American Express Explorer Credit Card
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CardIQ
Fair
Overall score, out of 100 · How this works
- 55 days interest-free31
- Airport lounge44
- Frequent flyer55
- Rewards50
- Sign-up bonus60
- Travel41
- Velocity Points55
Customer reviews
Based on 5 reviews
Reviewers liked rewards.
Great benefits, but be aware of some pitfalls
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…
Friendly staff and great rewards
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…
High annual fee, not enough rewards information
They were quick to accept my application with minimal fuss, and were speedy with sending out the cardBut 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…
Great rewards for air miles
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…
No annual fee, bonus points, Apple Pay
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…
Pros & cons
What's good
- 75,000 bonus Membership Rewards points to start, worth around $750 at our 1c-per-point valuation.
- Complimentary airport lounge access.
- Points transfer to 13 rewards programs, including Accor Live Limitless (ALL), Air New Zealand Airpoints and British Airways Club.
- Earns 1 point per $1 on ATO and government payments, where many rewards cards earn nothing.
- No fee to add an additional cardholder.
Worth noting
- The $395 annual fee is high for a Standard card, where the typical fee is about $50.
- The 23.99% p.a. purchase rate sits in the most expensive quarter of cards (the median is 18.99% p.a.) if you carry a balance.
- 3.5% foreign transaction fee on overseas spending, at the high end of the market.
Card details
The basics
- Additional cardholder fee
- $0 p.a.
- Card tier
- Standard
- Card type
- American Express
- Card use
- Personal
- Credit limit
- $3,000 – $100,000
- Credit rating
- Good
- Rewards program
- American Express Membership Rewards
Eligibility
- Instant approval
- Yes (response in ~60 seconds)
- Joint application
- No
- Minimum age
- 18 years old
- Minimum income
- Not specified
- Residency
- Australian citizen or permanent resident
- Temporary residents
- Eligible
Rates & fees
Ongoing interest rates
- Cash advances
- 23.99% p.a.
- Purchases
- 23.99% p.a.
Fees
- Additional cardholder fee
- $0
- Annual fee
- $395 p.a.
- Cash advance fee
- —
- Foreign transaction fee
- 3.5%
- Late payment fee
- $30
Repayments
- Interest-free period
- Up to 55 days on purchases
- Minimum repayment
- 2.5% of the closing balance or $30, whichever is greater
Balance transfers
This card has no promotional balance transfer offer. To move existing debt to a lower rate, compare balance transfer cards.
Introductory purchase offer
This card has no introductory purchase rate offer. If you're carrying a balance or planning a big spend, compare 0% purchase cards.
Rewards
Earn rate
- Everyday spend
- 2 pts per $1
- Bonus categories
- None
- Other purchases
- None
- Overseas spend
- None
- ATO/government
- 1 pt per $1 on ATO and government payments
- Reduced rate above monthly cap
- None
- Points cap
- Uncapped
- Points expiry
- Points don't expire while your account is open and in order.
Sign-up bonus
- Bonus spend required
- —
- Sign-up bonus
- 75,000 points
Transfer partners
- Accor Live Limitless (ALL)
- 5 pts → 1 pt (≈ 0.4 pts per $1)
- Air New Zealand Airpoints
- 200 pts → 1 pt (≈ 1 pt per $100)
- British Airways Club
- 3 pts → 1 pt (≈ 0.67 pts per $1)
- Cathay (Asia Miles)
- 3 pts → 1 pt (≈ 0.67 pts per $1)
- Emirates Skywards
- 4 pts → 1 pt (≈ 0.5 pts per $1)
- Everyday Rewards
- 5 pts → 4 pts (≈ 1.6 pts per $1)
- Hilton Honors
- 2 pts → 1 pt (≈ 1 pt per $1)
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- 3 pts → 1 pt (≈ 0.67 pts per $1)
- Marriott Bonvoy
- 3 pts → 2 pts (≈ 1.33 pts per $1)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- 3 pts → 1 pt (≈ 0.67 pts per $1)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- 3 pts → 1 pt (≈ 0.67 pts per $1)
- Velocity Frequent Flyer
- 2 pts → 1 pt (≈ 1 pt per $1)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 3 pts → 1 pt (≈ 0.67 pts per $1)
Where these points could take you
- Auckland
- Flying Virgin Australia non-stop, using transferred Velocity points. Economy 17,900 pts, Business 35,500 pts.
- Denpasar
- Flying Singapore Airlines via Singapore, using transferred KrisFlyer points. Economy 30,500 pts.
- Los Angeles
- Flying United Airlines non-stop, using transferred Velocity points. Economy 48,000 pts.
- Singapore
- Flying Singapore Airlines non-stop, using transferred Velocity points. Economy 29,000 pts, Premium Economy 57,500 pts.
- Tokyo
- Flying All Nippon Airways non-stop, using transferred Velocity points. Economy 45,000 pts.
Flights you could book with the sign-up bonus plus a year of spending $3,000 a month on this card. One-way from Sydney or Melbourne, one adult, before taxes and carrier charges. Award prices and seat availability change.
Where this card sits vs similar cards
Compared with every other personal credit card we list that has the feature. The further right the dot, the better this card does.
Data as at August 2026. Rates change often, so check the issuer's terms. Factual information, not a recommendation.
Compare side by side
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- American Express Explorer Credit CardvsANZ Rewards Black Credit Card
- American Express Explorer Credit CardvsBank Australia Platinum Rewards Visa Credit Card
Browse by card type
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Questions and answers
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Sources
- Credit Card Compare
- Australian credit card statisticsHow CardIQ scores cards
- Issuer
- American Express