Chase is sending targeted upgrade offers to some United cardholders, and this round runs through December 31, 2026. Upgrade to the United Explorer Card and the offer is 15,000 MileagePlus miles or a $150 statement credit. Upgrade to the United Quest Card and it's 15,000 miles. It's targeted, so check your Chase account before you plan around it.
Deal Details
- Upgrade to the Explorer: 15,000 United miles or a $150 statement credit, depending on the version you received.
- Upgrade to the Quest: 15,000 United miles.
- Deadline: this round runs through December 31, 2026.
- Who gets it: selected United cardholders. Some get a different offer, and others may not be eligible.
- The cost: Chase lists the Explorer's annual fee as $150 and the Quest's as $350, so moving from the Explorer to the Quest means paying $200 more a year.
How to Take Advantage
- Check the offers in your Chase account for one that upgrades your United card.
- Read which card the offer moves you to, which bonus it pays and any terms printed in it.
- Accept through the offer itself, and go by the dates in your own offer.
Why This Deal Matters
An upgrade changes the card you already hold. The bonus pays once, though, and the annual fee comes back every year, so the card has to earn its keep after the 15,000 miles post.
Here's what Chase lists for each card. The Quest comes with a $200 United travel credit, an annual 10,000-mile award flight discount and two free checked bags. The Explorer comes with a free first checked bag, two United Club one-time passes per year and over $500 in annual partner credits.
If you're on the Explorer and a Quest offer lands, the real question is whether you'd use that travel credit and the second bag every year. Use both and the higher fee starts to pay for itself. Skip them and you're paying more for benefits you won't touch.
On the Explorer offer, picking between 15,000 miles and $150 comes down to how you redeem. Say you'd get one cent per mile on United awards: that's $150, a tie. Do better than a cent and the miles win. If you rarely book United awards, take the credit.
Our United Explorer Card review runs the full Explorer math, and our guide to United card free checked bag rules covers which flights the bag benefit applies to.
Who Should Take It
Take an Explorer offer if you'd use the free bag and Club passes enough to justify $150 a year. Take a Quest offer if you fly United often enough to spend the travel credit and check two bags. If the fee would sit unused, let the offer go. This round ends December 31, 2026.
