Close Menu
Fly Stay Points
    sta
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Tuesday, July 15
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Fly Stay Points
    • Home
    • Points
      • Airline
        • Qantas Frequent Flyer
          • Qantas Business Rewards
        • Velocity Frequent Flyer
        • KrisFlyer
        • Etihad Guest
      • Hotel
        • Accor Live Limitless (ALL)
        • Ascott Star Rewards
        • EVT Stays
        • Hilton Honors
        • IHG One Rewards
        • Marriott Bonvoy
        • World of Hyatt
      • Credit Card
    • News
      • Airline News
      • Hotel News
      • Destinations
    • Deals
    • Reviews
      • Flight Reviews
      • Hotel Reviews
      • Lounge Reviews
    • Program Guides
      • Airline Programs
      • Hotel Loyalty Programs
        • ALL – Accor Live Limitless
        • EVT Stays
        • IHG One Rewards
          • ING Ambassador
        • Marriott Bonvoy
      • Credit Card Programs
        • American Express
        • ANZ Rewards Program
    • Events and Experiences
    • Credit Cards
    Fly Stay Points
    Home»Loyalty»Credit Card Programs»American Express»Get 50,000 points with a new American Express Explorer card
    Man on Mountain
    Explorer
    American Express

    Get 50,000 points with a new American Express Explorer card

    MarkBy MarkJanuary 8, 2019No Comments6 Mins Read

    American Express are offering 50,000 points when taking out a new  American Express Explorer. This can be transferred as 25,000 Velocity, KrisFlyer or AsiaMiles points.

    This card is designed for travellers, and comes with a range of useful benefits. This includes uncapped points earning, the ability to transfer points to eight airlines, an annual $400 travel credit, airport lounge access, complimentary insurance covers, and more.

    The American Express Explorer Card

    The American Express Explorer Card is a premium offering and comes with a $395 annual fee.

    This is offset by its range of features, including an annual $400 travel credit that can be redeemed at American Express travel.

    The following sections detail the various features of the card.

    Earning Points

    The card offers a simple, uncapped points earning structure.

    For most eligible purchases, you will earn 2 Membership Rewards Points per dollar spend. Government charges see a lower earn rate of 1 Point per dollar.

    Transfer Partners

    One of the key features of the Membership Rewards Gateway program is its range of transfer partners. These include Velocity, KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Enrich, Orchard Plus, Skyward, Etihad Guest and Air New Zealand.

    For all Airline programs, except Air New Zealand, the transfer rate is 2 Membership Rewards Points to 1 Airline Points. As a result, the 50,000 bonus points transfer to an airline program as 25,000 airline miles.

    On an ongoing basis, the effective earn rate for these programs is 1 point per dollar, except for government spend where it is 0.5 points per dollar.

    For example, for Velocity, you would get 1 Velocity Point for each dollar you spend on everyday purchases. On Government spend, this would be 0.5 Velocity Points per dollar.

    The one Airline exception is Air New Zealand, which operates Airpoints. In this case 200 Membership Rewards points transfers as 1 Airpoints Dollar.

     

    Use your points to redeem on Virgin Australia

    Card Perks

    The American Express Explorer Credit card comes with a range of useful perks. Many of these perks are aimed at the traveller, and they are features that could easily cover the cards annual fee.

    Annual $400 Travel Credit

    As mentioned, the card provides for an annual travel credit of $400. This needs to be redeemed through American Express Travel and can be done online.

    When you log into the American Express travel site, it will appear as a credit on your account. You can then use this as payment (or part payment) for flights, accommodation and so on.

    There are a couple of limitations to be aware of. You can only apply it to one transaction, so make sure you use it all in one go. It also has an expiry date (one year after issue), so be careful not to let it expire.

    Airport lounge access

    If you are flying out of Sydney or Melbourne International Airports, the card provides access to the American Express lounge in the International terminal. You get two passes per year, and they can be useful if you do not otherwise have access to a lounge

    Hotel Collection Benefit

    As a new benefit, American Express are offering a new Hotel Collection Benefit. The Hotel Collection includes hundreds of curated properties from trusted brands like Hyatt and Hilton Hotels.

