55,000 United Miles and $50 From One Credit Card

Disclaimer: I do not receive a commission for the cards mentioned in this post.

Yesterday, Chase pushed out their limited-time (September 2nd end date) offer on the United MileagePlus Explorer card – from the standard 30,000 miles to a nice 50,000 miles. Let’s break down the offer and how to maximize it.

United MileagePlus Explorer – Up To 55,000 Miles and $50

The ability to get 50,000 miles on the United card has been around on and off for a while, mostly as a targeted offer. A couple of years ago, it was possible to become targeted by simply having some miles in your United account when you signed in. 🙂

Application Link – United MileagePlus Explorer – 50,000 miles and $50 after $2,000 spent 

But, this is the strongest public offer available in a while. Not only does it give you a flat 50,000 miles after meeting the (low) spending requirement, but it also gives you an additional 5,000 miles if you add an authorized user, and it gives you a $50 statement credit on your bill! To get the 50,000 miles, you must make $2,000 in purchases in the first 90 days.

There are a lot of people who do not care for United miles anymore because of how they devalued this year, but I strongly disagree with those not getting this card because of that for two main reasons:

• If you do not want this card because of how many more miles United requires for premium cabins, why would you not want a card that just went up 66%? That exceeds some of the percentage that many of the routes were hiked in mileage! By getting this card, it automatically puts you in a better position to fly premium with United miles, if you want to.
• Another reason that I disagree with that is because you can pick-up 55,000 miles with very little work. After counting the minimum spending in the amount, you are only 3,000 miles shy of an economy ticket to Europe. We have used our United miles for that a few times now (our recent trip to the US and back to Greece was booked in coach using 300,000 miles for our family). Why would you say “no” to a card that gives you just about a free ticket to Europe???

Card Benefits

• Free first checked bag
• Priority boarding
• No fees on foreign transactions†
• 2 United ClubSM passes per year
• 10,000 Bonus Miles when you spend $25,000 in net purchases on your Card each year
• 5,000 Bonus Miles when you add an authorized user and make a purchase in the first three months
• Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on tickets purchased from United
• Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
• Miles don’t expire

Getting the additional 5,000 miles

The card itself comes with a 50,000 mile bonus. To get the extra 5,000 miles, you must add an authorized user and make a purchase in the first three months. To add that user, all you need to do is to select to speak to a customer service representative when you call to activate the card. Once you speak with them, give them the name of your authorized user and you are all set! Make sure you do not add the person as joint on the card or else it could prevent them from getting the bonus!

The Offer’s Strong Points

The annual fee ($95) is waived for the first year, which is always a good thing. You get $50 back on your statement (that is a free $50 which is always good!). And the 55,000 miles you will accrue with this offer are just about enough for a one-way business class ticket to Europe aboard United or a round-trip ticket to Europe or enough for two round-trip tickets in the US. No matter how you slice it, there is a lot of value here!

An example of a fantastic itinerary that can be booked with these miles.

Another great thing about this card is that it has the same terms as most Chase cards as of late – you can get this offer as long as you have not received the bonus from the card within the last 24 months and you do not currently have the card. That means, if you have the card right now, move the credit line to another Chase card, cancel the card, and then apply for this offer.

 Also Available For the Business Version!

The business version does not offer the $50 statement credit, but it has the same 50,000 miles after spending $2,000 in 3 month! That is a great way to double up and earn 100,000 miles with two credit card applications (you can apply for a business and personal card from Chase on the same day, but may have to call the reconsideration line on one of them).

Update: Apparently, the link I had included was not taking readers to the 50,000 mile offer. Here is how to reach it yourself.

When you login into your account to apply, go to the top right corner and click Are You A Business Owner? That will bring up the page with the 50,000 mile offer. Sorry for the confusion before!

Click on “Are You A Business Owner” for the 50K offer

There you go!