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.

 

[PPOW]

Approved for this card in Late December, kept putting everything through the velocity platinum for a while as I thought the period was 3 months (not 2). Anyway on the last day of my 2 months I put the minimum spend on my card and got awarded the bonus points even though the transactions didn't settle until after that period.

Stoked.

 

[ManikThor]

Anyone have any problems with the bonus points not hitting account? Minimum spend reached, first statement issued, $400 travel credit received (and spent)..... $395 annual fee yet to hit and 80,000 bonus points yet to hit (account hasn't been linked/delinked etc just straight up Membership Rewards).

 

[SOPOOR]

anyone got any suggestions on what to do to get my bonus points

applied and approved late Jan

Didnt get my points, called and enquired, got told it was becuase I already had another one, and they will ivnestigaet and call back

they havent called back yet, been almost a week

 

[B0RDEX]

Bonus points hit my account today, after meeting minimum spend yesterday. Woohoo.

 

[foggy]

Are they really cracking down on their T&Cs? I called today to switch from gateway back to ascent after getting the bonus pts and transferring it all to SPG. Was australian and didnt have an issue switching me back.

I applied for the card early january, annual fee charged 15/1 and switched to ascent from gateway late january. Spent the required amount by 4th feb and points posted few days later.
Already have the plat edge and davidjones amex.

 

[SOPOOR]

Are they really cracking down on their T&Cs? I called today to switch from gateway back to ascent after getting the bonus pts and transferring it all to SPG. Was australian and didnt have an issue switching me back.

I applied for the card early january, annual fee charged 15/1 and switched to ascent from gateway late january. Spent the required amount by 4th feb and points posted few days later.
Already have the plat edge and davidjones amex.

I hope not. I haven't even linked or unlinked anything yet. They judt said no points because I had another card.

 

[Lemon_Party]

With the MR gateway points is it possible to transfer into a frequent flyer program in an alternate name?

Both my partner and I have this card and ideally I want to transfer both sets of sign on bonuses into one KF or AM account. Is that possible?

 

[anat0l]

With the MR gateway points is it possible to transfer into a frequent flyer program in an alternate name?

Both my partner and I have this card and ideally I want to transfer both sets of sign on bonuses into one KF or AM account. Is that possible?

Amex transfers from MR to an airline FF must be done with both accounts bearing the same name. So, principally, the answer is "not possible".

 

[kamchatsky]

A couple of days ago I tried to use the $400 Amex Travel credit to book hotels online. I could not see my credit at all, so I called Amex. The Amex CSR said I have to delink my account from Ascent to Gateway, and THEN separate Explorer Gateway online account from my existing Ascent online account. So they did that, and I could see my $400 Travel Credit and I booked hotels promptly. But it also means that now my Explorer card is not linked.

 

[kamchatsky]

Amex transfers from MR to an airline FF must be done with both accounts bearing the same name. So, principally, the answer is "not possible".

Except if you redeem to airline miles such as AA, UA, AS, etc, via SPG. SPG allows transfer of points between accounts as long as the address of both accounts are the same.

 

[anat0l]

Little bit of an update.

Sister ended up being successful unlinking her Explorer from Ascent. Both her and her boyfriend have hit their spend targets and received their signup bonuses.

The tough one would have been my sister who already holds a Platinum Reserve. Both of them just had and cancelled Velocity Amex cards.

Like me, I suspect my sister is not going to risk re-linking the Explorer to Ascent. Basically the Explorer is going to be dormant for a long time now.

 

[foggy]

Like me, I suspect my sister is not going to risk re-linking the Explorer to Ascent. Basically the Explorer is going to be dormant for a long time now.

Depending on spending habits but 2pts per $1 outside of supermarkets makes this a pretty good card still if its linked back to ascent.. I had no problems getting it linked back. But based on previous post, using the travel credit might cause some issues..

 

[albyd]

Given Great Ascent earn, I'm prepared to forgo the $400 credit - extra points earn is worth > $400pa travel credit.

 

[kamchatsky]

Given Great Ascent earn, I'm prepared to forgo the $400 credit - extra points earn is worth > $400pa travel credit.

Only if you spend a lot on the card though. For people who don't spend that much, better to keep the $400 credit.

