July 19, 2011 07:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Card Offers First Checked Bag Free, Priority Boarding, Complimentary Club Passes and More Reward Seat Redemption Options
WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Chase Card Services, a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. [NYSE: JPM] and United Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Inc. [NYSE: UAL], introduced the all-new United MileagePlus® Explorer Card. The Card offers unique and unmatched benefits that enhance the Cardmember travel experience at the airport and beyond. MileagePlus Explorer Cardmembers receive special privileges when traveling on United including first checked bag free*, priority boarding, passes to United airport club lounges and the ability to redeem MileagePlus miles for any seat, any time, on any United flight, with no restrictions and no blackout dates. If seats are available for sale, they can be redeemed by Cardmembers at the Standard Award level. In addition, miles earned in the MileagePlus program by Explorer Cardmembers will not expire as long as program members are MileagePlus Explorer Cardmembers.
“If you fly United Airlines, this card should be in your wallet”
“The MileagePlus Explorer Card is the only card in the industry to offer these premium benefits and special privileges when traveling on United,” said David Gold, general manager, Chase Card Services. “We’ve designed this Card for those looking to enhance their entire travel experience and it is truly unmatched in the marketplace in the access it delivers and value that it offers to United customers.”
The MileagePlus Explorer Card also offers benefits that extend through the entire travel experience, including access to The Luxury Hotel and Resorts Collection from Chase, which offers special Cardmember-only amenities at over 700 properties in the U.S. and around the world. Beyond these special travel privileges, the MileagePlus Explorer Card also offers enhanced travel and purchase protection coverage and a suite of benefits that cater to the lifestyle needs of the affluent customer. This includes a dedicated concierge service available 24/7 to help with such things as simple gift ideas to restaurant and local entertainment recommendations anywhere in the world.
In addition, Explorer Cardmembers will have the opportunity to attend private, once-in-a-lifetime experiences through a new benefit called Inside Access from Chase. Cardmembers will enjoy exclusive access to the best in concerts, Broadway performances and culinary events; the opportunity to meet and mingle with industry notables; and even get rare, behind-the-scenes views into the world of professional sports and high fashion. Events will be offered throughout the year and can be previewed at www.insideaccess.com.
These MileagePlus Explorer Card benefits are also available on the Continental Airlines OnePass Plus Card. The OnePass Plus card will be offered through 2011, and Cardmembers will continue to enjoy full benefits in 2012. In addition, a MileagePlus Explorer Business Card is available.
“If you fly United Airlines, this card should be in your wallet,” said Tom O’Toole, United’s senior vice president and chief operating officer of Mileage Plus Holdings, LLC. “Our partnership with Chase enables our MileagePlus members to earn even more miles with their everyday spending that can be redeemed for travel on United, with other Star Alliance member carriers, and for hotels, car rental and merchandise. United and Chase are committed to providing our loyal customers with superior products and a suite of services that enable and enhance travel from beginning to end.”
United MileagePlus Explorer Cardmember benefits include:
- First checked bag free* – Cardmembers and up to one traveling companion will receive their first checked bag free – worth up to $100 per roundtrip.
- Priority boarding – Beginning July 23, 2011, Cardmembers will be able to board United and Continental flights immediately after elites and prior to general boarding, so they have earlier access to overhead space and can relax as the rest of the plane boards.
- United airport club passes – Each year, Cardmembers will receive two United airport club passes on their membership anniversary date – a $100 value.
- Upgrades on Reward tickets for Elites – MileagePlus Elite customers who are also Cardmembers are eligible to receive upgrades on domestic reward tickets in the same way as with purchased tickets beginning in early 2012.
- Redeem MileagePlus miles for any seat, any time, on any United flight – If seats are available for sale, they can be redeemed at the Standard Award level. There are no restrictions or blackout dates – a benefit that will be reserved for Cardmembers and Elite travelers beginning in early 2012.
- Double miles on United tickets – Cardmembers will earn two miles per $1 spent on tickets purchased with the Card from United and Continental.
- Miles bonus – 10,000 additional bonus miles with $25,000 or more in eligible spend each calendar year.
- Miles do not expire – Miles earned in the MileagePlus program by Explorer Cardmembers will not expire as long as program members are MileagePlus Explorer Cardmembers.
Miles earned by Cardmembers can be redeemed through the MileagePlus program for travel on United, the world’s leading airline, and also for flights on all 27 Star Alliance carriers, hotel stays, car rentals, brand-name merchandise and more.
Additional MileagePlus Explorer Cardmember benefits include:
- Earn one mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- The Card is accepted at more than 30 million locations worldwide, more than double the amount of merchants that accept American Express+, creating more opportunities to earn miles for all purchases.
- A comprehensive suite of travel protection benefits including trip cancelation and trip delay coverage, auto rental collision damage waiver on a primary basis, roadside assistance and 24/7 travel emergency services.
- Purchase protection benefits including extended protection, price protection, purchase protection and return protection.
New MileagePlus Explorer Cardmembers will earn 25,000 MileagePlus bonus miles after their first use of the Card. In addition, Cardmembers can earn 5,000 additional bonus miles after adding an authorized user and using the MileagePlus Explorer Card within two months of opening the account. The $95 annual fee for the new MileagePlus Explorer Card will be waived for the first year on a promotional basis. New MileagePlus Explorer cards will be exclusively Visa Cards.
For more information about the United MileagePlus Explorer Card or to apply, visit www.TheExplorerCard.com or call 1-888-744-6899.
Chase and United are also extending the following benefits to customers with United MileagePlus Select, Access, Club, Visa Signature and Business Cards, and Continental OnePass Plus, Presidential Plus, Visa Signature and Business Cards:
- Redeem MileagePlus miles for any seat, any time, on any United flight exclusively for United Cardmembers beginning in 2012. If seats are available for sale, they can be redeemed at the Standard Award level.
- Redeem OnePass miles for any seat, any time, on any Continental flight for Continental Cardmembers beginning August 1, 2011. If seats are available for sale, they can be redeemed at the EasyPass Reward level. This is a new benefit for Continental Cardmembers.
- Inside Access from Chase
- The Luxury Hotel and Resorts Collection
- Miles do not expire as long as program members are United or Continental Cardmembers.
* Fees for additional/oversized/overweight bags will apply. Purchase of ticket(s) with MileagePlus® Explorer Card required. See www.united.com/chasebag for details.
+ Acceptance rates based on global, not domestic, data. Source: The Nilson Report, Issue 950, June 2010.
+ Acceptance rates based on global, not domestic, data. Source: The Nilson Report, Issue 950, June 2010.
About United Continental Holdings, Inc.
United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL) is the holding company for both United Airlines and Continental Airlines. Together with United Express, Continental Express and Continental Connection, these airlines operate an average of 5,765 flights a day to 377 airports on six continents from their hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark Liberty, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. United and Continental are members of Star Alliance, which offers 21,000 daily flights to 1,160 airports in 181 countries. United and Continental’s more than 80,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world. For more information about United Continental Holdings, Inc., go to UnitedContinentalHoldings.com. For more information about the airlines, see united.com and continental.com or follow on Twitter and Facebook.
About Chase
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.2 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. Chase serves consumers and small businesses through 5,200 bank branches, 16,200 ATMs, mortgage offices, and online and mobile banking as well as through relationships with auto dealerships and schools and universities. Chase also has issued more than 90 million credit cards. More information about Chase is available atwww.chase.com.
