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United MileagePlus® Explorer Card -- why to keep?

United MileagePlus® Explorer Card -- why to keep?

Old Feb 27, 2014, 3:06 pm
  #76  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: TPA or PDX
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 95
If you don't plan on using the club passes then give them away as gifts or sell them (and don't wait until right before expiration to sell them if you do, passes close to expiration sell for under $10 each on ebay sometimes).
Well , I have 3 (end 2014) of them now and will have 2 more (end 2015)
since I didn't cancel. I have use of Delta Skyclubs so no big deal.

Just wondering if the wash was an alright deal. I value United miles more
than DL miles, so I was just thinking of stockpiling the UA miles for now.
But maybe I should have canceled it and applied again in 2 years for another
30k bonus.
I already have the Chase Ink Bold so I bank business expenses to UA miles on a regular basis.

Mostly fly the TPA PDX route 10X a year so either is pretty competitive, with the edge to UA prices and DL services.

AS is also a new player in the new TPA SEA market, but I don't like 737's

Last edited by offdalip; Feb 27, 2014 at 3:11 pm
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Old Feb 27, 2014, 3:18 pm
  #77  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: SFO
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Originally Posted by offdalip
Well , I have 3 (end 2014) of them now and will have 2 more (end 2015)
since I didn't cancel. I have use of Delta Skyclubs so no big deal.

Just wondering if the wash was an alright deal. I value United miles more
than DL miles, so I was just thinking of stockpiling the UA miles for now.
But maybe I should have canceled it and applied again in 2 years for another
30k bonus.
I already have the Chase Ink Bold so I bank business expenses to UA miles on a regular basis.

Mostly fly the TPA PDX route 10X a year so either is pretty competitive, with the edge to UA prices and DL services.

AS is also a new player in the new TPA SEA market, but I don't like 737's
Have you paid the annual fee yet? What's to stop you from calling up tomorrow (or after the 10k miles post) and actually cancelling it?
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Old Feb 27, 2014, 3:39 pm
  #78  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: TPA or PDX
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 95
Have you paid the annual fee yet? What's to stop you from calling up tomorrow (or after the 10k miles post) and actually cancelling it?
Well that is exactly it!

The annual fee hits in March , and I tried to cancel now just B4 Mar but was lured back by the 10K miles offer. Obviously I don't want to cancel until after the 10K are actually deposited, which may be X time
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Old Feb 27, 2014, 4:14 pm
  #79  
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 734
UA branded cc = travel insurance

Travel insurance was mentioned earlier, for car rentals.

I learned some more things about travel insurance through the UA Explorer Card, and the UA Club cc for that matter. The hard way of course.

(1) Delayed flight coverage. This is useful. It's covered hotels and meals for me for one overnight due to weather cancellation. The annual fee paid for itself that time. Hopefully, the cc's coverage will help with a second such incident that I just filed yesterday. There were some flight segments paid for through AA award travel instead of with the cc, and the itinerary was a meandering multi-leg, not exactly a round-trip, but whose origin and final stop were one and the same. We'll see if these characteristics ruin the entire claim.

(2) Travel interruption coverage just got better on November 1, 2013. If you bought any involved tickets prior to 1 November, this coverage does not help you--sad for my connection which I purchased on October 25, just six days before this new coverage! It covers non-refundable land, sea, air transport costs that go in vain if a flight is delayed and you miss a connection. Any trip involving a purchase prior to 1 November only provides interruption coverage is there is death or injury involved in the interruption.

(3) Note that travel interruption coverage only covers transportation costs lost. Any dings from hotels or resorts due to cancellations due to a missed flight connection are not covered. For that reason, real travel insurance might still bail you out better.

Last edited by Long Zhiren; Feb 27, 2014 at 4:20 pm
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Old Feb 27, 2014, 9:02 pm
  #80  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,818
Originally Posted by Long Zhiren
Travel insurance was mentioned earlier, for car rentals.

I learned some more things about travel insurance through the UA Explorer Card, and the UA Club cc for that matter. The hard way of course.

(1) Delayed flight coverage. This is useful. It's covered hotels and meals for me for one overnight due to weather cancellation. The annual fee paid for itself that time. Hopefully, the cc's coverage will help with a second such incident that I just filed yesterday. There were some flight segments paid for through AA award travel instead of with the cc, and the itinerary was a meandering multi-leg, not exactly a round-trip, but whose origin and final stop were one and the same. We'll see if these characteristics ruin the entire claim.

(2) Travel interruption coverage just got better on November 1, 2013. If you bought any involved tickets prior to 1 November, this coverage does not help you--sad for my connection which I purchased on October 25, just six days before this new coverage! It covers non-refundable land, sea, air transport costs that go in vain if a flight is delayed and you miss a connection. Any trip involving a purchase prior to 1 November only provides interruption coverage is there is death or injury involved in the interruption.

