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Bonus points: 50,000
Purchase rate: 23.99% p.a.
Reward points per $ spent: 2
Annual fee: $395 p.a.

Our verdict

The Amex Explorer offers 50,000 bonus points with a $395 annual fee.

The American Express Explorer is one of the few cards that offer a yearly travel credit, giving you $400 value towards an Australian or overseas trip booked with American Express Travel. If you use this travel credit every year, it also helps justify the card's $395 annual fee. The bonus points also adds value and potential savings. As an example, you could redeem 50,000 Membership Rewards points for $250 worth of shopping at David Jones. You can also transfer them to 11 partnered frequent flyer programs – including Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards and Air New Zealand Airpoints – or use them for anything else available through Membership Rewards.

The Amex Explorer also earns 2 points per $1 on most everyday, eligible purchases and 1 point per $1 spent with government bodies, such as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). It also offers complimentary domestic and overseas travel insurance and 2 complimentary entries to the The Centurion lounges at either Sydney or Melbourne international airports – although you won’t really get value from those until you travel overseas.

Pros

50,000 bonus Membership Rewards points
$400 travel credit every year
2 complimentary airport lounge passes per year

Cons

The ongoing 23.99% p.a. purchase rate is high
$395 annual fee is high if you cannot make full use of the travel benefits

The American Express Explorer is suited to people who want rewards and travel perks from a credit card – including airport lounge access, complimentary domestic and international travel insurance and hotel upgrade options through The Hotel Collection. Right now, you can get 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points when you apply online as a new Amex card member, then spend $4,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months.

The Amex Explorer’s $395 annual fee is at the higher end of the scale, but you can offset it completely if you use the complimentary $400 travel credit each year.

Details

Product details

Product Name	American Express Explorer Credit Card
Purchase rate p.a.	Purchase rate p.a. 23.99%
Interest-free period	Up to 55 days on purchases
Min credit limit	$3,000
Card type	American Express

Eligibility

Available to temporary residents	Yes - Conditions apply
Joint application	No

Rewards

Rewards program	Membership Rewards
Bonus points	50,000
Rewards points per $ spent	2
Rewards points cap	Uncapped

Fees

Annual fee	Annual fee $395
Minimum monthly repayment	2.5% of the closing balance or $30, whichever is greater
Late payment fee	$30
Foreign currency conversion fee	Foreign currency conversion fee 3%
Cash advance fee	2% or $2.50, whichever is greater
Additional cardholder fee	$0
Number of additional cardholders	4

Jack K's experience

I have had this card for years. Initially I got it because of a generous points offer for new customers, but I kept it because it doesn't cost me anything. Even though there is a $395 annual fee, I actually get it all back via the $400 travel credit, which I easily use for hotel bookings. Everything else is essentially free, like the 2 lounge passes per year, the free travel insurance and a little-known benefit of the smartphone screen insurance, which is going to come in handy for me as I just smashed the screen on my phone!

— Jack K, Finder crew member

How to apply

You can apply for the American Express Explorer credit card online in 10 minutes and receive a response within 60 seconds. Check if you meet the eligibility criteria and that you have the necessary information to complete the application before you get started:

Eligibility criteria

New Amex card member. If you want to receive 50,000 bonus points, you must not currently hold or have previously held any card product issued by American Express Australia Limited for the past 18 months.
Credit history. You must have a good credit score, with no history of bad debt or payment default. If you don't know your credit score or what's on your file, you can get a free copy of your credit report through Finder.

Residency. You must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or hold a current long term visa (12 months or more). Student visas are not eligible.
Age. You must be at least 18 years of age.

Required documents

Personal details. You'll need to provide personal details such as your full name, date of birth, contact information and address.
Identification. You might need to provide proof of identity such as your driver's licence or birth certificate.
Employment. This includes your current place of employment and your employer's contact information.

Go to American Express' site More info

Card benefits

50,000 bonus points. You'll get 50,000 bonus Membership Reward points when you apply online as a new Amex card member, then spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership. The points will be added to your account within 8 to 10 weeks of meeting the spend criteria.
$400 travel credit. Each year you have the card, you'll get a $400 travel credit you can use on a single booking made through American Express Travel, for eligible domestic or international trips. This travel credit is available once you have paid the $395 annual fee for that year and have met the minimum repayment requirements on your last statement. You'll need to pay for an eligible booking worth at least $400 with your Amex card. The travel credit will then be added to your account within 3 business days (but may take up to 30 days).

