The Unique Benefits Of The United Explorer Card: Expanded Award Space, Primary CDW Insurance, And Much More

Great post dan.

What is the diff btwn the united explorer and the united club card?

Is SM matching to a better for this card dead?

Secure message matching still works fine, just write that you colleague got any of these offers:

United explorer consumer = 55K miles+$50 cash back.
United explorer business = 50K miles+$50 cash back.
United club consumer = $395 annual fee waived first year.

Its not official and delta wont confirm it but ive seen a few bloggers say that delta also has better award availbilty for a cardholder. In other words if u have a delta card sign into ur account before u check availibily.

Does the CDW cover liability, or just damage? If it doesn’t cover liability is there a way to buy liability insurance without damage?

I got this card in 2012 and I recieved 60K award miles.

Talk about hashgacha pratis. I was looking today for a whole and didn’t get a clear answer.

If I am added as an additional cardholder to a friend’s account, and I rent a car in the USA as driver without my friend, do I get the same primary car rental insurance coverage? Or does primary coverage apply only to primary cardholder?

@yitz:
The Explorer card has no fee for a year and $95 thereafter.
The Club card has a $395 annual fee.
I wrote the benefits of each at the end of the post.

@Ap:
Have a sample date to try please?

@Mendy:
Credit cards only cover damage to your car. No card covers liability.
You can buy just liability from the agency if you don’t have personal liability or if you don’t want to rely on the state minimum required coverage that car rentals have anyway.

@Alejandro:
I don’t recall every seeing anything bigger than 55K+$50 unless you are counting the 10K bonus for spending $25K as they advertise sometimes (in which case the best offer would be 65K+$50).

@Additional card user:
The primary coverage does apply for secondary cardholders!

Hi Dan,
I have the club card. The annual fee is coming up and I really don’t want to pay it. If I cancel the club card am I eligible for the United Explorer card and the bonus? Thanks for your blog; it has saved us lots over the years

You are right, I think I got 55K + adding an authorize user for another 5K. I did not spend $25K to get the extra 10K miles. Anyways really good information on this post. Thanks for sharing

Hey dan I fly at least once a year United ( mostly within the us) do you think its worth it to pay annual fee for just that benefit? Because bbesides for israel, their regional flights are a fortune. 1 way from nyc to cleveland for 10000 points? You kiding me?

Any 3BM that can be done while signing up for the Explorer card?

@Dan
Is this extra award availability also available for Presidential Plus Cardholders?

What a post Dan!

Will Lufthansa book xn class if I don’t have United Card?

Also will plan B work with Lufthansa?

so the united club card has all the same benefits just cost $395?

@dan i JUST booked a saver awards ticket. Fare Class:x
what should i do.
i also have the United MileagePlus Awards card….
PLS HELP!!!!

@Traveler:
The Club card won’t hinder you from getting the Explorer card or the bonus.

@Anonymous:
Sure!

@berele:
It’s free for a the first year, what do you have to lose?

And 10K for a short-haul award can be valuable when BA doesn’t have award space.

@Josh:
Sure, added other options to the end of the post.

@TG:
Yes.

@bruce:
You can only book XN or Plan B awards with United miles on United flights.

@rabeinu:
Not at all, read the end of the post again.

@Ben:
The MileagePlus Awards card does not get access to XN award space. You need the Explorer or Club card.

Two years ago i got the sign up bonus from united explorer, however now when i sign up now they tell me i cant get the bonus because i got it two years ago. any solution????

@dave:
Did you open a new united account?

Does the Buisness united explorer card give primary coverage on rental car if not a Buisness expense? Or can one use it and be covered for any leisure rental and have the primary coverage?

I think another difference between Explorer and Club is that Club card allows close in award bookings with either no fee, or even reduced fee. Another benefit I THINK is the ability to redeposit miles from an award reservation without a fee. That is worth quite a lot..

they also have some of the benefits that AMEX PLAT offers, like 90 day return protection if a retailer won’t take an item back. I think that is limited to 1000$ a year.

