United Quest vs United Explorer — which is worth it to you?
The United Quest Card ($350/yr) and the United Explorer Card ($150/yr) side by side: credits, earning rates against a flat 2% cash-back baseline, and protections — with your spending deciding which card actually wins each category.
The United Quest charges $350 a year against the United Explorer's $150, so it starts $200 behind. Both earn United MileagePlus miles, and a point from one is worth the same as a point from the other. What separates them is rates and credits.
Both cards pay a bonus on hotels (2x vs 2x) and dining (2x vs 2x). The United Quest also has a bonus on flights (2x), other travel (2x) and streaming (2x), with nothing to match it on the United Explorer.
The United Quest comes with 10 statement credits, the biggest being $200 United Travel Credit, Instacart Credit ($180/yr) and Renowned Hotels & Resorts Statement Credit ($150/yr), plus 7 more. The United Explorer has 8 statement credits: $10/month Instacart Credit ($120/yr), $100 United TravelBank Credit and United Hotels Credit ($100/yr), plus 5 more. All of these are face values, and a credit only really pays out if it covers something you were buying anyway.
Both cards carry 25% Back on United Inflight & Club Purchases, baggage delay, extended warranty, lost luggage, no foreign transaction fees, Premier Qualifying Points on Spend, Premier Upgrades on Award Tickets, Priority Boarding, purchase protection, rental car collision coverage, roadside assistance, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and trip delay. The United Quest alone has 2 Global Economy Plus Seat Upgrades and First and Second Checked Bags Free; the United Explorer alone has First Checked Bag Free and lounge access.
United Quest Card
Chase · $350 annual fee · earns United MileagePlus miles
Earning rates
- 4x United flights
- 4x Other United purchases
- 5x Renowned Hotels & Resorts prepaid stays
- 2x Airfare (other airlines)
- 2x Hotels (outside Renowned Hotels portal)
- 2x Other travel (trains, transit, cruises, car rentals, rideshare, tolls)
- 2x Dining
- 2x Select streaming services
- 1x Everything else
Statement credits (10)
- $200 United Travel Credit — $200 in United TravelBank cash after account opening and again on every account anniversary.
- Renowned Hotels & Resorts Statement Credit — Up to $150 back each anniversary year on hotel stays prepaid directly through Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United Cardmembers.
- Renowned Hotels & Resorts $100 Property Credit — $100 property credit at Renowned Hotels & Resorts properties booked directly and prepaid, on top of the separate $150 statement credit.
- Rideshare Credit — Up to $100 back each calendar year on rideshare purchases — $8/month January through November, $12 in December — and you must re-opt-in every year.
- Avis / Budget Rental Credit — $40 in United TravelBank cash on each of your first two Avis or Budget rentals per anniversary year — up to $80.
- Instacart Credit — One $10 and one $5 Instacart credit every month (up to $180/yr), plus a complimentary 3-month Instacart+ membership — benefits end December 31, 2027.
- JSX Flight Credit — Up to $150 back per anniversary year on JSX semi-private flights booked directly with JSX.
- Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS Credit — $120 application-fee credit once every 4 years (~$30/yr).
- Annual 10,000-Mile Award Flight Discount — 10,000 miles off one United award flight automatically each account anniversary — no spend requirement — valued at your selected cents-per-mile.
- Spend-Gated 10,000-Mile Award Flight Discount — An additional 10,000 miles off one United award flight each calendar year you spend $20,000 on the card — valued at your selected cents-per-mile.
Full United Quest Card breakdown — 16 more benefits on the full page.
United Explorer Card
Chase · $150 annual fee ($0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150 (raised from $95 in the 2025 refresh).) · earns United MileagePlus miles
Earning rates
- 3x United purchases
- 2x Dining
- 2x Hotel stays booked directly with the hotel
- 1x Everything else
Statement credits (8)
- $5/month Rideshare Credit — Up to $5 back each month on U.S. rideshare purchases — $60 a calendar year, and you must re-opt-in every year.
- $10/month Instacart Credit — Up to $10 back each month on Instacart purchases (up to $120/yr), plus a complimentary 3-month Instacart+ membership — benefits end December 31, 2027.
- $100 United TravelBank Credit — $100 in United TravelBank cash each calendar year you spend $10,000 on the card.
- United Hotels Credit — $50 back on each of your first two prepaid United Hotels stays per anniversary year — up to $100.
- Avis / Budget Rental Credit — $25 back on each of your first two Avis or Budget rentals per anniversary year — up to $50.
- JSX Flight Credit — Up to $100 back per anniversary year on JSX semi-private flights booked directly with JSX.
- Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS Credit — $120 application-fee credit once every 4 years (~$30/yr).
- 10,000-Mile Award Flight Discount — 10,000 miles off one United award flight each calendar year you spend $20,000 on the card — valued at your selected cents-per-mile.
Full United Explorer Card breakdown — 16 more benefits on the full page.
Card data verified against issuer sources: United Quest Card on 2026-08-21, United Explorer Card on 2026-08-21.
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