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American Express® Explorer Card
Earn uncapped Amex points that you can transfer to 10 frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs! The Amex Explorer card also comes with a travel credit that fully offsets the annual fee.
- Signup bonus
- 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points, when you spend $4,000 or more on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of approval date
- Points Earned
- Earn 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 on all purchases except government bodies where you will earn 1 point per $1 spent
- Notable Benefits
- $400 travel credit every year Up to US$100 credit when you book a stay of two consecutive nights with The Hotel Collection
- Annual fee
- $395 p.a.
The owner of Australian Frequent Flyer may receive a commission from the card issuer for each applicant of this card.
Why we like the American Express Explorer Card
If you’re looking for a credit card that’s a solid points earner, but you don’t want to pay the higher annual fee of the Amex Platinum card, the American Express Explorer card could be a great option.
You’ll earn 2 Amex points per dollar spent, uncapped, which you can transfer 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, Cathay Asia Mile or Etihad Guest mile per $1 spent on the card.
This card has an annual fee of $395. This is offset by a $400 annual travel credit that you can spend on eligible flights, hotels or car rentals when booking through American Express Travel.
Amex Explorer Card Members also receive two free annual visits to the Amex Centurion Lounges in Sydney or Melbourne Airport, as well as complimentary travel insurance.
Key Information & How to Apply
Key facts about this card
- Card type
- American Express
- Signup bonus
- 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points, when you spend $4,000 or more on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of approval date
- Annual fee
- $395 p.a.
- Interest rate
- 23.99% p.a.
- Interest-free days
- Up to 55 days
- Minimum monthly repayment
- 2.5% of the closing balance or $30, whichever is greater
- Minimum credit limit
- $3000
- 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
The owner of Australian Frequent Flyer may receive a commission from the card issuer for each applicant of this card.
Contents
Sign-up bonus
Apply for an American Express Explorer card to earn 50,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points! The bonus is equal to 25,000 points or miles with Velocity Frequent Flyer, Cathay and more, or a gift card worth around $250!
To receive the bonus points, you would need to spend at least $4,000 on eligible transactions on your card within the first 3 months.
Amex Membership Rewards Points earned from this card can be transferred to 12 different airline and hotel loyalty programs, generally at a 2:1 conversion rate. You’re then free to spend those points however you like, including for reward flights and upgrades with an airline of your choice.
To learn more about which loyalty programs you can convert Amex Membership Rewards points into, see our Overview of Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Partners.
This offer is not available to existing Amex Card Members, or if you have been the primary Card Member of an Australian Amex card in the past 18 months.
Travel benefits
Here’s an overview of the travel benefits you can expect…
Annual travel credits
Each year that you hold the Amex Explorer credit card, you’ll receive a $400 travel credit to spend on eligible domestic and international flights, hotels or hire car bookings.
You can redeem this travel credit towards a single booking made through American Express Travel. You can book flights on many different airlines through this portal including Qantas, Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways and Emirates. However, this credit can’t be put towards a cruise booking. (You can read the full Explorer card Travel Credit Terms & Conditions on the Amex website.)
From 1 May 2023, you’ll need to use this credit towards a booking that costs at least $400, and $400 will be credited back to your account after completing the booking.
As an Amex Explorer Card Member, you can also receive up to USD100 in hotel credit and a room upgrade (subject to availability) at selected hotels participating in The Hotel Collection. This is offered when booking a stay of at least 2 nights through American Express Travel.
Airport lounge access
Holding an Amex Explorer card entitles you to two complimentary visits to the Amex Centurion Lounge in Sydney or Melbourne each calendar year.
These lounges are accessible when departing from Sydney or Melbourne on any international flight – regardless of which airline you’re flying. See the American Express website for locations and opening hours.
You can also bring in your children (aged 17 or under) with you for free, although additional guests are subject to a fee.
Complimentary travel & other insurance
This card comes with complimentary domestic and international travel insurance, including some cover for COVID-19. This insurance is underwritten by Chubb and is available when you pay for your trip using your Amex Explorer credit card.
Before using this insurance, we’d encourage you to read the PDS here.
The Amex Explorer card also offers other types of complimentary insurance, including:
- Smartphone Screen Cover – with coverage of up to $500
- Buyer’s Advantage Cover – adding an extra 12 months of extended warranty on eligible purchases
- Card Purchase & Refund Cover – with coverage for replacement items or if a store refuses a return
Hilton Honors Silver status
Amex Explorer Card Members are invited to enrol as a Silver member in the Hilton Honors program. This is one tier above the base level in Hilton Honors and comes with benefits including 20% bonus points on stays, free bottled water and the fifth night free on stays booked using points.
