pointslip milestomorrow.com

Chase Freedom Unlimited vs United Explorer Card

Both are Chase cards. Here is every spend category, ranked by what each card actually returns.

Best card by category Card terms as of Oct 29

Everything else

  1. Freedom Unlimited 1.5% 1.5% base rate
  2. United Explorer Card 1.2% 1x base rate

Dining

  1. Freedom Unlimited 3.0% 3%
  2. United Explorer Card 2.4% 2x

Travel · portal

  1. Freedom Unlimited · Chase Travel 5.0% 5%

Drugstores

  1. Freedom Unlimited 3.0% 3%
  2. United Explorer Card 1.2% 1x base rate

Flights

  1. United Explorer Card 3.6% 3x
  2. Freedom Unlimited 1.5% 1.5% base rate

Hotels

  1. United Explorer Card 2.4% 2x
  2. Freedom Unlimited 1.5% 1.5% base rate

Lyft

  1. Freedom Unlimited 2.0% 2%
  2. United Explorer Card 1.2% 1x base rate

What the numbers are doing

Abroad the answer flips: Freedom Unlimited charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, so once that comes off the rate United Explorer Card is the better card for everyday spend.

The table is earn rate only — annual fees are not netted out of it. These cards charge Freedom Unlimited $0 and United Explorer Card $150 a year, so a thin lead in one category may not cover the difference.

Where they differ: Freedom Unlimited takes everything else, dining, drugstores and lyft; United Explorer Card takes flights and hotels.

pointslipEveryday
Pass content preview
CategoryBest card
Everything elseFreedom Unlimited1.5%
DiningFreedom Unlimited3.0%
Travel · portalFreedom Unlimited · Chase Travel5.0%
DrugstoresFreedom Unlimited3.0%
FlightsUnited Explorer Card3.6%
HotelsUnited Explorer Card2.4%
LyftFreedom Unlimited2.0%

Content preview. Apple Wallet controls the layout; visible categories vary by device. Categories that rank the same as Everything else are left off; every other category is in pass details.

Every category, every card

Everything else

  1. Freedom Unlimited — 1.5%
  2. United Explorer Card — 1.2%

Dining

  1. Freedom Unlimited — 3.0%
  2. United Explorer Card — 2.4%

Travel · portal

  1. Freedom Unlimited · Chase Travel — 5.0%

Drugstores

  1. Freedom Unlimited — 3.0%
  2. United Explorer Card — 1.2%

Flights

  1. United Explorer Card — 3.6%
  2. Freedom Unlimited — 1.5%

Hotels

  1. United Explorer Card — 2.4%
  2. Freedom Unlimited — 1.5%

Lyft

  1. Freedom Unlimited — 2.0%
  2. United Explorer Card — 1.2%
Add to Apple Wallet

This link hands the pass straight to Wallet, no app and no account — its first three rows; the app unlocks every row.

iPhone app · not yet released

Preview this set of cards. The first three rows are free, whatever cards you hold; every row and every feature is $9.99 once, in the app. See the free combos.

Open this ranking in the generator

A cheat sheet in your Wallet that tells you which card to use. No account, no bank linking, no subscription.