Complimentary airport lounge passes. This card offers two complimentary passes to The Centurion Lounges at Sydney International (Kingsford Smith) Airport (T1) or Melbourne International Airport (T2) each year. To use the passes, just present your card at the reception desk, then relax before your flight with free wi-fi, food and drink, barista-made coffee and comfortable seats.
Membership Rewards points. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on eligible purchases and 1 point per $1 spent with government bodies. You can exchange your Membership Rewards for points with eight partnered frequent flyer programs. This includes Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards and hotel partner Hilton Honors. You can also transfer points to the Hilton Honors hotel loyalty program.
Complimentary travel insurances. Pay for your return overseas travel with this card and you can save on insurance costs with complimentary medical emergency expenses cover, trip cancellation and amendment cover, baggage, money and documentation cover and travel inconvenience insurance cover. Cover is also effective when you pay for the full return fare using Membership Rewards points or the $400 Travel Credit.
The Hotel Collection benefits. Get a hotel credit of up to USD$100 and a complimentary room upgrade, where available, when you book at least 2 consecutive nights at selected hotels using your American Express Explorer credit card. Depending on the booking, you may also be able to use Membership Rewards points (Pay with Points) or part of your Travel Credit to pay for bookings.
Smartphone screen cover. You'll receive up to $500 for screen repairs if you accidentally break your smartphone screen. A 10% excess applies per claim with a maximum of 2 claims every 12 months.
Mobile contactless payments. Whether you have an Android, Apple or Samsung device, you can tap and pay with the convenience of your smartphone when you link your account to Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay.
Card purchase cover. You can shop with peace of mind with card purchase cover, card refund cover, an online fraud protection guarantee and a buyer's advantage cover that can extend the manufacturer's warranty by up to 12 months on eligible items purchased with this card.

Rates & fees

Annual fee. The American Express Explorer's annual fee of $395 is completely offset by the $400 Travel Credit when you redeem it.
Interest rate. Purchases attract an interest rate of 23.99% p.a.

Interest-free days. If you pay your balance in full by the statement due date, you'll get up to 55 interest-free days on purchases during each statement period which can help you reduce your interest costs.
Foreign transaction fee. If you use this card to make a foreign transaction overseas or when shopping online, you'll be charged 3% of the transaction value.
Additional cardholder. You can earn points faster when you request up to 4 additional cards for $0. Please note that the additional card member must be at least 18 years of age and you'll be liable for all spending and charges added to the account.

Go to American Express' site More info

Sources

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Amy Finder

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Justin

January 24, 2024

Complimentary airport lounge pass is only avalible for Sydney and Melb? Not international?

Amy Bradney-George Finder

January 31, 2024

Hi Justin,

These lounge passes can be used at the Centurion lounges in the international terminals at Sydney and Melbourne airports, but not lounges located overseas. This means you could use them at the start of an international trip if you were flying from either of these airports. I hope this helps.

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Sur

July 26, 2023

I applied for this card recently and got rejected. The reason given to me was that as I am a on a temporary visa (subclass 485) which AmEx regards as a student visa. This visa is clearly not a student visa and has full working rights with a validity over 4 years.

The terms and condition with AmEx only mentions a valid visa with more than 12 months of expiry.

My question is if I can challenge this?

Just to let you know – I have one of my mate who is on the same visa receive an AmEx credit card (not this one). I don’t understand – How is this possible!

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Richard Whitten Finder

July 27, 2023

Hi Sur,

You will have to follow this up with AmEx directly. All financial providers have an internal complaints/dispute processes, and if you don’t get a satisfactory result this way you can then complain to the AFCA.

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Stuart

August 29, 2019

When exchanging Amex points for Velocity points, is it a 1 for 1 swap?

Jeni Finder

August 30, 2019

Hi Stuart,

Thank you for getting in touch with Finder.

Transfer rates from an existing eligible American Express credit card Membership Reward points to the Velocity Frequent Flyer account vary. In Australia, you may only transfer American Express credit card Membership Rewards points to the Velocity Frequent Flyer account if you have one of the following Amex cards:

American Express David Jones

American Express Essentials

American Express Gold Card

American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card

American Express Platinum Card

American Express Business Card

American Express Gold Business Card

American Express Platinum Business Card

Please note that a minimum of 2,000 points per transfer is required. You can also refer to our guide about transferring frequent flyer points for more details.

I hope this helps.

Thank you and have a wonderful day!

Cheers,

Jeni

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anne

February 20, 2019

How does the balance transfer int rate work when you have other transactions on it. If we wanted to pay the current transaction off and leave the balance transfer to only pay what it works out to be each month to have it paid within the twelve months. Is this possible

Nikki Angco

February 20, 2019

Hi Anne,

Thanks for getting in touch! Balance Transfer interest rate (20.74% p.a.) will only be applied to the balance transfer amount and not on purchases made to the account. The purchase rate (20.74% p.a.) will be applied to purchases made on the card if not paid on time. Ideally, you are required to pay the full amount required of your balance transfer for 12 months and at least the minimum monthly payment for purchases/transactions made on the card. Ultimately, check the terms and conditions of the card to obtain more information.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Nikki

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ron

November 09, 2018

what is the best way to acquire 50,000 points whit out buying them .

Nikki Angco

November 09, 2018

Hi Ron,

Thanks for reaching out! As it says on our page to earn 50,000 bonus points, you need to apply online and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months and the best way to acquire those bonus points. Hope this clarifies.

Best,

Nikki

American Express Explorer Credit Card

Pros

Cons

How to apply

Eligibility criteria

Required documents

Card benefits

Rates & fees

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