United Explorer Card
A Chase Visa card with a $150 annual fee. Here's what it pays back after that fee for three spending profiles, simulated month by month. Terms verified Oct 5, 2026.
What it's worth
5 years, the welcome offer counted when the profile's own spending reaches it, rewards valued as cash. Merchant credits like Uber or DoorDash aren't counted for typed profiles. Assumes you fly mostly United.
| Profile | Year 1 | Then yearly | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday spender About $2,000 a month, mostly groceries and errands, one trip a year. | $983 | $133 | $1,516 |
| Balanced About $3,500 a month with a few trips a year and regular dining out. | $1,270 | $420 | $2,950 |
| Frequent traveler About $5,000 a month, heavy on flights, hotels and restaurants, some trips abroad. | $1,654 | $804 | $4,870 |
Your spending isn't one of our profiles. Drop in a year of statements and see where the United Explorer ranks against every card we track. They're read on this device and never uploaded.
Terms
| Term | United Explorer |
|---|---|
| Issuer and network | Chase, Visa |
| Annual fee | $150 ($0 first year) |
| Requires | Nothing extra |
| Welcome offer | 70,000 points after $3,000 in 3 months |
| Earning | 3x on United purchases (tickets, seat upgrades, Economy Plus, inflight purchases, bag fees and other United fees) · 2x on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services · 2x on hotel stays booked directly with the hotel · 1x on everything else |
| Rewards currency | United MileagePlus miles |
| Statement credits | Up to $100 a year in United Hotels credits ($50 on each of your first 2 prepaid stays) · Up to $5 a month in rideshare credits ($60 a year) · $10 monthly Instacart credit (with Instacart+) · Up to $50 a year in United TravelBank cash on Avis or Budget rentals ($25 each, first 2 rentals) · Up to $100 a year in JSX credits · $100 United TravelBank cash after $10,000 in card spend each calendar year |
| Lounges | United Club |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
| Authorized users | No fee |
| Availability | Open to new applicants |
| Verified | Oct 5, 2026 |
Checked against the issuer's page. Dates and sources for each part.
Fine print
- Annual fee is $0 the first year, then $150 (raised from $95 in the 2025 refresh, which added the partner credits).
- Earn is 3x on United purchases (Chase page and rewards terms as of 2026-10-05), 2x dining and hotels booked direct, 1x everything else.
- Since April 2, 2026, United gives MileagePlus members who hold a United card 6 miles per $1 on United fares instead of 3, plus miles on Basic Economy (which earns nothing without a card). Chase advertises this as '9x total' on United flights.
- United miles: conservative fixed value of 1.0 cent each, United's Money + Miles rate for cardholders (miles applied toward a cash United fare). Typical saver-award values are higher (NerdWallet 1.2c, TPG 1.25c in August 2026).
- Variable APRs are based on the 7.00% prime rate as of 9/22/2026 (Prime + 12.99% to 21.49%). No authorized-user fee is listed in pricing & terms.
- The usual product change is to the no-annual-fee United Gateway Card, which isn't in the catalog. Chase generally doesn't convert United cards to Ultimate Rewards cards.
Already have it? Is the United Explorer still worth $150 a year?