United MileagePlus® Explorer Credit Card
Sponsored Card
- Minimum Credit Required:
Excellent - Annual Fee:
None 1st yr, $95 after - Network: VISA
| Initial Bonus |
Base Earn |
Max Earn |
Earn / Redeem Limit |
- Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles -- Earn 25,000 bonus miles after first use and 5,000 additional bonus miles after your first Card use and for adding an authorized user within two months of opening your account. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $25,000 or more on your Card each calendar year.
- Earn 2 miles for each $1 spent on airline tickets purchased from United and 1 mile per $1 for everything else.
- First checked bag is free for you and a companion when you fly United flights, up to a $50 value.
- Board your flight before general boarding with priority boarding privileges.
- Visit the United Club with two complimentary day passes every year, up to a $100 value.
- Your miles don't expire and there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn.
| Intro Rate |
Intro Period |
Regular Rate |
| Intro RateNot Offered | Intro PeriodN/A | Regular Rate15.24% (V) | Balance Transfer Fee |
| Cash Advance Rate |
Cash Advance Fee |
- There are no restrictions or blackout dates. If seats are available for sale, they can be redeemed at the Standard Award level – a benefit that will be reserved for Cardmembers and Elite travelers beginning in early 2012.
- Receive special treatment and valuable amenities at more than 700 of the world's finest hotels, resorts and spas when you use your MileagePlus Explorer Card.
- Enjoy exclusive access to once-in-a-lifetime events through Inside Access from Chase.
- Max Late Fee:
$35 - Max Overlimit Fee:
None for Signature; Up to $35 for Platinum - Max Penalty APR:
29.99% (V)
- Grace Period:
21 days - Online Response:
No - Foreign Transaction Fee:
3%
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The card information shown on this page was last updated: May 23rd, 2012 at 3:33 EDT
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DO NOT sign up for this card. I just called to cancel this card and was told that my Continental frequent flier account that I have had for 15 years will be cancelled because that freq. flier number was linked to my Continental (now United) credit card. AND ALL MILES earned with the credit card will be forfeited. Apparently I was sent a letter a few months ago communicating this. DO NOT sign up for this card.
not true
NOT WORTH signing up for this card... it's a scam to lure you in... Was in the process of booking my flight when the deal for a $50 rebate came up to reduce the total costs... Got approved 30 minutes later but did not qualify at the time of reserving the flight for the $50 rebate and other perks. Spent over an hour on the phone with United and then another 20 minutes with Chase and I just cancelled the card altogether. Will make me think twice using United again for the hassle I went through just for their United Mileage Plus Explorer Card.
Hey Won Buddy Lee I'd really love to get your thoughts on this card, since you seem to be the resident airline credit card expert!
sorry joe! I don't have this card, so i cannot comment on it. I don't fly united (nor continental before merger), so this card wasn't much of benefit for me. Sorry!
but one thing i'd add is while cardhub gets commission for us using their links, i advice ppl to look elsewhere, as there are better initial reward available. 40k + 10k for 25k spending, rather than initial 25k bonus with 15 k after $25k spending. other than that, i'd personally stay away from this card for two reasons: 1) if you fly united often, you are probably already on their tiered membership, and u get your first check bag free + lounge access. and for 2 miles u earn for flying united, u get that same with chase sapphire preferred, which is transferable to United. any detailed info on this card, i have no idea, because i don't own it X_X sorry.
I’ve seen a few TV ads for the United Mileage Plus Explorer Card, so I thought I’d take a look at what its got. After all, some of the ads you see on TV are for really great cards while others only make really average cards sound really good. The United MileagePlus Explorer Credit Card requires excellent credit for approval, doesn’t have an annual fee in the first year (but charges $95/yr. after that), and offers an interesting initial bonus as well as some decent ongoing rewards and some assorted other perks. I find it easiest to decide on whether a card is good or not by making a pro/con list, so here’s mine for the United Plus Explorer Card: Pros - 25,000 bonus miles after first purchase (enough for a one-way ticket to Hawaii and nearly enough for one to Europe). - United’s deep roster of rewards partners allows you to immediately transfer miles at full value to other travel companies’ rewards programs (e.g. British Airways, Amtrak, Hyatt Hotels). - Assorted perks like Club passes, priority boarding, and free checked baggage not only make travel more comfortable, but less expensive as well. Cons - You can’t get the extra 15,000 bonus points advertised if you don’t add an authorized user or spend a crazy amount each year. - The miles per dollar spent are not competitive with the best travel rewards cards on the market. United has one of the most interesting travel rewards programs around, thanks to its many rewards partners and the deals it has struck with issuers like Chase that allow you to transfer, say, Chase rewards into United Miles and redeem them with any United travel partner. In light of this latter consideration, you can benefit from United’s wide-ranging rewards program even if you don’t get a United credit card like the MileagePlus Explorer Card. For example, you could get the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which has an initial bonus worth $625 in travel, transfer this bonus to a United partner’s rewards program and benefit just the same. You could likewise get any Southwest Airlines credit card, for example, and do the same. With that being said, I’d compare all of the credit cards affiliated with United rewards and pick the most lucrative offer. You could also get a card like the Capital one Venture Card, which offers miles that equate to 2% cash back on all purchases if you redeem them toward any travel-related expenses. Also, if you don’t travel a lot, I’d go with a good cash back card like the Blue Cash preferred from Amex bc it will provide more consistent benefits. Overall, what I hope is clear is the fact that United’s overall rewards program is even more exciting that what exactly the United MileagePlus Explorer Card offers, and those of you who can figure out how to strategically game the system will benefit big!
One would think that airlines would compete over everything, not just fare rates and baggage fees. I mean, as members of the same industry and direct competitors you’d think that companies like Southwest and United Airlines would strive to outdo each other in every way imaginable. That’s why I was hoping for more out of the United MileagePlus Explorer Credit Card. Southwest Airlines is currently offering two free flights to new customers who sign up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card and make a single purchase with it. Unfortunately, the United credit card only offers 25,000 bonus miles after first usage, which a quick look at United’s Miles redemption policy reveals will only get you at most one free roundtrip flight. Now, the United MileagePlus Credit Card doesn’t have a first year annual fee, whereas the Southwest airlines card does ($69). That, I suppose could impact the gap between the two cards in terms of worth, and if you are a frequent flyer of neither airline, your destination of choice and any differences between the two companies when it comes to the cities they fly to would probably be the tie breaker. Even if you are a loyal United patron, there are actually better options out there than the United Credit Card. United recently struck a partnership with Chase that allows cardholders of certain Chase credit cards to freely transfer their rewards points to United MileagePlus Accounts. Seeing as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card gives users 50,000 bonus points after they spend $3,000 during the first three months, you could simply get that card, transfer your points to a United Airlines account and have a chance at getting two free United flights if you opt for economy moneysaver fares on domestic flights.