United Explorer Card by Chase: 3x flights / airfare on eligible United purchases, 2x dining & restaurants, 2x hotels booked direct, 1x everything else.…
The United Explorer Card is Chase's mid-tier credit card. The $150/yr annual fee includes a 70,000-point welcome bonus after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. Plus 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first 3 months (Chase: "Earn up to 80,000 bonus miles"). $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150. Verified on Chase 2026-10-02; no end date stated. Beyond the welcome bonus, here's what the card actually delivers.
| Credit | Value | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Avis/Budget car rental credit | $50/yr | Up to $50/yr in United TravelBank cash ($25 each on the first two Avis or Budget car rentals per anniversary year) |
| Rideshare credit | $60/yr ($5/mo) | Up to $5/mo back as a statement credit on rideshare purchases ($60/yr); enrollment required |
| Instacart credit | $120/yr ($10/mo) | $10/mo in Instacart credits ($120/yr) for purchases made directly through Instacart. Benefits end 12/31/27 |
| United Hotels credit | $100/yr | Up to $100/yr in statement credits on prepaid hotel stays through United Hotels ($50 on each of the first two stays per anniversary year) |
| JSX flight credit | $100/yr | Up to $100/yr back as a statement credit on flights booked directly with JSX |
| United travel credit (after $10K spend) | $100/yr | Earn $100 in United TravelBank cash after spending $10,000 on purchases each calendar year. Usable toward future United/United Express flights. |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS application fee | $120/quadrennial | Statement credit up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee charged to the card. |
Welcome bonus value (year one): ~$910. Annual statement credits: $650. Minus the $150 annual fee = ~$1410 in year-one net value before any spending earn. RewardsGuru rating: 4.6/5 — based on our net-value methodology.
Best fit: someone whose category spending matches the card's earn multipliers. Skip if: your spending pattern is flat across categories — a 2% flat-rate card would beat this.
70,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. At our ~1.3¢/pt valuation, that's roughly $910 in real value.
Year-one math: welcome bonus value (~$910) + annual credits ($650) − $150 fee = ~$1410 net before spending earn. Year-two onward, the credits alone need to clear $150 — they do. Worth it if you'll use the credits, skip if you'd let them expire.
7 recurring statement credits: Avis/Budget car rental credit ($50/yr), Rideshare credit ($60/mo), Instacart credit ($120/mo), United Hotels credit ($100/yr), JSX flight credit ($100/yr), United travel credit (after $10K spend) ($100/yr), Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS application fee ($120). Total: $650/yr.
Check the card's terms — most premium travel cards waive foreign transaction fees, while no-fee and entry-tier cards usually charge 2-3%. Chase's product page has the current rate.