- 20,000 bonus miles when spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
- No Annual Fee
- 2 miles on United purchases, gas stations, and local transit.
- 1 mile on all other purchases
- 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases
- 60,000 bonus miles when spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
- $95 annual fee (waived first year)
- Free 1st checked bag
- Priority boarding
- 2 miles on United purchases, dining and hotel stays.
- 2 United Club passes annually
- 1 mile on all other purchases
- 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases
- $100 TSA PreCheck® credit every 4 years
- Up to 1,000 Premier qualifying points based on spending
- 60,000 bonus miles when spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
- $250 annual fee
- $125 annual United purchase credit
- Free 1st and 2nd checked bags
- Priority boarding
- 3 miles on United purchases
- 2 miles on other travel
- 2 miles on dining (including some food delivery).
- 2 miles on some streaming services
- 2 5,000 mile anniversary award flight credits
- 1 mile on all other purchases
- 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases
- $100 TSA PreCheck® credit every 4 years
- Up to 6,000 Premier qualifying points based on spending
- 80,000 bonus miles when spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
- $525 annual fee
- $125 annual United purchase credit
- Free 1st and 2nd checked bags
- Priority boarding
- 4 miles on United purchases
- 2 miles on other travel
- 2 miles on dining (including some food delivery).
- United Club Membership
- 10% discount on United Economy Saver Awards
- Premier Access® travel services
- IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status
- $75 statement credit for IHG® Hotels and Resorts
- 1 mile on all other purchases
- 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases
- $100 TSA PreCheck® credit every 4 years
- Up to 8,000 Premier qualifying points based on spending
In order to determine which credit card is the best choice for you, we are going to create some cases and demonstrate the best option for each case.
Entry Level Choices
Ava is a recent college graduate who makes $50,000 a year, lives near a United Hub and visits family 2-3 times a year. She has checked luggage 1-2 times a year when she stays longer. She does not have a general travel card but does have good credit. She expects to spend around $1000 a month on the credit card. Her goal is to be able to travel on United and keep her costs low.
| Card | Gateway Card | Explorer Card |
| Welcome Offer | 20,000 | 60,000 |
| Spending Required in first 3 months | $1000 | $3000 |
| 1 Checked Bag Luggage Fee per flight | $35 | |
| Annual Fee | $95 (0 1st year) | |
Since Ava anticipates spending $1000 a month on the card, she should be able to qualify for the welcome offers for both cards. The Explorer gives 3X more miles than the Gateway card. Bankrate values United points currently at 1.1 cents per miles which translated into a difference of $440. Ava must then decide whether the annual fee is worth pay for it. If she flies an average of 1.5 times a year with a checked bag, that means she would spend approximately $50 a year on the luggage. This makes the annual fee of $95 close to $45. For $45, she gets TSA PreCheck, Priority Boarding, and 2 United Club Passes a year and $440 more in miles for the 1st year.
Choice: United Explorer Card
