What if I have the old United Explorer Card?

Existing United Explorer cardholders will automatically receive the new benefits and changes to their card. The increased annual fee will apply starting August 1, 2025.

What other United co-branded cards are available?

Other than the New United Explorer Card, here are Chase’s additional co-branded offerings and the annual fee: New United Gateway℠ Card*: No annual fee New United Quest℠ Card: $350 annual fee New United Club℠ Card: $695 annual fee

Can I change my New United Explorer card to a different card?

Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your card to another co-branded United card by messaging or calling Chase.

The New United℠ Explorer Card review: New credits with tons of hoops to jump through

Written by

Ryan Flanigan, CCC

Edited by

Reena Thomas, Ph.D.

Reviewed by

Erica Sandberg

Apr 28, 2025 / 3 min

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Snapshot

3.9

Bankrate rating

Bottom line

Regular United Airlines travelers can take advantage of some nice airline perks like first free checked bags, priority boarding and discount on in-flight purchases. While the card has added plenty more benefits to offset the card’s $150 annual fee — which is waived in the first year — they have many limitations and will be difficult for even the most advanced card user to maximize.

The New United℠ Explorer Card

Recommended credit score:670 - 850

Intro offer

Earn 80,000 bonus miles

Rewards rate

1x - 2x

Annual fee

$0 Intro Annual fee for the First Year, then $150

Regular APR

20.49% - 28.99% Variable

3.9

Bankrate score

Reward Details

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The New United℠ Explorer Card overview

United loyalists will still find many useful United benefits with The New United℠ Explorer Card. It has an excellent sign-up bonus and many opportunities to justify the annual fee (waived in the first year). Yearly spending incentives can prove useful for regular United flyers. However, while the laundry list of new credits might look good at first glance, a deeper dive shows tons of hoops to jump through like monthly caps or other restrictions. Even the most advanced travelers and rewards strategists will find it hard to squeeze the maximum out of every credit.

Rewards
2X United miles on United purchases, dining and hotel stays when booked directly with the hotel

1X United miles on all other purchases

Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysis
Welcome offer
Earn 80,000 bonus United miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months

Earn 5,000 bonus United miles for adding an authorized user in the first three months

Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis
Rates and fees
Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $150

Foreign transaction fee: None

Balance transfer fee: 5 percent of the amount of each transaction (minimum $5)

Cash advance fee: 5 percent of the amount of each transaction (minimum $10)

Regular APR: 20.49% - 28.99% Variable

Late/returned payment fee: up to $40

Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis
Other cardholder perks
Free first checked bag for primary cardholder and one companion

Two United Club one-time passes per year

$100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 in a year

10,000-mile award flight discount after spending $20,000 in a year

Up to $100 in annual credits on prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels ($50 maximum per stay)

Up to $60 in annual credits on rideshare purchases ($5 per month, enrollment required each year)

Up to $50 in annual United travel credits when you book Avis or Budget car rentals directly through cars.united.com ($25 maximum per rental)

Up to $100 in annual credits on flights purchased directly through JSX

Up to $120 as a statement credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS every four years

Up to $120 in annual Instacart credits through 12/31/2027 ($10 per month, enrollment required)

Complimentary three month Instacart+ membership, then 25 percent off (activate by 12/31/2027)

Earn 1,000 Premier® Qualifying Points (PQP) for every $20 spent on your card (maximum 1,000 PQP’s per year)

In-flight benefits and discounts

Priority boarding and trip protections

Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis

The New United℠ Explorer Card pros and cons

Pros

The $0 intro fee is a great way to try the card out for a year to assess its value.
You'll have plenty of benefits to take advantage of compared to other mid-tier travel cards.
The yearly spending incentives can provide solid value for regular United flyers.

Cons

The limitations and loopholes on the card’s many credits severely limit the card’s usefulness.
United miles aren’t as flexible as points earned on general travel cards.
The value of United miles can fluctuate quite a bit based on how you redeem them.

First-year value vs. ongoing value

The New United Explorer Card has an excellent welcome offer to provide substantial initial value, especially when coupled with a waived annual fee for the first year. Although we will include the monetary value of all the card’s credits, they come with major caveats. For instance, some credits come as United TravelBank credits, which can expire and have additional limitations. This card’s features easily rank among the most difficult to use, so you should take that into consideration.

