The Explorer is the sensible middle of United's personal lineup: a $150 annual fee bought back quickly by a free first checked bag on United flights, two United Club one-time passes a year, and a $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit every four years. It earns 3 miles per dollar on eligible United purchases, 2 on dining and hotels, and 1 on everything else, so it rewards United loyalty without asking you to route all your spending through it. Chase trimmed the welcome offer from 60,000 to 50,000 miles in May 2026, and the current bonus is 50,000 after $3,000 in three months, plus 10,000 more for adding an authorized user in that window. The pile of smaller credits for United Hotels, rideshare, Avis and Budget, Instacart, and JSX looks generous on paper, but most arrive monthly, several need annual opt-in, and the Instacart credit ends after December 31, 2027, so only count the ones you will genuinely use. It sits eighth on our Best Airline Credit Cards list, and for an occasional United flyer the bag waiver alone usually settles the math.
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.