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.

 

[Jonova]

I think that might be the key here. I activated the card under my existing login, and result was Explorer card linked to Ascent automatically. Not good if you want signup bonus.

For others still to activate their new card, I suggest creating a separate login. Although promo only lasts a day or two more. Can this be added to wiki (I can't)?

From my experience, I used the same login for both Platinum Edge and Explorer and they came unlinked. I spent my $1.5 and got the bonus points. I had to call 3 times but got them to link my accounts, the points transfer took about 24 hours to process.

 

[imipenam]

I think that might be the key here. I activated the card under my existing login, and result was Explorer card linked to Ascent automatically. Not good if you want signup bonus.

For others still to activate their new card, I suggest creating a separate login. Although promo only lasts a day or two more. Can this be added to wiki (I can't)?

I created a new login for my explorer and still received my new card linked to the pre-existing Edge/Ascent.

 

[crossbow]

I created a new login for my explorer and still received my new card linked to the pre-existing Edge/Ascent.

There goes that theory. Maybe it's just luck of the draw.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I think that might be the key here. I activated the card under my existing login, and result was Explorer card linked to Ascent automatically.

My wife and I each created separate logins. We each had an existing Edge. Both had recently cancelled Velocity Amexes.

-I was linked to Ascent
-She went straight to Gateway.

 

[crossbow]

My wife and I each created separate logins. We each had an existing Edge. Both had recently cancelled Velocity Amexes.

-I was linked to Ascent
-She went straight to Gateway.

This makes me feel better. I was thinking the link to ascent that I now have to wait to be unlinked could have been avoided if I'd activated the other way or done something different. But apparently there's no rhyme or reason for whether you get gateway or ascent.

 

[coldecol]

This makes me feel better. I was thinking the link to ascent that I now have to wait to be unlinked could have been avoided if I'd activated the other way or done something different. But apparently there's no rhyme or reason for whether you get gateway or ascent.

When I applied for the card there was the tickbox as to whether you previously had an American Express card. I didn't tick it. Not sure if that makes any difference?

 

[JessicaTam]

P.S just had a thought, imagine you could use your poitns towards signficant purhcases such as a car!!!

10,000,000 poitns for a $100k car!
imag
ine how that would change the game

I believe there have been AFFers who have done just that. ISTR there was a car dealer that had a $5,000 (?) limit on amex transactions, so one AFFer went in every day paying $5,000 a time until it was paid.

 

[Dr Ralph]

When I applied for the card there was the tickbox as to whether you previously had an American Express card. I didn't tick it. Not sure if that makes any difference?

It makes no difference. They will quickly discover if you have had or previously have had any AMEX cards.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

When I applied for the card there was the tickbox as to whether you previously had an American Express card. I didn't tick it. Not sure if that makes any difference?

As I have been saying for a while it makes no difference, but will leave a permanent record with them of how honest you are. So think with care how you fill in your applications these days.

My daughters 'generation is the first generation whose entire lives will leave data fingerprints that companies are becoming increasingly adept at reading

 

[Colonel Flagg]

I tried tonight twice and got the same answer about losing the Gateway points

Can the Gateway points be retrieved if you do link ?

UPDATE:

Tried calling on Sunday 6am and the agent linked the 2 cards while I was on the phone.

He said the bonus points would take "an hour" to transfer across. They ended taking until Monday afternoon.

Pretty happy with the outcome. Thanks to all in this thread.

 

[blingy90]

Hi all - was wanting to find out what people are saying who have had success linking gateway > explorer? When you call up are you doing so under the explorer or the edge?

I tried calling 5 mins ago - under my explorer. No luck with the CSR agent I got. But not disheartened - will keep trying.
Just wanted to see if there were some magic words I should be saying!

 

[BettyB]

Hi all - was wanting to find out what people are saying who have had success linking gateway > explorer? When you call up are you doing so under the explorer or the edge?I tried calling 5 mins ago - under my explorer. No luck with the CSR agent I got. But not disheartened - will keep trying. Just wanted to see if there were some magic words I should be saying!

I called under Explorer. Said it would be easier for me to have just one account.

