United℠ Explorer Card benefits include the first checked bag free, priority boarding and a 25% rebate for inflight purchases on United flights. You’ll also get two United Club passes per year, travel insurance, purchase protection and more.
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United Explorer Card Rewards
United Explorer Card offers significant rewards, starting with an initial bonus of 70,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. This bonus is worth $847, on average, when redeemed for airfare.
The card also has great ongoing rewards. You get 2 miles per $1 spent with United and hotel stays, 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, as well as 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Key Things to Know About United Explorer Card Rewards
- No limit: There is no limit to the number of miles you can earn.
- No expiration: Your miles will not expire as long as your United MileagePlus account remains open and in good standing.
- Redemption options: You can redeem your miles for travel, flight upgrades, TSA PreCheck application costs, events, merchandise and more.
- Premier qualifying points: You will earn 1 premier qualifying point (PQP) for every $20 spent on purchases, up to a maximum of 1,000 PQP per calendar year. You can’t redeem these points, but they help you earn higher status levels in United’s loyalty program.
- Partners: United is part of the Star Alliance, so you can use your miles for flights on any airline that’s part of the alliance. In addition to those partners, the United MileagePlus program also lets you earn and redeem points with a few other airlines and hotel brands.
- No blackout dates: When you redeem miles for a flight, there aren’t any restrictions on what dates you can book.
United Explorer Card Travel Benefits
$0 Foreign Transaction Fee
When you use your card to make purchases from a merchant in a foreign country, either online or in person, you won’t pay extra.
In-flight Discounts
When you use your card to purchase food, beverages or Wi-Fi on United flights, you’ll get 25% of the cost back as a statement credit. This credit also applies to premium drinks at United Club lounge locations.
United Club Passes
Every year, you’ll receive two United Club passes, each of which gives you one-time access to any of United’s more than 45 lounge locations. These lounges are mostly located in the U.S., though there are a few in other countries. At these lounges, you’ll be able to enjoy a variety of free amenities while you wait for your flight. You can see some examples below.
Priority Boarding
The United Explorer Card gives you and all companions on the same reservation priority boarding on United flights booked with the card.
Free Checked Bags
When you purchase United flights using your card, you and one companion on the same reservation receive the first free checked bag. That’s up to a $40 value per person each way.
Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS Credit
Every four years, you can get reimbursed for the cost of the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS, up to $120, depending on which you choose. These programs all expedite your way through airport security, but both Global Entry and NEXUS also include TSA PreCheck, so it’s best to choose one of those two options.
NEXUS is best for people who frequently travel between the U.S. and Canada, while Global Entry is better for all other world travelers.
Award Ticket Upgrades
When you use your miles to purchase a United ticket, you and one companion on the reservation may be eligible for free upgrades on select flights. This benefit is only available if you are a United MileagePlus Premier member, which requires taking at least four United flights and earning enough Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) each calendar year.
United Explorer Card Travel Insurance Benefits
The United Explorer Card offers several different types of travel insurance for free when you pay for travel using your card.
Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance: When your trip is canceled or cut short due to factors out of your control, you can get reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip.
Trip Delay Reimbursement: When your trip gets delayed for more than 12 hours or the delay requires an overnight stay, you can get reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for expenses you were forced to pay for, such as food and lodging.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: If your luggage gets damaged or lost during transit, you can receive up to $3,000 per passenger to reimburse the value of the luggage and its contents.
Baggage Delay Insurance: If your baggage arrives late, you can get up to $100 per day for three days to cover essential purchases such as clothing and toiletries.
Rental Car Insurance:
When you rent a car using your card, you are protected against collision damage and theft up to the actual cash value of most rental cars. To get this benefit, you must decline any coverage the rental car company offers and charge the entire rental cost to your card.
You can learn more about the best credit cards with travel insurance and rental car insurance here on WalletHub.
For full coverage details, you can refer to the Guide to Benefits provided after account opening or call the number on the back of your card for assistance.
United Explorer Card Protection Benefits
Purchase Protection
This benefit reimburses you for eligible purchases you make with the card that get damaged or stolen within 120 days, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.
You can learn more about the best credit cards with purchase protection here on WalletHub.
Extended Warranty
When you purchase items with your card that have an existing manufacturer’s warranty of three years or less, this benefit can extend the warranty for one additional year.
WalletHub’s Extended Warranty Study has more information about the best credit cards with this benefit.
For full coverage details, you can refer to the Guide to Benefits provided after account opening or call the number on the back of your card for assistance.
Zero-Liability Protection
As is the case with all major credit cards, you won’t be held liable for any fraudulent purchases that you report.
Fraud Alerts
Chase will monitor your account and will send you an alert if it notices any suspicious activity.
Other United Explorer Card Benefits
Concierge Service
You can call 1-800-888-8756 to reach the United Explorer Card concierge. This is essentially a free personal assistant who can help you with “reservations, referrals and recommendations,” related to travel as well as things like event tickets, dining or gifts.
No Annual Fee First Year
The United Explorer Card normally has an annual fee of $150. However, it charges an intro annual fee of $0 for the first year. That helps your rewards go even further and gives you an opportunity to try out the benefits of the card before you have to actually pay for them.
United and MileagePlus Events
As a cardholder, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase tickets to exclusive experiences. Past events include dining experiences with famous chefs, reserved seats and photo ops at sporting events, special concerts and more. For certain events, called MileagePlus Exclusive Events, you can even use your miles to pay.
United Card Events:
MileagePlus Exclusive Events:
Same-Day Use
If you get approved for the United Explorer Card, you can use it the same day by adding it to a digital wallet like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay.
Chase Pay Over Time
Eligible cardholders can split certain purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments, with a low monthly fee rather than interest. The payoff periods last from 3 to 24 months.
With Amazon purchases only, the minimum purchase for Chase Pay Over Time is $50.
Credit Building
The United Explorer Card will report your balance and payment history to the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – every month, which can help you build credit as long as you use the card responsibly.
Contactless Payments
The card supports tap-to-pay technology, which is more convenient and more secure than inserting your card into a card reader.
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