    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:

    • Up to US$100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities
    • Complimentary room upgrade at check-in, when available

    Bookings can be made at this link:  https://premiumhotelbooking.americanexpress.com/en-AU/thc/welcome

    Phone Screen Insurance

    The screen of modern smartphones is easily broken – just drop your phone the wrong way. It can also be expensive to fix. Phone Screen Insurance can take the pain out of repairing the screen. If you break the screen on your phone, then this will take care of fixing it (up to a value of $500, and there is a small 10% excess)

    To be eligible for the Phone Screen Insurance, you will need to pay for the phone with the Explorer card, if you purchase it outright. On the other hand, if you are on a phone plan, then you need to make your monthly payments with your Explorer card.

    Travel Insurance

    As a premium card, the Explorer comes with a comprehensive Travel Insurance policy. This includes

    • Medical Emergency Expenses Cover
    • Travel Cancellation Cover
    • Baggage, Money and Documentation Cover
    • Travel Inconvenience Insurance

    Amex Explorer Buyer’s Advantage

    This feature allows you to extend the manufacturer’s warranty period by up to 12 months on eligible products.

    Purchase Protection

    A feature to protect you if your new items are stolen or damaged. Refund Protection is also available should a store refuse to accept the return of a recent, unused purchase

    Sign up bonus Eligibility

    To qualify for the 50,000 points, you will need to

    • apply for the Explorer Credit Card online, be approved and
    • spend $3,000 within the first 3 months of card membership.

    To be eligible for the bonus, you must not have held a directly issued American Express card in the previous 18 months.  This does not affect you if you have only held a bank-issued American Express companion card, such as those from ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB or Westpac.

    The minimum income criteria for the card has been set at $65,000 per year.

    Card feature Summary

    Card Features
    Basic Details
    Card Name American Express Explorer® Credit Card
    Annual fee $395
    Interest Rate 20.74% p.a. interest rate on purchases
    Interest Free Period Up to 55 days
    Point Earning
    Loyalty program Membership Rewards Gateway program
    Points Earning
    • Earn 2 Membership Reward Points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases, except at Government Bodies in Australia
    • Earn 1 Membership Reward Point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at Government Bodies in Australia
    Bonus Points
    Points earn rate(Cap/Tier) Uncapped
    Other Benefits
    Travel benefits
    • $400 Travel Credit every year
    • Transfer your points to a choice of 8 airline partner programs
    • Up to two entries per year to the American Express Lounge at Sydney or Melbourne International Airports
    Included Protections
    • Smartphone Screen Insurance
    • Medical Emergency Expenses Cover
    • Travel Cancellation Cover
    • Baggage, Money and Documentation Cover
    • Travel Inconvenience Insurance
    • Buyer’s Advantage
    • Purchase Protection
    • Refund Protection
    Other Fees/Charges
    Foreign Transaction Fee  3%
    Additional Card Fee $0

    Final Words

    This is a premium card, that comes with a range of features that can easily cover the annual fee. It is a good all round card that offers a simple points earning structure.

    Subscribe to our mailing list and we'll send you our latest updates
    * indicates required
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Mark

    Mark, the founder of Fly Stay Points, caught the travel bug early in life. During his travels, he eventually came to stumble upon loyalty programs, He first discovered the world of airline frequent flyer programs, and later hotel loyalty programs. He is always plotting his next adventure - and this includes working out how to leverage the loyalty programs. It is a constantly evolving world. Promotional opportunities come and go. Airlines come and go. New hotels open, old hotels change brands, and on it goes. FlyStayPoints was started as a way to try to keep on top of all this. Keep track of promotions. Understand the changes in the marketplace.

    Related Posts

    American Express Velocity Credit Cards

    November 7, 2024

    American Express offers up to 10-15% bonus on Velocity transfers

    August 15, 2024

    American Express offers 30-50% bonus on Hilton and Marriott points transfers

    August 1, 2023

    Get updates sent to your in your inbox

    Subscribe to our mailing list and we'll send you our latest updates

    Thank you for subscribing. Please check your emails to confirm your subscription

    Something went wrong.

    We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously

    © 2025 Fly Stay Points. Theme designed by ThemeSphere.
    • About
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.