$0 Annual Fee with the American Express Velocity Escape Credit Card

The American Express Velocity Escape Card is a Velocity Point-earning card with $0 Annual Fee, and as a result comes with very few additional benefits outside of earning points – but it does that one thing well.

It is a great entry-level offering as a gateway into the world of Velocity Points earn.

Who is the American Express Velocity Escape Card for?

This card will likely suit those:

• who frequently travel on Virgin Australia
• who are averse to cards with high annual fees and are looking for a no or low annual fee card that still earns Velocity Points
• who may not meet the income threshold for premium Velocity-earning credit cards
• where the higher cost of a premium Velocity Card outweighs the benefit of the card’s additional features, due to your income or spending being too low to either use these features or obtain maximum value from them
• those who want to start earning Velocity Points from their credit card spend with little risk.

Digging into the details

The Velocity Escape American Express is visually cut from the same cloth, but targeted at a different customer to the high-end sister credit card the Velocity Platinum.

The Escape offers few ongoing benefits, but with a $0 Annual Fee.

Card Details

This means it’s one of the best no or low annual fee cards out there for Velocity Point earn for those who don’t want a heap of benefits with their card and don’t want to stump up for the annual fee.

You’ll earn 1.75 Velocity Points per $1 spent with Virgin Australia, 0.75 Velocity Point per $1 everywhere else with the exception of transactions to government bodies and the ATO, which earn 0.5 Points per $1 spent in line with many other cards American Express issue.

Additional card members are free of charge for those who want to earn more points by adding household members to their account.

The card is also eligible for Amex Offers, which provide American Express Card Members with rotating promotions and discounts for a variety of products and services.

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.

Considering this card for Business-related transactions?

American Express offers 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.

Unparalleled mobile wallet integration

American Express cards support Apple Pay, Google Pay 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 Pay 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.

Summing up

The American Express Velocity Escape Card is a great entry-level card for ongoing Velocity Points earn with an earn rate of 0.75 Velocity Points per $1 on most eligible spend and $0 Annual Fee.