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Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. United Explorer Card: More Applicable Rewards Take the Cake

Updated
Ashley Maready
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Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who made the leap to digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from Hood College and an MA in Applied History from Shippensburg University. Ashley loves creating content for the public and learning new things so she can teach others, whether it's information about salt mining, canal mules, or personal finance.

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Travel rewards credit cards can be a great way to book travel as well as defray your costs thanks to miles or points earned on your regular spending. But if you've never considered this type of credit card before, you're surely not alone -- according to credit card research from The Motley Fool Ascent, more than two times as many Americans have cash back cards than travel cards.

If you're ready to jump into earning travel rewards, you can opt for a general card, or one that is cobranded with a hotel or airline. Let's take a closer look at two great options: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the United℠ Explorer Card. Is one of them right for you?

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. United Explorer Card overview

As of Jun. 18, 2024
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

United℠ Explorer Card
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

On Chase's Secure Website.

Read Review

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

60,000 bonus points

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 50,000 bonus miles

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

N/A

Intro APR: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Intro APR: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR:

21.49%-28.49% Variable

Regular APR:

21.99% - 28.99% Variable

Annual Fee: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$95

Annual Fee: Circle with letter I in it. $0,First Year

$95

Highlights:

  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
  • Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
  • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
  • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
  • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
  • Member FDIC

Highlights:

  • Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
  • $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
  • Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays, and United® purchases
  • Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
  • 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card
  • Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
  • Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
  • Member FDIC
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

On Chase's Secure Website.

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The information related to United℠ Explorer Card has been collected by The Ascent and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

My experience with the Chase Sapphire Preferred

I'm a big fan of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card -- I've had it in my wallet for over a year now, and it's the card I pull out to pay for restaurant meals and any travel bookings I make. In fact, I recently put an entire trip to England on it, from plane tickets to a few hotel nights to meals out to museum admission costs.

I love earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points on my spending, and then getting to turn them into free or lower-cost travel. I've booked plane tickets, hotel rooms, and even activities through the Chase Travel portal and had excellent experiences.

This Chase card is a great option for folks who are new to travel rewards cards, because its moderate annual fee is a lower point of entry than that of many high-end cards, and the perks you get to enjoy are still substantial.

Why Chase Sapphire Preferred might be the ideal choice

A general travel rewards card is a good idea for many people who are just getting into the rewards card ecosystem, and the Sapphire line from Chase appears at the top of many best credit card lists for good reason. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the cheaper of the two Sapphire options, and you'll find a lot to like about the card, especially if you spend a lot on travel and dining and are ready to take advantage of Chase's excellent travel portal.

When United Explorer Card could be the better option

Many people lack brand loyalty for airlines -- for a lot of Americans, getting a good ticket price is more important than flying with a particular airline. But if you are a brand loyalist for United Airlines (or even just fly with this airline more often than not), getting one of its credit cards could be an excellent move for you.

With the United℠ Explorer Card, you earn rewards in the form of MileagePlus miles with United, and you can turn them into award bookings. The card also has some other excellent air-travel-specific perks, like a free checked bag for you and a companion and reimbursement for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership.

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. United Explorer comparison

These are both travel rewards credit cards, and they have some important differences. Here's a breakdown of fees, rewards, and more.

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs.United Explorer Card annual fee

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with a quite reasonable $95 annual fee. This is on the lower end of annual fees for a travel rewards credit card, and since you receive such useful perks with this one, $95 doesn't feel like a hardship. The welcome offer (more on that below) alone easily more than eclipses the annual fee, and the many travel insurance coverages can save your vacation should you find yourself in an accident in a rental car or missing your checked luggage.

Surprise, surprise, the United℠ Explorer Card also comes with an annual fee of $95 -- but it's waived for the first year, giving it a slight advantage over Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's annual fee, which gives you no break for the first year. That said, the Sapphire's other benefits slightly outweigh those of this card, so the annual fee advantage might be a hollow victory.

Winner: United℠ Explorer Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. United Explorer Card welcome offer

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a newly boosted welcome offer -- if you spend $4,000 with the card in the first 3 months, you'll earn 60,000 bonus points. Redeem these for travel bookings made with Chase, and they'll be worth $750 (points are worth $0.0125. And they could be worth even more if you instead transfer them to a Chase travel partner airline or hotel chain and redeem them that way.

The United℠ Explorer Card's welcome bonus is no slouch, even though its rival's bonus wins this category for having more value and applicability. Earn 50,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. Based on valuation of United miles ($0.01 to $0.015 apiece), this bonus could get you $500 to $750 in value, and you can use them toward award flights both domestically and internationally.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. United Explorer Card intro APR

Well, this is an easy one to adjudicate. Neither card offers an introductory 0% APR, and you will be stuck with either card's go-to APR for the duration of your time using it. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's go-to APR is 21.49%-28.49% Variable, while the United℠ Explorer Card's go-to APR is 21.99% - 28.99% Variable. Since these are quite high, you don't want to carry a balance on either card if you can help it.

Winner: Tie

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. United Explorer Card rewards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's solid rewards program has earned it many fans, including yours truly. You can earn:

  • 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on travel booked through the Chase Travel portal -- you can book plane tickets, hotel stays, and even activities here
  • 3X points per $1 on dining and takeout (and you'll be helped in this category by a free year of DoorDash DashPass; you have to enroll by Dec. 31, 2024)
  • 3X points per dollar on online groceries and select streaming subscriptions
  • 2X points per $1 on other travel expenses
  • 1X points per $1 on everything else

The United℠ Explorer Card's rewards program is based on United MileagePlus miles. You can earn:

  • 2 miles per $1 on purchases from United, dining (including eligible delivery services), and hotel stays booked directly with the hotel in question
  • 1 mile per $1 on everything else

This is a simpler rewards program than Chase Ultimate Rewards, but it's certainly still worthwhile, especially if you fly with United frequently. But thanks to wider applicability, I'm giving the win to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Final take

Ultimately, both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the United℠ Explorer Card are fantastic options for frequent travelers. Neither charges foreign transaction fees, and both have travel-specific perks that can save you money, time, and even hassle when you're out seeing the world.

If you're more of a travel generalist, and split your time between flying and other modes of travel (like road trips -- my favorite!), the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is likely the better fit for you. And this is doubly true if you're also a foodie, because it earns a higher rate on dining than the United card.

But if you live near a United hub airport and fly with this airline frequently, you really can't go wrong with the United℠ Explorer Card. The choice is yours, but no matter what, you'll likely be pleased with whichever of these two Chase cards you select.