For the past few weeks I’ve been considering adding a new card to my wallet. There are many great cards on the market today thanks to increased competition among card issuers. After a ton of comparing various cards I’ve basically narrowed it down to two very different cards. One being the Chase Ink Plus card and the other being the Citi Executive AAdvantage card. Both cards offer very different benefits, but currently offer fairly generous sign-up offers.
The decision became even harder when I logged into my United Airlines MileagePlus account yesterday. United is quietly pushing a targeted sign-up bonus offer for 70,000 United miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days. Typically this card comes with a 50,000 mile sign-up bonus, but the increased offer may be enough to convince me to sign-up for the card.
United MileagePlus Explorer Card From Chase
I’ve long avoided opening a United, or any other co-bradnded credit card, because I much prefer transferable points currencies. I like the flexibility offered by Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Amex Membership Rewards points. Usually I feel a little trapped when I open a co-branded card and earn that brand’s currency.
This higher sign-up bonus however may just be the incentive I need to open the card. The offer is only valid to those who do not currently have or have opened the MileagePlus Explorer card in the prior 24 months. Since I’ve never opened a United card before I’m definitely eligible. Also, I got lucky and was targeted for the offer. I’ve tried reaching the offer page a few different ways, but it seems the only way is to go to the United website and log into your MileagePlus account. The offer should appear after logging into your account. Interestingly the offer only appeared on the desktop version of the website, not the mobile or tablet versions. Lastly, if you visit TheExplorerCard.Com/70k3k webpage the page defaults to the standard 50,000 mile offer.
MileagePlus Explorer Card Summary
I’ll most likely do a more detailed review of the card in the coming weeks, but for now I’ll highlight what I like about the card.
- $95 Annual Fee
- 70,000 United MileagePlus Sign-Up Bonus
- 2 United Club Passes Annually
- First Checked Bag Free
- “Priority” Boarding
I typically do not fly United and currently don’t maintain any level of status with the airline. Having this card open guarantees I’ll board in boarding group 2. Although boarding group two is quite large, in most instances group 2 will be high enough to avoid having to check a carry-on bag. Assuming you fly a few United economy flights a year, that convenience alone may help justify the annual fee.
Also, 70,000 UnitedPlus Miles are quite valuable. When I was recently searching for one way award flights on StarAlliance I had no problem finding premium cabin saver level award flights. In fact, I just searched award flights from Chicago to Johannesburg and found a saver level business class flight for 80,000 miles each way. The same flight has a current retail value of $5,000! Not bad for a card with a $95 annual fee.
Lastly, I value the 2 United Club passes at around $50 each which helps justify the annual fee alone. As of now, card members receive 2 United Club passes each year which helps cancel out the annual fee, ugh, annually. The only downside is that the passes only allow one visitor with no guest privileges. If you’re traveling with someone you’ll have to use both passes at that time.
Final Thoughts
I’ve long considered opening this card, but the 50,000 sign-up offer was never quite enough. The new 70,000 miles sign-up bonus is quite generous and United miles are actually very valuable. Delta keeps devaluing the SkyPesos program and American SAAver awards are nearly impossible to come by, but United Saver Premium cabin awards are easy to find for most dates. I’m not sure that I’d open an American or Delta credit card at the moment, but this United Mileage Explorer card now makes sense.
I’m excited to open this card and get the miles, but also to keep it open in perpetuity. I’ve recently started traveling much less frequently, but on longer flights. I don’t value American AAdvantage status in the same way I once did. Now I’m more of a “free agent” for domestic travel and willing to take whichever airline is cheapest at the time I need. Since I’ll occasionally need to take United flights, but don’t have United status I want to get stuck in boarding groups Group 3-5. Also it’ll be nice to visit one or two United clubs each year.
