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American Express Essential Rewards Card
The American Express Essential Rewards Card is an entry-level credit card that earns bonus points when spending on eligible categories. Earn up to 5 Amex Membership Rewards Points per $1, plus enjoy a low monthly card fee and a range of included insurances.
- Signup bonus
- Up to 80,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points, earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 or more on eligible purchases in each 30-day period for the first 120 days
- Points Earned
- 5 points per $1 spent on eligible eats & drinks purchases in Australia, 3 points per $1 spent on selected streaming subscriptions in Australia, 2 points per $1 spent at selected major retailers in Australia and 1 point per $1 spent on everything else including government spend
- Annual fee
- $9 per month
Australian Frequent Flyer is currently not accepting applications for this card offer.
Get notified when it’s live.
Why we like the American Express Essential Rewards Card
The Amex Essential Rewards Card is a great entry-level card with a generous points-earning rate on certain categories. Cardholders have access to American Express benefits like Amex Experiences and MyAmexShop & Offers, plus an array of included insurances. And the low monthly card fee of $9 makes this a lucrative offering for those looking for a no-frills credit card with the ability to earn uncapped points.
Key Information & How to Apply
Key facts about this card
- Card type
- American Express
- Signup bonus
- Up to 80,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points, earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 or more on eligible purchases in each 30-day period for the first 120 days
- Annual fee
- $9 per month
- Interest rate
- 18.99% p.a.
- Interest-free days
- Up to 55 days
- Minimum monthly repayment
- 2.5% of the balance or $30, whichever is higher
- Minimum credit limit
- No minimum credit limit specified
- International transaction fee
- 3%
To apply for this card, you will need
- To be an Australian citizen, resident or long-term visa holder aged 18 or over
- No history of bad debt or payment default
- Your Australian driver’s licence number and proof of income
- 10-15 minutes to complete your application
Australian Frequent Flyer is currently not accepting applications for this card offer.
Get notified when it’s live.
Sign-up bonus
Apply for an American Express Essential Rewards Card by 23 July 2024 to earn up to 80,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points!
The sign-up bonus is split into four parts. You’ll earn 20,000 Membership Rewards Points for each 30-day period where you spend $1,000 on eligible purchases on your Amex card for the first four months.
You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points to 11 different frequent flyer programs at varying transfer rates. Partners include Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Etihad Guest, Emirates Skywards and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
Or, you could transfer Membership Rewards Points to the Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy hotel programs.
To find out more about which loyalty programs you can convert Membership Rewards Points into, see our Credit Card Points Transfer Assistant.
This sign-up bonus is not available to existing American Express cardholders, or if you have been the primary Card Member of an Australian-issued Amex card in the last 18 months.
Earning points
Similar to the American Express Platinum Edge Card, the American Express Essential Rewards Card offers bonus points on popular spending categories.
You’ll earn up to 5 Membership Rewards Points on your first 10,000 points per month. After this, you’ll continue to earn 1 point per $1 spent.
Bonus points are earned on eligible spend within the following categories:
- 5 points per $1 spent on eligible eats & drinks purchases in Australia
- 3 points per $1 spent on selected streaming subscriptions in Australia
- 2 points per $1 spent at selected major retailers in Australia
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
There is no monthly or annual points-earning cap.
Up to 4 Additional Cards can be added to your account at no extra charge. Any points earned from Additional Cards will be credited to the primary cardholder.
As long as your account remains active, your Amex Membership Rewards Points will not expire. So there’s no rush to transfer them to an airline or hotel partner (as many programs do impose a hard expiry on points.) You can keep your points in your Amex Membership Rewards account and transfer them when you’re ready to use them or wait for a bonus offer on transfers.
Earning points for ATO & government payments
With the Amex Essential Rewards credit card, you can earn Membership Rewards Points on payments made directly to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) or other government bodies in Australia. But you’ll do so at a reduced earn rate of 0.5 Membership Rewards Points per $1.
