The United Explorer is the most balanced United card for regular flyers, and its signup bonus just rose from 50,000 to 70,000 miles after $3,000 in spend in the first 3 months, plus 10,000 more for adding an authorized user. For a $150 annual fee you get a free first checked bag, priority boarding, two United Club one-time passes a year, and up to $120 toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS. It earns 3 miles per dollar on eligible United purchases, 2 miles on dining and hotels, and 1 mile on everything else. The catch is that the rest of the value is spread across narrow credits, including $100 for prepaid United Hotels stays, $60 in rideshare, up to $120 in Instacart, $100 for JSX, and $50 for Avis or Budget, which only count if you would spend there anyway. It ranks #5 on our Best Airline Credit Cards list, and if you check a bag on United even a couple of times a year, it is easy to justify.
Earn rates & credits
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
Airlines On eligible United purchases | 3x |
Dining | 2x |
Hotels | 2x |
Everything Else | 1x |
| Benefit | Value |
|---|---|
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit Up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fees | $120 every 4 yr |
Award Booking Discount Save 10% or more on the miles needed when booking United award flights with miles; Premier members save even more | 10% |
United Hotels Credit Up to $100 each anniversary year on prepaid hotel stays booked directly through United Hotels | $100 /yr |
Rideshare Credit Up to $5 back each month on eligible rideshare purchases after annual opt-in | $5 /mo |
Avis / Budget TravelBank Credit Up to $50 each anniversary year in United TravelBank cash on Avis or Budget bookings through cars.united.com | $50 /yr |
Instacart Credit $10 monthly Instacart credit through 12/31/27 | $10 /mo |
JSX Credit Up to $100 each anniversary year on flights purchased directly with JSX | $100 /yr |
Inflight Purchase Statement Credit 25% back as statement credit on food, beverages, Wi-Fi on United-operated flights and Club premium drinks | 25% |
Reduced Mileage Awards Save 10% or more on the miles needed when booking award flights on United or United Express | 10% |
| Total annual credits | $460 |
Card details
Regular APR | 19.74%–28.24% variable |
Foreign transaction fee | None |
Approval odds
Product changes
Where cardholders came from before landing on this card, and what they moved it to afterwards. Thicker flows carry a larger share of the changes in that direction.
United ExplorerBased on 3 reported product changes. Percentages are shares of each direction, not of all cardholders, and a small sample can swing a long way.