Chase Sapphire vs United Explorer: Which Travel Card Reigns Supreme

The Chase Sapphire and United Explorer are two popular travel credit cards that offer a range of benefits for frequent flyers. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a 60,000-point bonus after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months, while the United Explorer Card offers a 40,000-mile bonus after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months.

Both cards have no foreign transaction fees, making them great options for international travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card also has a 25% points bonus when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

The United Explorer Card offers two free checked bags and priority boarding, which can be a huge time-saver at the airport. In contrast, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers a 25% points bonus when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

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The rewards and bonuses offered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred and United Explorer cards are a key factor to consider when choosing between the two. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a slightly richer rewards structure, with 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining and 1 point per dollar spent on everything else.

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The card also provides broader perks for all types of travel and dining expenses, making it a more versatile choice for general travelers. This is in contrast to the United Explorer Card, which rewards you more for airline-specific expenditures.

Here are the welcome bonus offers for each card:

The rewards winner is the Chase Sapphire Preferred, thanks to its flexibility and broader definition of travel, which includes unconventional purchases like campgrounds and cruise lines.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card takes the win for its welcome offer, requiring you to spend slightly more to get the bonus. This card offers a big boost of Ultimate Rewards points.

You can earn a welcome bonus with the United Explorer card, but it's hard to evaluate how much United Explorer points are worth due to dynamic pricing. This means the value of your points varies depending on the time of year, flight, destination, and how far in advance you book your ticket.

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers flexibility, allowing you to transfer your miles to United, or any of Chase's travel partners. This is a huge advantage over the United Explorer card.

The Chase card also offers account anniversary bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year. If you spend $25,000 on purchases, you'll get 2,500 bonus points.

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the United Explorer Card both offer rewards and bonuses, but they cater to different types of spenders. The United Explorer Card rewards you more for airline-specific expenditures, making it great for loyal United flyers.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, on the other hand, provides broader perks for all types of travel and dining expenses, making it a more versatile choice for general travelers. This flexibility gives the Sapphire Preferred a win in the rewards department.

Here's a comparison of the rewards offered by these two cards:

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card also offers a higher rewards rate on online grocery purchases, but this doesn't necessarily outweigh the benefits of the United Explorer Card for frequent United flyers.

The annual fees of the Chase Sapphire Preferred and United Explorer cards are relatively low and can be a deciding factor for many. The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, while the United Explorer card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Both cards offer useful benefits and rewards that can easily offset the cost of the annual fees for frequent travelers. The United Explorer card's waived introductory annual fee is a nice perk, but it's only for the first year.

Here's a comparison of the annual fees of both cards:

The benefits and rewards offered by both cards can help offset the cost of the annual fees. The United Explorer card's Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit is a valuable benefit that can be quite useful even if you're already part of either program.

Chase is a well-established and reputable company that offers a range of credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred and United Explorer Card.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a popular travel credit card with a low annual fee of $95 and a generous sign-on bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.

Chase points transfer 1:1 to a long list of potential point transfer partners, including United Airlines, Southwest flights, and Hyatt reservations.

One of the key benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred is its flexibility in redeeming points, which can be used for travel, cash back, merchandise, and more through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a range of earning categories, including 5x points on travel purchased through the Chase Travel Portal, 5x points on Lyft rides, and 3x points on dining and select online groceries.

Here are some key benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred:

In contrast, the United Explorer Card is a co-branded airline credit card offered in partnership with United Airlines, designed for frequent flyers who want to earn points and perks specifically with United Airlines.

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The United Explorer Card offers benefits like free checked bags, priority boarding, and access to United Clubs, making it a great option for those who fly United regularly.

The United Explorer Card has a range of benefits, including:

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a clear advantage when it comes to annual fees. It's a flat $95 per year, no surprises.

If you're looking for a card with no annual fee, the United℠ Explorer Card is a good option, but you'll have to pay $95 after the first year.

The flat annual fee of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card makes it a more predictable choice for long-term use.

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The United Explorer Card offers a range of perks that can save you money and make your travel experience more enjoyable. The free checked bag perk alone can save you $280 for four round trips at $35 each.

The card also offers two one-time United Club airport lounge passes each year, which can make a big difference in your airport experience. These passes normally cost $59 each, so you'll save $118 per year. You'll also get a Global Entry or TSA Precheck statement credit every four years, worth up to $120.

In addition, the United Explorer Card waives your first-year annual fee of $95. This can be a nice savings, especially if you're not sure if you'll use the card enough to justify the fee. You'll also get 25% back on in-flight purchases, which can add up quickly if you're a frequent flyer.

To break down the value of these perks, here's a quick summary:

Overall, these perks add up to more than $600 in value, making the United Explorer Card a great choice for frequent United flyers.

If you've considered applying for either card, this comparison guide has made that decision much easier for you.

The United Explorer card is worth applying for United loyalists who want extra perks when they fly on the Chicago-based carrier.

Its earning rate is not as competitive as other travel cards on the market, and United MileagePlus miles are always subject to devaluation.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is far superior if your goal is to rack up points and save money on travel across various airlines and hotels.

The flexibility of Ultimate Rewards points simply can’t be beaten by most credit cards.

There’s no reason why you can’t have both cards, especially since neither one comes with an exorbitant annual fee.

While the Chase Sapphire Preferred card provides better earning rates in almost every bonus category, the United Explorer card comes with interesting perks like a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit and a free checked bag just by holding the card.

As always, you’ll want to crunch the numbers to see if both annual fees are worth paying in the long run.

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