Credit Card Offers Amex Explorer: 50,000 bonus Amex points

Earn uncapped Amex Points and enjoy a $400 travel credit every year!​

Learn more and apply for this card:

American Express® Explorer Credit Card

With the American Express Explorer credit card, earn uncapped Amex Membership Rewards points and offset the annual fee with a travel credit.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

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What are the main benefits of this card?

1. Signup bonus: 50,000 bonus Amex Membership Rewards Points, when you spend at least $4,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of approval
2. Earn 2 Membership Rewards Points per $1 on eligible purchases, uncapped, which you can transfer to 13 different airline & hotel programs
3. $400 annual travel credit fully offsets the $395 annual fee

Why we like the American Express Explorer credit card

This card lets you earn Amex Membership Rewards points at a solid rate of 2 points per dollar, uncapped, without the higher annual fee of the Amex Platinum card.

You can transfer Amex points to 11 airline frequent flyer programs and 2 hotel loyalty programs, generally at a 2:1 rate. For example, this means you’re effectively earning 1 Velocity Point, Qatar Avios or Cathay Asia Mile per $1 spent on the card.

The $395 annual fee is offset by a $400 annual travel credit that you can spend on eligible flights, car rentals or hotels when booking through American Express Travel.

You'll also receive two free annual visits to the Amex Centurion Lounges in Sydney or Melbourne Airport, plus complimentary travel insurance. See our card guide for the full details:

American Express® Explorer Credit Card

With the American Express Explorer credit card, earn uncapped Amex Membership Rewards points and offset the annual fee with a travel credit.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

AFF members are welcome to discuss this card in this thread.

 

[SOPOOR]

My Explorer got unlinked when I cancelled the charge card. Originally all the points from ascent premium got transferred to ascent (under my reserve card) and the explorer was linked to that. But shortly after my explorer got unlinked from that for whatever reason and wasn’t enrolled in any MR program whatsoever (not even coughty gateway)!!
A couple of phone calls fixed that, and now my explorer is linked with my reserve card again (all under ascent), and any points I didn’t earn from spending I did on the explorer whilst is was unenrolled from MR got re-instated as a manual credit. They were quite generous with the way they calculated it, as I was given about 15k more points than what I was entitled to, but I wasn’t gonna call them to correct their mistake

That's great to hear!
Just been reading how hard it is now to link accoubts and certainky don't want to be linking it every year .

I also assume that one day linking will become impossible and you arealucky if you have it linked and csnt have it linked even if they unlink it by mistske

 

[firstclasser]

That's great to hear!
Just been reading how hard it is now to link accoubts and certainky don't want to be linking it every year .

I also assume that one day linking will become impossible and you arealucky if you have it linked and csnt have it linked even if they unlink it by mistske

I’ve been reading how its been getting more and more difficult to link explorer with the ascent program. Perhaps they re linked my explorer cause they saw it was linked previously and it was unlinked due to their error???
But yeah I won’t be touching this combination of credit cards for a while! Haha

 

[SOPOOR]

I’ve been reading how its been getting more and more difficult to link explorer with the ascent program. Perhaps they re linked my explorer cause they saw it was linked previously and it was unlinked due to their error???
But yeah I won’t be touching this combination of credit cards for a while! Haha

Geez this company is hopeless

Last month theu randomly changed my card to a qantas and cancelled all my cards.

Now they decided to unlink my cards withoit tellling me when i enquired aboit my travrl credit

Theyrr telling me i jave to usr credit first to have it linked back up and i wont lose points

What a hassle and huge inconvenience

Is it just me

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Is it just me

You do seem to report a huge amount of issues/ problems. So maybe yes, or may be you are just really, really unlucky.

I have 3 family members churning/linking/using/changing various Amexes and by and large do not have too many issues over the years.



There have been some issues, but that is often because we were doing things that Amex did not probably really intend us to be able to do. ie Linking Gateway points to Ascent Account and the resultant problem of Travel Credits not always showing as the design was never really intended to have to show up two sets of Travel Credits (though mine does now) . But, by and large it is smooth sailing.

 

[SOPOOR]

You do seem to report a huge amount of issues/ problems. So maybe yes, or may be you are just really, really unlucky.

I have 3 family members churning/linking/using/changing various Amexes and by and large do not have too many issues over the years.



There have been some issues, but that is often because we were doing things that Amex did not probably really intend us to be able to do. ie Linking Gateway points to Ascent Account and the resultant problem of Travel Credits not always showing as the design was never really intended to have to show up two sets of Travel Credits (though mine does now) . But, by and large it is smooth sailing.

some things im happy to attriubte to my actions, but some I do not,
I guess its just bad luck

I do use my cards a lot though

the travel credit not showing up is my fault since I have linked accounts,
however cancellation of cards which happened recently was totally random

 

[Irishbazz]

the travel credit not showing up is my fault since I have linked accounts

Almost everyone has had to query the credit not showing up and were not required to unlink their cards, it would appear you are very unlucky!