Here’s a look at how much value you can expect to earn based on our card value rating methodology, which assumes an annual spend of $22,500 and our latest point valuations, which value United around 0.9 cents each. This chart also assumes the very complicated task of fully maximizing every benefit in order to show you the maximum value possible. You can see that removing the welcome offer’s value and adding the annual fee swings the card’s value significantly after the first year.

Benefits & costs	First-year value	Ongoing value
Yearly rewards	+$270	+$270
Welcome offer	+$720 (based on Bankrate's estimated points valuation)	N/A
Perks (of monetary value)	+$100 (United travel credit after spending $10,000 in a year) +$118 (Two United Club one-time passes) +$90 (10,000-mile award flight discount after spending $20,000 in a year) +$100 ($50 twice for prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels) +$60 ($5 monthly rideshare purchases) +$50 ($25 twice in United TravelBank credits when you book Avis or Budget car rentals directly through cars.united.com) +$100 (flights purchased directly through JSX) +$30 (statement credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS every 4 years) +$120 ($10 monthly Instacart credits)	+$100 (United travel credit after spending $10,000 in a year) +$118 (Two United Club one-time passes) +$90 (10,000-mile award flight discount after spending $20,000 in a year) +$100 ($50 twice for prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels) +$60 ($5 monthly rideshare purchases) +$50 ($25 twice in United TravelBank credits when you book Avis or Budget car rentals directly through cars.united.com) +$100 (flights purchased directly through JSX) +$30 (statement credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS every 4 years) +$120 ($10 monthly Instacart credits)
Annual fee	$0	-$150
Total value	$1,758	$888

Why you might want The New United℠ Explorer Card

You might want the New United Explorer Card to quickly boost your balance or to take advantage of the card’s numerous perks.

Welcome offer: Boost your balance for upcoming travel

The New United Explorer has a debut welcome offer of 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months. United miles are worth around 0.9 cents apiece (according to Bankrate’s latest valuations), so we value this bonus at roughly $720 in United travel.

Make sure your budget can handle the minimum spending requirement, as you’ll need to average $1,000 in spending in your first three months. If you spend the full amount in 2X categories, you can end up with 86,000 miles total. That’s roughly an outstanding 25.8 percent return. However, ongoing value drops off significantly after earning the welcome offer.

Perks: Great flight perks

The New United Explorer Card continues to offer solid travel benefits and decent travel protections. However, many of the card’s new additions come with fine print that can make it difficult to fully utilize. If you can manage all this card's benefits, then it could be worthwhile. Let’s break down the many perks:

