Is the United Explorer Card worth the higher annual fee?

The United Explorer Card costs $150/yr vs $99/yr for the JetBlue Plus Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $51 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 JetBlue Plus 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 JetBlue Plus Card have that the United Explorer Card doesn't?

The JetBlue Plus Card offers travel credits. The United Explorer Card offers lounge access, travel credits.

Should I get the JetBlue Plus Card or the United Explorer Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the JetBlue Plus Card has a lower $99/yr fee; the United Explorer Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $150/yr.

JetBlue Plus Card vs United Explorer Card

Annual fees: JetBlue Plus Card $99/yr, United Explorer Card $150/yr. Strongest bonus categories: JetBlue Plus Card on dining, United Explorer Card on dining.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	JetBlue Plus Card Barclays · $99/yr	United Explorer Card Chase · $150/yr
Annual fee	$99 Lowest	$150 Waived first year
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	70,000 points	Up to 80,000 miles
Rewards	JetBlue TrueBlue Rewards Program	United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	Mastercard World Elite	Visa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	2x	2x
Grocery Stores	2x Highest	1x
Hotels	1x	2x Highest
Everything else	1x	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	$100 JetBlue Vacations	$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	Save 50% on inflight food and drinks First checked bag free for cardholder plus 3 companions	Free first checked bag for you plus companion Priority boarding on all United flights
Other perks	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	—	Rental car insurance up to $60,000 coverage
Purchase & returns	—	Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty	—	Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Pros & cons
Pros	6x points on JetBlue purchases provides strong earning rate Free first checked bag extends to up to 3 companions on same reservation 10% points back when redeeming for JetBlue award flights 50% off eligible inflight food and drinks 5,000 anniversary bonus points each year	$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	$99 annual fee may not be justified for occasional flyers No lounge access benefit No companion certificate No priority boarding Only 2x points on restaurants and groceries (same as no-fee 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	Card details

JetBlue Plus Card
Barclays · $99/yr
United Explorer Card
Chase · $150/yr

Overview

Annual fee: JetBlue Plus Card
$99
Lowest
United Explorer Card
$150
Waived first year
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: JetBlue Plus Card
70,000 points
United Explorer Card
Up to 80,000 miles
Rewards: JetBlue Plus Card
JetBlue TrueBlue Rewards Program
United Explorer Card
United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee: JetBlue Plus Card
None
United Explorer Card
None
Network: JetBlue Plus Card
Mastercard World Elite
United Explorer Card
Visa Signature

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Dining: JetBlue Plus Card
2x
United Explorer Card
2x
Grocery Stores: JetBlue Plus Card
2x
Highest
United Explorer Card
1x
Hotels: JetBlue Plus Card
1x
United Explorer Card
2x
Highest
Everything else: JetBlue Plus Card
1x
United Explorer Card
1x

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

Travel: JetBlue Plus Card
$100 JetBlue Vacations
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: JetBlue Plus Card
—
United Explorer Card
$5/mo rideshare credit · $5 monthly
Dining & delivery: JetBlue Plus Card
—
United Explorer Card
$10/mo Instacart+ · $10 monthly
3-mo Instacart+

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges: JetBlue Plus Card
—
United Explorer Card
2 United Club one-time passes annually
Airline perks: JetBlue Plus Card
Save 50% on inflight food and drinks
First checked bag free for cardholder plus 3 companions
United Explorer Card
Free first checked bag for you plus companion
Priority boarding on all United flights
Other perks: JetBlue Plus Card
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: JetBlue Plus 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: JetBlue Plus 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: JetBlue Plus Card
—
United Explorer Card
Rental car insurance up to $60,000 coverage
Purchase & returns: JetBlue Plus Card
—
United Explorer Card
Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty: JetBlue Plus Card
—
United Explorer Card
Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty

Pros & cons

Pros: JetBlue Plus Card
6x points on JetBlue purchases provides strong earning rate
Free first checked bag extends to up to 3 companions on same reservation
10% points back when redeeming for JetBlue award flights
50% off eligible inflight food and drinks
5,000 anniversary bonus points each year
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: JetBlue Plus Card
$99 annual fee may not be justified for occasional flyers
No lounge access benefit
No companion certificate
No priority boarding
Only 2x points on restaurants and groceries (same as no-fee card)
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

Both cards win in 1 categories each — it comes down to which categories matter most to you.

Grocery Stores

JetBlue Plus Card earns 2X vs 1X

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.

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Scenario	JetBlue Plus Card	United Explorer Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $211 Credits (our usable estimate): $5 − Annual fee ($99) Ongoing: $117 Year one: $1,062	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: $842 Credits (our usable estimate): $5 − Annual fee ($99) Ongoing: $748 Year one: $1,693	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	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The United Explorer Card costs $150/yr — that's $51 more than the JetBlue Plus Card ($99/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $51 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 $51 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $51 fee gap means the United Explorer Card needs roughly $51 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 JetBlue Plus Card means losing:

-Airport lounge access
-Global Entry credit

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the JetBlue Plus Card if you:

+Do most of your spending at grocery stores

Get the United Explorer Card if you:

+Fly frequently and value airport lounge access

The Bottom Line

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Published annual fees: JetBlue Plus Card $99/yr, United Explorer Card $150/yr — a $51 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 $99/yr for the JetBlue Plus Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $51 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 JetBlue Plus 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 JetBlue Plus Card have that the United Explorer Card doesn't?: The JetBlue Plus Card offers travel credits. The United Explorer Card offers lounge access, travel credits.
Should I get the JetBlue Plus Card or the United Explorer Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the JetBlue Plus Card has a lower $99/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: Barclays 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.