United MileagePlus® Explorer vs Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

United MileagePlus Explorer is an excellent airline card for United frequent flyers. How does it compare to Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express, a hotel credit card? Read our comparison chart below.

Keep in mind, the United MileagePlus Explorer has a $95 annual fee, while the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card has a $65 annual fee. Both cards' annual fees are waived for the first year.

	United MileagePlus® Explorer	Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
	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	Starpoints® BONUS: 10K with your first purchase and another 15K when you spend $5k within 6 months – enough for up to 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel. Free nights, free flights: Redeem Starpoints with over 350 airlines through SPG Flights and more than 1,000 hotels and resorts worldwide. No blackout dates 2011 SmarterTravel® Award for "Best Travel Rewards Card" $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65
	Credit Card Interest Rates & Fees
Purchases APR	as low as 15.24% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors	as low as 15.24% to 19.24% (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 15.24% to 19.24% (Variable) based on your creditworthiness and other factors
Annual Fee	$95 annual fee, annual fee waived for first year	$65 annual fee, annual fee waived for first year
	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 Hotel Rewards		Introductory Bonus Hotel Rewards: Starpoints® Bonus: 10K with your first purchase and another 15K when you spend $5K within 6 months - enough for up to 6 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel
Airline Rewards	Airline Rewards: Earn 2 miles for $1 spent on tickets purchased from United and 1 mile per $1 everywhere else	Airline Rewards: Redeem Starpoints for SPG Award flights on over 350 airlines -- all without blackout dates. Transfer Starpoints to more than 30 airline frequent flyer programs, mostly on a one-to-one basis.
Hotel Rewards		Hotel Rewards: Get 1 Starpoint for every eligible dollar spent. Receive up to 5 Starpoints for every eligible dollar spent at Starwood hotels and resorts.
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.	Bonus Airline Rewards: Receive a 5,000 Starpoint Bonus when you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to a frequent flyer program.
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.
Hotel Status		Hotel Status: Earn SPG Gold Status by spending $30,000 or more on your Card in a calendar year. Receive credit for 5 nights toward SPG elite status each year. Enjoy your third night free at participating Sheraton hotels and resorts.
	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: Earn bonus points upon first purchase Flexible transfer to airlines miles Cons: $65 annual fee
Bottom Line	Excellent airline card for United frequent flyers... Read full review	Excellent rewards card for travelers looking for free hotel stays or airfare... 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 American Express. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express 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 Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

AMEX Starwood Review: Versatile Hotel and Airline Rewards
December 16, 2011 - By David R - Review for Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card
A CreditDonkey.com editors’ favorite, the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card offers exceptional travel rewards and top-notch American Express customer service for a reasonable annual fee. The generous sign-up bonuses and 1:1 point transfer to ...

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express 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 Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card to:

Marriott Rewards® Credit Card Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after your first use, redeemable for up to 4 free nights; plus receive 2 free night stay e-certificates upon account approval, that's enough for up to 6 free nights at a category 1 hotel No Annual fee for your first year that's a $45 value* Earn 3 points for every $1 spent at Marriott® locations Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on other purchases Cardmembers achieve Silver elite status with 10 nights credit toward Elite status Redeem Marriott Rewards® points at Marriott properties including Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Fairfield Inn & Suites Intro APR for Purchases Intro APR for Balance Transfer APR as low as Annual Fee - - 14.24% (Variable) $45

Citi® Hilton HHonors Visa Signature® Card Earn 40,000 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points after spending $1,000 within 4 months of account opening* Earn 6 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent at a participating hotel within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio.* Earn 3 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations.* Earn 2 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent on all other purchases.* No annual fee.* Intro APR for Purchases Intro APR for Balance Transfer APR as low as Annual Fee - - 14.24% - 16.24% (Variable) $0

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