Credit card for United flights
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays, and United® purchases
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining including eligible delivery services
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Our Take
The rewards rate of Chase's United Explorer card is on the low end for co-branded airline credit cards at 2x miles on United purchases, dining and hotels, but it does offer decent value through its new card member sign-on bonus and waived baggage fees. In many cases, you'd be better off with a no-annual-fee cash-back credit card if you don't spend a high amount on travel and dining each year. But if you value priority boarding and check a bag every time you fly United, the Explorer card is worth considering. Generally, United's credit cards don't compare well with the other airlines when it comes to overall value, so this recommendation is really the best of some not-so-great options.
The United Explorer card offers 2x miles on United purchases, 2x miles on dining and hotels and 1x miles on all other purchases. The card's $95 annual fee is waived the first year of ownership and new cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months.