The United Credit Card: Why You Need the United MileagePlus Explorer Card

Anyone that travels frequently wants to know which airline card is the best one, and the United credit card is one of the most commonly asked about airline credit cards. The United MileagePlus Explorer card is designed for anyone looking for an airline credit card with which they can make purchases and earn miles for free travel, free upgrades and other perks. What makes this card even more exciting is that anyone who decides the United credit card is for them is going to earn additional perks. When it comes to choosing the best airline credit card, it’s important to remember that most airline credit cards offer other perks in addition to airline miles; and those are sometimes even more important than the miles themselves.

The United credit card is one of those cards with more to offer than just the chance to earn free miles and free travel rewards. What consumers get with the United credit card is a chance to earn a large sign-up bonus, periodic bonuses and even free checked luggage. What makes this card great for many passengers is that it makes every single United flight work to your financial advantage. What it does not work for is travelers who are not loyal to United and are not able to travel more than five times  per year.

To make an airline card such as the United credit card the most beneficial, anyone using the card must fly United most of the time, and must use this airline at least five times per year. If you are not someone able to do either, an airline credit card – particularly the United credit card – is likely not the credit card for you. With miles that do not expire and a chance to earn unlimited miles when using this card, United travelers are pleased to know that this is one of the better cards in the business. Airlines are known for offering their customers more benefits to travel with them; it helps them earn money and it helps them keep their flights full.

Who is the United Credit Card For?

The United credit card is for anyone who wants to apply for it, really. However, that does not automatically make it a great card for certain people. As we discussed above, the United credit card is certainly much better for frequent fliers than not. It’s also much more beneficial to anyone who uses United for most of their flights. Like we said before, you should travel on United Airlines at least 5 times each year to make this card worth it for you.

It helps to do some research to find out if the routes you choose to fly the most are covered by United. It’s one of the biggest airlines in the United States, so it’s likely to go most everywhere you go. However, you might want to check before you apply for the United credit card to ensure that you are able to use this airline often. For example, if you live in Hawaii, you might find that United is not the most convenient airline for you depending on where you travel the most. If you live in one of the major United Airlines hubs, for example, you might find that this is a great airline credit card for you. United Airlines hubs include cities such as:

• Chicago
• San Francisco
• Denver
• Washington D.C.
• Los Angeles
• Newark
• Houston
• London
• Guam
• Tokyo
• Guam
• Frankfurt

These major airports across the country and the world are primary destinations for United Airlines, which makes this credit card a great one for anyone who lives in those areas. Additionally, if you are able to spend a little bit more per flight to stay loyal to United, this credit card might work for you, too. You will need excellent credit for card approval, too.

This card is not for those who own a business and want to earn rewards; you’ll want to apply for the Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Business card, which is designed for someone who owns a business and wants a United credit card. You get more points, more options and more spending limits. Businesses are run differently than personal household, and Chase understands that United credit card holders who own businesses still want the same concept as the personal card, but with more earning potential and more perks.

This card is not for those who do not travel, who are not loyal to United and are not into spending much throughout the month. Additionally, it is not for cardholders that want to earn cash back or other rewards; this is an airline credit card and United makes it worth it to have this card if you are loyal to their company.

Perks of Using the United Credit Card

1. Sign-up Bonus – Earn 30,000 bonus miles when you use this card to make $1,000 worth of purchases within three months of opening your account with Chase United credit card (cardholders eligible for this offer are new cardholders only and cannot have had this United credit card in their name in the past 24 months before applying for it a second time)
2. 5,000 Additional Bonus Miles – Add an authorized user to your United credit card account and earn an additional 5,000 bonus miles when that user makes any purchase within 90 days of opening the account
3. Earn 10,000 Additional Bonus Miles Annually – Any cardholder that is able to spend $25,000 per year on the Chase United credit card is eligible to earn an additional 10,000 bonus points every single calendar year. If that sounds like a lot just remember that when you break it down over a monthly basis, it’s not that much. You’d need to use your United credit card to make approximately $2,084 per month to reach an annual spending quota of 25,000 miles per year.
4. Earn 2 Points on all United Purchases – Anytime a cardholder uses their United credit card to book a flight on a United flight, they will earn 2 points for every dollar spent on airline tickets. This is a little bit more profitable than earning just miles for your flights, too, since not all flights are very long ones.
5. Earn 1 Point for Every Dollar Spent – When you shop anywhere else and use your United credit card, you are able to earn an additional point for every dollar that you spend. These points are eligible for redemption as an airline ticket, upgrade or so much more when you fly with United Airlines.
6. Foreign Transaction Fees – They don’t exist. Any United credit card holder can use this card anywhere in the world without paying a fee on any transactions made out of the country. This is a huge saver for anyone who spends any significant amount of time traveling internationally – many foreign transaction fees average 3%, which can add up significantly as you travel throughout the year.
7. Free Checked Luggage – We all know that traveling is expensive, especially when you have to check luggage. One checked bag on a United Airlines flight is $50 roundtrip, which means you’re saving $50 per person, per ticket booked on that first bag on every flight.
8. No Annual Fee for One Year – All new United credit card holders will receive a full year without any annual fees being charged. After that year is up, however, the annual fee for the Chase United credit card is $95 per year. It’s not the highest annual fee around, but it’s not the lowest, either.
9. Miles Never Expire – So long as you card remains open, you can earn as many miles as you’d like and keep them as long as you’d like. You can redeem them often or not at all for many years until you find that one trip you want to take and go on free of charge. It’s up to you.
10. Priority Boarding – Anyone who travels often knows that priority boarding is a nice thing. It allows you to get comfortable in your seat while other passengers are still waiting to board, and it allows you to also ensure you get some of that highly coveted overhead storage bin space for your carry-on luggage so that it’s near you during your flight.

