Amex today increased their sign up bonus from 60,000 bonus points to 100,000.
You will receive 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards points (in the Amex Gateway Program) when you apply online, are approved and spend $3,000 on your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Please note, you must not hold an Amex (apart from bank-issued ones), or have held one in the last 18 months.
Membership Rewards points are well recognised for the great value they have when transferred to airline and hotel programs. For example, each MR point in the Gateway program converts to 0.75 points in the Virgin Australia Velocity, Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines Krisflyer programs.
It's especially good value to transfer to Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) at a rate of 2 MR points to 1 SPG point. Once in SPG they can be converted to many airline programs or used to book hotels - some great savings!
Benefits:
$400 Travel Credit every year to use on flights, hotels, experiences or car hire booked online with American Express Travel. You can use this credit to book travel for anyone you choose.
Earn up to 2 Membership Rewards points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases.
Smartphone Screen Insurance for up to $500 for screen repairs to your Smartphone when you pay for your phone or contract with your card.
Travel insurance, buyers advantage, purchase protection, and refund protection.
2 entries per year to the American Express Lounge at Sydney International (Kingsford Smith) Airport T1.
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.
The $400 travel credit more than offsets the $395 annual fee.
PLEASE NOTE:
Referrals now also earning 100k for new card holders……Referrals below: Click show more and look for Explorer card
If you have a partner/family member/friend and you both sign up for this deal you'll have enough points for a Marriott Flights and Nights package, which offers heaps of value (7 nights at a Marriott hotel and ~120,000 airline miles).
For example you could fly business class return on Cathay Pacific to New York with a free stopover in Hong Kong and then stay for 7 nights at the Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Queens/Queensboro Bridge (not particularly glamorous but a good base for a week of activities and includes free brekkies). If you can earn some more MR points through other promotions/general spending you can upgrade the hotel easily.
To make this redemption you'd have to convert your 200,000 AMEX MR points to 100,000 SPG points, then convert the SPG points to 300,000 Marriott points and ring their call center to redeem for a category 6 flight and nights package. In this example you would choose Alaska Airlines to credit the 120,000 miles and then redeem those miles for the business class flight at 60,000 miles each way from Australia to USA in business class. Alaska Airlines allows a free stopover on each leg of the flight.