And of course, the 1.5x miles on ALL purchases, can certainly add up for a larger spender.

Thoughts on the United Club card?

@Sam:
Can I SM chase before I apply to get the first year fee waived on the club card, or does it need to be done after applying?

If you go into a local Chase branch they offer 50k bonus for new cardmembers after spending 2k. This deal was officially supposed to expire this year but my local branch is still offering it (in Brooklyn) I assume all Chase branches have same deal. I even opened 3 Chase cards online via the 3 browser… and after asking to move some credit between cards was approved for all 3. Then I called emaild and asked to match the branch offer and they did. Bottom line, I got the 50k -+ 5 for additional- online for spending just 1k… plus same time 2 more cards.

@Dovi84w:
Not sure off the top of my head.

@tivoboy:
There’s no redeposit benefit.

@TF:
Great card for big spenders or those who like clubs.

@bob:
You can try, YMMV though beforehand.

@Samuel:
Same offer online as Sam said earlier with a quick message.

Hi Dan. Thanks for all the info. Should I consider renting a minivan using UR if I can’t get a good rate with the rental companies and priceline? I realize that means I will have to pay for my own collision insurance. Any advice?

Anybody having success recently with getting annual fee waived on business united club card?
I hucad a few times they all say NO

I cancelled the card after a year when the annual fee hit. I had collected the 55K miles + $50. I never realized that I would have less of a chance of finding award seats.

Dan, could you please elaborate on the free checked bag? How many passengers on the itinerary can get it? Does the ticket have to be purchased with the card? What about an award ticket – does the 9/11 fee have to be paid with the card?

…Domestic or even international?

@Dan i meant that. the united explorer card!

@Dan

If I book saver biz class award fights to Maui from Award that has stop in LAX or SFO, Do I get any airport lounge access?
My wife , I and our new born want 5 days vacation in Maui and trying to find award space for late april to early may,

I heared you get airport lounge access if you buy biz or first class ticket? is it free entry for infant under 2?

thanks

to Maui from ORD on biz class I mean on united.com booked with UA miles. I do have UME card. Do we also get fast check in at both airports?

@reallytrying:
Try hotwire yet? Any corp codes?

@rochi:
Haven’t heard about anything for business club.

@David R:
Ticket has to be paid by the card, 9/11 fee is enough.
Good for cardholder plus 1 additional passenger. Though secondary cardholders can get the agent to manually adjust bags to be free if the ticket was paid on the card.

@jim:
You only get lounge access when flying internationally in business.

Does the extended award availability only extend to United operating flights or to all star alliance flights?

@yoelyboy:
United only.

dan

why not use sapphire in the usa for CDW?

thanks

Dan this is the business club card I am interested in

https://www.theexplorercard.com/MPClubBusiness.aspx?clicksource=header
Didn’t understand what you meant.
To your knowledge will they waive first year on this card?
I have both ink and need another chase business card
thanks a million
thanks to your advice and seminat my family of 10 went to Europe last summer
am trying now for summer 2014

@mike:
Because it only offers secondary coverage in the US, as I wrote in the post.

@rochi:
Like I said, I haven’t heard of any success stores with the business club card like that.

does the club card have the worldwide car renters CDW insurance coverage as well?
so if you dont mind the charge the club card has all the benefits of the explorer card plus more?

@reallytrying: You won’t have to pay for your own collision insurance. If you’re using your Chase Sapphire Preferred card they extend the card insurance benefits for trips booked using the Ultimate Rewards points earned through the card. Call Chase to confirm but I know they said I did have trip cancellation/interruption insurance for a trip I booked using UR points.

@rabeinu:
Correct.

@Dan’s the man:
I don’t believe that is true. Sure hope you get that in writing.

when is the dansdeals seminar coming to miami?

if i spend 25k on club card will I get 10k bonus or is it only on explorer?

@rabeinu:
When I get my voice back.

@dave:
Explorer only.
Though even with the 10K bonus on the Explorer you still come out ahead with the Club.

