Updated: October 28, 2024
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The United Gateway and United Explorer are both excellent choices for United Airlines travelers, offering rewards on United purchases. The United Explorer Card is the better option for frequent flyers, thanks to its premium travel perks like free checked bags and priority boarding.
But the United Gateway remains a strong contender for those seeking no annual fee and a 0% intro APR for 12 months.
The United Gateway is likely to be better for occasional United travelers who want to earn miles without paying an annual fee.
It offers solid rewards on United flights, gas, and transit, making it a good fit for those who prioritize everyday spending rewards. However, it lacks premium travel perks like free checked bags and priority boarding, which may not suit frequent travelers seeking these benefits.
The United Explorer is likely to be better for frequent United Airlines travelers who value travel perks like free checked bags and priority boarding.
This card suits those who fly often with United and can take advantage of its higher rewards rate on United purchases. However, if you rarely fly United or are sensitive to annual fees, this card might not be the best fit for you.
A point-by-point comparison of the United Gateway and United Explorer cards covers APRs, fees, rewards and more. This detailed breakdown helps you decide which card suits your needs. For instance, if you frequently dine out, the Explorer's two miles per dollar on dining may be more rewarding than the Gateway's focus on gas and transit.
Regular APR: Tie
Both the United Gateway and United Explorer offer a regular APR range of 21.49% - 28.49%% variable, making them equal in this aspect.
Annual Fee: United Gateway
The United Gateway is better for the annual fee, as it has no annual fee, making it ideal for budget-conscious users. By contrast, the United Explorer has an annual fee, which may be offset by its travel perks for frequent travelers.
Introductory 0% APRs: United Gateway
The United Gateway is better for introductory 0% APRs, offering 0% APR on purchases for 12 months. The United Explorer lacks this feature.
Rewards: United Explorer
The United Explorer card is better for rewards, offering two miles per dollar on United purchases, dining and hotel stays. By contrast, the United Gateway card provides two miles per dollar on United purchases, gas stations and local transit.
Welcome Offers: United Explorer
The United Explorer card is better for welcome offers, providing a higher bonus miles offer and additional travel perks compared to the United Gateway card.
Recommended Credit Score: Tie
Both the United Gateway and United Explorer require a credit score of 670 to 850, making them equally accessible for individuals with good to excellent credit.
Penalties and Fees: Tie
Both the United Gateway and United Explorer have comparable penalties and fees, including late fees up to $40 and penalty APRs up to 29.99%. Neither card charges foreign transaction fees, making them equally suitable for international use.
Issuer Satisfaction: Tie
Both the United Gateway and United Explorer cards are issued by Chase, resulting in identical issuer satisfaction scores.
Card Benefits: United Explorer
The United Explorer is better for card benefits, offering free first checked bag, priority boarding and two United Club passes annually. These perks provide higher expected value compared to United Gateway's inflight discounts and DashPass membership.
When comparing the rewards value, the United Explorer generally offers better rewards due to its higher earning rates on dining and hotel stays. Both cards earn United MileagePlus miles, valued at approximately 1.4 cents each, making them valuable for frequent United flyers.
The United Gateway card is more suitable for those who spend heavily on gas and local transit, while the United Explorer card benefits those who frequently dine out or stay at hotels.
Below is a table detailing the rewards categories for each card, allowing you to quickly compare their offerings.
Category | United Gateway | United Explorer |
|---|---|---|
United Airlines purchases | 2X miles | 2X miles |
Dining | 1X miles | 2X miles |
Hotels | 1X miles | 2X miles |
Gas | 2X miles | 1X miles |
Local transit and commuting | 2X miles | 1X miles |
All Other Purchases | 1X miles | 1X miles |
Both the Gateway and Explorer cards allow you to redeem miles for travel, cash back, merchandise and gift cards. The flexibility of these options makes them appealing for various spending habits. Notably, miles do not expire, offering peace of mind for those who prefer to save rewards for future use.
The United Explorer card offers superior benefits for travelers, with perks like a free first checked bag and priority boarding enhancing the travel experience.
The United Gateway card provides modest perks, such as a 25% inflight purchase discount, appealing to occasional travelers. Both cards offer trip insurance, but the Explorer card includes two United Club passes, adding more value for frequent flyers.
The United Gateway card offers a range of perks that cater to budget-conscious travelers and everyday optimizers, providing value through specific discounts and protections.
Insurance & protections
Credits & discounts
All other perks
The United Explorer Card offers a range of perks that cater to frequent travelers and those seeking travel-related benefits.
Insurance & protections
Credits & discounts
The United Gateway has no annual fee, while the United Explorer has a $95 annual fee, waived the first year.
The United Explorer offers free checked bags and priority boarding. The United Gateway does not include these perks.
The United Gateway offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months.
The United Explorer offers higher rewards on United purchases compared with the United Gateway.
Both cards typically require a good to excellent credit score, ranging from 670 to 850.
MoneyGeek's scoring process evaluates each card based on multiple use cases, ensuring the scores reflect the cards' strengths. In this comparison, the scores shown represent the best performance of each card in the 'Airline' category. Several factors determine this score:
For more details on our scoring process, review our ranking methodology.
About Doug Milnes, CFA
Doug Milnes is a CFA charter holder with over 10 years of experience in corporate finance and the Head of Credit Cards at MoneyGeek. Formerly, he performed valuations for Duff and Phelps and financial planning and analysis for various companies. His analysis has been cited by U.S. News and World Report, The Hill, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and many other outlets.
Milnes holds a master’s degree in data science from Northwestern University. He geeks out on helping people feel on top of their credit card use, from managing debt to optimizing rewards.
