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.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Got my card, spent the $1500, waiting for the bonus pts to post. If I were to transfer from MR to KF, is the transfer instant or is there a lag time? The seats I want will be releasing SOON and I'm trying to manage balances/transfers for release day.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Got my card, spent the $1500, waiting for the bonus pts to post. If I were to transfer from MR to KF, is the transfer instant or is there a lag time? The seats I want will be releasing SOON and I'm trying to manage balances/transfers for release day.

Not sure for airlines but for SPG it took 3 days. And I recall it stating this time frame at the point of transfer.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Got my card, spent the $1500, waiting for the bonus pts to post. If I were to transfer from MR to KF, is the transfer instant or is there a lag time? The seats I want will be releasing SOON and I'm trying to manage balances/transfers for release day.

Not instant, but is normally quite quick.

Over the years I don't think it has ever take much more than a day or so, and often quicker.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Thanks for the quick responses. Helps with my points-shuffling decisions!

 

[Jonova]

Last time I transferred to KF it took just over 24 hours to complete

 

[ClassicDave]

Hi All a friend has asked me if she can get the explorer if she is already holding a Velocity Amex?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hammando]

Provided she meets all the eligibility criteria then yep.

With Amex you can hold 1 personal charge card and 2 personal credit cards at any one time.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Hi All a friend has asked me if she can get the explorer if she is already holding a Velocity Amex?

Thanks in advance!

Holding the velocity card will not preclude your friend from applying for the Explorer card.

 

[Steady]

Hi All a friend has asked me if she can get the explorer if she is already holding a Velocity Amex?

Thanks in advance!

Provided she meets all the eligibility criteria then yep.

With Amex you can hold 1 personal charge card and 2 personal credit cards at any one time.

And if your friend used a referral link from you or on this forum they would also get the bonus points

 

[billbro]

Finally had success linking my cards (or at least a back office request was meant to have been done yesterday) - unlike others who have had instant linkage, both my reward programs are still active... but will see what happens over the next few days.

 

[Ken1]

Finally had success linking my cards (or at least a back office request was meant to have been done yesterday) - unlike others who have had instant linkage, both my reward programs are still active... but will see what happens over the next few days.

When I called to have them linked a back office request was submitted and it took a week for it to happen.

 

[avante]

Ok so I have now received the 110k points in my Gateway account. Will make a call during the weekend to see if they can link to my Ascent again (it was initially linked when set up).

The only issue I have is that when I called to initially delink, the points I should have accrued from purchases (and a referral bonus) from when they were linked are not showing up on either account so the back office team are looking into this. Might only decide to relink when this is sorted.

 

[Returnofthemach]

Well I managed to ring up and have my Explorer delinked from my existing Plat Edge Ascent Account (arrived automatically linked). It was no drama and the operator was super helpful, however couldn't do it on the spot, saying it would take 3 to 5 days. No reference at all to points or inability to collect the sign up bonus. I guess I'll need to wait until the split has happened then hit the spend requirement! Here's hoping it all goes to plan!

 

[unfunkable]

As I mentioned, I only see the $300 Charge credit on the Platinum Travel - Book A Trip page when I log in to my account although the $400 Explorer credit shows under My Redemptions. I have just phoned the Platinum Travel number and was told that she can see the Explorer $400 credit as well as the $300 Platinum credit but that I can't use the $400 through Platinum Travel. She told me that I have to log in separately to my Explorer card and that it must be used online while I can use the $300 Platinum travel credit when booking with them over the phone. I told her that I have one log in for all my cards so don't see a way to use the $400 online.

I'll wait until I'm ready to book something in the next couple of months and I'll call the Card Services number about it if it's still not showing when I go to book something. Has anyone else who has travel credits from both the Explorer and a Platinum Charge or Edge card had both travel credits show at the same time when you go to book a trip through your account? I'm sure I've read in this thread of people phoning up to use their $400 travel credit.

Spacebar
Just following this up with the merged Ascent and Gateway accounts. I rang to ask about my missing $400 credit, and she said the only way to get it to appear was to de-link the account. I asked if they could be re linked for easier management of my points, and she said yes no problem. So I went ahead with the de-linking. I think my point's should stay in ascent anyway. I asked her to make a note in my file so the operator would know what it was all about when I ring to get them to re-link, she said yes no problem again.
Will report back on how that goes. This will be a minor hassle if it needs to be done every year to get the $400 travel credit.

 

[anat0l]

Well I managed to ring up and have my Explorer delinked from my existing Plat Edge Ascent Account (arrived automatically linked). It was no drama and the operator was super helpful, however couldn't do it on the spot, saying it would take 3 to 5 days. No reference at all to points or inability to collect the sign up bonus. I guess I'll need to wait until the split has happened then hit the spend requirement! Here's hoping it all goes to plan!

This is interesting. My sister called to have her Explorer unlinked. It was requested on a Sunday so I expected it would take nominally an additional day, however four days later and no dice. For me, the unlinking process took about two days.

Maybe I should tell her to hold off. Don't want more calls to Amex than is absolutely necessary.

 

[SOPOOR]

Can I assume that people who are trying to delink and remind are doing so to get the 100k Explorer sign up bonus?

 

[avante]

Ok so I have now received the 110k points in my Gateway account. Will make a call during the weekend to see if they can link to my Ascent again (it was initially linked when set up).

The only issue I have is that when I called to initially delink, the points I should have accrued from purchases (and a referral bonus) from when they were linked are not showing up on either account so the back office team are looking into this. Might only decide to relink when this is sorted.

Update: The back office team have credited the points for Jan but as this was done by them manually, the 20k referral bonus was not applied. Presumably this referral is lost in the system somewhere, together with the points that should have accrued with my purchases for Jan.

 

[Irishbazz]

Update: The back office team have credited the points for Jan but as this was done by them manually, the 20k referral bonus was not applied. Presumably this referral is lost in the system somewhere, together with the points that should have accrued with my purchases for Jan.

Keep demanding they rectify your missing points tally. Not your problem if they are having system issues, Amex have an excellent customer relations team and they like to please.

 

[annielee]

some updates on my points.. took over 2 weeks for the points to be transferred/reflected in my ascent account ! guess im the unlucky one :-( but no complain, as it finally landed in my ascent account.. so now, need to transfer it out asap !!

 

[avante]

Quick update from me, so I received a call back and thankfully they told me I can link my programs together.

The only issue is I was told I would forfeit the $400 travel credit unless I use it first - so just need to get that out of the way before I link them back together!

Not sure if anyone else has tried to use their travel credit after linking their accounts?

My account came linked to my Ascent so the $400 appeared on the Ascent. I've since delinked, but the $400 credit has remained on the Ascent.