United Explorer Card

Earning

Right column: value per $ at travel valuation (1.35¢/pt). Conservative 1¢; TPG ~1.35¢.

Credits

• $100 United travel credit (after $10,000 spend) /year · hard to use
  $100 in United TravelBank cash after $10,000 in purchases each calendar year; TravelBank cash expires 12 months after issue.
• $100 United Hotels credit /anniversary · medium to use
  $50 back as a statement credit on each of your 1st and 2nd prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels each anniversary year (up to $100).
• $5 Rideshare credit /month · easy to use · enrollment required
  Up to $5 back each month on rideshare purchases (up to $60 per calendar year). Yearly opt-in/enrollment required; posts in 6-8 weeks.
• $50 Avis/Budget rental credit /anniversary · medium to use
  $25 in United TravelBank cash for each of your 1st and 2nd Avis or Budget rentals booked through cars.united.com with the United cardmember discount code (up to $50 per anniversary year).
• $10 Instacart credit /month · medium to use · enrollment required
  $10 Instacart credit each month (up to $120 per calendar year) on purchases made directly with Instacart; requires activating the complimentary Instacart+ membership (3 months free, then 25% off). Benefit ends 12/31/2027.
• $100 JSX credit /anniversary · hard to use
  Up to $100 back as a statement credit each anniversary year on purchases made directly with JSX (semi-private air carrier).
• $120 Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS fee credit /every 4 years · easy to use
  Up to $120 statement credit once every 4 years for a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee charged to the card.

Benefits

• First checked bag free — Primary cardmember and one companion on the same reservation each check a first standard bag free on United/United Express flights (up to $200 per roundtrip) when the ticket is bought with the card.
• Priority boarding — Primary cardmember and companions on the same reservation board in Group 2 on United flights.
• 2 United Club one-time passes per year — Two United Club one-time passes each anniversary year (over $100 value). Since the 2025 refresh the primary cardmember or an authorized user must be present to use them.
• Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS credit — Up to $120 every 4 years.
• 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases — Statement credit for food, beverages and Wi-Fi on United-operated flights and premium drinks in United Clubs; posts within 24 hours.
• Earn PQP toward Premier status — 1 Premier Qualifying Point per $20 spent, up to 1,000 PQP per calendar year.
• Award flight discounts — Save 10% or more on United award flights booked with miles (Premier members save more), plus a 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20,000 in purchases in a calendar year (once per year; expires 12 months after issue).
• Instacart+ membership — 3 months of complimentary Instacart+, then 25% off the annual rate through 12/31/2027.
• $100 United TravelBank credit after $10,000 spend
• $100 United Hotels credit — $50 back on each of the first two prepaid United Hotels stays per anniversary year.
• $60 rideshare credit — $5 per month; annual enrollment required.
• $120 Instacart credit — $10 per month through 12/31/2027.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Visa Signature Concierge — 24/7 complimentary concierge service.
• Primary rental car collision coverage — Primary coverage up to $60,000 for theft and collision when you decline the rental company's CDW and pay with the card (secondary inside the U.S. for NY residents).
• Trip cancellation / interruption insurance — Up to $1,500 per traveler / $6,000 per trip.
• Trip delay reimbursement — Up to $500 per traveler when a common carrier is delayed 12+ hours or overnight.
• Baggage delay insurance — Up to $100/day for 3 days after a 6+ hour delay.
• Lost luggage reimbursement — Up to $3,000 per traveler.
• Purchase protection — 120 days, up to $10,000 per item.
• Extended warranty — Extends U.S. manufacturer warranties of 3 years or less by 1 additional year.

Protections

Notes

Mid-tier United card (Visa Signature). United/Chase refreshed the lineup on 2025-03-24: annual fee $95 -> $150 (first year $0; existing cardholders from 2026-01-01), new partner credits (United Hotels $100, rideshare $60, Avis/Budget $50, Instacart $120 through 12/31/2027, JSX $100), a $100 TravelBank credit after $10,000 calendar-year spend and a 10,000-mile award discount after $20,000 spend; United Club passes now require the cardmember or an authorized user to be present. Chase's page in 2026 marks 3x on United purchases (up from 2x) and the 10%+ award discount as NEW. Prepaid stays booked through United Hotels earn 5x total miles per news coverage (up from 4x), but Chase does not list this as a card earn category so it is not filed as an earn entry. News reports said complimentary Premier upgrades on award tickets ended after 2025-08-01, though Chase's page still mentions them for Premier members. Chase 5/24 rule applies.

Verified 2026-09-07 · confidence high · sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9