United Explorer: Richer Rewards, Perks You’ll Actually Use

Airport lounge passes

The United℠ Explorer Card is the only major U.S. airline credit card in this price range that offers free lounge passes. It includes two one-day passes per year at a United Club. They typically cost $59 each, so the value of the passes alone exceeds the annual fee.

Why care about the lounge? Airport lounges can provide serenity, away from the noisy and hectic atmosphere of seating at the gate. United Clubs also offer free bar service, light snacks, free Wi-Fi, along with comfortable chairs and workstations. Agents there will help with reservations, seat assignments and electronic ticketing.

The passes grant access to more than 45 United Club locations. To access these lounges, you’ll need to provide a same-day boarding pass for travel on United or a partner. A United℠ Explorer Card holder or authorized user must be at the lounge in order to redeem the passes.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best airline cards

Free checked bags

It's not the sexiest benefit a credit card can offer, but free checked bags are among the most valuable. You’ll get a first checked bag free for you and a companion on your reservation. Since checking a bag generally costs $40, this could easily cover the card's annual fee, depending on how often and with whom you travel.

One important detail, though: You get the checked-bag waiver only if you paid for the airfare with the card. Not all airline cards have that restriction.

Solid rewards

You can get plenty of value out of this card even without using it for spending. But if your goal is free flights or upgrades to a premium cabin, earning frequent-flyer miles from credit card purchases is key.

You'll earn 5 miles per $1 spent on hotel stays purchased through United Hotels. Cardholders also get 2 miles per $1 spent on eligible United purchases, including airfare, bag fees, seat upgrades, and in-flight food, beverage and Wi-Fi. You'll also earn double miles on two other spending categories relevant to travelers: restaurants and hotel stays (outside of United Hotels).

The card earns 1 mile per $1 spent on everything else. Miles can be redeemed many ways, but generally they're most valuable when used for award flights and seat upgrades.

In addition to ongoing rewards, the card also comes with a generous sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

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A slew of other valuable perks and credits

The United℠ Explorer Card comes with several other benefits that set it apart from other airline cards. Here are a few you might find useful:

• Primary rental car coverage. Unlike most midtier airline and travel cards, this card comes with car rental coverage that's primary, meaning the card’s benefit kicks in before your own auto insurance. That can save you money — your insurance deductible — if you have an accident in a rental. To use this benefit, you must pay for the rental with the card and decline the rental company's coverage.

• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS credit. The card offers a credit for the cost of a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee when you use your card to pay for it. That could save you up to $120. Each program needs to be renewed every five years; the benefit on this card renews every four years.

• Priority boarding. Don’t usually check bags? Then priority boarding that comes with the card will help. Getting on the plane earlier — in a lower-number boarding group — means you’re more likely to find overhead bin space for your roll-aboard. And some flyers like to board earlier to get settled in their seat before the cabin gets crowded. Either way, priority boarding is a welcome perk.

• Rideshare credits. If you pay for rideshare purchases with your Explorer card, you'll get up to a $5 monthly statement credit, ideal for defraying the cost of rides to and from the airport. Yearly opt-in is required.

And these are just the perks that are automatic and/or require little effort. If you're a heavy spender and don't mind using the United℠ Explorer Card for most of that spending, you can qualify for additional benefits, like a 10,000-mile award flight discount (after putting $20,000 in purchases on the card in a year), or $100 in United TravelBank cash (after spending $10,000 on the card in a year).

» SEE: Best credit cards for Star Alliance credit cards

How it compares to other United cards

The United℠ Explorer Card is one of four co-branded consumer United Airlines credit cards.

Here’s how the United Airlines consumer cards compare on key features:

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Annual fee

This card's annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95 is on par with similar airline cards, but not cheap. Be sure you can extract more value from the card than you’re paying to hold it.

If you’re looking for a no-fee general travel card, look at the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card. You'll earn an unlimited 3 points per $1 spent on restaurants, travel and transit, gas and EV stations, popular streaming services, and select phone plans. Points can be redeemed for travel, gift cards or statement credits.

There's a lot to keep track of

Yes, there's plenty of value to extract from the United℠ Explorer Card — but you'll have your work cut out for you. For starters, you'll need to make sure the card's various and sundry perks are actually useful to you. Do you tend to travel solo, infrequently and/or only with carry-ons? (A checked-bag perk may not do much for you.) Do you care about boarding a plane early? (Some travelers would do all they can to avoid spending more time inside a plane than absolutely necessary.) Do you use Uber or Lyft frequently enough that a $5 monthly credit is meaningful? (You won't get the cumulative $60 credit upfront.)

And in the case of at least some of the card's perks, as noted above, you'll also have to do some math to make sure you're spending enough money to qualify for them.

Reward redemptions

Generally, the best redemption options for United MileagePlus miles are award flights and seat upgrades on United and its Star Alliance partners. That’s pretty limiting compared with general travel cards, which allow you to apply rewards to a wide range of travel-related expenses.

Especially if you fly with multiple airlines, a general travel card might be a better fit. Good choices include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which can convert its points into United MileagePlus frequent-flyer miles. Also consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

» MORE: United℠ Explorer Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card