American Express Explorer Credit Card

How to apply

You can apply for the American Express Explorer Credit Card online in 10 minutes and receive a response within 60 seconds. Check if you meet the eligibility criteria and that you have the necessary information to complete the application before you get started:

Eligibility criteria

• New Amex Card Member. If you want to receive 50,000 bonus points, you must not currently hold or have previously held any card product issued by American Express Australia Limited for the past 18 months.
• Credit history. You must have a good credit score, with no history of bad debt or payment default. If you don't know your credit score or what's on your file, you can get a free copy of your credit report through Finder.
• Residency. You must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or hold a current long term visa (12 months or more). Student visas are not eligible.
• Age. You must be at least 18 years of age.

Required documents

• Personal details. You'll need to provide personal details such as your full name, date of birth, contact information and address.
• Identification. You might need to provide proof of identity such as your driver's licence or birth certificate.
• Employment. This includes your current place of employment and your employer's contact information.

Card benefits

• 50,000 bonus points. You'll get 50,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points as a new Amex Card Member when you apply, are approved and spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership. The points will be added to your account within 8 to 10 weeks of meeting the spend criteria.
• $400 travel credit. Each year you have the card, you'll get a $400 travel credit you can use on a single booking made through American Express Travel, for eligible domestic or international trips. This travel credit is available once you have paid the $395 annual fee for that year and have met the minimum repayment requirements on your last statement. You'll need to pay for an eligible booking worth at least $400 with your Amex card. The travel credit will then be added to your account within 3 business days (but may take up to 30 days).
• Complimentary airport lounge passes. This card offers two complimentary passes to The Centurion Lounges at Sydney International (Kingsford Smith) Airport (T1) or Melbourne International Airport (T2) each year. To use the passes, just present your card at the reception desk, then relax before your flight with free wi-fi, food and drink, barista-made coffee and comfortable seats.
• Membership Rewards points. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on eligible purchases and 1 point per $1 spent with government bodies. You can exchange your Membership Rewards for points with 11 partnered frequent flyer programs. This includes Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards and hotel partner Hilton Honors. You can also transfer points to the Hilton Honors hotel loyalty program.
• Complimentary travel insurances. Pay for your return overseas travel with this card and you can save on insurance costs with complimentary medical emergency expenses cover, trip cancellation and amendment cover, baggage, money and documentation cover and travel inconvenience insurance cover. Cover is also effective when you pay for the full return fare using Membership Rewards points or the $400 Travel Credit.
• The Hotel Collection benefits. Get a hotel credit of up to USD$100 and a complimentary room upgrade, where available, when you book at least 2 consecutive nights at selected hotels using your American Express Explorer Credit Card. Depending on the booking, you may also be able to use Membership Rewards points (Pay with Points) or part of your Travel Credit to pay for bookings.
• Smartphone screen cover. You'll receive up to $500 for screen repairs if you accidentally break your smartphone screen. A 10% excess applies per claim with a maximum of 2 claims every 12 months.
• Mobile contactless payments. Whether you have an Android, Apple or Samsung device, you can tap and pay with the convenience of your smartphone when you link your account to Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay.
• Card purchase cover. You can shop with peace of mind with card purchase cover, card refund cover, an online fraud protection guarantee and a buyer's advantage cover that can extend the manufacturer's warranty by up to 12 months on eligible items purchased with this card.

Rates & fees

• Annual fee. The American Express Explorer Credit Card's annual fee of $395 is completely offset by the $400 Travel Credit when you redeem it.
• Interest rate. Purchases attract an interest rate of 23.99% p.a.
• Interest-free days. If you pay your balance in full by the statement due date, you'll get up to 55 interest-free days on purchases during each statement period which can help you reduce your interest costs.
• Foreign transaction fee. If you use this card to make a foreign transaction overseas or when shopping online, you'll be charged 3% of the transaction value.
• Additional cardholder. You can earn points faster when you request up to 4 additional cards for $0. Please note that the additional card member must be at least 18 years of age and you'll be liable for all spending and charges added to the account.