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American Express Explorer Credit Card - 50,000 Bonus MR + $400 Travel Credit ($395 Annual Fee)

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Receive 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards points in the American Express Gateway program when you apply for a new American Express Explorer card and spend $3,000 within 3 months.

*Using a referral link, until 14 January 2019, you will receive 100,000 bonus points instead of the standard offer, and will need to spend only $1,500 in three months.**

The bonus points for applications made through a referral link is now 60,000. A $3,000 spend in three months is now required.

To be eligible for the bonus points, you must be a new Amex card member which means that you do not hold another Amex and have not held one in the last 18 months. Bank-issued Amexes do not count for this purpose.

Each MR point in the Gateway program converts to 0.75 points in the Virgin Australia Velocity, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Emirates or Singapore Airlines Krisflyer programs. For more information on what a point is worth - see this link.

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, or at the Melbourne Airport International Terminal.

  • 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.

There are some changes coming in April 2019 across this and other Amex cards: (https://www.ausbt.com.au/american-express-overhauls-credit-c…). The most significant change is a decrease in the rate that Membership Rewards points convert to frequent flyer points from 0.75 points per Membership Rewards point to 0.5 points.

Referral Links

Business Explorer Card: random (1)

Referrer: 40,000 Reward Points

Centurion Personal Charge Card: random (7)

Referee gets 200,000 MR points. Referrer gets 150,000 MR points.

Related Stores

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closed Comments

  • $395 annual fee tho

    • +5

      Points to credit makes this worth at least $731 (worst case scenario) plus you get $400 travel credit.

      • -3

        so after two years your no better off

        • +4

          You're…new to this aren't you?

  • -6

    If you not traveling then its useless and annual fee is really high also it's every year fee. I'll pass :)

    • +2

      I think people get on this card would be travelling haha..travel once a year is not a big challenge!

    • Sell it for $350 on Classfields. $45 for 100,000 points.
      You also get cashback offers, saved $845 already since July.

      • $45 for 100,000! Let me know if you’re keen to sell it to me at that rate. Happy to pay $90 even.

      • +1

        Sell it for $350 on Classfields. $45 for 100,000 points.

        Think the going rate is 25% off, so $300 for $400 amex travel credit seems like it's the norm rate.
        $350 is a little high.

      • Noticed that mentioned a lot.

        As its not transferrable, someone pays you say 350 and you book a trip for them?

        • Correct

        • 400 travel credit can only book through incredible pricey amex website and useless and impossible to sell

      • Where can you buy points? I'll buy some as I use Velocity points for flights to the UK on Etihad.

  • Where is referral link. Can i as an Amex user create one ?

  • If you use the referral link (Referee: 60,000 Rewards Points with $3,000 spend in 3 months + $400 travel credit) will the bonus 60,000 rewards points stack with the 50,000? Or is it just a bonus 10,000?

    • It is in fact 100,000 in total. The description next to the referral link on Ozbargain just hasn’t been updated.

      • So I assume it's 50k + 50k from referral? Do you need to spend only $3000 in 3 months or $6000?

        Using a referral link, until 14 January 2019, you will receive 100,000 bonus points instead of the standard offer, and will need to spend only $1,500 in three months.

        Can you show me where I can confirm this information?

        • +1

          If you are using a referral link, you get 100,000 points and must spend $1,500. It effectively replaces the other general offer. You will see the full terms if you click through one of the referral links.

  • Not sure why people are stating you need a referral link. Just go straight to the standard amex page and the 100k points offer is right there. Easy peasy. https://www.americanexpress.com/australia/

    • That offer expired on 7 January, and hasn’t been removed from the front page yet. When you click through it links to the current 50k offer.

      • Ah ok, thanks for the clarification.

  • Has anyone else had issues with booking hotels through Amex Travel (with or without this card)? Two years, and both times I've booked I never got the booking confirmation but my points and credit were deducted.

    First year I just kept waiting for the confirmation, and ended up missing out and having to book another place.

    Second year, I called up and asked them the next day (as I learnt my lesson) - they said I must've booked while they were updating the prices from the supplier. They gave me the travel credit back and asked me to book again. So I did, and same thing happened again. The guy then ended up booking manually and directly with their supplier instead. YMMV

  • Anyone know of the best way to use the MR points? I heard of transferring to SPG and then to Mariott points but that also they had devalued their hotel+flight packages?

    • Transferring to airmiles is the best use of them. And in particular during the bonus periods that Virgin and Qantas email you about. 100k in MR points is a one way flight to the UK on Etihad for me using 75k in Velocity points and then paying $225 in taxes.

  • 400 travel credit can only book through amex website and price is normally 5-10 times expensive than rate you can get from any other site

    • +1

      I disagree. You can find similar rates if you're flexible on hotels. But the hotel choice is limited.

  • This is a rubbish deal and basically the standard one. They do 100k twice per year. You've just missed the last one.

  • Offer extended by one week?

  • Gateway points and followed by the 50% devaluation in Apr, it looks bad on Amex.
    Maybe get the points and cancel the card

    • The points are not going to be better with any other card. The banks are even worse. It's just the way it is.

      But definitely spend the points before April if you're going to get it.

      13,500 pts for a $100 gift card will increase to 20,000 which is a 48% but my Essential card points earning goes from 1 pt to 1.5 pt per dollar, so not quite a 48% increase. Paying bills went from 0.5 pts to 1 pt or 1.5 pt. But no biller takes AMEX anyway.

    • -1

      Why maybe? Cancelling the card after recouping points before April 15 is exactly what folk should be doing. Then rinse and repeat in 18 months. This isn't quantum physics.

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