Thanks. now I just need to figure out how to fly 25000 miles this year.

Anyone successful in getting the United Club First Year waived?

Dan,
Do you have a post or link to somewhere that explains Uniteds entire alphabet/class system?
Thanks for all your work!

when is the voice coming back?
miami is waiting with bated breath!!!

If im flying on lufthansa on a united flight number paid ticket not award purchased with a explorer card do I get same benefits? for example priority check in and boarding free lounge for stopover in Frankfort . Got the tickets on widroe glitch thanks dan for everything

doesnt amex gold/ platinum have primary rental car CDW insurance.?

@yonah:
Many.

@Ben:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=20512.msg310230#msg310230

@Jay:
No, United flights only.

@yankel:
Not unless you enroll and pay an extra $20-$25 per rental.

can you get multiple ink cards, such as 2 bolds under 2 different business names?

Thanks for the suggestion, Dan. I tried hotwire but suspect I am doing the corp codes incorrectly. I get $55/day or $363 from sun pm till fri am for a minivan at mco. I may need to cancel my trip. Any advice?

Dan, do you think I should consider using 21k UR points instead?

@dan where is the option to log in into account with united explorer card?

@reallytrying: that isn’t a bad deal

When did Chase / United start to [re]offer CDW benefits with their card(s). When we first got the Card, that was the case. Later, however, we found that ISRAEL was explicitly EXCLUDED from CDW overage! I called MasterCard (who actually administer the program and was told that each bank chooses how to implement the CDW coverage and Chase CHOSE to exclude Israel. This was ALSO true with the Sapphire Preferred Card (which is a VISA card) which did not cover Israel either.
In fact, MasterCard advised me that the Bank of America “World” MasterCard (which was available to me through NYU Alumni) DID provide CDW coverage and that has been what we use for Car Rental in Israel.
By the way, a [possibly tabular?] comparison of the benefits of Sapphire Preferred and MileagePlus Explorer would likely be very useful as BOTH are from Chase — however, I have heard that Customer Service for Sapphire Preferred is SUPERIOR to the Customer Service for the United card.

If I booked a ticket on united (actually widroe.com the glitch) on my amex plat putting in my mileage plus no and mow I got the club card is there any way of getting free second bag on flight to UK and will I get priority check in

Any way of getting my account to be linked correctly?

@Jake or anyone else who can help: Which isn’t a bad deal? 21,276 UR points, $265.95 booked through UR both deals will require me to purchase separate cdw coverage (cuz can’t use explorer card) or $345.89 including cdw coverage? Thanks!

i just rented a car from alamo in ft lauderdale yesterday. i made the reservation with my united card but when i got there used my southwest preferred card. when i returned, the inspection guy whipped out a flashlight and showed be a hole in the bottom of the front bumper in small a crevice. i really don’t think i made the damage and I suspect they might do this regularly as part of some insurance scheme.
Do you know if I can call back and get them to retroactively bill my united card? Any suggestions or experience with getting them not to file anything?

Dan,
If I have the Business version of the UAL Explorer card, will I get the XN award seats available? Thx.

how can i properly link my united cc to my mileage plus account?
thx

Dan, when you say United Club card, does this include the United Presidents Plus card also?

How does one bridge the time gap to book on ANA with Starwood points. the transfer takes 10-14 days and one only transfers when he sees availability on ANA. by the time the transfer takes place it wont be there and the miles are not reversible. so its difficult seeing how this can work.

I just found out from all my credit card providers that CDW is not covered in Israel??? Israel is listed as excluded from CDW coverage.

Do any of the American Airlines cards also show you lower points for flights?

@Abe:
read this post:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/39513

Wondering how to link the card to my United account? Thanks

@Abe: This is what I have found as well…
I suggest that you all MasterCard International and ask those people which banks still offer MasterAssist (which, I think, is the actual name of the program) which banks still offer the overage for CDW in Israel. So far, I found that Bank of America has a Credit card that includes Israel.

