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.

 

[anat0l]

OK I've read back til page 80 to try get my head around things.

I have a Edge, and just got approved for Explorer.
Since I already have the Edge, the Explorer will also link to it, both under the Ascent program.
I need to call up and request to get the Explorer unlinked, into the Gateway program.
Make required spend, get points credited.
Call up and get Explorer linked back to the Ascent program.

Is this correct?

Wait a minute... I'm missing something here.

I have a Reserve, which is linked to MR with the Ascent program.

I thought the Explorer will go straight to Gateway (i.e. I'll have two separate MR accounts to manage, but hopefully only one online portal to pay off both cards etc.)

If I need to make two separate logins, that's OK with me.

If I don't call Amex to unlink my new Explorer from Ascent (i.e. I just follow the activation process and that's that), what will happen? I won't get the bonus points?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

If I don't call Amex to unlink my new Explorer from Ascent (i.e. I just follow the activation process and that's that), what will happen? I won't get the bonus points?

Perhaps the Mods can re-title this thread to something more appropriate...like say Groundhog Day ?



PS...Yes Sign on bonus will only post if you are in Gateway MR. So if in Ascent MR call to have the card unlinked. Spend $1500, and after points post call again to have the Explorer linked back to your Edge.

 

[SOPOOR]

Perhaps the Mods can re-title this thread to something more appropriate...like say Groundhog Day ?



PS...Yes Sign on bonus will only post if you are in Gateway MR. So if in Ascent MR call to have the card unlinked. Spend $1500, and after points post call again to have the Explorer linked back to your Edge.

curious,

so if your explorer card did get linked to ascent, nand you did the required spend, the bonus wouldnt be posted, but if once you unlinked, would the points be credited? or it wouldnt be allowed?

 

[anat0l]

Perhaps the Mods can re-title this thread to something more appropriate...like say Groundhog Day ?



PS...Yes Sign on bonus will only post if you are in Gateway MR. So if in Ascent MR call to have the card unlinked. Spend $1500, and after points post call again to have the Explorer linked back to your Edge.

No need to get too Bill Murray on me So I maybe read a little bit too fast...

 

[Irishbazz]

curious,

so if your explorer card did get linked to ascent, nand you did the required spend, the bonus wouldnt be posted, but if once you unlinked, would the points be credited? or it wouldnt be allowed?

Yes & yes Card must be linked to Gateway for points to be credited.

 

[SOPOOR]

Yes & yes Card must be linked to Gateway for points to be credited.

Yes but If it wasn't linked and you made the minimum spend. Would the points be automatically credited once linked correctly or would you Start again. And if the two months was already up. Would you have lost the chancd

 

[Irishbazz]

Think you would have to meet the spend criteria again. Early in the thread someone had to do just that and points credited on second spend. Would think timeframe is set in stone, but unsure.

 

[Steady]

From what I have read here, call on a weekend to get the US call centre and just say you want only one account. One is easier, two are confusing......

Above for re-linking...Two is easier, one is confusing for un-linking

Ooops,
.........

 

[Ken1]

Think you would have to meet the spend criteria again. Early in the thread someone had to do just that and points credited on second spend. Would think timeframe is set in stone, but unsure.

I've had the Explorer card for 3 weeks now and when I received it it was linked to my Ascent program. I spent over $1500 and didn't receive the bonus points. After I called to have it unlinked I then received the bonus points after spending over $1500 again with points going to Gateway. I called in the evening and spoke to someone in the Philippines call centre when I had it unlinked and I wasn't asked why I wanted it unlinked.

I posted this on Sunday after trying to have Gateway combined with Ascent:

I phoned the Membership Rewards number just before 6am this morning (Sunday) and spoke to someone in the U.S. office. I asked to have the Gateway and Ascent Premium programs combined to make it easier with one program and he said that you normally can't combine the two programs because the points are worth more in the Ascent program but that he will file a case to request this with the back end team and that they will take 3 - 5 working days to review the case and they will then let me know.

I'm worried now as I only de-linked them 5 days ago and the bonus 110K came through a couple of days ago so if they look closely they would see that. When he said he'll file a case to request it I probably should have said don't worry and tried again another time but I just have to be patient and see what happens.

I was told that it will take 3 to 5 working days and today is the 4th business day and the two programs have still not been combined and I haven't heard anything so far. If nothing happens I think I'll wait another week before calling back so there is more spend on the card and the bonus points are further down in the transaction list and then not mention the case number I was given from my previous call but just ask again to combine the two programs to Ascent Premium. I called the Membership Rewards number both times (1300 363 276) and on the call when I tried to combine back to Ascent I spoke to someone in the US call centre so maybe I should try for the Philippines call centre next time. I've seen in previous posts that some have called the Membership Rewards number and others have called the number on the back of the card so maybe it doesn't matter which number you call, it's more luck who you speak to when you make the request.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

, it's more luck who you speak to when you make the request.

The golden rule with CSR's is if you do not like the answer to hang up and try again later with another one.

The larger the organisation, the more this is so as often there is just so much for a CSR to now that they will not know all the wrinkles, or be across all the promos. ie Can you imagine all the different promos, both public and targeted , that Amex is conducting at any one point in time?

Also some CSRs are more compliant who will just try things anyway which will sometimes work, even if the rules say no. Some CSRs are eager to help a and will go out of their way to make you happy. Whereas there are CSRs who just want to do as little as possible who will refuse to do what is possible simply as they think it is more work for themselves.

Just think of some stores that you have been in and the shop assistants that you have dealt with. Some clearly hate being in a customer service job and make everyone's life including their own miserable.

So if you do not like the answer, hang up and try again later. Only kick up a fuss as a last resort if you have struck out several times, and indeed first try the "can I speak to a supervisor please", followed by Complaint (or Cancellation) Department as most large companies will strategically run "escalation" strategies where the lower rung CSRs can only do certain things and you need to be escalated to reach someone that can actually act.

 

[jetcam]

approved today after application was referred on sunday. no additional questions, just had be patient.

 

[NoName]

Sorry if this has already been covered but at what stage do the bonus points show up in your account? Anything after 1st spend or does it all come once the $1500 spend has been met?

 

[potm]

When the transaction clears that takes you over 1.5k.

 

[fairbasa]

Sorry if this has already been covered but at what stage do the bonus points show up in your account? Anything after 1st spend or does it all come once the $1500 spend has been met?

I received 100k points in one lump straight after ~ $1400 spend cleared.

 

[Jonova]

Sorry if this has already been covered but at what stage do the bonus points show up in your account? Anything after 1st spend or does it all come once the $1500 spend has been met?

Shows straight after the $1500 has been spent

 

[Dr Ralph]

Sorry if this has already been covered but at what stage do the bonus points show up in your account? Anything after 1st spend or does it all come once the $1500 spend has been met?

For me it was at the $1437 spend point.

 

[hachoo]

Think the whole unlinking/linking thing is pretty interesting.

Forget I said that actually. So makes sense to go to Ascent only if the Explorer stays at 2pts per $1 and Edge gives you the 3/2/1pts per dollar.

Use the Explorer for everything that isn't supermarket related.

 

[kaktusdigital]

For me it was at the $1437 spend point.

were you holding any other Amex cards at the time? Thinking of signing up but still have a plat edge.

 

[mmchow]

were you holding any other Amex cards at the time? Thinking of signing up but still have a plat edge.

I had the edge and I went for it. offer is too good to miss out on

 

[kaktusdigital]

I had the edge and I went for it. offer is too good to miss out on

sweet, I take it you got the points?