 

[imipenam]

Hi all - was wanting to find out what people are saying who have had success linking gateway > explorer? When you call up are you doing so under the explorer or the edge?

I tried calling 5 mins ago - under my explorer. No luck with the CSR agent I got. But not disheartened - will keep trying.
Just wanted to see if there were some magic words I should be saying!

Nothing to do with magical words. More to do with magical (right) CSR.

 

[blingy90]

I got the magical CSR on the second phone call

 

[rfc4eva]

Told on Saturday linking would take 24-48 called today got told it would get expadidted and would have the points by close of business.still nothing!

 

[rfc4eva]

Now they are saying my accounts not linked when it clearly is and that i only have 6k not 116k.I mightve lost my points as well.

 

[coldecol]

Now they are saying my accounts not linked when it clearly is and that i only have 6k not 116k.I mightve lost my points as well.

I called on Sunday early in the morning to get my accounts joined, and they were but my Gateway points weren't showing. I called this morning and the operator was able to see that they were fortfeited but manually added them back into my account. Said it may take 24 hours to show, but half an hour later i had my original Explorer card points in my Ascent program.

 

[rfc4eva]

The day before it said refer to membership # etc which meant it was linked now when I login it shows I have 16 gateway points and when I go history it says 116k forfeited.a lady said she was going to fix it but wouldn't give me a time frame.

 

[AndersK]

ok so i just came off an interesting call with American Express. i've been in the process of linking my explorer from ascent to gateway. follwed up on this yesterday and they said they would process it no problem. Today i sign in to my online account and i can see that my explorer card is now linked to gateway. However my platinum edge card is now not linked to anything. it's like the point section is gone and there is no point history at all with that card. so i call amex again to see what happens.

I speak to a guy who sound a bit confused, and puts me on hold to investigate. When he comes back he says something about a system upgrade a few days ago that now is causing issues with de-linking and linking, and this could mean that i would have to have both cards in the ascent program. i insisted that i wanted the explorer card in the gateway program as that's the only way to earn the 100,000 signup bonus. Then he tells me that unfortunately i'm not entitled to the signup bonus, and that amex just a few days ago fixed the loophole that allowed existing card members to 'game the system' and 'point hack' their way to the sign up bonus, despise already begin an existing card holder. He said my PE card would definitely be restored to Ascent and that i would not lose my points, but that the signup bonus was off the table.

He said i'll get a call back later today or tomorrow to confirm the outcome with my edge card. He also recommended that move the explorer card to gateway for a higher earn rate, which is a bit of a consolation, but i'm still quite frustrated about missing out on the 100K pbonuts oints hopefully you'll guys have better luck

 

[SOPOOR]

ok so i just came off an interesting call with American Express. i've been in the process of linking my explorer from ascent to gateway. follwed up on this yesterday and they said they would process it no problem. Today i sign in to my online account and i can see that my explorer card is now linked to gateway. However my platinum edge card is now not linked to anything. it's like the point section is gone and there is no point history at all with that card. so i call amex again to see what happens.

I speak to a guy who sound a bit confused, and puts me on hold to investigate. When he comes back he says something about a system upgrade a few days ago that now is causing issues with de-linking and linking, and this could mean that i would have to have both cards in the ascent program. i insisted that i wanted the explorer card in the gateway program as that's the only way to earn the 100,000 signup bonus. Then he tells me that unfortunately i'm not entitled to the signup bonus, and that amex just a few days ago fixed the loophole that allowed existing card members to 'game the system' and 'point hack' their way to the sign up bonus, despise already begin an existing card holder. He said my PE card would definitely be restored to Ascent and that i would not lose my points, but that the signup bonus was off the table.

He said i'll get a call back later today or tomorrow to confirm the outcome with my edge card. He also recommended that move the explorer card to gateway for a higher earn rate, which is a bit of a consolation, but i'm still quite frustrated about missing out on the 100K pbonuts oints hopefully you'll guys have better luck

Hmm that's interesting. So an existing amex card holder is affected.

Which means it's better to do the 100k bonus first and then hope for the Plat edge 10k bonus