Chase Freedom® Visa vs United MileagePlus® Explorer

Chase Freedom is an excellent cash back credit card for cardholders who pay in full. How does it compare to United MileagePlus Explorer from Chase, an airline credit card? Read our comparison chart below.

Keep in mind, the Chase Freedom has a $0 annual fee, while the United MileagePlus Explorer has a $95 annual fee (annual fee waived for first year).

	Chase Freedom® Visa	United MileagePlus® Explorer
	Credit Card Summary
	Earn $100 Bonus Cash Back after you make $500 in purchases in your first 3 months 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers 5% Cash Back on up to $1,500 spent at grocery stores and movie theaters from 4/1/12 - 6/30/12 You'll enjoy new 5% categories every 3 months like gas stations, restaurants and even airlines. It's free and easy to activate your bonus each quarter! Unlimited 1% Cash Back on all other purchases Up to an additional 10% Cash Back when you shop online at select merchants through Chase No annual fee and rewards never expire	Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles & first year free, a $95 value* First checked bag is free for you and a companion when you fly United flights, up to a $50 value Board your flight before general boarding with priority boarding privileges Visit the United Club with two complimentary day passes every year, up to a $100 value Earn 2 miles for each $1 spent on airline tickets purchased from United and 1 mile per $1 for everything else Your miles don't expire and there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn
	Credit Card Interest Rates & Fees
Introductory APR for Purchases	0% introductory APR for 15 months
Introductory APR for Balance Transfers	0% introductory APR for 15 months
Purchases APR	as low as 12.99% to 22.99% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors	as low as 15.24% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors
Balance Transfers APR	as low as 12.99% to 22.99% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors	as low as 15.24% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors
Annual Fee	$0 annual fee	$95 annual fee, annual fee waived for first year
	Credit Card Rewards & Benefits
Introductory Bonus Cash Back	Introductory Bonus Cash Back: Earn $100 Bonus Cash Back after you make $500 in purchases in your first 3 months
Introductory Bonus Airline Rewards		Introductory Bonus Airline Rewards: Earn 25,000 bonus miles after first use and 5,000 additional bonus miles after your first Card use and for adding an authorized user within two months of opening your account.
Cash Back Rewards	Cash Back Rewards: 1% cash back on all other purchases, with no spending tiers.
Bonus Cash Back	Bonus Cash Back: 5% cash back in new bonus categories every 3 months, on up to $1,500 worth of purchases. It's free and easy to activate your bonus each quarter. Bonus Categories for 2012: April - June: Grocery stores, Movie theaters July - September: Gas stations, Restaurants October - December: Hotels, Airlines, Best Buy, Kohl's
Airline Rewards		Airline Rewards: Earn 2 miles for $1 spent on tickets purchased from United and 1 mile per $1 everywhere else
Travel Rewards		Travel Rewards: Redeem MileagePlus miles for any seat, any time, on any United flight*
Bonus Airline Rewards		Bonus Airline Rewards: Earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $25,000 or more on your Card each calendar year.
Airline Status		Airline Status: First checked bag is free for you and a companion when you fly United flights, up to a $50 value. Board your flight before general boarding with priority boarding privileges. Visit the United Club with two complimentary day passes every year, up to a $100 value.
Grocery Rewards	Grocery Rewards: 5% Cash Back on up to $1,500 spent at grocery stores and movie theaters from 4/1/12 - 6/30/12
	Go to issuer's official application, terms, and details	Go to issuer's official application, terms, and details
	CreditDonkey® Credit Card Reviews
Pros & Cons	Pros: $100 bonus cash back 5% bonus categories No annual fee Cons: 3% foreign transaction fee	Pros: Up to 40000 bonus points First checked bag free Priority boarding United Club passes Cons: $95 annual fee
Bottom Line	Excellent cash back credit card for cardholders who pay in full... Read full review	Excellent airline card for United frequent flyers... Read full review
See issuer's website for details including terms and conditions. While reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate and updated information, the information shown on this site may vary, be out of date, or not applicable to you. All information is provided without warranty. When you click on the Apply Now button, you can review the terms and conditions on the issuer's website. Blank fields indicate either the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the issuer's website for details. Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by Chase. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of Chase, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Chase. This site may be compensated through Chase Affiliate Program.

