American Express is offering 75,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points1 plus an additional 20,000 Bonus Points to New Amex Card Members who apply for the American Express Explorer Credit Card via the link on this page by 27 May 2025 and spend $4,000 or more on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of the approval date. Minimum spend, eligibility and T&Cs apply.

To take advantage of this offer, make sure to click the red ‘FIND OUT MORE & APPLY’ button on the right of this guide.

The main benefit of the card is that it earns points into the American Express Membership Rewards, which provides flexibility in the frequent flyer and guest programs that you can divert your Membership Rewards Points to, without the high annual fee found with The American Express Platinum Card that caters to the very well-heeled traveller.

The card earn members up to 2 points per dollar spent on purchases6 and the points can either be redeemed for gift cards or can be transferred at a ratio of 2:1 Membership Rewards points into programs such as Velocity, Asia Miles and Etihad Guest as well as Hilton Honors, 3:1 to KrisFlyer Miles and Emirates Skywards, and 3:2 to Marriott Bonvoy.7

We cover the transfer rates to different programs in more detail further down in the guide.

Digging into the benefits of the American Express Explorer Credit Card

The American Express Explorer Credit Card earns 2 Membership Rewards points6 per dollar on ongoing spend and there is no cap on the points you can earn.

Card Details

CardAmerican Express Explorer
Loyalty ProgramAmerican Express Membership Rewards
Points earned from spend2 Membership Rewards points earned per $1 on all purchases except government bodies where you will earn 1 point per $1 spent6
Included InsurancesSmartphone Screen Cover
Trip Cancellation and Amendment Cover4
Travel Inconvenience Cover4
Public Transport Accident Cover4
Personal Baggage, Valuables, Money and Travel Documents Cover4
Medical Emergency Expenses Cover4
Personal Accident Cover4
(PDS)
Overseas transaction fee3% of the converted amount
Mobile walletApple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay
Annual fee$395 p.a.

You will also be granted access to The Centurion® Lounge3 at Sydney or Melbourne twice per year without charge, which is a nice perk for international travellers in Economy or Premium Economy.

The card offers complimentary Silver status to the Hilton Honors program. If you already have the card, you can enrol using this link.

There is also a business version of the American Express Explorer Credit Card.

Earning points with the American Express Explorer Credit Card

The card belongs to the American Express Membership Rewards program for points earn and redemption.

The headline points earn rate on spend is 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar6, which equates to 1 frequent flyer point per dollar spent.7

Effective Frequent Flyer Program Point Earn Rates

Frequent Flyer / Hotel ProgramPoints earned from spend
Velocity Frequent FlyerUp to 1 point / $
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyerUp to 0.66 mile / $
Cathay Pacific Asia MilesUp to 1 mile / $

These are the key programs for those who want to learn how to get the most value from their frequent flyer points. There is great value to be had for different reasons from each of these programs, Velocity (for Business Class travel on Virgin Australia), KrisFlyer (premium cabin travel on Singapore Airlines) and Asia Miles (great for long-haul premium cabin redemptions on oneworld airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Qantas).7

American Express Membership Rewards PartnersTransfer Rates
Velocity Frequent Flyer
Asia Miles
British Airways Avios
Etihad Guest
Malaysian Airlines Enrich
THAI Royal Orchid Plus
HawaiianMiles
Qatar Privilege Club
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
2 Membership Rewards points = 1 frequent flyer point
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Emirates Skywards
3 Membership Rewards points = 1 frequent flyer point
Marriott Bonvoy3 Membership Rewards points = 2 Marriott points
Hilton Honors2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Honors point
Air New Zealand Airpoints200 Membership Rewards points = 1 Airpoints
Helloworld
American Express Travel Online
Ticketmaster
20,000 Membership Rewards points = $100 travel reward
You could transfer your points to KrisFlyer to book an award flight in Singapore Airlines’ modern A350 and Boeing 777-300ER Business Class

You’ll also earn the full points on the Explorer Credit Card for utilities and bills, unlike some other cards American Express offers. This means you’ll get full points on telecommunications and utilities, but not on government charges, such as the ATO and Australia Post.

$400 annual Travel Credit with American Express Travel

American Express Travel is the travel booking service that Amex offers to most of its Card Members for either preferential rates or bonus points.

