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.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Should i spend my $400 travel credit before or after linking my explorer back to ascent ?

Your choice. I do not believe it matters.

My Card: I spent it after. The $400 was not visibke when I was logged in to my Amex account, but when I logged in to Travel Online it was visiable and bookable online. I have used it.

Wife's Card: My wife's card> Is not yet re-linked. $400 has been spent.

PS: I redeemed both now to 1/ take advantage of the Amex $500 cashback deal and 2/ as I have a trip to Koh Samui and needed accommodation. I Koh Samui I found one really good Amex deal, one slightly cheaper than elsewhere. A third property I found a really cheap deal with Agoda and so that was booked through them. With the one night in Singapore the price was the same and so the $50 cashback made it cheaper.

 

[samh004]

This thread is for discussion of the AMEX Explorer credit card, not for commenting on each others posting styles.

Future personal comments will be removed and infractions may be issued.

Also, we're not currently looking for future Moderators, but I can tell you now I'm not prancing.

As an aside, if you think there are questions that are commonly repeated in long threads such as this one, and you have the ability to edit the wiki, perhaps you should provide the questions and answers, or questions with a link to the answers, in the wiki so new users can easily find the information they are looking for. It is one of the reasons we have a wiki.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

As an aside, if you think there are questions that are commonly repeated in long threads such as this one, and you have the ability to edit the wiki, perhaps you should provide the questions and answers, or questions with a link to the answers, in the wiki so new users can easily find the information they are looking for. It is one of the reasons we have a wiki.

I do not think it would relevant, nor approrioate, to place a Q&A for Edge specific questions in an Explorer Wiki.

PS: I have already supplied content for the Explorer Wiki. Plus I actually answered the said posters original questions on both the Explorer and Edge. But no more.

 

[unfunkable]

What's the best way to increase the limit on this card? Mine is at 24k and only got a increase last month - I have an opportunity to charge 45k per month for the next 3 months - thing is, the company will only do 1 direct debit and if it fails, I need to pay over the phone @ a 2% surcharge compared to 1% surcharge as a direct debit. cheers

 

[lovetravellingoz]

What's the best way to increase the limit on this card? Mine is at 24k and only got a increase last month -

• How often can I apply and receive a credit limit increase?

You are able to apply for a credit limit increase to one credit card every 6 months.


So as you just did last month online application will not work. So call and ask. Answer may still be to wait the 6 months though.

 

[Dr Ralph]

What's the best way to increase the limit on this card? Mine is at 24k and only got a increase last month - I have an opportunity to charge 45k per month for the next 3 months - thing is, the company will only do 1 direct debit and if it fails, I need to pay over the phone @ a 2% surcharge compared to 1% surcharge as a direct debit. cheers

Can only apply for a limit increase twice a year from memory.

 

[unfunkable]

Aight ill try calling and writing to them to plead my case
I heard the hard limit is 50k...would be nice to get that

 

[B0RDEX]

Just an update - called and spoke to an American CSR today to request my Explorer be linked to the Ascent rewards program... was told it's possible but that my existing Gateway points would be forfeited. I'll try again once more a bit later and see if I get a different result from another CSR and report back, hopefully it can be done as there's no way I'm forfeiting all my signup bonus points!

 

[nat000]

Just an update - called and spoke to an American CSR today to request my Explorer be linked to the Ascent rewards program... was told it's possible but that my existing Gateway points would be forfeited. I'll try again once more a bit later and see if I get a different result from another CSR and report back, hopefully it can be done as there's no way I'm forfeiting all my signup bonus points!

I just rang and got an overseas consultant, and got the same answer, that my points would be forfeited.

 

[nightelves]

I just rang and got an overseas consultant, and got the same answer, that my points would be forfeited.

Try a couple more times. You'll eventually find the right CSR that will do it. I normally ring early in the morning around 6-7 and got good results.

 

[dennis_3107]

Been lurking but seeing a few unfortunate souls lately I figure I can update my situation.

I apply before Jan's end, and went through the usual delink and relink to Gateway, got the points after spend no issues.

Fast forward 1 month, I called Amex Australia, and got an aussie rep. He was nice and easy and agreed to relink my card to Ascent, and said that he would have to re credit the points manually, it would take 5 days.

3 days later, I got all my points in ascent. Time to book some flights.

 

[B0RDEX]

I just rang and got an overseas consultant, and got the same answer, that my points would be forfeited.

Try a couple more times. You'll eventually find the right CSR that will do it. I normally ring early in the morning around 6-7 and got good results.

Yes, I forgot to post that I called back a couple of hours later and spoke to another American CSR who advised it would be no problem and that it would take 3 business days for the points to come across. No points have moved across yet, but I'm not sure where the processing is done, and it was a PH in WA on Monday. I'll give it until Friday and then call back if nothing appears to have happened by then.

