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.

 

[Spizz]

Isn't there a chance that eventually they will say no more. And then you'd be stuck on the gateway with the lower redemption rate?

The earn rate though with the Explorer card for non petrol or supermarket spend at a converted 1.5 points per $ is still higher than any other Amex card for Amex points.

So if you can't combine your still ahead keeping the Explorer card via Gateway.

 

[SponsorSFC]

Is your travel credit still there though?

Already used the Explorer credit on the Crown Plaza Changi. The edge was still a flight for me this year.

 

[SOPOOR]

interesting. before and after linking my travel credit was $400 from the explorer, and it was visiable,

fast fwd a few days, and the $400 credit is now coming up as $200 only, from the plat edge

I think its a case of using this one first, and then claiming the $400

 

[ninja-tim]

My travel credit button didn't even show up when trying to book today, so I completely forgot about it and booked on my card, even though the whole plan on going through Amex Travel was to use the travel credit. Will have to call them up tomorrow when the call centre opens up.

Has anyone had success getting the travel credit after booking on the card?

 

[daft009]

rang at 4.30pm EST today.
the guy said he hadn't heard of such a thing as linking so he went to check with the first supervisor.
he came back and said he could do a manual transfer 1 to 1 but nothing automatic.
I then told him a friend had the auto linking done recently so he went to the second supervisor.
came back and said yes! so lets see what happens in 3-5 days like he promised.

all my explorer points disappeared last night (20th) and nothing showed on my edge either.
this morning (21st) they are now all in the edge at 1:1

at this new earn rate of $1=2KF I don't mind paying the 2.4% surcharge some charge for AMEX use
a great 25% "bonus"

 

[anat0l]

all my explorer points disappeared last night (20th) and nothing showed on my edge either.
this morning (21st) they are now all in the edge at 1:1

at this new earn rate of $1=2KF I don't mind paying the 2.4% surcharge some charge for AMEX use
a great 25% "bonus"

Aren't you forgetting that a 1:1 conversion from Gateway to Ascent has also increased the value of your existing points, i.e. the sweep is now 1:1 rather than 4:3?

Or have I missed something here?

 

[daft009]

yes, exactly.
the explorer points now in my edge account have increased in FF point value by 33% **.
I meant there was no hit/penalty in the conversion over

 

[NoName]

Getting technical but they have increased by 33% so even better. Previously 4pts got you 3. Now 4pts gets you 4.

 

[daft009]

Getting technical but they have increased by 33% so even better. Previously 4pts got you 3. Now 4pts gets you 4.

lol okay yes, corrected

 

[adamphosho]

I currently hold Plat Charge and Explorer, and I signed up for them in that order. When my Explorer card activated ~4 months ago, it was linked to the Plat Charge card and I didn't receive the signup bonus. I had them unlinked, then upon re-spending $1500, the bonus appeared. Great success. I am now trying to re-link them. Just as a point of feedback, I called at 7pm on a weeknight and hit a US sounding call centre, who denied the request. I will try at 6am as others have indicated success with

On a more worrying note. I have a friend who held the Velocity Platinum card, cancelled, then 3 months later signed up for Explorer with my referral. He hit the min spend a month ago and didn't receive the bonus. He called Amex about it, and they stated because he has already held a credit card with them recently, he wasn't eligible for the bonus. This is interesting as we know that is the policy but I have never heard of it happening in practice before. Are amex really clamping down on enforcing the one bonus per credit card, one bonus per charge card rule?

 

[daft009]

Yeah I didn't get my bonus for the platinum edge, I only got it a month ago. Had the explorer since September last year.

Until recently As the rewards programs were different they were still giving the points, not anymore

 

[tizey]

Has anyone who has linked to Ascent or Ascent premium cancelled the plat edge or plat charge the explorer was linked to?

Would love to know if the explorer stays on the premium points the program, or if it reverts to the gateway program.

 

[nightelves]

Has anyone who has linked to Ascent or Ascent premium cancelled the plat edge or plat charge the explorer was linked to?

Would love to know if the explorer stays on the premium points the program, or if it reverts to the gateway program.

No it reverts back to the gateway program. I enquired about this a few weeks ago.

 

[ninja-tim]

I currently hold Plat Charge and Explorer, and I signed up for them in that order. When my Explorer card activated ~4 months ago, it was linked to the Plat Charge card and I didn't receive the signup bonus. I had them unlinked, then upon re-spending $1500, the bonus appeared. Great success. I am now trying to re-link them. Just as a point of feedback, I called at 7pm on a weeknight and hit a US sounding call centre, who denied the request. I will try at 6am as others have indicated success with

On a more worrying note. I have a friend who held the Velocity Platinum card, cancelled, then 3 months later signed up for Explorer with my referral. He hit the min spend a month ago and didn't receive the bonus. He called Amex about it, and they stated because he has already held a credit card with them recently, he wasn't eligible for the bonus. This is interesting as we know that is the policy but I have never heard of it happening in practice before. Are amex really clamping down on enforcing the one bonus per credit card, one bonus per charge card rule?

I was in the same situation and was scared of de-linking them and not being able to link it back. I never ended up de-linking as the risk vs benefit was leaning more towards risk.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

On a more worrying note. I have a friend who held the Velocity Platinum card, cancelled, then 3 months later signed up for Explorer with my referral. He hit the min spend a month ago and didn't receive the bonus. He called Amex about it, and they stated because he has already held a credit card with them recently, he wasn't eligible for the bonus. This is interesting as we know that is the policy but I have never heard of it happening in practice before. Are amex really clamping down on enforcing the one bonus per credit card, one bonus per charge card rule?

When did he signup?

It appears that Amex starting enforcing things on a or about 31st Jan 2017. Fr applications post this date various posters have reported this and my daughter was told this on applying.

 

[nat000]

Has anyone who has linked to Ascent or Ascent premium cancelled the plat edge or plat charge the explorer was linked to?

Would love to know if the explorer stays on the premium points the program, or if it reverts to the gateway program.

My explorer and platinum edge were linked in the ascent program. I cancelled my platinum edge card last night, and this morning noticed that my explorer card was no longer linked to any program. When i rang amex she said she just needs to re enrol the explorer into gateway. I asked if it could be linked to aacent, she said no.
So it's back in gateway.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

My explorer and platinum edge were linked in the ascent program. I cancelled my platinum edge card last night, and this morning noticed that my explorer card was no longer linked to any program. When i rang amex she said she just needs to re enrol the explorer into gateway. I asked if it could be linked to aacent, she said no.
So it's back in gateway.

Ouch.

With the $200 Travel Credit making the Edge relatively neutral I will be keeping my Edge. Plus that it earns at 3 for a fair bit of spend to my makes the Edge/Explorer Combination a real winner as both cards are effectively free if you use your Travel Credits reasonably well.

 

[tizey]

My explorer and platinum edge were linked in the ascent program. I cancelled my platinum edge card last night, and this morning noticed that my explorer card was no longer linked to any program. When i rang amex she said she just needs to re enrol the explorer into gateway. I asked if it could be linked to aacent, she said no.
So it's back in gateway.

Ouch. Thanks for confirming what happens.

 

[daft009]

just did an explorer referral since linking and got 15k points, before I had an edge (and therefore pre-linking) it was 20k.

same for others?

 

[alexy23]

Can anyone recommend a good counterpart to this for Visa/MC? Happy to earn VA/QF just want a good earn rate? Looking to leave Westpac with my Westpac Black configuration as the fee is coming up in a few months. Apple Pay would be a plus so the ANZ QF offer looks attractive.