- Priority boarding and free first checked bag: Checking a bag one-way on United usually can cost $40 or more per person. But as a cardholder, you and one other traveler on your reservation can check your first bags for free.
- Chance to earn Premier status: You’ll earn 1 PQP for every $20 you spend, with a maximum of 1,000 PQPs per year. The more PQPs you earn, the closer you get to achieving Premier status, which comes with elevated travel experiences. You can earn Premier Silver status with a combination of 5,000 PQPs and 15 Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF). If you’re only using PQPs to qualify, you’ll need 6,000 PQPs to reach Premier Silver.
- NEXUS, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® fee credit: Every four years, you can receive a statement credit of up to $120 for reimbursement of application fees for NEXUS, Global Entry or TSA Precheck — a must for frequent flyers.
- Two United Club one-time passes annually: After opening your account and on each account anniversary, you’ll get two one-time passes for the United Club, United’s airport lounge. One-time access costs $59 per person. However, there can be capacity restrictions on using your passes, which can make these difficult to use if you frequent a busy airport.
- Priority boarding
- 25 percent back as a statement credit on United® in-flight purchases
- Complimentary upgrades based on availability
The New United Explorer has a revamped lineup of travel and partner credits. While this list looks amazing at first glance, you’ll find many hoops to jump through and limitations when you dig deeper. It’s these caveats that keep us from giving the card’s perks an exceptional rating. However, the more you can take advantage of these perks, the better the card becomes.
- $100 United TravelBank credit: You’ll earn a $100 United TravelBank credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year. However, these nonrefundable, non-transferrable credits expire 12 months after the issue date. You also can’t use them to pay taxes and fees on award flights, and your travel must begin by the expiration date. While you can accumulate from multiple sources to earn the TravelBank credit, the credit can’t be combined with future flight credits or miles. If you choose to spend your way to this credit, make sure you have a plan to use it.
- 10,000-mile award flight discount: You’ll earn this discount after spending $20,000 once per calendar year. The award discount will appear directly in your United account and essentially functions as a coupon you can apply to an award booking.
- Up to $100 in annual credits on prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels: You can earn up to a $50 statement credit on your first and second prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels, for a maximum of $100 per year. However, make sure you prepay for your booking, otherwise your stay won’t qualify. Also, if you have elite status with a hotel chain, it likely won’t be honored booking through the third-party United Hotels platform.
- Up to $60 in annual credits on rideshare purchases ($5 per month, enrollment required each year): You can get a $5 statement credit each month on rideshare purchases after enrollment, with a maximum of $60 per year. However, you need to re-enroll every year, credits don’t roll over month-to-month and a $5 credit most likely won't cover the full cost of a ride. (Try to think of this credit like covering the tip for the driver.)
- Up to $50 in annual United TravelBank credits when you book Avis or Budget car rentals directly through cars.united.com: You can earn a $25 United TravelBank credit on your first and second car rentals with Avis or Budget when you book through cars.united.com, with a maximum of $50 per year. See the above restrictions on United TravelBank credit. Also, any elite car rental benefits you have may not be honored on your reservations.
- Up to $100 in annual credits on flights purchased directly through JSX: You can earn up to $100 in statement credits on direct flight bookings with JSX, and the credit doesn’t need to be used all at once.
- Up to $120 in annual Instacart credits: You’ll get a $10 monthly Instacart credit after enrolling (through December 31, 2027) that you can apply when checking out with the app. However, you need an Instacart+ membership and must select the credit at checkout. Also, unused credits don’t rollover. Think of this credit like a coupon on your Instacart purchases.
- Complimentary three month Instacart+ membership: You’ll get three free months of Instacart+, then a 25 percent discount of the standard $99 yearly membership fee when you pay with your card. You must activate the benefit by December 31, 2027. If you currently have Instacart+, your membership will pause during the complimentary period.
The New United Explorer also comes with numerous travel protections and that can help save you money and give you peace of mind if your travel doesn’t go as planned. While the card doesn’t match the full set of protections found on premium Chase cards, it covers many of the bases, including:
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Auto rental collision damage insurance
The card also comes with purchase protection and extended warranty coverage, which is fairly standard. You’ll also have access to Visa Concierge services, which can handle many needs to help plan various aspects of your trip.

Why you might want a different travel card

You might want a different travel card with better earning rates or more flexible points. The annual fee could also be difficult to justify.

Rewards: Mediocre earning rates

The New United Explorer card earns United MileagePlus miles, which you can use for booking travel with United or with one of United’s incredibly long list of Star Alliance transfer partners. United has a dynamic pricing structure for its flights. You can take advantage of United’s impressive network of domestic and international routes to book award flights on any dates without restrictions as long as seats are available. Plus, your MileagePlus miles never expire. You’ll earn 2X miles on the following purchases:

United purchases, including flights and incidentals
Restaurant purchases
Eligible delivery services (like Grubhub, Caviar, Seamless and DoorDash)
Hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel

These rates aren’t great, particularly for a card charging a $150 annual fee after the first year. You'll earn higher rewards if you are enrolled in the MileagePlus program – starting at 7X total miles for United flights (5X for being a United MileagePlus member, increases with higher status, 2X from the card) and 5X total miles on hotels booked through United^® Hotels (2X for being a United MileagePlus member, 2X from the card, 1X for prepaying your reservation).

Chase Ultimate Rewards include United as a transfer partner, so you can actually earn significantly more United miles across the board with those cards, which provide much better flexibility. Many co-branded cards at least offer better earning rates on purchases within their brand, but the New United Explorer only offers 2X miles for those purchases if you are not a United MileagePlus member, making it far from the best choice for United purchases.

United miles can also be redeemed in a number of other ways, including for hotel stays, car rentals, cruises and gift cards. But since the redemption value for these options can be considerably lower, it’s best to redeem your miles for flights.

