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:



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

amex-explorer-card-art.pngWhy 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:


AFF members are welcome to discuss this card in this thread.
 
Please - Please Dont call amex. We clearly understand the risk about bonus points not eligible for existing or previous card holder past 12 months. If points posted, we call it bonus. If Not, thats the Risk! Dont call amex please.
 
I wonder if you are in the situation where you have the Plat Edge and Explorer with the no bonus point scenario (Explorer earning 2pts/$ in Ascent scenario) and you cancel your Plat Edge...

From the experience of others (Ascent Premium account closed and all points moved into the lower tier rewards Ascent Program), all your Ascent points may get converted to Gateway points!
 
I understand the 'please don't call' and was never planning to call them.

My hands were forced. When I first signed up, there was no membership rewards gateway program linked to my account. Think I posted this few posts ago. Then when MR was linked, my first transaction was 'Credit Adjustment'. I was told that this was a technical error and they had to manually adjust this. Henceforth, not sure what this technical error was but my MR was clearly missing points and something was not right.

Guessing if your account seems 'normal' then there is no need to call.
 
Mine was the same, there were no points credited for purchases in either Ascent or Gateway. The connection with Ascent didn't quite work as I thought it would. They are investigating apparently.


I understand the 'please don't call' and was never planning to call them.

My hands were forced. When I first signed up, there was no membership rewards gateway program linked to my account. Think I posted this few posts ago. Then when MR was linked, my first transaction was 'Credit Adjustment'. I was told that this was a technical error and they had to manually adjust this. Henceforth, not sure what this technical error was but my MR was clearly missing points and something was not right.

Guessing if your account seems 'normal' then there is no need to call.
 
Anyone any luck with those $400 travel credit ? Every time I login amex travel, I still do not have those $400 credit :(
 
Anyone any luck with those $400 travel credit ? Every time I login amex travel, I still do not have those $400 credit :(
mine posted with bonus points. there was a message when i logged in though saying there were technical issues redeeming it though
 
mine posted with bonus points. there was a message when i logged in though saying there were technical issues redeeming it though

My $400 credit hasn't come through either. Not too worried, I'll ring up when I need to use it. I have to say, the AMEX travel portal seems to be constantly riddled with bugs. I see a 'technical' or 'maintenance' error messages almost every time I log in (this used to happen often when i'd try to book travel through my Platinum Charge card).
 
Same issue here with the $400 travel credit note, I rang up and reported issue, was promised a call back in 48 hrs and had nothing so far. But if you ring up and get them to book over the phone, you should be able to use the $400 CN anyway.
 
Yep, Edge holder here with bonus points having posted.Both Explorer and Edge are in the same online account but post to different Ascent and Gateway MR schemes.

Hi @adelee.....quick question, when you registered your explorer, did the Gateway program show up immediately? Or not until post spend?
Im an edge holder, got the explorer and registered it....can only see the ascent program attached to my edge. I Haven't made any spend yet but am already not feeling confident :(
 
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Applied and approved for a card on Friday saying the card will be shipped within 5 - 7 days. Am I supposed to get a confirmation email or text?
 
I wonder if you are in the situation where you have the Plat Edge and Explorer with the no bonus point scenario (Explorer earning 2pts/$ in Ascent scenario) and you cancel your Plat Edge...

From the experience of others (Ascent Premium account closed and all points moved into the lower tier rewards Ascent Program), all your Ascent points may get converted to Gateway points!

I have this scenario and inquired about cancelling my platinum edge, I was told I would need to transfer the points first.
I wonder if cancelling the card with the ascent programme attached would cause the gateway account to be created (and therefore bonus points to post?)
 
I haven't hit the spend yet so not sure if get the points, however I put my explorer on a completely separate new account log in from my edge... Hopefully this works to trigger the points.

I saw mentioned above that people were having troubles adding their explorer to PayPal. It won't work for me either!
 
Applied 9 days ago....heard nothing so rang today to enquire....told that I had been approved (thanks for telling me) with (IMO) a ridiculously high credit limit ....card should be in my hand within a week....shame it did not come in time for the shop small promotion the weekend just gone. Goodbye Westpac Amex Altitude Black ;)
 
I haven't hit the spend yet so not sure if get the points, however I put my explorer on a completely separate new account log in from my edge... Hopefully this works to trigger the points.

I saw mentioned above that people were having troubles adding their explorer to PayPal. It won't work for me either!

I did the same however still linked to my edge.
When you are logged into the explorer card - does it show it is linked to your edge / can you see both gateway and ascent MR programs? Or just ascent?
 
I did the same however still linked to my edge.
When you are logged into the explorer card - does it show it is linked to your edge / can you see both gateway and ascent MR programs? Or just ascent?

I take it you made the jump to sign up for the Explorer?

Do you currently hold just the Plat Edge too? Would be interested to see how you go!
 
I take it you made the jump to sign up for the Explorer?

Do you currently hold just the Plat Edge too? Would be interested to see how you go!

I did. Took the gamble. I'm yet to put any spend on it. Given the reports here, and my card linking to the edge...I'm very doubtful I'll get the bonus points. I'm not sure wether to cancel straight up before the annual fee kicks in and just get a supplementary card from the partner (and wait for referrals to come live?)
 
Interestingly, I just rechecked then. Accounts still linked and the $400 travel credit is now showing on the points account. However no gateway program, just ascent...

Not sure if I should try and meet the spend and see what happens? Wether that triggers the two programs?
 
I did. Took the gamble. I'm yet to put any spend on it. Given the reports here, and my card linking to the edge...I'm very doubtful I'll get the bonus points. I'm not sure wether to cancel straight up before the annual fee kicks in and just get a supplementary card from the partner (and wait for referrals to come live?)

Can someone clarify, what the deal is with having the plat edge and not getting the bonus points. I have been following the thread and have come to the conclusion that people with the edge received the bonus! Have I missed a few key posts from plat edge holders, who didn't get the bonus?
 
Very happy shopper over here...Been doing a bit too much spending lately to drum up the $1500 sooner and can confirm the bonus points hit my account today, pretty much the day all my pending transactions cleared.

For reference.
Cancelled the DJ Amex the day before application, still hold Platinum Edge.
Set up totally new online account for the explorer and there was no link between the cards. :D
 
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