Is the United Explorer Card worth the higher annual fee?

The United Explorer Card costs $150/yr vs $0/yr for the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $150 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the United Explorer Card also lists lounge access, travel credits).

Which card earns more rewards, the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card or United Explorer Card?

Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.

What benefits does the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card have that the United Explorer Card doesn't?

The Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card offers travel credits. The United Explorer Card offers lounge access, travel credits.

Should I get the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card or the United Explorer Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the United Explorer Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $150/yr.

Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card vs United Explorer Card

Annual fees: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card $0/yr, United Explorer Card $150/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card on dining, United Explorer Card on dining.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card American Express · No annual fee	United Explorer Card Chase · $150/yr
Annual fee	$0 Lowest	$150 Waived first year
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	10,000 miles	Up to 80,000 miles
Rewards	Delta SkyMiles	United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	American Express	Visa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	2x	2x
Hotels	1x	2x Highest
Everything else	1x	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	20% inflight purchases	$100 United travel $100 JSX flights $100 United Hotels $50 Avis/Budget travel $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS 25% United inflight
Rideshare & transit	—	$5/mo rideshare credit · $5 monthly
Dining & delivery	—	$10/mo Instacart+ · $10 monthly 3-mo Instacart+
Perks & access— means none on record
Lounges	—	2 United Club one-time passes annually
Airline perks	—	Free first checked bag for you plus companion Priority boarding on all United flights
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events 24/7 global travel assistance No foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees Premier upgrades on award tickets United Card Events from Chase and United MileagePlus Events Earn 10,000-mile award discount after $20K annual spend
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	—	Trip cancellation coverage up to $6,000 per trip Trip delay coverage up to $500 per person after 12 hours
Baggage	—	Baggage delay coverage up to $100/day for 3 days Lost luggage coverage up to $3,000 per person
Rental car	Secondary car rental insurance coverage	Rental car insurance up to $60,000 coverage
Purchase & returns	Up to $10,000 per item against damage or theft	Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty	Extended warranty adds up to 1 year	Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges	—
Pros & cons
Pros	No annual fee makes it easy to keep long-term 2x miles on Delta purchases and at U.S. restaurants 20% back on in-flight Delta purchases No foreign transaction fees Pay with Miles feature for partial flight redemptions	$0 intro annual fee first year, then $150—reasonable for the benefits Free first checked bag for cardholder and companion saves up to $200 roundtrip 3x miles on United, 2x on dining and hotels—solid everyday earning Up to $530+ in annual credits (United travel, hotels, rideshare, Instacart, JSX) 2 United Club one-time passes per year worth $100+
Cons	No free checked bag or priority boarding Weak 10,000 mile welcome bonus compared to premium Delta cards 1x on non-category spend limits earning potential Rewards locked in Delta SkyMiles (no transfer partners) No elite status boost or companion certificate	Only 1x miles on non-category spend limits earning potential Best credits require hitting $10K-$20K spend thresholds No United Club membership—just 2 single-use passes Priority boarding is Group 2, not as early as premium cards Miles locked to United MileagePlus with limited transfer flexibility
	Card details	Card details

Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
American Express · No annual fee
United Explorer Card
Chase · $150/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
$0
Lowest
United Explorer Card
$150
Waived first year
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
10,000 miles
United Explorer Card
Up to 80,000 miles
Rewards: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles
United Explorer Card
United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
None
United Explorer Card
None
Network: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
American Express
United Explorer Card
Visa Signature

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Dining: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
2x
United Explorer Card
2x
Hotels: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
1x
United Explorer Card
2x
Highest
Everything else: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
1x
United Explorer Card
1x

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Travel: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
20% inflight purchases
United Explorer Card
$100 United travel
$100 JSX flights
$100 United Hotels
$50 Avis/Budget travel
$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS
25% United inflight
Rideshare & transit: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Explorer Card
$5/mo rideshare credit · $5 monthly
Dining & delivery: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Explorer Card
$10/mo Instacart+ · $10 monthly
3-mo Instacart+

