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.

 

[Redrob123]

I think I'm going blind, I can't see whether my AMEX cards are linked to Gateway or Ascent?

If if you go to your points balance statement (from your account page, click on your Membership Rewards point balance) you will see up the top of the page what your program is. If you have both you can toggle between both of them.

 

[imipenam]

Thanks so much for all this info. Quick,question - how long after Explorer approval were you able to see Gateway account set up. FYI I have plat edge already so MR already set up.

About 24 hours after approval, I saw my Explorer annual fee listed under my Edge Ascent account. I rang Amex to ask and they said the cards were linked so I asked Amex to unlink them... About 24 hours after the phone call, I could see my Gateway account online.

 

[imipenam]

Those of you trying to link your cards after getting your Explorer bonus - please ensure you get an American CSR when you call up. I would advise hanging up if you don't hear an American accent. Good luck!

 

[mrtupperware]

So there's no need to unlink if you start with Explorer? Just apply for plat edge and your points transfer once you call the American call centre?

 

[imipenam]

So there's no need to unlink if you start with Explorer? Just apply for plat edge and your points transfer once you call the American call centre?

Yes, wait till you get your explorer (Gateway) bonus then get the Edge ... If the Edge comes with a new Ascent program then you should also get the bonus for Edge. You then ring up to link the cards in order to combine the points.

However, Amex may issue your Edge card linked to Explorer (single Ascent program). In that case you probably won't get a bonus for the Edge card. So its up to you to decide if you want to go through the process of unlinking then linking again depending on how many Edge bonus points you will receive (and it may or may not work).

 

[imipenam]

To dannnl, for some reason my reply to your pm may not be working. I have submitted a reply twice and I don't think it is getting to you.

 

[mrtupperware]

Yes, wait till you get your explorer (Gateway) bonus then get the Edge ... If the Edge comes with a new Ascent program then you should also get the bonus for Edge. You then ring up to link the cards in order to combine the points.

However, Amex may issue your Edge card linked to Explorer (single Ascent program). In that case you probably won't get a bonus for the Edge card. So its up to you to decide if you want to go through the process of unlinking then linking again depending on how many Edge bonus points you will receive (and it may or may not work).

Thanks! There's only 10k bonus points on at the moment so not really significant.

 

[playbargain]

Got my 100k bonus by unlinking from my Plat Edge card two weeks ago. I called the number on the back of the card today during business hours and selected MR Inquires, got an Aussie sounding rep. Asked to be linked again and the rep said not a problem... She said it'll take 24 hours for the link to take effect and move my points across to Ascent. I'm thrilled!

 

[XeroChance]

Considering how alot of AFF members seem to be having both Plat Edge and Explorer, I wonder how does AMEX account for new Plat Edge member's ($200 travel credit instead of VA flight) as well as the explorer credit? Wonder if they'll put the two together and make $600? If so, that would be great considering how QF/CX/SQ have sales to HKG/SIN at roughly that price.

 

[jj92]

Got to say the card would look so much nicer if it was matte finish

 

[blueythecat]

Yes, wait till you get your explorer (Gateway) bonus then get the Edge ... If the Edge comes with a new Ascent program then you should also get the bonus for Edge. You then ring up to link the cards in order to combine the points.

imipenam is quite right, if you apply for the Explorer first and the Edge or Charge second you are almost certain to get the bonus points for the later too. If AMEX need to open a new "reward account" for you then you are almost certain to get the points. Which is why unlinking the Explorer for Ascent programs works. If you wanted max points you could do: explorer -> edge -> charge. At the moment, using referrals, I think that would net you a cool 220k ascent premium points.

Thanks! There's only 10k bonus points on at the moment so not really significant.

Unfortunately it doesn't get that much better on the Edge too often.

 

[unfunkable]

So i got approved for the explorer except the credit limit is only 6k.
One of my expected monthly charges is about 15k per month...should I just preload the card first? Does amex allow this?

Wow, I got a really good outcome with this. I rang AMEX and told them my situation. The gentleman, said just fill out the credit increase form print it off and attach some information and send it in, and the manual team will have a look. So I attached my last 2 years tax assessment, my last 6 months credit cards statements. I wrote a letter saying how I paid everything on time, and the reason for my credit increase, and posted it in on Tuesday. Today I logged into my app, and they have increased it from 6k to 16k...bloody awesome!

 

[Mr_Orange]

Wow, I got a really good outcome with this. I rang AMEX and told them my situation. The gentleman, said just fill out the credit increase form print it off and attach some information and send it in, and the manual team will have a look. So I attached my last 2 years tax assessment, my last 6 months credit cards statements. I wrote a letter saying how I paid everything on time, and the reason for my credit increase, and posted it in on Tuesday. Today I logged into my app, and they have increased it from 6k to 16k...bloody awesome!

Good result. I think this type of level-headed approach to customers is one of the reason I moved to Amex. The banks just adopt the 'computer says no' approach and are too hard to deal with.

 

[unfunkable]

Yes, I was quite surprised how quick it was and they actually approved it.

2 months ago, I asked for a credit increase from WBC (altitude black) - I've had the card for 5 years, not missed ONE payment, and was putting through about 15k a month on it (mix of MC and AMEX. I needed a bit more, as I changed to a supplier who took amex and was going to be spending more then my limit. Applied online for an increase from 20k to 25k - denied. I am not sure what algorithm they use. I rang up and the guy was just like, oh I can see you put in an application, its been denied, try again in 6 months...no recourse. I could of spoke to my business banker, which I would of done, had I not been moving to AMEX issued cards since explorer is paying 2PPD (linking to ascent) instead of the 1.5VP/$ spend on the altitude amex.

 

[imipenam]

The importance of only dealing with American CSRs ... This week, I rang the Australian call centre to check on my missing Explorer $400 travel credit. Rather than just dealing with the issue I rang up about, she was being nosey about both my cards being linked. She said it wasn't meant to be linked. I told her she was wrong and asked her to just deal with the travel credit issue. She said she was going to ring me back but never did. Account linkage still intact. I told her that if my accounts become unlinked, I will be a very, very unhappy customer!

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I am linked again in Ascent again with my Explorer after unlinking it, BUT they made me transfer all my account balance out first as they refused to transfer it over.

New transactions posting at 2.0 again

 

[dragoonf142]

I've tried calling to link my explorer card to my ascent card at midnight and at 11am with no luck so far. What exact times are people having success with?

 

[unfunkable]

Are you trying to relink after delinking?

 

[bluenics]

How long after relinking did it take for the gateway points to transfer to the Ascent account? My account is relinked but the points haven't come across eeek

 

[dragoonf142]

Are you trying to relink after delinking?

That's correct.