United Explorer Benefits, Credits & Annual Fee

• 50,000 United miles; another 10,000 miles for adding an authorized user

  $3,000 qualifying purchases; add an authorized user First 3 months from account opening Unavailable to current holders of this card or prior holders receiving its new-card bonus within 24 months. 50,000 miles require $3,000 qualifying purchases. Another 10,000 miles require adding an authorized user in the first 3 months, capped at one bonus; user must remain on account at fulfillment. Miles do not count toward Premier status. Account must be open and not in default; allow 6-8 weeks. Bonus miles may be deducted if account closes before 6 months. Qualifying purchases exclude balance transfers, cash advances and equivalents, gambling, fees, interest and fraudulent charges.

  Checked Sep 10, 2026Source

• $10 Instacart Credit$10 / moTrackable

  Get a $10 statement credit each month on Instacart purchases, up to $120 per calendar year. Pay with your Explorer Card directly through Instacart to earn the credit. This benefit is available through December 31, 2027.

  Resets: MonthlyChecked Sep 30, 2026
• $100 TravelBank Cash after $10,000 Spend$100 / yrTrackableMin spend $10,000

  Earn $100 in TravelBank cash after spending $10,000 on purchases each calendar year with your United Explorer Card. Limit of one TravelBank cash credit per eligible Cardmember each calendar year. Use toward future United or United Express flights.

  Resets: Calendar yearChecked Sep 14, 2026
• United Hotels Credit (2 of 2)$50 / yrTrackable

  One of 2 $50 credits each cardmember year, one per United Hotels booking. Up to $100 in credits for United Hotels ($50 each on your first two bookings per cardmember year)

  Resets: Cardmember yearChecked Oct 1, 2026
• Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS Application Fee Credit$120 / 4yrTrackable

  Get reimbursed up to $120 for a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee. Pay the fee with your Explorer Card and the statement credit follows. You can use it once every 4 years.

  Resets: Every 4 yearsChecked Oct 9, 2026
• JSX Flights Credit$100 / yrTrackable

  Get up to $100 back per anniversary year as a statement credit on flights booked directly with JSX, a hop-on jet service. Pay with your Explorer Card when booking on JSX's website or app to earn the credit.

  Resets: Card anniversaryChecked May 22, 2026
• Rideshare Credit$5 / moTrackableEnrollment required

  Get up to $5 back per month as a statement credit on rideshare purchases, worth up to $60 per calendar year. Enroll each year to activate the benefit - yearly opt-in is required.

  Resets: MonthlyChecked May 22, 2026
• 25% Back on United Inflight and Club Premium Drink Purchases

  Get 25% back as a statement credit on food, beverages, and Wi-Fi purchased on United-operated flights, plus United Club premium drinks. Pay with your Explorer Card for the purchase to qualify. Applies only on United-operated flights.

  Checked May 22, 2026
• United Hotels Credit (1 of 2)$50 / yrTrackableMin charge $100

  Get a $50 statement credit on each of your first two prepaid hotel stays, up to $100 per anniversary year. Book directly through United Hotels and pay with your Explorer Card. Stays must be prepaid to qualify.

  Resets: Card anniversaryChecked Oct 9, 2026
• Instacart+ Complimentary Membership

  Get three months of Instacart+ membership free, which includes unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees on eligible orders. After the trial, you're automatically enrolled in Instacart+ at 25% off the annual rate. This benefit runs through December 31, 2027.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026

Travel Benefits

• Miles redemption for card charges

  Use miles earned with your card for a statement credit against United ticket purchases or your annual card membership fee. Choose an applicable charge and redeem miles through Chase. This option is limited to those types of charges.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026
• Priority Boarding

  Board before general boarding with priority boarding for the primary cardmember and companions on the same reservation. Use it when boarding your flight. Authorized users qualify only when traveling on the primary cardmember's reservation.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026
• United award flight discounted pricing

  Save at least 10% in miles on United award flights through cardmember award pricing. Book an award flight operated by United or United Express using your miles to see the discounted pricing. Premier members can save more.

  Checked Oct 9, 2026
• First Checked Bag Free

  Primary cardmember and one companion on the same reservation each get a first standard checked bag free on United- and United Express-operated flights when the primary Cardmember purchases the ticket(s) with the United Explorer Card.

  Checked Sep 14, 2026
• Premier Upgrades on Award Tickets

  If you hold United MileagePlus Premier status and are traveling on an award ticket, you and one companion on the same reservation are eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades on select United and United Express flights. Upgrades are subject to availability.

  Checked May 22, 2026
• Award Flight Discount Miles10,000 mi / yrTrackableMin spend $20,000

  Spend $20,000 with your United Explorer Card on Purchases in a calendar year and earn one 10,000-mile award flight discount on eligible award travel on a United- or United Express-operated flight. Limit one per cardmember per calendar year.

  Resets: Calendar yearChecked Sep 14, 2026

Lounge Access

• United Club One-Time PassesTrackable

  Get two United Club one-time passes for lounge entry. They're added to the primary cardmember's MileagePlus account after account opening and every 12 months after. Your card account must stay open to keep receiving them.

