Offer

Card features

Rewards program

Earn rate

Points earned

5 reviews

American Express Explorer® Credit Card

Get 50,000 Membership Rewards points when you apply online, are approved and spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. New Card Members only.

Receive a $400 Travel Credit each year towards any flights, hotels and car hire when you book online with this card.

T&Cs and eligibility criteria apply. Available to new card members only.

Add to comparison

Membership Rewards Gateway

1 pt
per $1 spent

50,000
points
after spend criteria

in 12 mths (approx.)

Pros & cons

What's good?

What's not so good?

Get 50,000 Membership Rewards points when you apply online, are approved and spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. New Card Members only.

Receive a $400 Travel Credit each year towards any flights, hotels and car hire when you book online with this card.

Smartphone Screen Insurance for up to $500 for screen repairs when you pay for your phone or contract with this card.

Earn 2 pts per $1 spent on eligible purchases, excluding Government spend where you earn $1 pt per $1 spent.

Book two consecutive nights’ stay and enjoy a hotel credit up to US$100 and a room upgrade, (when available) at properties part of The Hotel Collection.

Enjoy two complimentary entries per year to the American Express Lounges at Sydney or Melbourne International Airports. (Conditions Apply)

Travel with peace of mind with the complimentary travel insurances.

The $395 p.a. but it is offset with benefits.

You can find better interest rates than 20.74% p.a.

To get a credit card like this one, you will need a minimum income of $65,000.

You won’t qualify for the bonus points if you have held any kind of Amex card in the previous 18 months.

Entry into The American Express Lounge is governed by the full Terms and Conditions available at amex.com.au/airportlounge.

Disclaimer (2): Reviews rely upon third party information that may not be correct or may be changed without Credit Card Compare’s knowledge. You must carefully consider your own circumstances before making any commitments and confirm all offers and terms with credit card providers before accepting them. Please refer to our T&Cs for more.

User reviews

3.9 out of 5.0 based on 5 reviews80% of reviewers would recommend this card

Rates and fees

Rewards

Customer service

Convenience

Trust

Reviews from users

Great benefits, but be aware of some pitfalls

Reviewed and recommended by James on 05 May 2017

The $395 annual fee more than pays for itself with such benefits as the free travel insurance and included travel credit. But be sure to look carefully at the terms and conditions. Any of the $400 travel credit not used in one transaction is voided: in other words, it cannot carry over to other transactions. So spend the travel credit on the most expensive part of your travel.

The 2 points per $1 spent is pretty sweet, as is the potential to link with Velocity Rewards.

Friendly staff and great rewards

Reviewed and recommended by Priyanka on 02 May 2017

I recommend this card highly. It’s been great dealing with the customer care team – my queries are sorted with expertise and friendliness. On top of this the rewards have made it possible for me to travel without spending a penny.

The only drawback is that there are a lot of places that still don’t accept the card, which is sheer lack of knowledge as the card has similar merchant charges to that of MasterCard and Visa.

High annual fee, not enough rewards information

Reviewed and not recommended by Edwina on 28 Apr 2017

They were quick to accept my application with minimal fuss, and were speedy with sending out the card

But there’s not enough information given on how to redeem rewards. It’s hard to decipher how to gain rewards and take advantage of all the benefits advertised.

There’s also a ridiculously high annual fee. It’s good for short term needs, but you could easily get trapped by the high interest rate and annual fee.

Great rewards for air miles

Reviewed and recommended by Lucy on 08 Apr 2017

I was super excited to get this card and to start racking up some points for air miles. I did get off to a bad start though, as they would not honour the referral miles for me since I forgot to apply via my friend’s link: countless phone calls and chat conversations, and they just wouldn’t budge. Just a warning to everyone else who is referred via a friend. The other rewards are pretty good – especially the retail offers that pop up.

No annual fee, bonus points, Apple Pay

Reviewed and recommended by Mario on 06 Apr 2017

The card is pretty good, with no annual fee and a bonus of 7,500 Velocity points after spending $750 on the card.

It’s a good card if you’re a Velocity member, as you can earn 1 point for $1 spent on anything, and your points will be transferred automatically to your Velocity account.

It works with Apple Pay and customer service with AmEx is very good.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed about credit cards are the reviewer's alone, and do not reflect the views of Credit Card Compare or the credit card issuer. Reviews have not been approved or otherwise endorsed by Credit Card Compare.

The basics

About this card

Card setup

Single

Card tier

Platinum

Card type

American Express

Card use

Personal

Credit rating

No history of bad credit

Gambling transactions allowed

Joint application

N/A

Minimum age

18 years old

Minimum income

$65,000

Minimum income for pensioners

N/A

Pensioners

N/A

Rewards program

Membership Rewards Gateway

Temporary residents

Long Term Visa (12 months or more; Student Visa is excluded)

Cardholders

Additional cardholders

Additional card fee

$0 p.a.

Credit limits

Minimum credit limit

$3,000

Maximum credit limit

N/A

Repayments

Interest charged from

Purchase date

Interest free period

Up to 55 days on purchases

Minimum repayment

whichever is greater, $30 or 2.5%

Rates & fees

Ongoing interest rates

	Monthly	Annually
Cash advances	N/A	N/A
Purchases	1.73%	20.74% p.a.

Fees

Annual fee

$395 p.a.

Cash advance fee

N/A

Dishonour fee

Duplicate statement fee

$10

Foreign exchange fee

Late payment fee

$30

Over limit fee

N/A

Overseas ATM balance fee

N/A

Overseas ATM withdrawal fee

N/A

Overseas emergency card replacement fee

N/A

Transaction verification fee

N/A

Rewards & points

Rewards program basics

First purchase bonus

50,000 points

Reward points expiry

Never

Rewards program

Membership Rewards Gateway

Spend required for bonus points

$3,000 in the first 3 months

Earning points with this card

Frequent flyer points

1 pt per $1 spent

Overseas earn rate

Same as standard earn rate

Points cap per month

Unlimited

Points cap per year

Unlimited

Points earned on ATO payments

1 pts per $1 spent

Reward points

2 pts per $1 spent

Additional benefits

Airport lounge access

Yes

Complimentary flight voucher

Yes

Concierge service

N/A

Minimum criteria for this card

What you need before applying

Be over 18 years old

You are a resident or citizen of Australia

Earn a regular income of more than $65,000 per year

You have your personal details ready to complete the online application

Have not applied for multiple credit cards recently

Disclaimer: The minimum criteria are intended only to be a guide. Your application may still be rejected by the bank even if you can answer 'Yes' to all the minimum criteria. The final decision regarding your application is up to the bank.