 

[nat000]

Try a couple more times. You'll eventually find the right CSR that will do it. I normally ring early in the morning around 6-7 and got good results.

Woo hoo the 6am called worked. Finally on the 4th call afterhours they've linked it to my ascent.

 

[B0RDEX]

Woo hoo the 6am called worked. Finally on the 4th call afterhours they've linked it to my ascent.

Which number did you call? Looks like I'll have to call them again as despite being told it would be linked, it still hasn't been done! Did yours link immediately?

Edit: forgot to mention, I called the Rewards number this morning but got an AU CSR (I'm guessing the people who suggested calling around 7am must be over east, I'm in WA) who advised the same, that points would be forfeited. He said he could see my previous conversation (which was the first call with an American CSR) where I had been advised of the same... Now I'm thinking maybe any operator who I speak to now, regardless of time or location, will see the notes and refuse to link the accounts without forfeiting the points! Very frustrating...

 

[nat000]

Which number did you call? Looks like I'll have to call them again as despite being told it would be linked, it still hasn't been done! Did yours link immediately?

Edit: forgot to mention, I called the Rewards number this morning but got an AU CSR (I'm guessing the people who suggested calling around 7am must be over east, I'm in WA) who advised the same, that points would be forfeited. He said he could see my previous conversation (which was the first call with an American CSR) where I had been advised of the same... Now I'm thinking maybe any operator who I speak to now, regardless of time or location, will see the notes and refuse to link the accounts without forfeiting the points! Very frustrating...

I call the 1800059388 number at 0630est. I got an American csr male. He said yes he can do it, gave me a refernce number for the job and said it will take 3-5 business days. And confirmed i will see my X amount of gateway points in my ascent account after day 5. So not instant.

 

[B0RDEX]

I call the 1800059388 number at 0630est. I got an American csr male. He said yes he can do it, gave me a refernce number for the job and said it will take 3-5 business days. And confirmed i will see my X amount of gateway points in my ascent account after day 5. So not instant.

Thanks for the info, appreciate it. Keep an eye on it, as this is the same information I was given (though no reference number provided) by the second American CSR last Saturday who agreed to link it, and the linking didn't happen. No mention at all of that conversation today when I spoke to the AU CSR, despite him mentioning the notes from the first American CSR who told me no go... Convenient!

 

[nat000]

Thanks for the info, appreciate it. Keep an eye on it, as this is the same information I was given (though no reference number provided) by the second American CSR last Saturday who agreed to link it, and the linking didn't happen. No mention at all of that conversation today when I spoke to the AU CSR, despite him mentioning the notes from the first American CSR who told me no go... Convenient!

I'll report back next fri with an update

 

[daft009]

rang at 530am EST, got someone in Philippines I believe, said would have to forfeit the points.. oh well keep trying

 

[anat0l]

I'm surprised that with all the logged calls of attempts, no agent has tried to check the history of anyone and seen if they indeed were not actually a new customer and hence tried to reverse all the bonus points altogether (a la as if the loophole fix by Amex of recent had worked beforehand).

 

[crossbow]

Have also gone all the way to the checkout page on a booking $400+ and it's definitely not there. I've seen screenshots from others of what it's meant to look like on the checkout page (with yellow button to apply travel credit just below the costs summary), BUT I have nothing in that same place that others see it.

I called Amex Travel just now. They said to make a booking over $400 and pay full amount, call them up after it's done and they will manually apply the credit after the fact.

Just following up on my own issue from last month. In case anyone is experiencing same problem and was searching here for a solution.

I have discovered that when you have two cards under the same Amex login and then you login to Amex Travel Online, it will default to whichever rewards account has the higher points balance. You will be logged in to that rewards account and can only access travel credit and points from that account to spend in the Online Travel site. I've confirmed this by testing to over several weeks as the balances in my two rewards accounts go up, and each time I'll be logged in with the program with higher points balance.

Example only: My Ascent program has 200 points. My Explorer program has 100 points AND $400 travel credit. I will only be able to access the Ascent program to spend in online travel while it has more points, regardless of the fact $400 travel credit is more valuable and is available in the Gateway program ready to spend.

Ways to get around this if you wish to use a travel credit on one rewards account but can't get to it because your points are higher in another rewards account:
- Separate the cards into different logins
- Earn more points in the rewards account with the travel credit
- Redeem or transfer out points from the other rewards account to get it below the balance of your account with travel credit

Or, of course, you could proceed with an online travel booking and call up Amex to complain you weren't able to access the travel credit, have them process the credit manually.

There may also be differences for those with Platinum Charge and Ascent Premium which I don't have - not sure how that impacts the above.