Here‘s my background:
I currently have a sapphire preferred and the United explorer card. The sapphire I have as a general travel card and the United Explorer I primarily signed up originally for the bonus. The lounge passes were ok I guess, we had to wait to enter the lounge due to overcapacity which I guess is a thing at some of the busier hubs like EWR.
My wife and travel twice a year to South Africa, plus fly another once or twice a year for vacation or holidays to an international or local destination.
In addition to booking a family member or two through United’s portal using my cc.
The biggest draw for me with the quest is the two free checked bags which we would most definitely appreciate on the long haul flights.
Is there something I’m missing or is this a no brainer to go with the quest over the explorer.
Open to all opinions.
Stick with Explorer or open a new Quest
byu/Mzevian inCreditCards
Posted by Mzevian
1 Comment
The free checked bags on the Quest are clutch for those SA flights, especially if you’re regularly flying with your wife 💀 I switched from Explorer to Quest last year mainly for that reason and it’s saved me probably $600+ already just on bag fees. The math gets even better when you’re booking for family members too since they get the bag benefit when you’re on the same reservation
The lounge situation is honestly hit or miss regardless of which card you have – those United clubs at major hubs are just packed these days. I’ve learned to just grab food beforehand and treat lounge access as a nice bonus rather than counting on it
One thing to consider is the annual fee jump, but if you’re doing 4+ flights a year internationally it basically pays for itself with just the checked bags. Plus the Quest has some other perks like the anniversary award that can be solid for shorter domestic trips 🔥 I’d probably make the switch given your travel pattern, just time it right when your Explorer annual fee comes up for renewal