Card economics
United Explorer Card
Annual fee
$150/yr
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Welcome offers change frequently — check the issuer's page for the current offer.
Earn rates
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
| Other United Purchases | 3x |
| United Airfare | 3x |
| Dining | 2x |
| Hotels outside issuer portals | 2x |
| Everything else | 1xBase rate |
Fee calculator
Sticker Fee
$150/yr
Credits
-$120
Effective Fee
$30
Credits & Benefits
Max: $120/yr · annual
Up to $120/year in Instacart statement credits. Requires Instacart purchases.
Max: $60/yr · annual
Up to $60/year in rideshare statement credits.
Max: $120/yr · every_4_years
Up to $120 every 4 years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS (~$30/yr effective).
Max: $100/yr · annual
$100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year. Threshold-gated.
Max: $50/yr · annual
Up to $50/year on Avis or Budget car rentals booked direct. Merchant-gated.
Max: $100/yr · annual
Up to $100/year on prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels. Merchant-gated.
Max: $100/yr · annual
Up to $100/year on JSX semi-private flights. Merchant-gated.
Catalog record last reviewed Aug 2, 2026. Issuer terms and available offers control and may change.
Next step
One card is a start. The modeled setup is the whole wallet.
The United Explorer Card might be useful on its own, but the modeled combination depends on your total spending. The optimizer searches eligible portfolios and clearly labels whether the result was proven optimal within that run's inputs or is the strongest valid setup found before timeout.
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