 

[SOPOOR]

Almost everyone has had to query the credit not showing up and were not required to unlink their cards, it would appear you are very unlucky!

Yeah. Still love the card.
Will not cancel unless a better offer comes up

 

[SOPOOR]

Quick question,

when you link your gateway to ascent, does your GW points automatically roll over into ascent at the same ratio?
eg you have 500 ascent points and 500 gateway points, you link the accounts, do you get 1000 ascent points?

 

[Irishbazz]

Yes at least with mine they transfer 1:1

 

[psi999]

Pleasant surprise to find after my annual fee was charged a few days ago the $400 travel credit was automatically credited without having to call or jump through any hoops like others have posted before.

(Edge + explorer linked into Accent MR but used the explorer travel credit before linking last year)

Provided no enhancements this is a lifetime combo for me

 

[cnosaj]

Wanted to see if anyone has experience with this, with the annual fee for my Explorer coming up within a month.

I had already used my travel credit before getting my Explorer linked to Ascent and after this happened, my travel credit replenished and is now showing an expiry date of 12 months from the date the Explorer was linked to Ascent (November). With the annual fee coming up now for my Explorer, what is likely happen?
- The travel credit with November expiry is forfeited and replaced with the travel credit associated with the latest annual fee
- The new travel credit stacked onto the travel credit expiring in November, possibly extended to March next year
- Travel credit remains as is

 

[Flyer 777]

Hi I have held the platinum edge card and have been with Amex for 20 years I just applied for the Explorer card and today received the card and it shows me only as a member since 18 also would not let me add the card to my current Amex online account and had to create new account.
My question is have they created me as a new member? And will I maybe get the bonus points? Also how long after spending the required $3000 do the bonus points show?

Thanks heaps

 

[JessicaTam]

Hi I have held the platinum edge card and have been with Amex for 20 years I just applied for the Explorer card and today received the card and it shows me only as a member since 18 also would not let me add the card to my current Amex online account and had to create new account.
My question is have they created me as a new member? And will I maybe get the bonus points? Also how long after spending the required $3000 do the bonus points show?

Thanks heaps

I suggest you meet the minimum spend, collect the bonus points, transfer them out, then - and only then - ring Amex to sort out your membership.

 

[Flyer 777]

Thanks Jessica
Do the bonus points post as soon as you hit the $3000 spend or do you need to also wait the 3 months?

 

[lilkid28]

Thanks Jessica
Do the bonus points post as soon as you hit the $3000 spend or do you need to also wait the 3 months?

normally hits within a day the minimum spend is met, if you are eligible.

That fact it shows member since 18 is a good sign to start with. Good luck!

 

[sjk]

Hello all in Membership Rewards land.

Would anyone like to help try to brainstorm the 'double your travel credit' claim that has surfaced a couple of times in recent days?

Obviously it would be ideal if the original poster were to clarify, but it does not appear that that will happen. Denying that it is possible doesn't seem to be the answer either, though.

I did in fact have two travel credits for my Explorer for the current membership year, and was able to use both, but have no idea why that was the case or whether it will repeat in subsequent years. I wonder if it is perhaps related to having my card linked to Ascent Premium.

 

[avinashm]

Has anyone had any luck in linking Gateway to Ascent recently by obtaining a Platinum Edge card??

 

[Flyer 777]

Well hit the 3k spend already and the bonus 100k points have appeared. Should I transfer them out before calling to combine accounts given had to set a new one up for the Explorer card?



M

normally hits within a day the minimum spend is met, if you are eligible.

That fact it shows member since 18 is a good sign to start with. Good luck!

 

[SOPOOR]

FYI for everyone and newbies

had a little issue with my unlinked edge travel credit not showing up

and decided to call during business hours so id get an aussie rep

he assured me, that to use your edge creidt you had to unlink your account, and then once its linked, its easy to link it back again

and you can call up to use your creidt as well

 

[DeKa]

FYI for everyone and newbies

had a little issue with my unlinked edge travel credit not showing up

and decided to call during business hours so id get an aussie rep

he assured me, that to use your edge creidt you had to unlink your account, and then once its linked, its easy to link it back again

and you can call up to use your creidt as well

Neither of those points are true in my experience.
It was a quick call to get the travel credit made visible in the portal.

You cannot use the travel credit over the phone - I have tried multiple times and they always direct you to use the website.