United Airlines Mileage Plus Explorer credit card review – offering friendlier skies

The primary airline credit card of the new United Airlines is called the Mileage Plus Explorer and brings together two travel privileges never before seen in one card with an annual fee of less than $100:

• One free checked bag for each of up to 2 people in your reservation on both United Airlines and Continental Airlines flights
• Priority boarding for everyone in you reservation so you can stow your carry ons more quickly

Previous United Airlines cards didn’t have the free checked bag option, while the Continental card didn’t have the priority boarding option. If you already have a United credit card, you can call the number on the back of your card to migrate to the new United Explorer card, and your credit card number will stay the same. You can also choose to keep your card as is as long as you’d like. Continental OnePass Plus cardholders will automatically migrate as the features are now aligned.

Worth it if you fly United a few times a year

(+) Up to 40,000 bonus miles – Earn 25,000 bonus miles after first use and 5,000 additional bonus miles after your first Card use and for adding an authorized user within two months of opening your account. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $25,000 or more on your Card each calendar year.

(+) First checked bag free on all United and Continental flights (Up to $50 savings roundtrip per person) for up to 2 people in your reservation

(+) Priority boarding on all United flights (Continental flights later this year. If you want Continental priority boarding now, apply for the Continental OnePass Plus card, which has the same features and will merge with this card later). You will board after ‘elite’ frequent flyers and before general flyers.

(+) Earn 1 mile per dollar spent, 2x on United purchases

(+) United is among the best programs for mileage redemption

(+) No fee to change the date or time of reward travel with United or Continental miles up to 21 days prior to departure (changing destinations or cancelling incurs a fee).

(+) 2 United Club day passes each year, up to a $100 value

(+) Primary car rental insurance

(+) Use miles for travel on other Star Alliance airlines, including US Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss, Singapore, Austrian, ANA, Asiana, and more.

(-) Hotel reward options not as robust as cards like the Starwood Preferred Guest or the Chase Sapphire Preferred. You gain United travel privileges at the expense of flexibility from a multi-airline/hotel card.

(-) $95 annual fee but none the 1st year; this is comparable to most airline specific cards

The intro bonus on the card is 25,000 miles with your first purchase, and another 5,000 if you add an authorized cardholder. If you spend $25,000 in a year, you get an additional 10,000 bonus miles. This isn’t the hottest of intro offers, but this is a card we recommend for longevity if you plan to fly United a few times a year given the savings on baggage fees and ability to board earlier.

You can use our Mile Credit Card Value Calculator to see how it stacks up against your spending and travel habits. We also prefer United Airlines’ program for earning miles as it has been shown in independent studies to have the most generous reward seat availability among global carriers based in the U.S.

No fee for advance date changes on reward tickets

United lets you change the dates of your ticketed reward as many times as you’d like for no fee, as long as you make the changes 21 days or more before departure.

Generous travel protection benefits

The United Mileage Plus Explorer card offers several travel benefits usually reserved for more expensive cards like primary car rental collision insurance, doubling of manufacturers’ warranties, and breakfast/upgrade benefits at luxury hotels. These benefits were first introduced on the Continental OnePass Plus credit card, and are now available on the United Mileage Plus Explorer. Click here for highlights of some of the ‘fine print’ benefits you might overlook (link uses the Continental card name, but they are the same features).

In essence, it is a Swiss Army knife of travel protection in case of weather delays or lost luggage, covering you for many issues the airline itself usually will not cover. This includes travel on United or any other airline as long as you use the card to purchase the ticket.

It also gets you special mileage program benefits, including ‘last seat booking’ availability — that is, if any seat is left on the plane, you can book it with miles, though with the highest mileage price. Without the credit card you are subject to capacity controls. In addition, as long as you hold the card, miles will not expire. Those who don’t hold the card will be subject to mileage expiration restrictions.

Click here to learn more about the United Mileage Plus Explorer credit card.

Alternative cards for United

If you don’t value the baggage fee waiver or priority, but still want the flexibility of being able to earn United / Continental miles via credit card spend, we recommend considering the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It offers these benefits:

• 1:1 conversion of points to miles of United / Continental Airlines (along with British Airways, Amtrak, Hyatt, Marriott and others instantly )
• No foreign transaction fees
• Double points on dining and travel purchases
• A 40,000 point introductory bonus

Only Chase branded cards offer the ability to earn miles with United / Continental at 1:1. American Express’ long relationship with Continental Airlines ends September 30th, 2011.