Last Chance: Earn up to 60K Miles With the United Explorer Card
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Official application link: United Explorer Card with a bonus of up to 60,000 miles
Since early April, the United Explorer Card has been offering an elevated sign-up bonus. It's divided into two tiers: You'll earn 40,000 miles after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months, and you'll earn another 20,000 miles after you spend $8,000 total in the first 6 months from account opening.
By meeting both tiers of spending requirements, you'll earn up to 60,000 United miles, which are worth $780 based on TPG's valuations. But you'll only be able to earn this bonus until May 16, so you'll want to act now if you're interested.
Increasing your United MileagePlus account by 60,000 miles may be your primary motivation for signing up for this card, but the Explorer Card can also improve your experience on United flights, as it offers priority boarding, a free checked bag for you and one companion when you pay with the card and 25% off inflight purchases. And at $95 a year (waived the first year), it's also one of the most affordable cards to offer a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit (up to $100). Plus, each year you'll get two one-time United Club passes, and as a card holder you get expanded award availability
The Explorer Card earns 2x miles on restaurants, hotel purchases made directly with the hotel and purchases made with United, and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. The card has no foreign transaction fees, and remember the $95 annual fee is waived the first year so you get 12 months to use the card before paying.
United recently introduced dynamic award pricing in place of a fixed award chart for its own flights, meaning the cost of United flights will vary based on demand. This change kicks in on November 15, and while it is certainly a devaluation, you can still get strong value out of United miles, especially on the airline's partners like Lufthansa, Swiss and Thai.
Make sure to apply for the Explorer Card by May 16 if you could use its United-specific perks and up to 60,000 miles to use on United and its Star Alliance partners.