Same fee, different airline bet
United Explorer and Delta SkyMiles Gold charge the identical $150 annual fee and sit at the entry tier of their respective airline co-brand lineups. Home-airline mile earning on flights isn't one of this app's modeled spend categories, so this comparison covers what both cards actually pay and credit outside of that — dining, one other everyday category each, and their statement credits.
What each card bonuses
| United Explorer ($150) | Delta SkyMiles Gold ($150) | |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | 2x | 2x |
| Hotels | 2x | — |
| Groceries (in-store & online) | — | 2x |
| Everything else | 1x | 1x |
| Category caps | None | None |
Both bonus dining at the same 2x rate with no cap. Past that, they split: United Explorer adds 2x on hotels, while Delta Gold adds 2x on both grocery buckets instead. A household with heavier grocery spend leans toward Delta Gold on the rate table alone; one that books more hotels outside a Delta-specific stay leans toward United Explorer.
The credit lists aren't close
United Explorer carries six statement credits: Instacart ($120/yr, modeled conservatively at $60), a rideshare credit ($60/yr, modeled at $30), Global Entry/TSA PreCheck ($120 every 4 years, worth about $30/yr and the only credit on either card we flag as genuinely easy to use), a $100 United travel credit that only unlocks after $10,000 in calendar-year spend (modeled at $0), a $50 Avis/Budget credit tied to direct bookings (modeled at $0), a $100 United Hotels credit (modeled at $0), and a $100 JSX credit for semi-private flights (modeled at $0).
Delta Gold carries three: a $100 Delta Stays hotel credit that requires booking through Delta's own portal (modeled at $0), a $200 flight credit that only unlocks after $10,000 in calendar-year spend (modeled at $0), and a rideshare credit worth up to $120/yr that requires enrollment and — notably — doesn't even activate until after your first card renewal (also modeled at $0).
None of Delta Gold's three credits clear our bar for "easy to use." United Explorer has the same problem with five of its six, but its Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit is straightforward enough to count roughly $30/year of real value.
What that means for the real cost
In modeled terms, United Explorer nets to about $120/year after its one reliable credit; Delta Gold nets to close to the full $150/year sticker price, since none of its credits are counted as reliably capturable. Both cards' bigger financial case rests on the value of miles toward the airline you actually fly — which is exactly the part this app doesn't price in.
Who should pick which
- Delta flyer with heavier grocery spend: Delta Gold's grocery bonus and airline tie make sense despite the weaker modeled credit list.
- United flyer who books hotels and dines out: United Explorer's hotel bonus plus its one usable credit edge it ahead on everything outside mile-earning.
- No loyalty to either airline: skip both — a flat-rate no-fee card like Citi Double Cash will out-earn either of these on the categories this app optimizes, without locking you into miles for an airline you don't fly.
Run the optimizer with your real spend to see how these compare against your actual wallet, not just the rate table.
Data verified as of July 20, 2026.
Want the live numbers side by side? See the United Explorer vs. Delta SkyMiles Gold comparison page — it renders current rates and fees straight from our verified card data.