Skip to content
All cards

Card economics

United Explorer Card

Chase currently offers a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year; the ongoing $150 annual fee is what the optimizer models.

ChaseVisaUnited MileagePlusUsually needs 670+

Annual fee

$150/yr

Foreign transaction fee

None

Run the optimizer — freeI have this card — optimize with it
View issuer offer

Some links may become affiliate links; today none pay us. Commissions are not solver inputs or ranking criteria; issuer terms, eligibility, channel offers, and your assumptions control the modeled result. Read the affiliate disclosure

Welcome offers change frequently — check the issuer's page for the current offer.

Earn rates

Earn rates for United Explorer Card
CategoryRate
Other United Purchases3x
United Airfare3x
Dining2x
Hotels outside issuer portals2x
Everything else1xBase rate

Benefits not in the math

Free checked bags

First standard checked bag free for the cardholder and one companion on the same reservation.

Issuer source

Airline club passes

Two United Club one-time passes each account anniversary year.

Issuer source

Seating and boarding

Priority boarding for the cardholder and companions on the same reservation.

Issuer source

Counted at $0 unless you assign a value in a Premium perk-value profile.

Fee calculator

Sticker Fee

$150/yr

Credits

-$60

Effective Fee

$90

Credits & Benefits

Instacart CreditConditional

Max: $120/yr ($10/mo) · monthly

/yr

$10/month Instacart credit, up to $120 per calendar year, for purchases made directly through Instacart, through 12/31/27. Requires an active Instacart+ membership (3 months free, then about $74/yr), so it is counted at $0 like the Southwest Priority and IHG Instacart+ credits.

Rideshare CreditConditional

Max: $60/yr · annual

/yr

Up to $60/year in rideshare statement credits ($5/month). Enrollment required.

Global Entry / TSA PreCheckEasy

Max: $30/yr · counted per year; renews every 4 years

/yr

Up to $120 every 4 years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS (~$30/yr effective).

United Travel CreditConditional

Max: $100/yr · annual

/yr

$100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year. Threshold-gated.

Avis/Budget Car Rental CreditConditional

Max: $50/yr · annual

/yr

Up to $50/year on Avis or Budget car rentals booked direct. Merchant-gated.

United Hotels CreditConditional

Max: $100/yr · annual

/yr

Up to $100/year on prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels. Merchant-gated.

JSX CreditConditional

Max: $100/yr · annual

/yr

Up to $100/year on JSX semi-private flights. Merchant-gated.

Use these values with a card I hold

Adds this card to your current wallet and keeps your spending. Premium uses your edited credit values; Free uses conservative defaults. The optimizer may recommend a different wallet.

Catalog record last reviewed Oct 11, 2026; see the Corrections page for later changes. Issuer terms and available offers control and may change.

Official issuer page

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.

Run the optimizer — freeI have this card — optimize with it

Comparisons featuring United Explorer Card

Guides that discuss United Explorer Card