For anyone that doesn't have, or know about this card,
this would have to be the most recommended credit card on AFF!! Amex are currently offering a signon bonus of
10,000 Membership Rewards points for new customers taking out this card.
REFERRAL LINK.
This card is popular with point collectors and for good reason, if you'd like to know more, my thoughts on this card follow, and there are also plenty of posts and threads on how to make the most of this card. One that has a particularly good following, and is full of useful advice is
Gift Cards at Supermarkets, which covers how to make the most of this cards massive 3pts/$ earn at supermarkets by using gift cards for your other shopping. The
New statement credits thread also covers the current AMEX Statement Credit offers that are available to AMEX card holders. AMEX statement credit offers, come out frequently and can be a great way to save some extra $$$ (sometimes even serious cash), assuming they line up with your planned spending. I've certainly made some significant savings out of them over the last year - combined with small shop
I saved $1500 last year alone!.
I applied for this card using a referral link from here many years ago now, was approved instantly, and haven't looked back since. Instant approvals have been the norm for me when applying for AMEX cards through a
referral link. Since I've had this card, it has easily become the most used card in my wallet and nets me many more points a month than any other card I've ever had. In the last 12 months alone, I would have cracked the 120k points barrier on this card and that is on a pretty modest spend! My only regret is that I didn't get on the Edge bandwagon sooner! I also feel that with the recent devaluations of many bank issued Visa and Mastercards, now is very much the right time to make the switch to AMEX cards (and not the bank issued ones). I've certainly made the switch to AMEX cards and between this card and the
Platinum Charge, I'm very happy with my decision. Through purchasing gift mastercards at Coles / Woolies, along with other gift cards, I've been able to switch almost all my spend to AMEX these days, which is good given the dismal earning rates on your typical Visa or Mastercard.
I guess you've probably figured out by now that I'm a big fan of this card, but I feel that this is the case with good reason! And whilst you may not agree with my assessment, here are the main reasons I believe this is the
best card in the Australian credit card market at the moment - and why it should be in your wallet!:
- A $200 AMEX travel credit each card membership year - nice! Assuming you book travel (which you probably do as if you are on this forum!) the $200 travel credit covers the annual fee and essentially makes this great card free! Nice!! AMEX travel credits are easy to use, just book your flights, accommodation or hire card using the AMEX website and the travel credit will be applied. Very simple, no hassle and easy for everyone to use.
- 3 points per $ on grocery spend. This is a great deal! Everyone buys groceries and 3 points per dollar is an excellent earn rate on this spend. If you combine this with judicious gift card purchases from you local supermarket you can really maximise this. There's an excellent thread on that topic here (Gift Cards at Supermarkets). You can make this 4 points per $ if you can become the AMEX local champion at your local grocery store - thread on this here. At 4 pts / $ this card is impossible to beat!!!!
- 2 points per dollar on fuel - again like groceries, most people buy fuel - why not earn maximum points for this. Make this 3 or 4 points per $ if you buy gift cards from your supermarket which you then use to purchase fuel! Nice little earner too, especially for those that drive a lot!
- Points can be transferred to massive variety of partners (ie no FF program "lock in" - in case of FF program devaluations!!) - Virgin Velocity, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathy Pacific AsiaMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, and some more valuable ones if you transfer via SPG (AAdvantage, BA Executive Club, Alaska Airlines & United Miles, among others)
- 10,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points - if you apply via THIS REFERRAL LINK - based on my numbers I value this at $570+. Given the annual fee is already covered by the travel credit - this is a nice sweetner and you can always cancel the card if you ends up not being for you!
I've been a perennial churner of credit cards over the years, mainly because I don't think their are many keepers in the Australian credit card market place. With one major exception, this card, the AMEX Platinum Edge, given the free flight pays for the annual fee each year - and its excellent points earn on everyday spend - this card is going to be in my wallet for sometime to come!
UPDATED REFERRAL LINK: No expiry date is listed at the moment for the current offer and
you'll receive 10,000 Membership Rewards points if you spend $750 in the first three months -
updated referral link HERE!
Quick Card Summary (as per the AMEX site):
- 10,000 Bonus Membership Rewards points, if you are approved and spend $750 on your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- $200 AMEX travel credit each card membership year
- Earn 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at major supermarkets
- Earn 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at major petrol stations
- Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar spent on all other purchases excluding utilities, insurance (except those issued by American Express), telecommunication providers and government bodies in Australia where you earn 0.5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent
- When you pay for travel on your card you will receive complimentary comprehensive domestic and international travel insurance
Membership Rewards Transfer Partners (highlights):
- Virgin Australia Velocity Points 1:1
- Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Miles 1:1
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 1:1
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich Miles 1:1
- Marriot / Starwood SPG points (Good for AAdvantage, BA Executive Club, United Airlines transfers) 2:1 (until Aug - then changing to 3:2)
If you are sitting on the fence with AMEX cards at the moment, I would recommend looking at your current fleet of credit cards and evaluating if they are still the best value post the RBA's changes in interchange fees. The RBA changes caused my banks to devalue my cards drastically in 2017, to the point where they were no longer value and I closed them all (except my Coles Mastercard) and fully committed to the AMEX bandwagon!
As per all AMEX referral offers, anyone referring a friend (me in this case), earns a referral bonus, currently 30k points for this card (bonus for July / Aug 2018 - usually 10k points). For anyone who would like to apply for this card,
and get the 10,000 bonus points,
my Referral Link it is here. To anyone kind enough to use my link, you certainly have my heart felt thanks and I'll be putting any referral points to good use in 2019 on our family holiday!
Finally, as always, whilst this is an excellent deal and an excellent card, you need to take your own financial circumstances into account before applying for any credit card. Whilst the chase for points can be addictive, even exciting, don't put your personal finances at risk in the process - it is simply not worth it! The current state of Australia's credit card debt shows that credit cards are not for everyone - so please apply for and use credit responsibly!
