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The Chase United 50K+5K signup bonus has long been a targeted offer (and also available for matching via a secure message request) but is now available publicly once again. The $95 annual fee is waived for the first year.
You’ll earn 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 within 3 months and an additional 5,000 miles for adding a free additional user card and making a purchase within 3 months.
This is avaialble on the consumer and business card. For the business card just click on the consumer link and then click on the link under “Are you a business owner?”
Spend $3,000 on a new card and add an additional user and you’ll have 58,000 miles.
A short-haul United domestic award under 700 miles in distance is just 10,000 miles. That’s a lot more than the BA 4.5K short-haul, but it allow for a longer distance and you are allowed to have connections for the same rate, something that BA doesn’t allow. And if you’ve been to a DD Seminar you know how to maximize that!
A round-trip ticket to 2 European or South American cities is just 60,000 miles round-trip thanks to a free stopover. You’re even allowed a free open jaw on the same itinerary as a free stopover to really maximize your travel.
A ticket to Israel is 85K miles round-trip, though a flight to Israel and Japan for example is just 75K miles. More on hacks like that in this post and at DD seminars 😉
Best of all United never charges any fuel surcharges. Other airlines like American collect massive fuel surcharges to fly on British Airways. Delta charges fuel surcharges to fly on some partners and if you originate in Europe and other regions. United will never collect a fuel surcharge and they have access to awards on 36 partner airlines which means better availability on more awards.
The United card is easily my favorite of all of the airline cards:
-It is the only card that gives expanded award ticket availability. Cardholders have access to expanded saver coach award availability (XN class), last seat standard coach award availability (YN class), and last seat standard business/first class award availability (JN class).
-You can read about examples of expanded availability in this post.
-You can learn more about searching for those classes in expert mode in this post.
-As you have better access to saver coach awards you’ll also have better ability to do Plan B awards. Plan B allows you to redeem for saver business and first class awards when there’s only saver coach available. Read more about Plan B in this post.
No airline besides United offers a Plan B redemption.
-The United card offers primary rental car CDW insurance. Most other cards only have secondary coverage when you rent a car in your home country. This means that if you damage your rental vehicle you must file the claim with your own personal insurance policy first, and only if they won’t cover the damage will the credit card cover the damage. Even additional cardholders get primary coverage when they rent.
With primary rental car CDW insurance you will not have to file anything with your own insurance company. Chase will cover the entire bill for any damage to your rental car. Just be sure to decline the rental agency’s CDW coverage. This primary coverage applies in every country in the world.
-The United Explorer card gives 2 free United Club passes every year for being a cardmember.
-The United Explorer card gives a 10K mileage bonus every year in which you spend $25K. That means you’ll earn at least 1.4 miles per dollar spent everywhere if you spend $25K in a year. Spending $25K in a year also waives the requirement to spend $2.5K on United flights to get Silver status, $5K on United flights to get Gold status, and $7.5K on United flights to get Platinum status. You only need to fly the 25K, 50K, or 75K miles like in the good old days.
-Your miles will never expire as long as you are a United cardholder even if you don’t have any activity.
-A massive benefit for United elite members is that they can get free upgrades on coach award tickets on upgrade eligible routes if they have a United card.
Other card benefits:
-No foreign exchange fees
-Double miles on United purchases.
-Priority boarding so that you’ll have space for your carry-ons.
-First checked bag is free.
United has 36 partner airlines which means lots of award opportunities. However not all of them are currently bookable online, you’ll have to call (or use the Aeroplan or ANA sites) to get the full picture:
United partners that currently must be booked over the phone:
-Air India
-Brussels Airlines
-Cape Air
-Great Lakes Airlines
-Jet Airways
-Shenzhen
-Singapore
Brussels is an excellent option for Israel flights with great award availability, but you usually won’t find those flights on United.com.
And here’s the list of partners currently bookable on United.com:
-Adria Airlines
-Aegean Airlines
-Aer Lingus
-Air Canada
-Air China
-Air New Zealand
-ANA
-Asiana Airlines
-Austrian Airlines
-Avianca Airlines
-Azul Brazilian Airlines
-Copa Airlines
-Croatia Airlines
-Egyptair
-Ethiopian Airlines
-EVA Air
-Germanwings
-Hawaiian Airlines
-Island Air
-LOT Polish
-Lufthansa
-Scandinavian Airlines
-Shenzhen Airlines
-Silver Airways
-South African Airways
-Swiss International Airlines
-TAP Portugal
-THAI
-Turkish Airlines
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45 Comments On "Chase United Explorer: 50,000 Miles For Spending $3,000 Plus 5,000 More Miles For Adding An Additional User"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
Too bad it’s up from 2k spending.