As a Card Member, the $400 annual Travel Credit2 appears in your account on the Amex Travel website and can be redeemed for flights (excluding low-cost carriers), hotels, and car rentals.

In addition, you may also use the credit to book a stay at properties under The Hotel Collection5 using Pay with Points.

The great thing about the Travel Credit, by comparison to a free flight or hotel benefit that some other cards offer, is that it is flexible. Prefer to pay for Business or First Class? You can use the credit to offset these costs.

You can use your travel credit to book any of the cabins–Economy, Premium Economy, Business or First–on this British Airways Airbus A380.

A point to be aware of, however, is that the credit is generally non-refundable if you decide to cancel your booking (although this restriction has been waived during the COVID-19 pandemic). Therefore, make sure to use your credit on a travel booking with a high degree of certainty that it will go ahead.

The credit is renewed yearly after your annual fee is charged, but does not always exactly align with the statement period when the fee is charged.

If you make even just one trip a year where you can use the credit, the $400 Travel Credit2 is as good as cash and helps to offset the $395 annual fee of the card—just remember the restrictions around having to book through Amex Travel, and that it’s non-refundable.

Note: You will need to use your annual $400 Travel Credit2 on a single travel booking of $400 or more on your eligible Card, made through American Express Travel Online. Your booking will be charged in full to your American Express Explorer Credit Card and American Express will then credit $400 to your Account within 3 business days but may take up to 30 days. You will still receive your $400 Travel Credit each year, and your Travel Credit anniversary will remain the same. Click here for the full Terms & Conditions.

Get a room upgrade and US$100 hotel credit at high-end hotels

Explorer Credit Card Members can now enjoy special benefits at properties part of The Hotel Collection.5 Every time you book two consecutive nights stay or more at one of these properties with your American Express Explorer Credit Card, you will receive:

  1. Up to US$100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities
  2. Complimentary room upgrade at check-in, when available
The Ritz Carlton Tokyo
Your US$75 credit can be used to eat at restaurants within the hotel

Included Insurances

There are a number of insurances available through the American Express Explorer Credit Card. These include:

  • Smartphone Screen Cover: up to $500 of screen repairs if you accidentally break your smartphone screen, with a 10% claim excess
  • Medical Emergency Expenses Cover: up to $2,500,000 towards medical treatment4
  • Travel Cancellation and Amendment Cover: up to $30,000 in the event that your travel is cancelled for specific reasons4
  • Baggage, Money and Documentation Cover: up to $10,000 to cover loss or damage to baggage, money or documents4
  • Travel Inconvenience Insurance: up to $500 if your flight departure is delayed for four hours or more4

One example of the coverage included—the Travel Insurance has a similar car rental ‘Loss Damage Waiver’ cover as its big brother, the $1,450 p.a. American Express Platinum Card, just with a slightly lower total vehicle value cover of $100,000.

The Smartphone Screen Cover is activated regardless of whether you hold a contract for the phone or whether you purchased the phone outright.

Similar conditions apply to the travel insurances. As an example, you will need to pay for the travel expenses on your card, with Amex Travel Credit, or with your Membership Rewards points to be covered.

You can read the PDS for the insurance benefits of the Explorer Credit Card here.

This guide references some of the benefits of insurance policies provided with this card. You should read the PDS and obtain independent professional advice before obtaining this product.

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American Express Plan It

American Express launched ‘Plan It’ in mid-2020, which allows cardholders to create instalment plans that allow for equal payments to be distributed over a 3, 6 or 12 month payment period. There is a monthly fixed fee to access this feature, with up to 10 Plan It plans with a minimum of $150 balance able to be created.

Mobile wallet integration

American Express Cards work with Apple Pay®, Google Wallet™ and Samsung Pay, meaning you can use this card on your smartphone for easier payments.

Read the Point Hacks guide to using Apple Pay or for using Google Wallet and Samsung Pay, including instructions on how to add your American Express card to those services.

With this feature set up, it means you could still use your NFC-enabled phone to make purchases with your American Express account, even if your physical card is lost or stolen and pending replacement.

