United Explorer Card

Rewards by category

Our take

The United Explorer Card is built for people who actually board United planes, not just anyone chasing travel rewards. It earns 3x miles on United-operated purchases such as airfare, seat upgrades, and in-flight spending, plus 2x on dining and hotel stays. At SwipeCaddy's conservative 1.1-cent valuation for United MileagePlus miles, those 2x categories work out to roughly 2.2% back, respectable for everyday restaurant and hotel spending.

The honest math: the $150 annual fee is waived the first year, but after that you are paying real money for a miles card with a 1x base rate. Miles are not cash, and that 3x headline applies only to United-operated purchases; flights on other airlines earn the 1x base rate. If most of your flying is spread across carriers, a general travel card likely serves you better.

In a small wallet, treat this as the United and dining specialist, not the everything card. Its 1x base rate is worth about 1.1% at SwipeCaddy's valuation, so route groceries, gas, and other everyday spending to a flat-rate cash-back card instead. One point in its favor abroad: it charges no foreign transaction fees, so it is a safe Visa to hand over when you land.

The math

Run $400 a month of dining through this card and you're earning about $106 a year at our conservative valuations. Against the $150 annual fee, that top rate needs roughly $6,250 a month of dining spend before it beats a no-fee flat 2% card.

Store bonuses

• United Airlines3x

Common questions

Does United Explorer Card have an annual fee?

Yes — $150 per year.

What does United Explorer Card earn on dining?

2x on dining.

What rewards does United Explorer Card earn on everything else?

1x on all other purchases, in United MileagePlus.

Does the United Explorer Card charge foreign transaction fees?

No. The United Explorer Card charges no foreign transaction fees, so purchases made abroad cost the same as they would at home. It runs on the Visa network. Just remember that spending outside dining, hotels, and United purchases earns only the 1x base rate, so save it for its bonus categories even overseas.

Does the United Explorer Card earn 3x on flights with other airlines?

No. The 3x rate covers United-operated purchases only: airfare, Economy Plus, seat upgrades, and in-flight spending. Book another carrier and you fall to the 1x base rate. On United itself the picture improves, since with MileagePlus base earning included, United flights can total roughly 9x. If you split flying across airlines, pair it with a broader travel card.

Related reading

• How we value points and miles (and why our numbers are lower than everyone else's)SwipeCaddy ranks cards by reward rate × a conservative cash value per point: 1¢ for cash back and transferable points (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt), 1.1–1.3¢ for airline miles, 0.4–1.4¢ for hotel points, and 0.8–0.9¢ for store currencies. Optimistic transfer values are recorded for context but never ranked, because most people never achieve them.