United℠ Explorer Card Review [2024]: Definitely Worth Getting

Card basics

Who should get the United Explorer card?

This card is ideal for loyal United customers who travel frequently. Obviously, that’s who will get the most value out of earning United miles in the first place.

That said, even if you only fly United a couple of times each year, or once with multiple people, you’ll find value in the card's perks. Being able to access the lounge with two United Club one-time passes each year, priority boarding, a free first checked bag, and primary car rental insurance are all useful, even if you don’t fly constantly.

Other users agree with this assessment, like this Reddit user:

You shouldn’t get this card if you aren’t sure you’re going to fly United at least once in the next year. If you’re someone who (understandably) books the cheapest flight regardless of airline, this isn’t the card for you. If you live near a United hub or just prefer it overall, it’s a good choice.

Why this card is worth the annual fee

Paying a $95 (waived first year) annual fee can be a tough pill to swallow, especially when there are so many cards without an annual fee. So why is this one worth a spot in your wallet if you fly United?

United Club passes

With lounges getting increasingly difficult to access, it’s actually surprising that this is still a perk when the annual fee is so low. The only other card that offers lounge access is the United Club℠ Infinite Card with an annual fee of $525. In fairness, that’s full lounge membership, not one-time passes.

For comparison, Delta’s most comparable card, the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card, doesn’t include any form of lounge access, even one-time passes.

Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit

Every four years, you can receive up to $120 in statement credits when you use the United Explorer Card to pay for your Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee. This allows you to skip time-consuming lines at security.

As someone who flies at least four times a year, I can attest to the value of TSA PreCheck. Not having to deal with the hassle of taking off your shoes in the security line is worth the price of admission. So even though you can only use this perk sporadically, it’s a worthwhile one.

Flight benefits

You get an array of benefits to make flying a little more bearable. These include priority boarding, which means your carry-on has a much better chance of snagging a spot in an overhead bin.

And when you use your card to make the reservation, you get your first checked bag free (and one companion traveling on the same reservation gets a free first bag as well). This could potentially save you up to $160 per round-trip flight.

Auto rental collision damage waiver

When you use your United Explorer Card to book a rental car, you get an auto rental collision damage waiver. This means you can waive the rental car company’s insurance coverage, which usually costs an arm, a leg, and potentially other limbs.

And your card’s coverage would be primary, meaning it pays before your insurance company. That means that in a worst-case scenario, the United card would pick up the tab up to the policy limits, lowering the amount your insurance company pays out. This could keep your insurance premiums lower in the long run since companies typically raise your rates when they have to pay a claim.

Why you might want a different card

Relatively modest miles

While this card has a lot going for it, it doesn’t earn miles as quickly as the two higher-tier United cards. If earning status is your priority, one of those cards will be a better fit. The Infinite card has the highest earnings but also the steepest annual fee. It’s best for frequent flyers and loyalists who want lounge access.

If you want to earn more miles, fly 3-4 times per year or more on United, and are indifferent about lounge access, the Quest card is a good choice.

Here’s how they stack up:

Earning & redeeming United MileagePlus miles

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your miles can add up with the United Explorer Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of $0.01.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $1,309

Year two earnings: $530

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee. These numbers do not take into account the possibility of earning extra points for booking United flights or booking directly with hotels, so your actual earnings have the potential to be higher.

Best ways to earn miles

The United Explorer Card works best for travelers and those who like to dine out thanks to its bonus categories. With this card, you can earn 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays and 1x mile on all other purchases.

It’s also possible to boost your rewards earning capability by using your United Explorer Card in conjunction with a hotel loyalty program. For example, if you frequently stay at Marriott properties and use the United Explorer Card to make reservations, you’ll earn Bonvoy rewards for the hotel stay in addition to United MileagePlus miles.

Maximizing your redemptions

You can use your United MileagePlus miles to book airfare as well as upgrade your current fare to a higher class. Miles can also be redeemed for merchandise (including Apple products), car rentals, cruises, gift cards, and experiences.

I find the most value in using miles to book airfare, as the redemption values tend to be the highest. Unfortunately, that’s also the most complicated since United uses dynamic pricing. My travel date, starting point, and destination all factor into how “valuable” a ticket ends up being.

How to get the best deal with dynamic pricing

For example, I can book an economy flight from Chicago to New York for 7,800 miles plus $5.60 on a Tuesday in June. If I want to fly Saturday or Sunday, that almost doubles to 15,000 miles.

The same economy ticket costs $99 on Tuesday and $107 on Saturday.

The formula for figuring out redemption value is (cash price / award price) x 100. So for the economy ticket on a Tuesday, the redemption is $99 / 7,800 x 100, or 1.26 cents per mile. The economy ticket on a Saturday is $107 / 15,000 x 100, or 0.71 cents per mile.

You get a much better value by using your redemption for an economy ticket on a Tuesday in this scenario.

Run the numbers before flying United with points to see what makes the most sense for you.

United MileagePlus transfer partners

With the United Explorer Card, you can transfer your MileagePlus miles to partner airlines and hotel and transportation partners. This significantly expands your travel options with United MileagePlus. United is a member of the Star Alliance, and United MileagePlus miles can be used with all Star Alliance airlines as well as other airline partners, including Aer Lingus and Hawaiian Airlines.

Here's the complete list of United’s airline, hotel, and transportation transfer partners:

Other cards to consider

While we think the United Explorer Card is a strong option for United customers, if you’re on the fence about airline credit cards or don’t want to be tied down to one airline, you may want to consider a more general travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. These cards offer flexible rewards that can be redeemed for airfare, hotel stays, and more.

I’m a big fan of the Chase Sapphire Preferred. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases.

I like its welcome offer, travel benefits, DoorDash benefits, and no foreign transaction fees. I’ve been able to fund multiple flights and hotel stays with the Chase reward points I’ve earned.

You can learn more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

If you're not as interested in tracking your spending across loads of categories, the Capital One Venture Rewards card is a good option — cardmembers earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25.

You can learn more in our Capital One Venture Rewards review.

United Explorer Card FAQ

Bottom line

The United℠ Explorer Card is a compelling option for United flyers seeking to maximize their rewards and enjoy exclusive travel perks. You can build up your United MileagePlus miles soon after getting this credit card as you can earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open (limited-time offer). And that’s on top of the day-to-day benefits like priority boarding, two one-time use United Club passes, and getting your first bag checked free.

Of course, this card won’t be right for everyone. You can also find options that aren’t tied to United Airlines in our list of the best credit cards for travel.

A Slam-Dunk Welcome Offer!

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4.6

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

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Current Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase and pay the annual fee in the first 90 days

Annual Fee

$99

Rewards Rate

2X miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and 1X mile per dollar spent on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase and pay the annual fee in the first 90 days
• 2X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases
• Intro APR on balance transfers
• In-flight savings options, first check bag free, preferred boarding
• No foreign transaction fees

Drawbacks

• Has annual fee
• Best for American Airlines travelers

Card Details

• Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase and pay the annual fee in the first 90 days
• 2X miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and 1X mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
• Intro balance transfer 0% APR offer: 0% for 15 billing cycles (on balance transfers that post within 45 days of account opening) then 20.74% to 29.99% (variable)