You have listed several United Fare Codes in this blog (X,XN,
I,IN,IK,HN,ZN,YN,JN) with explanation of each. Are there other codes to be aware of to help locate available flights? What are they and where would I find information about them?

(re question # 72) Just located your response…#51

if your primary insurance only covers liability, is it still worth using explorer? It’s not even a question of your insurance paying

i just applied for the Chase United card and got approved, how do i link the card to my united profile, i dont have any united miles yet?

No need to link, it’ll happen automatically.

How does one bridge the time gap to book on ANA with Starwood points. the transfer takes 10-14 days and one only transfers when he sees availability on ANA. by the time the transfer takes place it wont be there and the miles are not reversible. is there a trick to this?

@eli:
It doesn’t actually take that long.

it just took 1 week for me

is there any way to make a reservation thru ANA or does Starwood have a quicker way to transfer for a fee or more miles?

HI. I currently have the united explorer for about a year and a half. If I close the card now, how long do I have to wait to apply for a new one and get the signup bonus again?

Once there is no availabi lity even withthe explorer card _ will tehy open up more award seats closer?

I booked my united flight with an Amex, then I applied for a united mileage plus card, one of the benefits of the card is priority boarding for cardholders I believe but when I call they say I had to have booked it with my united card, anyone know if that’s true?

GREAT follow-up info – thx Dan!

Do they have some saver flights that get booked or do they sometimes add saver flights later on?
In other words, if its at zero now, any chance there ever will be?

@Amusch:
Of course it changes, keep checking at least daily.

Why can’t I see the “Fare Class” link anywhere??? Am I blind?

@Kadence:
You need to enable expert mode:
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/account/preference/searchPreference.aspx

Does the link work on mobile devices? Or am I horribly tech challenged?

Hey Dan, can a card holder book an award ticket for a non card holder on XN class?

Good info Dan, I had not heard of this anywhere else. I do find this tactic on their part to be at a minimum very poor business….and there could be possibly some legal issues here they are thwarting. Maybe this explains why saver space now is so hard to find. Every year we go to Hawaii on United using miles during the summer and there is tons of Saver space from SFO. This year I look and nothing. Everyone is complaining about the new partner award chart, but I think the biggest issue since the change is Saver space is hard to come buy. They are obviously playing games.

What class of service would indicate expanded business saver award availability for cardholders and elites?

checked nonstop saver awards economy EWR-tel aviv with United club card with “remember be” not checked off and only 1 date showing up on March 3 for all of March and April. Am i doing something wrong? one date in two months?

@rikki

Expanded business saver availability (class IN) is only for Platinum, 1K, and Global Services.

Other elites and cardholders get expanded business standard availability (class JN)

Any reason I didn’t receive any twitter texts starting from this post on?

@AC:
Probably not.

@Andy F.:
Yes.

@DP7:
Are you following @DansDeals or did you signup with 40404?

@Dan: My last text I got was the Yogi teas I guess I might be having same problem as DP7

I wasn’t aware of this nuance but sure glad you pointed it out. It will save me from future frustration, thanks!

For a friend without internet access – so the phone agents know how to search for xn availability?

And even if they do, is it a concern that they have “remember me” checked off (and therefore not seeing the additional seats) ?

I booked a flight for my daughter to Israel using my United MileagePlus points. It’s a United flight with a stopover in Toronto and a switch onto an Air Canada flight to Tel Aviv.

Do you know what their refund policy is in the event that we end up wanting to cancelling the ticket?

If I use Plan B to get a Business class mileage seat, but I don’t want to fly through certain countries, do I have to accept whatever itinerary and carrier I am offered? Can I decline, and stick to Coach? Would I lose my miles in such a case?

I enabled the expert category so I can search what seats are available, but I can’t get the fare class option. Help!

@Shaindel:
Plan B is for the exact itinerary only.

@Lily Iona MacKenzie:
Are you searching for paid flights?

Yes, I’m searching paid flights because you had recommended that approach.