 

[imipenam]

There are a few on this thread with linked accounts and still able to use the $400 travel credit (including myself ... which I have successfully used to book an overseas hotel). I would take the advice of CSRs saying otherwise with a grain of salt. If you read back previous posts, the issue of travel credits have already been covered.

 

[wokstar]

Posting to add data points with regards to existing Amex customers and bonus points.

Myself:
Applied mid-Jan using an AFF referral link. At time of application I held Amex Plat Edge & Amex QFF Discovery.
Received telephone call advising that I cannot hold more than 2 Amex credit cards.
Cancelled Amex QFF discovery and proceeded with Amex Explorer application.
Amex Explorer approved and activated late Jan.
Amex Explorer was linked to Ascent Rewards points.
Called and successfully delinked Amex Explorer from Ascent Rewards, card was delinked within 5 minutes of ending the call.
Spent required $1,500 on 01 Feb.
Bonus 110k Gateway points arrived 02 Feb.

Mrs Wokstar:
Holding Amex Plat Edge and Amex QFF Discovery
Cancelled Amex QFF Discovery prior to applying for Amex Explorer
Applied for Amex Explorer using my referral link mid/late-Feb.
Amex Explorer approved and activated late Feb. (20k Gateway points from referral received)
Amex Explorer was on Gateway Rewards from activation (ie: not linked to existing Ascent Rewards – called Amex to confirm and this was true)
Spent required $1,500 on 01 Mar.
Bonus 80k Gateway points arrived 02 Mar.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Posting to add data points with regards to existing Amex customers and bonus points.

Thank you.

Mrs Wokstar:
Holding Amex Plat Edge and Amex QFF Discovery
Cancelled Amex QFF Discovery prior to applying for Amex Explorer
Applied for Amex Explorer using my referral link mid/late-Feb.
Amex Explorer approved and activated late Feb. (20k Gateway points from referral received)
Amex Explorer was on Gateway Rewards from activation (ie: not linked to existing Ascent Rewards – called Amex to confirm and this was true)
Spent required $1,500 on 01 Mar.
Bonus 80k Gateway points arrived 02 Mar.

Mrs Workstar's application is interesting in that she has received the 80K bonus with an application in mid/late Feb which is after the approximate date that Amex flagged would not earn the points.

Hypothesis: Given that there has always with the Explorer been an apprarently randomised "lucky dip" on being linked to Ascent, or going straight to Gateway, if you already had a MR Program card it may well be that if the linking initialy now is to Ascent that you will miss out on the bonus if you change, and gain them if you get straight into Gateway.

However even if this is not the case it does now seem that there is a randomness as to whether new applicants who have a MR Amex will now gain the joining bonus or not.

 

[B0RDEX]

Okay, now that my Explorer bonus points have posted, I'm ready to go ahead and link it to the Ascent program (from Plat Edge which I activated this morning), but just wanted to double check, after linking:

1. Do the current points Gateway points convert into Ascent points? (most importantly... this is the only reason I want to link and the only reason I can see that anyone would want to)
2. Will the points I earn from either card all be Ascent points?
3. Will the Explorer continue to earn points at the Gateway earn rate, or will it change to the Ascent earn rate?

If there's a better thread to direct these questions to please let me know, thanks.

 

[Ken1]

Okay, now that my Explorer bonus points have posted, I'm ready to go ahead and link it to the Ascent program (from Plat Edge which I activated this morning), but just wanted to double check, after linking:

1. Do the current points Gateway points convert into Ascent points? (most importantly... this is the only reason I want to link and the only reason I can see that anyone would want to)
2. Will the points I earn from either card all be Ascent points?
3. Will the Explorer continue to earn points at the Gateway earn rate, or will it change to the Ascent earn rate?

If there's a better thread to direct these questions to please let me know, thanks.

1. When my Gateway and Ascent programs were re-linked the Gateway points were converted to Ascent points.
2. The points I earn from all cards are now all Ascent points.
3. All of my Explorer spend goes into my Ascent account and I earn 2 ppd on all except Government spend so I am earning at Ascent earn rates and the Explorer is the card I now use for most of my Amex spending.

 

[nat000]

Depending on spending habits but 2pts per $1 outside of supermarkets makes this a pretty good card still if its linked back to ascent.. I had no problems getting it linked back. But based on previous post, using the travel credit might cause some issues..

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