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United℠ Explorer Card

United MileagePlus

Welcome bonus

70,000 miles

≈ $875 at 1.25¢ per mile

after $3,000 spend in 3 months

Annual fee$150$0 the first year

Value per mile~1.25¢median of 6 published valuations

First-year value*$1,373easy credits counted · $1,343 with none

Year 2+ value*$348each year after the first, after the fee · $318 with no credits

$150 fee vs $460+ in stated credits a yearFace value. You’d use $30 by our default → yearly cost after year 1 $120 ↓

Worth ~1.25¢/mi, median of 6 published valuations

AwardWallet 2.09¢
One Mile at a Time 1.3¢
Frequent Miler (RRV) 1.3¢
The Points Guy 1.2¢
NerdWallet 1.2¢
Upgraded Points 1.2¢

Range 1.2–2.09¢. No published value from Bankrate. Checked 2026-10-23. How we use these

See the offer on Chase’s site ↗ Run your own numbers

Data checked by Chris Manns · Last updated October 23, 2026

Source: Chase card page · checked October 23, 2026. *Value uses our sample profile ($31,100/yr spend, no favorite airline or hotel) and the community value of 1.25¢ per mile (median of published valuations) — see method.

Credits & perks

Annual fee$150$0 the first year

Stated credits a year$460+face value, as Chase states it

+ $100 more only if you hit a yearly spend threshold
Chase also states $100/yr of value for perks such as lounge access (listed below, not in this total)

Face value isn’t real value. A $25-a-month credit for something you’d never buy is worth $0 to you, and most credits are use-it-or-lose-it by month, quarter or half-year. Tick only what you’d spend on anyway.

Which would you actually use?

Our assumption: the boxes ticked to start are the “easy” credits: broad, flexible or automatic (general travel credits, airline-fee credits on any airline, Global Entry/TSA, anniversary free nights). Niche or single-merchant credits start unticked. Your choices are saved in this browser and also used by the calculator.

United Hotels credit$100/yr$50 on each of the 1st and 2nd prepaid stays, each anniversary year · Prepaid hotel stays booked through United Hotels.niche co-brand
Rideshare credits$60/yrup to $5/mo · Enrollment required; monthly, use it or lose it.niche rideshare
Avis / Budget United TravelBank cash$50/yr$25 on each of the 1st and 2nd rentals, each anniversary year · Rentals booked via mileageplustravel.united.com; TravelBank cash expires after 12 months.niche co-brand
Instacart credits$120/yr$10/mo · Purchases made directly through Instacart with the card; monthly credit does not roll over. Benefit ends 12/31/2027.niche ends 2027-12-31 delivery
JSX flight credit$100/yrup to $100 each anniversary year · Flights booked directly with JSX.niche co-brand
United TravelBank cash after $10,000 spend$100/yr$100 once per calendar year · Needs $10,000 in purchases in the calendar year; TravelBank cash expires after 12 months.niche needs $10,000/yr spend co-brand
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS application fee credit$120 every 4 yrs ≈ $30/yrup to $120 once every 4 years · Pay the application fee with the card; one credit every 4 years.easy airport
2 United Club one-time passes per year$100/yrissuer-statedChase: “Over a $100 value”. A perk, not a statement credit: ticking it counts the issuer’s figure as money saved.lounge unticked by default

Your net cost$120Yearly cost after year 1: annual fee − credits you’ll use ($30)

Year 2+ value*$348each year after the first, after the annual fee, with your ticks

First-year value*$1,373bonus + earning + credits − fee

Counts each ticked credit at 100% of face value. Global Entry/TSA counts as a quarter a year. Free nights use our point values. *At our sample profile; how credits are counted.

Perks with no stated $ value

Lounges, status, bags and similar. We don’t put a number on these unless the issuer does.

bags Free first checked bag for you and one companion (United: “save up to $200 per roundtrip”)
boarding Group 2 priority boarding (Chase: “a value of $48 per person per roundtrip”)
other 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20,000 spend in a calendar year
other 25% back on United inflight food, drinks and Wi-Fi

Source: Chase card page and benefit terms · checked 2026-10-23.

How it earns

3x United only Flights (booked with the airline)
2x Hotels (booked with the hotel)
2x Dining & takeout
1x everything else

Card earns 3x on United purchases; MileagePlus members earn another 6x on fares (program miles, not modeled).

Offer details

70,000 miles after $3,000 in 3 months
Plus 10,000 miles after adding an authorized user in the first 3 months

Annual fee $150 ($0 the first year). Credits from the issuer page are in Credits & perks above.

Questions about the United Explorer Card

What is the United Explorer Card welcome bonus?

70,000 miles after $3,000 in 3 months, about $875 at the median published point value, per Chase’s card page checked October 23, 2026.

What is the United Explorer Card annual fee?

$150 a year ($0 the first year), as listed on Chase’s page on October 23, 2026.

How much are its miles worth?

About 1.25¢ each: the median of 6 published valuations (range 1.2–2.09¢), checked October 23, 2026.

What credits does the United Explorer Card include?

$460 a year in stated credits at face value, across 7 credits. By our default (only easy, flexible credits) you’d use $30, so the yearly cost after year 1 is $120.

Is the United Explorer Card worth it?

It depends on your spending. At our sample profile ($31,100 a year, easy credits only) it comes to $1,373 in the first year and $348 each year after (Year 2+ value, after the annual fee). Enter your own numbers in the calculator.

Data notes:

Chase page header also shows “up to 60,000 / 80,000” strike-through text; we use the offer-details figure (70,000 miles after $3,000).

The math at our sample profile

Sample: Dining & takeout $4,800 · Groceries $7,200 · Gas & EV charging $2,400 · Flights (booked with the airline) $2,000 · Hotels (booked with the hotel) $1,500 · Other travel $1,200 · Everything else $12,000. Credits: our default “easy” ticks.

Welcome bonus: 70,000 miles × 1.25¢	$875
A year of earning: 37,400 miles × 1.25¢	$468
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS application fee credit ($120 ÷ 4 yrs)	$30
Annual fee	−$150 (yr 1: $0)
First year / Year 2+	$1,373 / $348

Use my own spending →

Verify everything on the issuer’s site before applying; offers change and may differ for you. We don’t list APRs: see the issuer’s pricing & terms. TravelCardMath earns nothing from this card today.