American Express offer a range of both business and consumer charge and credit cards. They do permit business transactions to be made on personal cards, unlike some other banks, but you might find some of the other business-focused benefits of the business cards to be appealing or more appropriate.

So – if you’re a sole trader or a business looking to earn points with your business spend – this card would still work for that purpose.

There’s a full list of business and personal consumer American Express cards which might be suitable for earning points from business-related transactions here.

Eligibility criteria for bonus points for existing American Express Card Members

American Express is quite specific about whether existing Card Members will be eligible for bonus points if they apply for a card, are approved, and meet the minimum spend criteria.

Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18-month period are ineligible for this offer.

American Express doesn’t allow existing Card Members, even for different types of American Express cards (e.g. Charge, Credit or Business) to be eligible for bonus points offers for cards in a different family.

Summing Up

This is a very compelling card proposition from American Express for those looking to access the Membership Rewards Program at a mid-level annual cost.

Each year, the $395 annual fee is more than rebated by the $400 Travel Credit2, with the main consideration being that you’ll need to use it by booking through Amex Travel.

When it comes to earning points, this card could work well for people whose spend is not focused on the bonus categories found with other Amex-issued cards, such as supermarkets and fuel as with the American Express Platinum Edge Card.

The lack of bonus categories, but with a high effective frequent flyer point earn rate, means that it’s simple to consider just how many points you might be earning and whether the card will work for you.

All up, this is a card tailored to those looking for simplicity: high points earn from your spending, a wide range of points transfer partners, a large travel credit, insurance coverage, and The Centurion® Lounge3 visits at Sydney and Melbourne Airports.


American Express Terms & Conditions

¹ Bonus & Eligibility

75,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points + additional 20,000 bonus points: Offer only available to new American Express Card Members who apply by 27 May 2025 via the link on this page, are approved and spend $4,000 on eligible purchases on their new Card in the first three (3) months from the Card approval date. If you apply via a different link or visit the Amex site separately, you will not be eligible for the offer. Eligible purchases do not include Card fees and charges, for example annual fees, interest, late payment, cash advances, balance transfers, traveller’s cheques and foreign currency conversion.If you previously held a David Jones American Express Card and have not held any other American Express Card(s) in the past 18 months, you will be eligible for the offer. All other Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the past 18 months are ineligible for this offer. 95,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points will be awarded to the eligible Card Member’s account 8-10 weeks after the spend criteria has been met. Subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Membership Rewards Program available at https://www.americanexpress.com/en-au/benefits/rewards/membership-rewards/. This advertised offer is not applicable or valid in conjunction with any other advertised or promotional offer.

² Travel Credit

If your Card has a Travel Credit benefit, the Primary Card Member is eligible for an annual Travel Credit, subject to the full Travel Credit Terms and Conditions at amex.com.au/explorer-travelcreditterms. The Travel Credit can be redeemed through American Express Travel Online on a single eligible travel booking by selecting the Travel Credit when you checkout. To redeem the Travel Credit, the full value of the Travel Credit (or more) must be charged to the eligible Primary Card. Eligible travel includes flights, hotels and car hire when you prepay in advance. The Travel Credit can be used for 365 days from the benefit anniversary date and cannot be used past the expiration date. To check the expiration date of your Travel Credit if you have not already redeemed it, please visit americanexpress.com.au/travel; log in and click ‘Travel Credit’. If your booking is cancelled, and your Travel Credit has already been used and associated statement credit applied to your account, you will forfeit your annual Travel Credit benefit and American Express may reverse the statement credits issued. You need to be able to spend on the Card to access the Travel Credit benefit and it should be credited to your Card Account within 3 business days but may take up to 30 days. Your account must be in good standing and you must have paid the annual fee and minimum payment by the due date. If you cancel your Card, change your rewards program or Card type, you will no longer be eligible for the Travel Credit.

³ The Centurion® Lounge

Entry into The Centurion® Lounge is governed by the full Terms and Conditions available at amex.com.au/airportlounge. All entrants must adhere to the General Conditions of Entry. American Express Explorer Card Members are entitled to a total of two (2) entries into The Centurion® Lounges in Australia per calendar year (1 January to 31 December). Complimentary access is available for the Card Member’s children 17 years and younger. Card Members wishing to bring additional guests may be subject to a charge that is to be processed on the Card Member’s American Express Card.

