Originally Posted by
bellerophontes
With the 1st year free on the Explorer, on a purely points earning basis and considering no other benefits valuable, the Ultimate would be more worth it only after spending EUR 45667 in a year, which is a pretty steep amount.
You have to take into account that you get 5000 welcome points, worth 100€
Then, of course it depends on your spending.
In my case, it looks like it's well worth it. It will pay for accomodation on a forthcoming Asian trip.