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- There are many convenient travel tools that most travelers don't understand — and perhaps have never even heard of.
- Travel credit cards grant you memberships and discounts that can elevate your airport experience in a huge way.
- Just by holding a single card like the United℠ Explorer Card, you can travel better than the vast majority of everyone else.
- Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.
Travel is one of those things that people like to brag they're good at.
In reality, anyone can be good at it with very little work. Just by opening a single credit card, you can up your travel game in a profound way. So profound, in fact, that those who wield travel credit cards aren't even really playing the same sport as other travelers.
Let's take a look at five ways you can drench your travel experience with Tabasco sauce by opening just a single credit card: The United℠ Explorer Card. It's got a modest $0 intro for the first year, then $95 annual fee, and comes with 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
Its real value is in its ongoing benefits, many of which can immediately make a big difference in your commute.
Insider's Featured Rewards Credit CardsChase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
1. Cover your trip with travel insurance
United℠ Explorer Card Apply now lock icon An icon in the shape of lock. On Chase's website
Insider’s Rating Info icon Insider's Ratings are decided by our editorial team. The rating system considers various factors and evaluates cards against others of the same type so you can pick a card that is a good fit for your goals. A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Icon of check mark inside a promo stamp It indicates a confirmed selection. PerksAnnual Fee$0 intro for the first year, then $95
Intro APRN/A
Regular APR21.99% - 28.99% Variable
Intro Offer Info icon 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is openEarn 60,000 bonus miles
Recommended CreditGood to Excellent
Pros- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual fee is waived the first year
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Earns bonus miles on several purchase categories, including dining
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Includes an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Gets you a free checked bag on United when you pay with the card
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Not the most rewarding card for most non-United travel purchases
The United Explorer card is the best all-around credit card for United flyers, offering a generous range of benefits for a modest annual fee. Cardholders receive a free checked bag, priority boarding, and inflight discounts on United flights, plus two one-time United Club airport lounge passes each year.
United Explorer Card Product Details- Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays, and United® purchases
- Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year
- Member FDIC
If you've never experienced delayed flights, lost bags, or a dented rental car, you should be playing the lottery regularly. Travel misfortune befalls nearly all who dare reserve even a trip or two each year.
The United℠ Explorer Card comes with high-performance travel coverages that can save you literally thousands during your trip. It probably won't be necessary, but just the knowledge that you're covered comes with a peace of mind that people pay quite a bit of money for.
Here's what you'll get when you pay for your travel with the card:
- Trip delay insurance — If your flight is delayed by at least 12 hours (or requires an overnight stay), you and any family on your reservation are covered for up to $500 per ticket for reasonable expenses, such as lodging, meals, transportation, etc.
- Baggage delay insurance — If your bag is delayed by the airline for at least six hours, you can be reimbursed for reasonable purchases like toiletries and clothing, up to $100 a day for up to three days.
- Primary rental car insurance — When you decline the rental agency's collision damage waiver, you're covered for damage due to collision or theft up to the actual value of the vehicle for most car rentals in the US and abroad (though there are some exclusions).
2. Get free checked bags
Airlines generally charge $30 one-way for your first checked bag when flying domestically. If you travel regularly, you've probably got a special disdain for how flagrantly exploitative that fee is.
Checked bags can easily translate to $100+ during your trip, especially if you travel with a partner. But you can avoid paying for checked bags with an airline credit card like the United℠ Explorer Card.
When you pay for your United flight with the card (or just the taxes and fees when booking an award flight), you and one other person on your reservation will get the first checked bag for free. You and a friend will save $120 when booking round-trip flights — or potentially more if your travel include multiple one-way hops.
3. Fly through airport security (while maintaining your dignity)
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are some of the most indulgent travel luxuries in existence — and they're also wildly practical.
By enrolling in TSA PreCheck, you'll have a higher security clearance than 96% of US citizens. The airlines will be alerted of this fact, and mark your boarding pass to give you the ability to go through TSA security checkpoints without taking your shoes and belt off; you can also leave your laptop and approved liquids in your bag when sending it through the scanner. You'll also get to queue through a dedicated (often much faster) PreCheck lane.
Global Entry also helps you all but skip airport security, but it's specifically for US immigration when returning from abroad. You can avoid the lengthy, sometimes hours-long process of reentering the US by simply inputting biometric data into a Global Entry kiosk upon arrival. It'll print you an authorization that you hand to an immigration officer on the way out the door.
When you enroll in Global Entry, you'll also get TSA PreCheck benefits. That makes it the better option to apply for — though the process is more difficult.
The United℠ Explorer Card comes with a statement credit reimbursing you for the application costs associated with either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
4. Enter an airport lounge
If you appreciate any of the following, you'll get a kick out of airport lounges:
- Free food
- Free alcohol (including mixed drinks)
- Big comfy chairs
- Free high-speed Wi-Fi
Airport lounges vary in quality, but some of them even come with showers, personal resting rooms, children's play areas, and more. Lots of travel credit cards come with some form of airport lounge access. The United℠ Explorer Card is one of them.
You'll get two free day passes to United Club airport lounges. That's far from comprehensive, but it's a great way to give lounges a test-drive to see if they're something worth a higher annual fee to use more regularly (with cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and United Club℠ Infinite Card).
Airport lounges can be enough to actually encourage you to show up early to the airport — something almost nobody would otherwise volunteer for.
5. Board the plane before most passengers
One of the perks frequent flyers value highly is priority boarding. You can tell by how enthusiastically they dash toward the plane when their boarding group is called.
Those who are not frequent travelers might value just the opposite. Who wants to be trapped in a tiny metal cylinder for any longer than absolutely necessary??
The reason preferred boarding is a precious commodity is not to be the first one in your seat; it's to give you pick of the litter when it comes to overhead bin space. There are few things more nightmarish than being in the last boarding group, walking up and down the aisle trying to find a spot for your rollaboard.
When flying United, the United℠ Explorer Card gives you preferred boarding which will guarantee that you won't board any later than Group 2. You probably won't be the first to board, but you'll be far from the last.
Basic Economy tickets with United come with various restrictions, such as Group 5 boarding (the last one) and no carry-on allowed. but with the United℠ Explorer Card, you'll still board in Group 2 and get to bring a carry-on, even with Basic Economy fares.
Opening a single travel credit card can do things like:
- Reimburse you if something goes wrong during your trip
- Give you free checked bags whenever you fly
- Help you avoid a lot of airport security checkpoint rigmarole
- Guarantee plenty of overhead bin space
The United℠ Explorer Card is a perfect example of this — but there are other much, much more powerful travel credit cards to choose from, as well. Read our guide to the best travel rewards credit cards to see just how helpful they can be.
Joseph Hostetler, CEPF Credit cards reporter Joseph Hostetler was a credit cards reporter for Insider who also covered helpful miles and points tricks. He is also a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF). Joseph has more than six years of experience writing professionally about credit cards, previously authoring and editing for The Points Guy and Million Mile Secrets. Read more Read lessFor rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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