⁴ Insurance

The insurance on American Express Cards is subject to terms, conditions and exclusions (such as maximum age limits, pre-existing medical conditions and cover limits). You must use your American Express Explorer Credit Card to pay for your trip in order to be covered under the travel insurance and pay for eligible items for those items to be covered under the retail insurance benefits. It is important you read the American Express Explorer Credit Card Insurance Terms and Conditions and consider whether the insurance is right for you. We do not provide advice about the insurance or whether it is appropriate for your objectives, financial situation or needs. This insurance is underwritten by Chubb Insurance Australia Limited (ABN 23 001 642 020, AFSL No. 239687) under a group policy of insurance held by American Express Australia Limited (ABN 92 108 952 085, AFSL No. 291313). Access to this insurance is provided solely by reason of the statutory operation of section 48 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth). Card Members are not a party to the group policy, do not have an agreement with Chubb and cannot vary or cancel the cover. American Express is not the insurer, does not guarantee or hold the rights under the group policy on trust for Card Members and does not act on behalf of Chubb or as its agent. American Express is not an Authorised Representative (under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)) of Chubb.

⁵ The Hotel Collection

Valid only for new The Hotel Collection bookings of at least two consecutive nights with participating providers made through American Express Travel Online (americanexpress.com.au/travel or americanexpress.com.au/thc), Platinum Travel Service or Centurion Travel Service. Online bookings currently only available to Primary Card Members. The following American Express Card Members are eligible to book through The Hotel Collection: American Express® Rewards Advantage Card, American Express® Explorer Credit Card, American Express® Platinum Reserve Credit Card, American Express® Gold Card, American Express® Gold Business Card, American Express® Platinum Card, American Express® Business Platinum Card® and American Express® Centurion Card. Payment must be made in full with an eligible American Express Card in the Card Member’s name. Card Member must travel on itinerary booked to be eligible for benefits described. Membership Rewards® points and Platinum Travel Credit cannot be used towards The Hotel Collection bookings as payment.

The eligible Card Member will receive the credit as a deduction from the final hotel bill when checking out of the hotel; they will receive $1 for each eligible dollar spent up to $100 USD. Eligible spend includes dining, spa and resort activities. Eligible spend does not include charges for taxes, gratuities, fees and cost of room. Additional exclusions based on specific hotel restrictions may also apply (including without limitation purchases within the hotel that are unaffiliated and/or owned by third parties) – see hotel front desk for details. Credit must be used in conjunction with initial stay and cannot be carried over to another stay, is not redeemable for cash and expires at check-out. Credit is non-exchangeable and non-refundable and is applied in USD or equivalent in local currency based on exchange rate on day of arrival. Limit one credit per room, per stay. Three-room limit per Card Member per stay; back-to-back stays within a 24-hour period at the same property considered one stay. If an eligible Card Member cancels their room, any additional rooms will no longer qualify for benefits as the eligible Card Member must be staying at the hotel. Participating providers and benefits subject to change. Taxes, surcharges and additional fees are as supplied by the hotel at the time of reservation; however they are subject to change and will be charged as applicable at the time of settlement of your hotel account. Note that payments made in foreign currencies will be subject to a foreign currency conversion and fee at the time of payment upon departure. You may be able to use Membership Rewards® points and/or the Travel Credit on the American Express Travel website as payment towards The Hotel Collection, if the selected hotel and room type provides you the option to prepay in advance.

⁶ Membership Rewards Program

Subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Membership Rewards program available here. You will earn 1 point per dollar spent with Merchants classified as ‘government’, including the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Postal Corporation (Australia Post), Federal/State and Local Government bodies, including where you use a payment account, payment aggregator, services of a third party or online retailers that sell goods for another merchant.

⁷ Partner Programs

Subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Membership Rewards Gateway program available at membershiprewards.com.au. You must be a member of the airline partner program, joining fees may apply and points transferred will be subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable airline partner program.

Bespoke Offer: 95,000 Membership Rewards Points plus $400 annual Travel Credit with The American Express Explorer Credit Card was last modified: May 7th, 2025 by Daniel Sciberras