United MileagePlus® Explorer vs Miles by Discover® Card

United MileagePlus Explorer is an excellent airline card for United frequent flyers. How does it compare to Discover Miles, a travel credit card? Read our comparison chart below.

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

	United MileagePlus® Explorer	Miles by Discover® Card
	Credit Card Summary
	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	Earn 10,000 Bonus Miles with every $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months – up to 20,000 Bonus Miles 1 Mile on every $1 you spend - Plus flexible redemption options like travel credits, merchandise, gift cards or cash 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months, then the variable purchase APR of 10.99% - 15.99%* No restrictions on travel--fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates Travel benefits include secondary collision damage insurance when you rent a car with your Miles by Discover card Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty--16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report) 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
	Credit Card Interest Rates & Fees
Introductory APR for Balance Transfers		0% introductory APR for 12 months
Purchases APR	as low as 15.24% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors	as low as 10.99% to 15.99% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors
Balance Transfers APR	as low as 15.24% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors	as low as 10.99% to 15.99% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors
Annual Fee	$95 annual fee, annual fee waived for first year	$0 annual fee
	Credit Card Rewards & Benefits
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.	Introductory Bonus Airline Rewards: Earn 10,000 Bonus Miles with every $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months – up to 20,000 Bonus Miles
Airline Rewards	Airline Rewards: Earn 2 miles for $1 spent on tickets purchased from United and 1 mile per $1 everywhere else	Airline Rewards: Double Miles on your first $3,000 in travel and restaurant purchases each year, plus 1 Mile for Every $1 you spend on all other purchases.
Hotel Rewards		Hotel Rewards
Travel Rewards	Travel Rewards: Redeem MileagePlus miles for any seat, any time, on any United flight*	Travel Rewards: Double Miles on your first $3,000 in travel and restaurant purchases each year. Unrestricted Travel booked through any airline, travel agent or online travel site.
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.
Dining Rewards		Dining Rewards: Earn double miles on up to $3,000 in travel and restaurant purchases.
	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: Up to 40000 bonus points First checked bag free Priority boarding United Club passes Cons: $95 annual fee	Pros: Bonus miles promotion Double Miles on your first $3000 in travel and restaurant purchases each year No annual fee No travel restrictions Cons: No airline-specific loyalty status
Bottom Line	Excellent airline card for United frequent flyers... Read full review	Excellent travel card with no annual fee... 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. Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by Discover. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of Discover, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Discover. This site may be compensated through Discover 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.

Articles on Miles by Discover® Card

Discover Miles Review
September 2, 2011 - By Meghan Clark - Review for Discover Miles
With a potential 20,000 bonus miles offer and no annual fee, the Discover Miles card offers great benefits to travelers. Redeeming miles also couldn't be easier: just make a travel purchase through any airline, travel agent or online travel site ...

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

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

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Compare Discover Miles to:

Escape by Discover® Card Earn up to $250 in travel rewards - 1,000 Bonus miles every month you make a purchase for the first 25 months Double Miles on every $1 you spend 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months, then the variable APR of 10.99% - 16.99%* No restrictions on travel - fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates Flexible redemption options like travel credits, merchandise, gift cards or cash Travel Insurance benefits, including primary car rental, lost or damaged luggage, travel delay, and trip cancellation when you book with your Escape by Discover card Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty--16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report) *Click apply to view rates, fees, rewards, limitations and other important information Intro APR for Purchases Intro APR for Balance Transfer APR as low as Annual Fee 0% for 6 months 0% for 6 months 10.99% - 16.99% (Variable) $60

Blue Sky from American Express® 7,500 bonus points when you spend $1,000 within 3 months – redeemable for a $100 statement credit. No annual fee Travel rewards with no blackout dates or travel restrictions. Redeem with any airline, any car rental, any hotel - anytime Pay your bill all at once, or over time. It's up to you. Blue Savings Program®: big deals on big brands, all the time Get a decision in as little as 60 seconds Intro APR for Purchases Intro APR for Balance Transfer APR as low as Annual Fee 0% for 12 months - 17.24% - 22.24% (Variable) $0

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	Real Cost of Flying Nowadays, many airlines are offering special promotions to help ensure their seats are filled. The costs of some of these flights seem fantastic, with many of them being cheaper than the cost of gas to drive to the same destination.