(3) Note that travel interruption coverage only covers transportation costs lost. Any dings from hotels or resorts due to cancellations due to a missed flight connection are not covered. For that reason, real travel insurance might still bail you out better.
Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred have this?
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Old Feb 28, 2014, 12:44 am
  #81  
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Originally Posted by SuperKirby
Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred have this?
See this thread, which also talks about the Explorer version of the Delay benefit: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chase...rotection.html
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Old Feb 28, 2014, 3:20 am
  #82  
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I keep it as it has the primary CDW and also the 2 lounge passes./year (which I give to the parents). Along with a statement credit for being a 1K.
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Old Feb 28, 2014, 5:33 am
  #83  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: London (Transplant from EWR)
Programs: United 1k, SPG Plat & Ambassador, ClubCarlson Concierge
Posts: 691
Cause every time i call to cancel they keep giving me an extra 5k to 10k miles (plus my normal anniversary bonus). Otherwise.....not sure why.
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Old Feb 28, 2014, 3:23 pm
  #84  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,818
Originally Posted by MDtR-Chicago
See this thread, which also talks about the Explorer version of the Delay benefit: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chase...rotection.html
Very helpful, TY.
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Old Mar 8, 2014, 8:42 am
  #85  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 2,474
Which Explorer Card to Keep?

I've had an Explorer card for three or four years. My wife's new Explorer card just posted its 50K mile signup bonus. We don't spend enough to get $25,000 (to qualify for the 10K mile spend bonus) on both her new card and my old one.

Any advice about which card to keep? Hers has no $95 annual fee for the first year, while mine costs me $95/year. I imagine I'll get some retention offers if I call to cancel my card.

Thanks for any advice!
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Old Mar 8, 2014, 9:10 am
  #86  
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Originally Posted by ajGoes
I've had an Explorer card for three or four years. My wife's new Explorer card just posted its 50K mile signup bonus. We don't spend enough to get $25,000 (to qualify for the 10K mile spend bonus) on both her new card and my old one.

Any advice about which card to keep? Hers has no $95 annual fee for the first year, while mine costs me $95/year. I imagine I'll get some retention offers if I call to cancel my card.

Thanks for any advice!
The answer to this question is very dependent on your specific circumstances.

If each of you regularly fly without the other then perhaps you should keep both cards. If you regularly fly together and on the same PNR then it may not matter which card is kept as long as that card is used for the UA flight purchases.
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Old Mar 12, 2014, 12:40 pm
  #87  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,818
Originally Posted by ajGoes
I've had an Explorer card for three or four years. My wife's new Explorer card just posted its 50K mile signup bonus. We don't spend enough to get $25,000 (to qualify for the 10K mile spend bonus) on both her new card and my old one.

Any advice about which card to keep? Hers has no $95 annual fee for the first year, while mine costs me $95/year. I imagine I'll get some retention offers if I call to cancel my card.

Thanks for any advice!
Originally Posted by controller1
The answer to this question is very dependent on your specific circumstances.

If each of you regularly fly without the other then perhaps you should keep both cards. If you regularly fly together and on the same PNR then it may not matter which card is kept as long as that card is used for the UA flight purchases.
+1, i would only keep one card if you guys usually fly on the same PNR and therefore save on bag fees. If you fly separately all the time you may want to keep both assuming each of you fly at least more than 4 one-ways in one year each ($25 for bag fees each one-way and considering the $95 AF).
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Old Mar 12, 2014, 1:43 pm
  #88  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
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Posts: 2,474
Originally Posted by SuperKirby
+1, i would only keep one card if you guys usually fly on the same PNR and therefore save on bag fees. If you fly separately all the time you may want to keep both assuming each of you fly at least more than 4 one-ways in one year each ($25 for bag fees each one-way and considering the $95 AF).
I should have mentioned we almost never check bags. Thanks for the thoughts though!
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Old Mar 13, 2014, 8:36 pm
  #89  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 43
Originally Posted by Bowgie
The Explorer card is just a churn for the sign-up bonus deal for me. However, I like Chase cards in general because I bank with them, and they have good service. I got a targeted "3 miles for ALL categories" offer from them, good thru June. So I'm using the card now. Card renews this fall.
How often, and how do you Churn this card? I understood it to be a 2year churn period.

Can you just get another card w/a different FF# to get around the 2year rule or is there some other tip?
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Old Sep 1, 2015, 8:06 am
  #90  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EWR
Programs: UA .5M, Vistana 1-Star owner
Posts: 992
Lightbulb cancel United Chase "Explorer" Card

Originally Posted by MDtR-Chicago
... call for a retention bonus on the existing card
I called, none offered, $95 annual fee due soon, I cancelled. This card offers nothing that my other 2 cards didn't already, 1 being a fee-less Visa Signature (Fidelity Investments).
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