual fee. Even a couple who flies United once per year might find the card worthwhile for this benefit.

The card’s other perks, from bonus miles to statement credits, only sweeten the deal. However, if you’re not willing to pledge allegiance to just one airline program, consider a card that offers more flexible rewards before applying for this one.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual rewards
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.