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$95
17.49% - 24.49% Variable
A sign-up bonus, free first bags, and 2 Club Passes make this airline card popular with business owners!
The United℠ Explorer Business Card is no longer available as of January 22, 2019.
A good business credit card makes life that much easier for business owners. Why not earn benefits for purchasing the airline tickets and office supplies you already buy?
If you are a business owner who already flies on United or you’ve thought about switching, the United℠ Explorer Business Card can help you earn miles quickly.
Best of all, because the miles you accumulate are based on expenses you already have, there is very little effort required. It’s a win-win for everyone!
On-the-go business owners will enjoy the many sign-up bonuses that come with the United Explorer Business card.
First, earn sign up bonus miles after you spend the required amount in the allotted timeframe. To qualify for the bonus offer, you must be a new cardmember and not have received the bonus for the card in the past 24 months.
Then, get 2 miles for every $1 spent on selected business expenses. This includes purchases at restaurants, gas stations, and office supply stores. You also get 2 miles for every $1 spent on United Airlines tickets.
All other purchases are worth 1 mile per $1 spent.
Remember that as a business owner you get free employee cards, so their purchases count too. Set individual spending limits and earn rewards faster. What a great way to boost your total points!
Bottom Line: Use the United Explorer Business card to earn 2x miles for purchases at United, restaurants, gas stations, and office supply stores, and 1x miles everywhere else.
You also qualify for a host of other benefits as an airline cardmember, such as priority boarding ahead of non-status members for you and companions on the same reservation. Simply add your MileagePlus number to your reservation.
Airline benefits with the card also include a free first checked bag for you and a companion. This alone is worth up to $100 on round-trip travel.
You also get 2 United Club passes per year, so you’ll be able to enjoy complimentary snack and beverages as well as free Wi-Fi and more.
Bottom Line: The a lower annual fee, and airline benefits make the United Explorer Business card an attractive card for business owners.
The card offers a couple of pluses for those doing international travel that will serve its holders well!
For instance, there are no foreign transaction fees. Spend $5,000, and you can save $150 just by avoiding these fees.
The card is also chip-enabled, making it easier for merchants to process charges abroad. Don’t forget that you will still get bonus points at gas stations, restaurants, and office supply stores even though you are overseas!
Of course, there are other business cards without foreign transaction fees that may be more appealing. The Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card is one example.
You’ll earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.
Neither of these cards offer any premium travel benefits, however, which are great for longer trips. If you are looking for those, you could try The Business Platinum® Card from American Express.
While there are many benefits to this luxury travel card, the most notable are the $200 airline fee credits, the Global Entry credit, and unlimited airport lounge access across the world in select lounges!
Bottom Line: The United Explorer Business card may not be the ideal card for foreign travelers, but you’ll still earn 2x points without transaction fees. If you travel internationally, compare card options for the best deal.
In addition to earning miles with your card, you can rack up additional miles just for being a United frequent flyer member.
With the United MileagePlus program, you earn award miles based on the amount of dollars you pay for your ticket and your elite status. See the elite status tiers on the table below.
Premier Tier |
Fare Pts |
Chase United Pts |
Total Pts |
| Premier Silver (30 PQS and $3,000)* | 7x | 2x | 9x |
| Premier Gold (60 PQS and $6,000)* | 8x | 2x | 10x |
| Premier Platinum (90 PQS and $9,000)* | 9x | 2x | 11x |
| Premier 1K (120 PQS and $120,000)* | 11x | 2x | 13x |
* To qualify for a Premier tier, you must have a certain number of Premier Qualifying Segments (PQS) and meet an annual spending level.
Each tier also includes a ton of benefits including discounts, waivers, and complimentary upgrades.
Bottom Line: Combining Premier tiers with United Explorer Business card miles can make a big difference in earning!
When redeeming your United miles, the key to success is getting the highest value possible. Here are some options for redeeming points earned on the United Explorer Business card!
Tip #1: International travel is the best way to redeem miles. For instance, an international economy class ticket on United starts at 30,000 miles one-way.
Tip #2: You can also get great value for domestic travel with your United miles.
Depending on the destination, redemption rates for domestic travel start between 10k-12.5k miles. This is a much better deal than the up to 25k miles required for many domestic tickets!
Tip #3: Check the MileagePlus Monthly Saver Awards for special deals. Saver Awards can be used to travel almost anywhere United, United Express, and their partners fly. Type in your departure city for a list of flights.
Tip #4: Look for complimentary upgrades. United offers upgrades regardless of whether you book your trip with an award ticket.