Is I recently signed up (I just got approved last week), can I call and request the additional user for the 5k bonus?
If I’ve received the bonus on either the personal or business card in the past, can I get it again?
Is this worth it to get if I am platinum with united in regards to reward availability
How long do you need to wait to get again?
How long do you have to wait until you can get the card again
“-A massive benefit for United elite members is that they can get free upgrades on coach award tickets on upgrade eligible routes if they have a United card.”
Can you explain what is that ?
Do you mean when I book am award economy class ticket ,that I can get upgraded to busniess class for free ??? Or what ?
Got one! Thanks a million miles Dan shlita
Does the 5k bonus work for existing cardholders?
Everyone’s so concerned about some points that don’t contribute towards our ultimate purpose. Ultimate rewards are in the the next world
Can you transfer points from the chase freedom to this chase United ?
what if I got the bonus on this card before? open a new mileage #? what name?
Any word on a deadline for public offer or is this back to being the norm?
How long do you have to wait after closing account to be eligible for sign-on bonus?
if I apply for this card and IHG card at the same time, will that be considered 2BM?
Do they not have YQ on any of their partner flights either??
can u cancel the card within the 1st year??
@Marland: sure.@esther12: yes
@Dan I did a 2bm about a month ago for a UMPE and BA. Instant approval for BA, but declined for United. 5 recon calls and a SM later I still couldnt manage the approval. Problem was too many requests for credit and short length of credit history (about a year and a half). Any recommendations as to when to reapply to maximize chances of approval? Especially now that I got a targeted offer for 50k for just 2k spend (that ends May 8th)
Are United points transferable to Avios or Avios to United? Also, according to what I understand United points are a lot more worth my while when it comes to traveling to and from Israel? I would greatly appreciate a response. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE. Big fan…..
RE: @Dan wrote: – A ticket to Israel is 85K miles round-trip, though a flight to Israel and Japan for example is just 75K miles. More on hacks like that in this post and at DD seminars.
united is very though with all this hidden city tricks.
they almost banned me from flying with any united flight and charge me a $250 fee for doing this trick from Europe to Canada with a stopover in NYC.
BTW is there something i can do to get back my money?
This new cardmember bonus offer is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this consumer credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this consumer credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this consumer credit card within the last 24 months
if i just got my first credit card 5 months ago, will i be excepted?
@Avios: no. Two different programs. And no need for the caps lock
If I cancel the card after a the first year (to avoid the fee). How do I keep my miles?
How long do you have to wait after closing account to be eligible for sign-on bonus?
What’s a simple, easy way to cover the $3,000 threshold?
i got an american express offer 50,000 points for the firsts $5000 should i go with it?
I tried to book ewr-tlv-tokyo-ewr. Nothing came up for the tokyo-ewr segment even though I was able to find many choices when I tried a ewr-tokyo round trip.
@help: no! Give it to me!
@help: Nop you can find better
Dan, I like the 75k round trip ewr-tlv-tokyo-ewr for 75k. but when I try to string it together like you did as a multi-city award it shows hardly any availability for those flights, even though if I search for each leg individually as a one way I see that there is lots of availability. Why is this and what can I do about it? thanks!
Dan – If I have the Mastercard version (carry over of the Continental card), can I apply for the current Visa version and get the bonus?
If I already have the card, can I jsut add an AU and I will receive the 5k?
@Mendy04: buy a few suits and some pairs of shoes.
Deal only available in US. Anything available for UK subscibers?
@Eli Lol. Those gotta be some fancy suits 😉
@AK: Worked for us
i got an american express gold business card offer 50,000 points for the firsts $5000 and 25,000 after the next $5000 is this card better to go with?
limited-time offer ends 6/2
Is the 5,000 secondary card for the business card too?
Dan-
I have searched hi and lo for a ‘page’ that I know you created that listed telephone numbers and appeal information for credit cards, in my case for Chase. Could you please post the link to it? Thank you!
Walter
Dan,
Using your advice, I rented a National car using my United Explorer card to get the primary phys dam coverage. I did have two scratches, and when I returned it, I had to fill out a damage report including my insurance information.
Did I do the wrong thing? How do I make sure it’s handled by Chase and not by my insurance?
Thank you!
Hi Dan,
I was writing in to ask you thoughts. I have an old Presidential Plus card. I was wondering if it has the expandable award availability. I already pay 395, and now that are changing the fee to 450. The card is pretty outdated, the only benefit I like, and why I don’t transfer to the United explorer card, is for the PQM benefit. I book a fair amount of flight with points, that I earn from flying and spending. I read the post where you found flight for less mileage. would I need to get a new card for 95 for this card, or can I do it with my old card
Thanks
Joe
@Joe:
The PP card has that benefit.