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.

 

[billmurray]

I currently hold the Explorer card, opened recently for the bonus signup points. I held it back in 2016 when it was first released.

I wish to get into the Ascent program to maximise my points transfer to KRIS. Does anyone know/has anyone recently opened another AMEX card (I think it was the Platinum Edge?) card to the migrate their account and points into the Ascent program? Any advice?

 

[asterix]

I currently hold the Explorer card, opened recently for the bonus signup points. I held it back in 2016 when it was first released.

I wish to get into the Ascent program to maximise my points transfer to KRIS. Does anyone know/has anyone recently opened another AMEX card (I think it was the Platinum Edge?) card to the migrate their account and points into the Ascent program? Any advice?

I did it a few years ago, had an AMEX Gold and Platinum Edge and added the Explorer. However it wasn't recent, I did it in 2018.

 

[billmurray]

I did it a few years ago, had an AMEX Gold and Platinum Edge and added the Explorer. However it wasn't recent, I did it in 2018.

Hmmmm right, so you already were in the accent program then, when you applied for the Explorer...?

 

[albyd]

I did it a few years ago, had an AMEX Gold and Platinum Edge and added the Explorer. However it wasn't recent, I did it in 2018.

I had the same experience. Linked up my Explorer to Ascent Premium which was attached to my Platinum charge card. I think they revoked this hack with the devaluation of April 2019.

 

[asterix]

I had the same experience. Linked up my Explorer to Ascent Premium which was attached to my Platinum charge card. I think they revoked this hack with the devaluation of April 2019.

My Explorer and Gold card were bumped up into the Ascent Premium program in March 2022 when I got my Platinum Charge.

 

[daft009]

i too started wih the explorer in 2016 when it first lanched.
then in 2017 added the platinum edge and linked them to earn ascent

from memory it doesnt make a difference if you link them now the transfer rates are the same
i guess bieng able to transfer to QFF might be the one of the only differences??

 

[ChrisFlyer]

I currently hold the Explorer card, opened recently for the bonus signup points. I held it back in 2016 when it was first released.

I wish to get into the Ascent program to maximise my points transfer to KRIS. Does anyone know/has anyone recently opened another AMEX card (I think it was the Platinum Edge?) card to the migrate their account and points into the Ascent program? Any advice?

If your only goal is to transfer to KrisFlyer, all the variants of MR use a 2:1 conversion rate, so it won't make any difference. You only get the option to convert to Qantas with Ascent Premium, which is only an option with the Plat Charge (the $1450/yr card).

 

[billmurray]

Ah right, in 2016 the hack was to get into the Ascent program so you can transfer 1:1 into KRIS. Seems im a bit behind now on the changes AMEX made.

 

[albyd]

i too started wih the explorer in 2016 when it first lanched.
then in 2017 added the platinum edge and linked them to earn ascent

from memory it doesnt make a difference if you link them now the transfer rates are the same
i guess bieng able to transfer to QFF might be the one of the only differences??

I was earning 2 MR/$1 on Explorer when the going was good. Charge card never saw any action except at then bonus categories like dining (coffees at 3 points was sweet). Now with the devaluation, not worth it. Just use my Charge card as it has a higher earn & moved Explorer onto hibernations in Essentials card until a better offer comes along.

 

[avinashm]

I currently hold the Explorer card, opened recently for the bonus signup points. I held it back in 2016 when it was first released.

I wish to get into the Ascent program to maximise my points transfer to KRIS. Does anyone know/has anyone recently opened another AMEX card (I think it was the Platinum Edge?) card to the migrate their account and points into the Ascent program? Any advice?

Don't believe this is possible any more as they closed this loophole 2 years ago.

 

[scullkr]

Hi all. I have a friend keen to get me to refer him for the Explorer but I am advising him to hold off until the bonus goes up again. Is there any pattern/history to the increased bonus offers?

 

[Dr Ralph]

Hi all. I have a friend keen to get me to refer him for the Explorer but I am advising him to hold off until the bonus goes up again. Is there any pattern/history to the increased bonus offers?

No pattern. See a good offer, take it. The longer you wait, the longer the 18 month exclusion takes to roll around.

 

[Must...Fly!]

No pattern. See a good offer, take it. The longer you wait, the longer the 18 month exclusion takes to roll around.

Good advice. I'm coming up to 12 months and debating the benefits of sticking around vs giving up the card now. Not as easy as it appears, I'm a bit tired of hitting the spend hurdles (probably just need to find a better way of manufacturing spend).

 

[scullkr]

No pattern. See a good offer, take it. The longer you wait, the longer the 18 month exclusion takes to roll around.

Thanks for your reply. Yeah fair point re churning. Standard offer now is currently 70k. But for following a referral link its still only 70k while I get 40k. I didn't think it was particularly good historically but will leave it up to him. I'll return the favour by using his referral in 18 months.

 

[kkabir002]

So I have an Explorer card which I bought a few items for extended warranty on. If I upgrade to Platinum would I retain the benefits for the extended warranty on the new card?

 

[Www]

have my exclusion period coming up for explorer in next couple of months. Seeing 70k sign up bonus (with 40k referral - partner has same card) so effectively 110k. Has there been any better deals in recent times?

 

[Be.au]

I currently hold the Explorer card, opened recently for the bonus signup points. I held it back in 2016 when it was first released.

I wish to get into the Ascent program to maximise my points transfer to KRIS. Does anyone know/has anyone recently opened another AMEX card (I think it was the Platinum Edge?) card to the migrate their account and points into the Ascent program? Any advice?

Anyone had any luck with this as of late? Would like to merge accounts, or is the only option to cancel the Explorer (Gateway) and ask to have them transferred to the Platinum Reserve (Ascent).

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Anyone had any luck with this as of late? Would like to merge accounts, or is the only option to cancel the Explorer (Gateway) and ask to have them transferred to the Platinum Reserve (Ascent).

It's still possible but getting somebody who understands the request and what's required is hard. I think it took me about 10 phone calls including a demand that Amex return over 750,000 points that 'disappeared' when one agent did the wrong thing and left them in the old account that was disappearing.

(When they linked all the accounts back together to the one main program from Plat Charge, which is Ascent Premium, they somehow ended up creating a new Ascent Premium rewards number for the link between multiple cards and then deleted the old one. No words...)

Still have a travel credit that went missing amid the mayhem, thanks for the reminder. That'll probably take another 10 calls to resolve.

However, in your case, if it's only for KrisFlyer, why bother? That loophole was closed years ago in terms of the disparity in value between the different MR levels. They all convert to KrisFlyer at a 3:1 rate now, whether it's from Gateway or Ascent or Ascent Premium.

 

[Be.au]

However, in your case, if it's only for KrisFlyer, why bother?

I have a decent amount of points in both programs as I have both cards (don't ask...) and just want them combined, not to redeem/transfer for a specific program as of yet.

 

[0x012fd0aa]

I have a decent amount of points in both programs as I have both cards (don't ask...) and just want them combined, not to redeem/transfer for a specific program as of yet.

I phoned them in 2020 and they combined the two programs for me with no question asked.