Tip #5: Don’t forget about United Airlines’ Star Alliance airline partners. Your miles are good with all airline partners, giving you more opportunities to find flights to where you want to travel.
Tip #6: Of course, you’re not limited to airline partners. There are also many hotels, car rental companies, and cruise partners that offer redemption opportunities.
Tip #7: MileagePlus cardmembers have a number of unique redemption options, too. Redeem for airfare statement credit, merchandise, gifts, and more.
While you have many redemption options, flights usually offer the best value. Therefore, our recommendation is to stick to airline awards when possible.
If you want to maximize your United Explorer Business card points, it’s important to use it whenever possible, especially for business expenses.
But using the card for all of your regular purchases isn’t the only opportunity you have to build miles! Combining your earning strategy with the Chase credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards, a transfer partner, can be very effective.
Consider these actionable tips for maximizing your United MileagePlus miles.
Tip #1: Authorize your employees to use the card so you can benefit from their purchases too. It’s important to note that you will be responsible for any charges they make, so it’s not a decision to take lightly.
Tip #2: Once you reach the $25,000 threshold, keep using the card for United flights because you’ll continue to earn points at a great rate. But use another card with better earning potential for other purchases.
Tip #3: Book hotel stays with United MileagePlus travel partners. A list of hotel partners is available on United.com, but here’s a small sample.
Hotels |
Offer |
| Clarion | 250 miles per stay |
| Comfort Inn | 250 miles per stay |
| Days Inn | 2 miles per $1 spent |
| Fairmont | 500 miles per stay |
| Marriott | 2 miles per $1 spent |
| Radisson | 500 miles per stay |
Tip #4: Shop on the MileagePlus Shopping portal to earn extra points. With over 850 participating MileagePlus retailers, there are plenty of opportunities!
Sign into your United MileagePlus account and check out the bonus miles offered for each store. Here are some of the deals you can discover:
Store |
Offer |
| American Eagle | 1 miles/$1 |
| Dell | 2 miles/$1 |
| Finish Line | 3 miles/$1 |
| RosettaStone | 6 miles/$1 |
| The Economist | 12 miles/$1 |
| Zulily | 0.5 miles/$1 |
Tip #5: Take advantage of other United travel partners. You can earn miles on car rentals (50 miles per day with Thrifty), train tickets (250-750 miles with Amtrak), and shuttle transportation (50 miles one way with SuperShuttle).
Those are just a few of your options. Find a full list at the MileagePlus website.
Tip #6: Combine strategies when you get other Chase cards like the Ink Business Preferred Card, Chase Freedom® Card, and Chase Sapphire Preferred. That way you can earn United miles and Chase Ultimate Rewards points!
Earn 5x points on specific categories when you use the Chase Freedom®, 3x points in business categories when you use the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card, and 2x points on travel and restaurants when you use the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Then transfer Chase points to United MileagePlus with a 1:1 ratio.
Star Alliance: TAP Portugal, Singapore Airlines, Brussels Airlines, South African Airways, Air Canada, Air India, Air China, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa, Shenzhen Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Avianca (and Avianca Brazil), Egyptair, Swiss, THAI, Turkish Airlines, Austrian, Adria, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Aegean Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, and Ethiopian Airlines
Other Airline Partners: The following are the other airline partners available through United.
Cape Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Aer Lingus, Great Lakes Airlines, Aeromar, AirDolomiti, Azul, Edelweiss, Germanwings, Jet Airways, Island Air, Silver Airways, and Eurowings
Hotel Partners: Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Wyndham, IHG, Choice, Golden Circle, and Club Carlson; Rocketmiles booking. (more hotel partner info)
Car Rental Partners: Thrifty, Hertz, and Dollar rental agencies. Ground transportation includes Bandwagon, SuperShuttle, Carmel, GroundLink, and ExecuCar. (more car partner info)
Shopping & Digital Media Partners: There are too many partners that it is impossible to mention each one individually. Click on the link for a complete list.
Dining Partners: Restaurant.com, Lettuce Entertain You, select Newark Airport restaurants
Subscriptions Partners: Magazine awards, Newspaper awards
While there is no question that the United Explorer Business card is a good card, you may find more overall benefits from other cards.
For instance, the Ink Business Preferred Card earns 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in select categories each account anniversary year: travel, cable, shipping, Internet, phone, and advertising (on social media and search engines).
Unfortunately, this card does not have a specific focus on office supply stores.
On another note, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® allows you to check up to 4 travel companion bags free instead of 1, which adds up at $25 a bag.
Another card worth comparing is The Amex Business Platinum, which gives you airport lounge access, a $200 airline fee credit, and complimentary Global Entry membership!
The information regarding the United℠ Explorer Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
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