The American Express Explorer® Credit Card

Introductory Offer: Receive 100,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points PLUS 0% p.a. on Balance Transfers for 12 months.

Offer conditions: Receive 100,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points when you apply online, are approved and spend $3,000 on your new Card within the first 3 months. Apply by 9th April 2018

The American Express Explorer® Credit Card is a Platinum Credit Card that has the credentials usually reserved for the top tier Black Credit cards. With high reward point earning and transfer rates the AMEX Explorer card should be on the consideration list of any frequent business or leisure traveller. The AMEX Explorer card comes packed with benefits with a focus on travel and designed to be delivered at no cost, as the annual card fee of $395 is essentially cancelled out with the annual benefit of $400 worth of travel vouchers.

The American Express Explorer® Credit Card is a rewards credit card linked to the American Express Membership Rewards Gateway program and features the most inclusive high points earning rate of all American Express Membership Rewards personal credit cards, with an earn rate of 2 Points per $1 spent on all purchases with the exception of Government body purchases which still earn 0.5 Points per dollar of spend, so you will still earn points if you choose to Pay your tax bill or local rates with your card.

In conjunction with these earn rates American Express Bonus partners also offer promotional earn rates as much as double those of the rates outlined above. To stay informed of these Bonus Partners, which do tend to change frequently, use the American Express Mobile App that will alert you to any bonus partner offers.

Any Membership Rewards points you earn with your Explorer card will never expire, provided your card account remains open.

Redeeming Membership Rewards points through the Gateway Program

The American Express Gateway Program is different to many of the other reward programs in that it does not rely online store where cardholders can choose to redeem their points. Instead it offers a range of options to use points for travel with your preferred service providers, to shop at your favourite on line stores including David Jones and Ticketmaster. The range of point redemption options available are:

• Shop from all the top brands across technology, fashion, gifts, homewares and children’s toys at David Jones Online.
• Shop at your favourite stores with a wide range of gift card partners such as Westfield, Coles Myer Group and Wish, starting at 1,400 points for a $10 card and rising to 115,000 points for a $1,000 card
• Enjoy more flexibility and redeem your Points for Credit on a set credit amount on your Card, or pay off purchases with Select & Pay with Points through your online account or the Amex Mobile App.
• Use your points with American Express Travel Online at selected helloworld locations (including special offers and frequent flyer points) or redeem points for Foreign Exchange.
• Get a cashback on your card account, starting at 8,000 points for a $50 cashback, up to 130,000 points for $1,000
• Transfer your points to eight leading airline rewards programs, plus two leading frequent guest programs, with market leading transfer rates which are confirmed below:

1. Transfer points to the frequent flyer programs of Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways and Malaysian Airlines, at the rate - 4 Membership Rewards points = 3 airline points
2. Transfer points to the frequent flyer program of Air New Zealand at the rate - 100 Membership Rewards points = 1 Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollar
3. Convert points to hotel program points with Hilton HHonors (1:1) or Starwood Preferred Guest (2:1)

 

$400 travel voucher every year

The American Express Explorer® Credit Card annual fee is $395 p.a. though with the $400 travel voucher on offer with this card, you are essentially paying $0 fee. Once you pay your annual card fee each year AMEX will provide you with $400 of credit which can be spent with American Express Travel online, which means it can be used for a variety of services such as flights, car hire and accommodation, and as an added bonus it can be used for yourself or a colleague.

 

Two free airport lounge passes every year

As an AMEX Explorer cardholder every year you’ll also receive two free passes to the American Express Lounge at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport, with complimentary access for your accompanying children under the age of 18. With this lounge access usually attracting a fee of $55 per person this benefit delivers $110 of value each and every year.

 

Complimentary insurance polices

American Express are widely renowned for there complimentary travel insurance, and the offer made with the Explorer card reaps the benefits of this reputation with an extensive range of insurances included:

• Domestic travel insurance: for the primary cardholder and accompanying family members, covering luggage, flight delays, missed connections, unavoidable trip cancellation and personal liability
• Annual multi-trip overseas travel insurance: providing all the domestic travel insurance benefits plus emergency medical expenses
• Transport accident cover: delivering cash compensation for serious injuries sustained on public transport and planes
• Purchase protection insurance: covering personal items against loss, theft or accidental damage for 90 days after purchase
• Extended warranty insurance: doubling the manufacturer’s Australian warranty, up to a maximum of 12 additional months
• Refund protection cover: if a retailer refuses to let you return an unused item, up to 90 days after you bought it, American Express will refund the purchase price (up to $500)
• Car rental insurance excess waiver: for both international and domestic rentals
• Smartphone screen cover: reimburses up to $500 of the repair cost each time the primary cardholder’s phone screen is accidentally damaged. This cover is activated when you pay for the phone with your Explorer card or points.

 

American Express service and security

In conjunction with 24/7 priority service the Explorer card includes online fraud protection guarantee. Plus if you lose your Explorer card, or if it is stolen, American Express assure you that they will replace it “Virtually anywhere, anytime… Almost always within 24 hours”.​

 

The American Express Explorer® Credit Card - The Key Benefits

• $400 Travel Credit every year
• Earn up to 2 Membership Rewards points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases
• Transfer your points to a choice of 8 Airline Partner Programs - Asia Miles™, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Malaysian Airlines Enrich, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, THAI Royal Orchid Plus, Velocity Frequent Flyer & Air New Zealand Airpoints
• Smartphone Screen Insurance for up to $500 for screen repairs to your Smartphone when you pay for your phone or contract with your American Express Explorer^TM Credit Card
• 0% p.a. on balance transfers for the first 12 months - A one-off credit plan establishment fee of 1% applies to any balances transferred. You can transfer up to 70% of your approved credit limit to a maximum of $10,000. This offer is for new applicants only.
• Mobile Payment Ready - Eligible for use with Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay

With The American Express Explorer® Credit Card you’ll be enrolled into the Membership Rewards Gateway program

• Receive 100,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points when you apply online, are approved and spend $3,000 on your new Card within the first 3 months
• Earn 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on all purchases except government bodies in Australia where you will earn 0.5 points per $1 spent
• Transfer your points to a choice of 8 Airline Partners - Asia Miles™, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Malaysian Airlines Enrich, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, THAI Royal Orchid Plus, Velocity Frequent Flyer & Air New Zealand Airpoints
• Use your points to pay charges on your statement with Select + Pay with points
• Spend more and earn more points by getting a Supplementary Card for family members at no additional cost