Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Card 50k Bonus

For a limited time, the Chase United MileagePlus Explorer card is offering an increased signup bonus. You can get 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. If your United MileagePlus account is targeted, that bonus might be 70,000 instead.

The signup bonus is normally 30,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months with the $95 annual fee waived for the first year. It’s important to note that with these limited time offers, the annual fee is not waived and will appear on your first statement.

Use this link to apply for the card with the increased bonus: https://www.theexplorercard.com/50k3k

Card Details

• Free First Checked Bag for cardmember and one traveling companion
• Priority Boarding
• No Foreign Transaction Fee
• 2 United Club Passes Annually
• Earn 2 miles/$ spent on United tickets, 1 mile/$ spent on all other purchases
• 5,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first 3 months
• 10,000 bonus miles each calendar year you spend at least $25,000 with the card
• Enhanced Award Seat Availability
• Primary Car Rental Insurance

Are you Targeted for the 70k Bonus?

To find out if you are targeted to receive the 70,000 signup bonus, simply log on to your United MileagePlus account and look for the banner advertisement for the Explorer card. Click on it to show you which bonus you are eligible for.

Also Get a $50 Statement Credit

You can get the same offer PLUS a $50 statement credit after your first purchase, and it’s a simple process. If you’re targeted for the 70,000 mile bonus, make sure you’re logged into your United MileagePlus account. If you’re not targeted, you don’t need to be logged in. On United.com, start to book a reservation for a flight. Any flight will do, we’re not going through with the purchase.

Once you click the “Search” button to list the available flights and airfares, you should see a banner ad for the MileagePlus Explorer card. Click on that banner to see the offer with the additional $50 credit. After that, you can abandon your flight search.

Summary

These offers are trade-offs. You can get an extra 20,000 or 40,000 miles (over the normal signup bonus) in exchange for the $95 annual fee not being waived the first year. Effectively, you’re paying 0.475 or 0.2375 (annual fee ÷ extra bonus) cents per mile depending on which bonus you are eligible for. There’s also an extra $2,000 minimum spend to be met. You can decide for yourself whether or not you think that’s worth it.  I certainly do.