Rates and fees: Tough to justify the fee

After your first year, the annual fee for this card is $150. Not every airline card waives the fee for the first year, so this can be a valuable incentive to give the United Explorer card a try. However, you’ll need to maximize the card’s complicated credits or travel regularly with United for this card to retain its value after the first year.

The New United Explorer card doesn’t charge fees for foreign transactions and the APR for both purchases and balance transfers is typical for a travel rewards card. There isn’t an intro APR offer, so if you’re looking to move debt to a new card, it’s best to look for either a dedicated balance transfer card or a card with an intro APR offer on balance transfers.

We tried it: Here’s what our experts say

Our expert used to find enough value with the previous version of the United Explorer card, but he views the recent changes as a devaluation and plans to move on to better options.

Bankrate staff insights

“I don’t fly United often, but I’ve had this card for years. I’ve always gotten more value than the cost of the annual fee, but with the recent increase, I’ll be closing the card at renewal. The new restrictions to lounge passes, higher cost and coupon credits only make sense for semi-frequent United flyers that spend at certain merchants. If that’s you, this card could be easily worthwhile — just track and use all your benefits.”

Harlan Vaughn, Bankrate credit cards senior editor

Best cards to pair with The New United℠ Explorer Card

If you want to maximize earning United miles, you can pair the New United Explorer card with general travel cards that can transfer points to United, giving you the ability to earn more points in various bonus categories.

How The New United℠ Explorer Card compares to other travel cards

Airline credit cards make the most sense if you’re a loyalist of the brand and its partners. But if you’re not loyal to United, here are other options that may be a better fit.

The New United℠ Explorer Card

Bankrate Score

3.9

Annual fee

$0 Intro Annual fee for the First Year, then $150

Intro offer

Earn 80,000 bonus miles

Rewards rate

1x - 2x

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Bankrate Score

4.1

See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply

Apply now

on American Express's secure site

Annual fee

$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.

Intro offer

Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles

Rewards rate

1X - 2X

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bankrate Score

4.9

See Rates & Fees

Apply now

on Capital One's secure site

Annual fee

$95

Intro offer

Earn 75,000 miles + $250 Capital One Travel credit

Rewards rate

2 Miles - 5 Miles

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

Is The New United℠ Explorer Card right for me?

The New United Explorer Card might still be the best United credit card for regular United travelers. And thanks to its impressive list of airline-specific perks and $0 intro annual fee (then $150 annual fee), the card also has a lot of potential for new or occasional travelers who don’t mind sticking with one airline. Consider this card if you:

Travel regularly with United Airlines
Have a plan to use the majority of the card’s credits and perks
Want to try the card for a year to see if it’s a good fit

Learn more: United MileagePlus Guide

Alternative pick

The New United Explorer Card can potentially offer the most value for United flyers, but another co-branded option may be a better fit based on your travel needs.

The New United Quest℠ Card

Best for frequent United flyers

The New United Club℠ Card

Best for premium United perks

Frequently asked questions

Other than the New United Explorer Card, here are Chase’s additional co-branded offerings and the annual fee:
- New United Gateway℠ Card*: No annual fee
- New United Quest℠ Card: $350 annual fee
- New United Club℠ Card: $695 annual fee

How we rated this card

150+

cards rated

50+

rewards programs valued

1800

data points analyzed

40+

perks evaluated

We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.

Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:

The primary criteria for a rewards or cash back card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.
To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The most recent BLS data estimates average total spending in 2023 was $77,280 per consumer. We then narrow our focus to which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards, subtracting expenditures like housing, vehicle purchases and education. This gives us a total “chargeable” annual spend of around $22,500.
Some of the major spending categories that contribute towards the annual spend include:
- Groceries: $6,000
- Dining out: $3,900
- Entertainment: $2,500
- Gas: $2,400
- Apparel and services: $2,000
Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 26 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.
This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases, as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value.
With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.
We also score each card’s set of features — its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating.
We break down these tiers as follows:
- Tier 1 has less than standard card features (an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits.
- Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges.
- Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection.
- Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs.
- Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.

*All information about the New United Gateway℠ Card, New United Quest℠ Card, New United Explorer℠ Card and New United Club℠ Card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold card, please click here.

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