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Chase recently teamed with United Airlines to launch their new credit card, the United MileagePlus(R) Explorer Card.

If you’ve heard about this card, it’s probably because 40,000 bonus airline miles that you can earn with it during your first year after activating your account.

That’s a good offer. But there’s more to this card than bonus miles. It also comes with its own rewards program and other perks.

Is this the right card for you? It might be if you travel frequently and if you’re a heavy credit-card user.

Here are the basics of the MileagePlus Explore Card:

The Bonus Offer

The bonus miles offer has received the most press. And here’s why: If you use your card often enough, you could earn 40,000 free airline miles good for United and Continental airlines flights.

Earning the first 25,000 of these bonus miles is easy. You’ll get these after your first purchase with the MileagePlus card. Earning the next 15,000 is where the work comes in.

If you add an authorized user to your account within the first two months of opening it, you’ll nab 5,000 additional bonus miles. Then, if you make at least $25,000 worth of charges on your card in your first year — and every year after that, by the way — you’ll earn another 10,000 bonus air miles. It all adds up to 40,000 air miles if you use your MileagePlus card often enough.

Annual Fee

Here’s a negative: The MileagePlus Explorer Card does come with a fairly hefty $95 annual fee. You’ll have to determine if you’ll earn enough free air miles with the card to make this fee a smart investment. You won’t have to pay this fee for the first year after activating your account; Chase waives it.

Rewards Program

You’ll earn two free air miles for every dollar that you charge in purchases from United Airlines or Continental Airlines. If you charge flights on either airline, the free miles, then, can quickly add up.

You’ll also receive one free air mile every time you charge a dollar for other purchases.

Fees: The purchase interest rate on this card is a fairly standard 14.24 percent. That’s not a fantastic rate, but it’s not a bad one, either. Cash advances cost $10 or 3 percent of your advance amount, whichever figure comes in higher. The fees for late payment and returned payments can both hit $35.

Apply for United MileagePlus(R) Explorer Card

  • Credit Required
    Good Credit
  • Rewards Program
    Earn 2 miles for $1 spent on tickets purchased from United and Continental and 1 mile per $1 everywhere else.
  • Signup Bonus
    Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles.
    25,000 after first use, 5,000 after adding additional user and 10,000 when you spend $25,000 or more.

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