Using Amex Membership Rewards Points
Membership Rewards Points earned from the American Express Essential Rewards Card are transferable to 11 airlines and two hotel loyalty programs. Generally, the conversion rate is 2:1, but can vary across programs. Here’s the full list of transfer rates:
| Transfer partners | 1 Amex Point equals… |
|---|---|
| Air New Zealand Airpoints | 0.005 Airpoints Dollars |
| Cathay (Asia Miles) | 0.5 miles |
| Emirates Skywards | 0.33 miles |
| Etihad Guest | 0.5 miles |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | 0.5 miles |
| Hilton Honors | 0.5 miles |
| Malaysia Airlines Enrich | 0.5 points |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 0.67 points |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 0.5 Avios |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 0.33 miles |
| THAI Royal Orchid Plus | 0.5 miles |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 0.5 points |
| Velocity Frequent Flyer | 0.5 points |
See our Overview of Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Partners for more information.
As an example, you could transfer 80,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points to 40,000 Velocity Points. You could fly one-way from Perth to Singapore in Singapore Airlines Business Class for 55,000 Velocity Points. Or, fly one-way from Sydney to Tokyo with ANA in Economy for 42,000 Velocity Points. Prefer to use your points closer to home? You can also take three return trips between Melbourne-Sydney in Economy at Velocity’s Tier 1 pricing.
Note that only the American Express Platinum and Centurion Cards allow the transfer of Membership Rewards Points to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. This benefit is not available with most other American Express Cards, or from any other Australia bank-operated rewards program.
Alternatively, you could redeem Amex Membership Rewards Points for other rewards including:
- Gift cards
- David Jones shop with Points
- Amex Travel Online
- Helloworld travel gift cards
- Cash back
Included insurances
The Amex Essential Rewards credit card includes various insurance coverage, such as:
- Card Purchase Cover – eligible purchases made on your card can be reimbursed if the item is accidentally damaged or stolen up to 90 days from the date of purchase.
- Card Refund Cover – eligible purchases made on your card made be covered by Card Refund Cover, in the instance that you’re having trouble obtaining a refund for purchases within 90 days.
- Buyer’s Advantage Cover – eligible purchases made on your card may be covered by an extended manufacturer’s warranty of up to 12 months.
Note that the American Express Essential Rewards Card does not include travel insurance.
Summary
Pros
- Bonus points earn rate on certain categories
- Uncapped ability to earn points
- Transfer points to your choice of a large selection of airlines and hotels as needed
- Add up to 4 Additional Cards at no extra charge
- Various insurance coverage included
- Compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay
Cons
- No complimentary travel insurance
- No travel benefits
- International transaction fees apply
- Points are earned at a reduced rate when spending with government bodies
- Signup bonus
- Up to 80,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points, earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 or more on eligible purchases in each 30-day period for the first 120 days
- Points Earned
- 5 points per $1 spent on eligible eats & drinks purchases in Australia, 3 points per $1 spent on selected streaming subscriptions in Australia, 2 points per $1 spent at selected major retailers in Australia and 1 point per $1 spent on everything else including government spend
- Annual fee
- $9 per month
Australian Frequent Flyer is currently not accepting applications for this card offer.
Get notified when it’s live.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To apply for an Amex Essential Rewards Card in Australia, you would need to be an Australian citizen or resident. Other criteria may apply.
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Yes, but payments to government bodies including the Australian Tax Office (ATO) will earn points at a reduced rate of 0.5 Membership Rewards Points per dollar.
As long as your account remains open and is in good standing, your Amex Membership Rewards Points will not expire. This means you can keep your Membership Rewards Points in your account until you’re ready to use them. By transferring points from your Amex account once you’re actually ready to use them, you can prevent points from expiring in your airline or hotel loyalty program.
No lounge access is included with the American Express Essential Rewards credit card.
Yes, Amex Essential Rewards Card Members can add up to 4 Additional Cards at no extra cost.