Articles on Chase Freedom® Visa

Chase Freedom $100 Cash Back Review
March 14, 2012 - By David R - Review for Chase Freedom
The Chase Freedom Visa Card is one of the most popular cash back cards because of its simplicity and its creative bonus system. Chase has updated the Chase Freedom Visa for 2012. This article discusses the features of the new Freedom card and ...

Chase Freedom Review: Rewards with No Annual Fee
August 3, 2011 - By Meghan Clark - Review for Chase Freedom
Named a “Best Overall Card” in 2011 by CBS MoneyWatch, the Chase Freedom credit card offers a solid rewards program and introductory bonus offers. It does lack some of the bells and whistles that come with premium rewards cards, but because it ...

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by Chase. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of Chase, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Chase. This site may be compensated through Chase Affiliate Program.

Articles on United MileagePlus® Explorer

United Airlines Credit Card Review: No Annual Fee for First Year Offer
December 28, 2011 - By Neils - Review for United MileagePlus Explorer
Frequent United Airlines flyers have access to a new card that should help them save money in the long run.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by Chase. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of Chase, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Chase. This site may be compensated through Chase Affiliate Program.

Compare Chase Freedom to:

Chase Sapphire℠ Intro APR (P) Intro APR (BT) APR as low as - - 15.24% (Variable) Earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend $500 in the first 3 months - that's $100 toward travel or any other reward! 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Points never expire and there are no limits on how many points you can earn Redeem points for travel, gift cards, merchandise, cash back and more Direct access to expert service advisors anytime No annual fee!

Slate® from Chase - No Balance Transfer Fee Intro APR (P) Intro APR (BT) APR as low as 0% for 15 months 0% for 15 months 11.99% - 21.99% (Variable) No Balance Transfer Fee!* 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers Transfer your higher rate balances during the first 30 days your account is open and you will pay no balance transfer fee! After that, the balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount transferred with a minimum of $5 Avoid interest on everyday purchases Pay down your balance faster Zero liability on unauthorized purchases* No Annual Fee*

Discover® More Card - 18 Month Promotional Balance Transfer Intro APR (P) Intro APR (BT) APR as low as 0% for 6 months 0% for 18 months 10.99% - 20.99% (Variable) 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the variable standard purchase APR of 10.99% - 20.99%* 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then the variable standard purchase APR of 10.99% - 20.99%* 5% Cashback Bonus® in categories that change like gas, restaurants, department stores and more. Limitations apply* Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty--16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report) 24/7 access to a U.S. based Account Manager within 60 seconds $0 Fraud Liability plus automatic mobile and email fraud alerts Great rewards with no annual fee, no rewards redemption fee, and no additional card fee *Click apply to view rates, fees, rewards, limitations and other important information

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Compare United MileagePlus Explorer to:

United MileagePlus® Club Card Annual Club Membership - up to a $475 value Premier Access? Priority Airport Services Earn a 50% Mileage Bonus Check your first and second bag for free No Foreign Transaction Fees* Receive Access to exclusive events with Inside Access from Chase Intro APR for Purchases Intro APR for Balance Transfer APR as low as Annual Fee - - 15.24% (Variable) $395

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express Earn 30,000 bonus miles toward Award Travel when you spend $500 on the Card in the first three months from account opening $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 Check your first bag FREE - for up to 9 people on your reservation - on every Delta flight Receive double miles on Delta purchases and 1 mile for all other eligible dollars spent NEW — Priority Boarding and 20% In-Flight Savings Intro APR for Purchases Intro APR for Balance Transfer APR as low as Annual Fee - - 15.24% - 19.24% (Variable) $95

Related: Airline Rewards Credit Cards