  Resets: Card anniversaryChecked Oct 9, 2026

Rental Car

• Auto Rental Coverage

  Decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the full rental cost to your Explorer Card to get primary coverage for theft and collision damage. Covers up to $60,000 for most rental vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or less.

  Checked Sep 26, 2026
• Avis and Budget TravelBank Credit (1 of 2)$25 / yrTrackable

  One of 2 $25 credits each anniversary year, one per Avis or Budget rental. Earn $25 in United TravelBank cash on your first eligible Avis or Budget purchase and $25 on your second eligible purchase each account-anniversary year (up to $50). Minimum two-day rentals with required discount codes. Credits post to MileagePlus as TravelBank cash.

  Resets: Card anniversaryChecked Oct 1, 2026
• Avis and Budget TravelBank Credit (2 of 2)$25 / yrTrackable

  One of 2 $25 credits each anniversary year, one per Avis or Budget rental. Earn $25 in United TravelBank cash on your first eligible Avis or Budget purchase and $25 on your second eligible purchase each account-anniversary year (up to $50). Minimum two-day rentals with required discount codes. Credits post to MileagePlus as TravelBank cash.

  Resets: Card anniversaryChecked Oct 1, 2026

Travel Insurance

• Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Insurance

  Covers pre-paid, non-refundable passenger fares if your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, or other covered situations. Get reimbursed up to $1,500 per covered traveler and up to $6,000 per trip.

  Checked Sep 26, 2026
• Trip Delay Reimbursement

  Covers unreimbursed expenses like meals and lodging when your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay. Get up to $500 per covered traveler to cover those out-of-pocket costs.

  Checked Sep 26, 2026
• Baggage Delay Insurance

  Covers essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours. Get reimbursed up to $100 per day for up to 3 days, for a maximum of $300 per delay.

  Checked Sep 26, 2026
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement

  Covers the cost to repair or replace checked or carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged, or stolen during a covered trip. Reimbursement is up to $3,000 per covered traveler.

  Checked Sep 26, 2026

Bonus Earnings

• 9x Miles on United Flights9x miles

  Earn up to 9 total miles per dollar on eligible United flights: 6 on the primary cardmember's fare as a MileagePlus member, plus 3 on the entire United purchase paid with the Explorer Card. Basic Economy and base option tickets earn differently; Premier members can earn more.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026
• 3x Miles on Other United Purchases3x miles

  Earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible United purchases that aren't flights - think seat upgrades, in-flight Wi-Fi, and United Club day passes. Use your card on united.com or at the airport to earn this rate.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026
• 2x Miles on Dining and Hotel Stays2x miles

  Earn 2 miles per dollar at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, and on hotel stays booked directly with the hotel. Booking through a third-party site won't qualify for the hotel bonus. There's no cap on miles earned in either category.

  Checked Sep 28, 2026
• 1x Miles on All Other Purchases1x miles

  Every purchase that doesn't fall into a higher earning category earns 1 mile per dollar spent. This base rate applies to all eligible purchases with no spending caps or category restrictions.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026
• Premier Qualifying Points Earn

  Earn 1 Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) for every $20 spent on purchases with your Explorer Card, up to 1,000 PQP per calendar year. These PQP count toward qualifying for United MileagePlus Premier status.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026

Purchase Protection

• Purchase Protection

  New eligible purchases made with your Explorer Card are covered against damage or theft for 120 days from the purchase date. Coverage is up to $10,000 per item.

  Checked Sep 26, 2026
• Extended Warranty Protection

  Adds one extra year of coverage to eligible U.S. manufacturer's warranties of three years or less. Coverage extends up to four years from the original purchase date.

  Checked Oct 9, 2026

Concierge & Membership

• Visa Signature Concierge

  Get access to complimentary Visa Signature Concierge service, available 24 hours a day. Contact the concierge for assistance when you need it. The service itself is complimentary, but any purchases or bookings you make are separate charges.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026

Entertainment

• MileagePlus Exclusives

  Use MileagePlus miles for experiences offered through MileagePlus Exclusives, such as dinners, concerts, sporting events, or behind-the-scenes United events. Browse available opportunities and redeem miles for one you want. Offerings depend on availability and can change.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026
• United Card Events from Chase

  Get opportunities to purchase United Card Events experiences through Chase. Look for available cardmember events and buy access to an experience that interests you. Access is an opportunity to purchase, not a free event ticket.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026

Fees & Miscellaneous

• Referral bonus miles10,000 mi / yr

  Earn 10,000 bonus miles for each friend you refer who is approved for a United MileagePlus Card. Share your referral with friends and earn miles when they are approved. Referral earnings are capped at 100,000 bonus miles per year.

  Checked Oct 9, 2026
• Introductory Annual Fee Waiver$150

  Your first year with the card costs nothing - the $150 annual fee is automatically waived for new cardholders. Starting in year two, the standard $150 annual fee applies.

  Checked Sep 30, 2026
• No Foreign Transaction Fees

  Purchases made outside the U.S. with your Explorer Card are not subject to foreign transaction fees. This applies to all international purchases, whether in-person or online.

  Checked May 22, 2026