Extra Benefits for United Credit Card Holders

Annual United Club Passes – This is one of those benefits that many people look forward to more than any other when traveling on United with the United credit card. Every year on the anniversary of your account opening, you will receive two one-time use passes to use in the United Club. This is an exclusive airport club that allows passengers to have their own private area in which to sit and enjoy the time they wait for their flight. In the United Club, you will enjoy complimentary snacks, work space, Wi-Fi and cocktails as well as all other beverages. The general public is not permitted in the United Club without a membership or a pass from their United Credit Card, so it’s guaranteed to be quieter and more passenger friendly than the average airport terminal.

Simple Reward Redemption – Unlike so many other airlines, the United credit card makes it really easy for cardholders to redeem their points. United credit card does not make passengers wait for specific travel dates, they do not create blackout dates, and there are not any special reserved seats for points redemption tickets. You are free, as a United credit card holder, to book any flight, any seat and any time you see fit and convenient for your own travel when you want to use your miles and rewards points. There are absolutely not limitations on any flight for any United credit card customer when it comes to booking reward travel.

Luxury Resort Partnership – Check with United to find out which hotels this airline credit card partners with. The United credit card is a chase card, so it gets to have the added benefit of being able to redeem miles at any of the properties that Chase partners with for their many credit card rewards. This includes more than 700 luxury locations across the world, so go ahead and see if the hotel you plan on booking is on this list.

How to Make the Most of your Chase United Credit Card

Spend money, pay it off, book United flights; we get it, right? Of course you do, but not all the way. You see, there are a few things about the Chase United MileagePlus card you do not know, even though we just told you everything that you need to know.

For one, you know that you can go online and apply for this card through Chase or United Airlines, but did you know you can walk right into your local Chase location and do the same? Of course you did, but you’re not going to. Why? Because you don’t need to go into a Chase location and take the time out of your busy everyday life to do that when it’s easier to do it online while you continue to wear no pants and drink yet another cup of coffee.

I get it.

But what if I told you that going into your local Chase would net you a bonus offer of 50,000 points instead of your traditional 30,000 bonus points? That’s right; if you apply for this United credit card at a Chase location in person, you can earn 50,000 bonus points just for signing up for the card. It’s a lot like the offer we mention above for all new cardholders able to spend $1,000 in less than three months. This offer is good for all people who go into a Chase location, apply for the United credit card and spend $2,000 in three months or less on the card.

How can you do that without going into debt? It’s easy; just pay for all your living expenses with your card and then pay those cards off without question at the end of every month. Use the cash you would have used to pay for your mortgage or whatever it was you wanted to pay for, and you will be very happy you did. It’s a great idea since it means you are earning points and not accumulating debt, and you get those bonus points. Those bonus points are worth their weight in gold when it comes to booking United credit card reward travel, too.

Now, join the Mileage Plus Program through United to make the most of your United credit card miles. You will earn more points on every purchase, and you will earn a few additional perks that make this worth it. The Mileage Plus program is free to join, and it’s great for anyone who uses this airline regularly. You can earn miles through this program by booking any United flight on the airline, by booking flights with United airline partners, by booking certain hotel rooms and so much more.

When you add these miles to those you earn on your United credit card, you earn more rewards as a whole. This allows you to book more and to enjoy more with your United credit card. And, as always, we want you to pay your card off in full each and every month so that you can continue to take advantage of all the perks that come along with having a United credit card. Keeping a balance does not allow you to earn as many points since you’re not able to spend as much. It also helps you keep your debt to a minimum and it helps you stay financially on track.