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Explorer Card
2 United Club one-time passes annually
Airline perks: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Explorer Card
Free first checked bag for you plus companion
Priority boarding on all United flights
Other perks: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
24/7 global travel assistance
No foreign transaction fees
United Explorer Card
No foreign transaction fees
Premier upgrades on award tickets
United Card Events from Chase and United MileagePlus Events
Earn 10,000-mile award discount after $20K annual spend

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Explorer Card
Trip cancellation coverage up to $6,000 per trip
Trip delay coverage up to $500 per person after 12 hours
Baggage: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
—
United Explorer Card
Baggage delay coverage up to $100/day for 3 days
Lost luggage coverage up to $3,000 per person
Rental car: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Secondary car rental insurance coverage
United Explorer Card
Rental car insurance up to $60,000 coverage
Purchase & returns: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Up to $10,000 per item against damage or theft
United Explorer Card
Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Extended warranty adds up to 1 year
United Explorer Card
Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Other protections: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
United Explorer Card
—

Pros & cons

Pros: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
No annual fee makes it easy to keep long-term
2x miles on Delta purchases and at U.S. restaurants
20% back on in-flight Delta purchases
No foreign transaction fees
Pay with Miles feature for partial flight redemptions
United Explorer Card
$0 intro annual fee first year, then $150—reasonable for the benefits
Free first checked bag for cardholder and companion saves up to $200 roundtrip
3x miles on United, 2x on dining and hotels—solid everyday earning
Up to $530+ in annual credits (United travel, hotels, rideshare, Instacart, JSX)
2 United Club one-time passes per year worth $100+
Cons: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card
No free checked bag or priority boarding
Weak 10,000 mile welcome bonus compared to premium Delta cards
1x on non-category spend limits earning potential
Rewards locked in Delta SkyMiles (no transfer partners)
No elite status boost or companion certificate
United Explorer Card
Only 1x miles on non-category spend limits earning potential
Best credits require hitting $10K-$20K spend thresholds
No United Club membership—just 2 single-use passes
Priority boarding is Group 2, not as early as premium cards
Miles locked to United MileagePlus with limited transfer flexibility

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The United Explorer Card wins in 1 of 1 categories. The Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card leads in 0.

Hotels

United Explorer Card earns 2X vs 1X

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

Close — depends on how much of the credits you use

Scenario	Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card	United Explorer Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $166 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $166 Year one: $286	Rewards: $166 Credits (our usable estimate): $182 − Annual fee ($150) Ongoing: $198 Year one: $1,188	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	United Explorer Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $662 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $662 Year one: $782	Rewards: $662 Credits (our usable estimate): $182 − Annual fee ($150) Ongoing: $694 Year one: $1,684	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	United Explorer Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The United Explorer Card costs $150/yr — that's $150 more than the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $150 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

The United Explorer Card includes travel credits, lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, free checked bags. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $150 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $150 fee gap means the United Explorer Card needs roughly $150 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on dining and hotels and everyday spend.

What You Give Up

Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.

Choosing Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card means losing:

-Airport lounge access
-Free checked bags
-Global Entry credit

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the United Explorer Card if you:

+Fly frequently and value airport lounge access

The Bottom Line

Close — depends on how much of the credits you use

Published annual fees: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card $0/yr, United Explorer Card $150/yr — a $150 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the United Explorer Card worth the higher annual fee?: The United Explorer Card costs $150/yr vs $0/yr for the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $150 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the United Explorer Card also lists lounge access, travel credits).
Which card earns more rewards, the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card or United Explorer Card?: Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
What benefits does the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card have that the United Explorer Card doesn't?: The Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card offers travel credits. The United Explorer Card offers lounge access, travel credits.
Should I get the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card or the United Explorer Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the United Explorer Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $150/yr.

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Official issuer pages: American Express cards · Chase cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.