You can register for Hilton Honors Silver status here.
Earning points
With the American Express Explorer card, you’ll earn 2 American Express Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on eligible transactions (excluding government payments). That’s effectively 1 airline point or mile per dollar (with most frequent flyer programs) once the conversion rate is considered.
This earn rate is not quite as good as the 2.25 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar you would earn with an Amex Platinum card. But compared to most other cards in the Australian market, it’s a very solid earner – especially when you consider the wide range of ways you can redeem or transfer Amex Membership Rewards points.
There is no monthly or annual point-earning cap. You can earn an unlimited number of points at the full rate.
Amex Membership Rewards points do not expire as long as your account remains active. Therefore, it would be a good idea to keep them in your Amex account until you’re ready to use them (or wait for a good bonus offer before transferring them to an airline)!
Earning points for ATO & government payments
Payments made directly to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) or other government bodies in Australia with your Amex Platinum card will earn points at a reduced rate of 1 Amex Membership Rewards point per $1.
However, you can use a payment service such as pay.com.au or Sniip to pay tax and other bills with this card, and still earn points at the full rate!
Amex Offers
From time to time, American Express Card Members receive exclusive offers of bonus points or cashback when spending at specific retailers. These Amex Offers can be quite lucrative.
Amex also runs Shop Small promotions from time to time, giving rewards for shopping at participating small businesses.
Using Amex Membership Rewards points
Amex Membership Rewards points can be converted to 10 airlines and 2 hotel loyalty programs, generally at a 2:1 conversion rate. Here’s the full list of transfer partners:
| 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 |
| Velocity Frequent Flyer | 0.5 points |
Note that Amex Membership Rewards points earned on the American Express Explorer card cannot be transferred to Qantas Frequent Flyer or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
See our Overview of Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Partners for more information.
Alternatively, you could redeem your points through the Amex Membership Rewards program for rewards including:
- Gift cards
- David Jones credit
- Amex Travel Online
- Helloworld travel gift cards
- Cash back
Summary
Pros
- A solid card for earning uncapped points
- The flexibility to transfer your points to many different airline and hotel loyalty programs, as desired
- Offset the annual fee with a travel credit to spend on flights, hotels or hire cars
- Two annual Amex Centurion Lounge visits
- Receive Hilton Honors Silver status
- Complimentary travel and other insurances
- Compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay
Cons
- International transaction fees apply
- Points are earned at a reduced rate when spending with government bodies
- Not possible to transfer Amex points earned on this card to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- American Express cards are not as widely accepted as Visa & Mastercard
- High interest rate (this could be a problem if you don’t think you’ll be able to repay your balance in full each month)
- Signup bonus
- 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points, when you spend $4,000 or more on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of approval date
- Points Earned
- Earn 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 on all purchases except government bodies where you will earn 1 point per $1 spent
- Notable Benefits
- $400 travel credit every year Up to US$100 credit when you book a stay of two consecutive nights with The Hotel Collection
- Annual fee
- $395 p.a.
The owner of Australian Frequent Flyer may receive a commission from the card issuer for each applicant of this card.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To apply for an American Express Explorer card, you would need to be an Australian citizen, resident or long-term visa holder. Other criteria may apply.
The minimum credit limit is $3,000.
American Express Explorer Card Members receive two complimentary visits to the international Amex Centurion Lounges in Sydney or Melbourne each calendar year.
Yes, but payments to government bodies including the Australian Tax Office (ATO) will earn points at a reduced rate of 1 Amex point per dollar (instead of the usual 2 Amex points per dollar). You can still earn full points on ATO payments by using a bill payment service such as Sniip or pay.com.au.
Yes, the Amex Explorer credit card supports Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. So, you can still use this card to make purchases when you’re out and about without carrying the physical card.
Yes, when the Primary card holder is at least least 18 years, the Amex Explorer primary Card Member can add up to 4 additional Card Members at no extra fee, who must be at least 16 years old.
Amex Membership Rewards points do not expire, as long as your account remains open and in good standing. This can be useful as it means you can “warehouse” points in your account and then transfer points to a frequent flyer program of your choice as needed – preventing them from expiring in the airline’s program.
This card does not offer additional ways to earn status credits with airlines, although you can of course use your card (including your $400 travel credit) to purchase flights and earn status credits for those flights.
The complimentary international and domestic travel insurance for Amex Explorer Card Members includes limited coverage for some COVID-related risks. See the PDS for full details.