Which AmEx with over 100k Points Bonus - Explorer or Qantas?

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  The Champagne Mile on 02/01/2017 - 17:49

  +4

  Hi, these are great cards, I have both :)

  If I had to choose, I would probably go with the Explorer as it has more flexibility with the schemes you can transfer points to (Virgin, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer and Cathay AsiaMiles, as well as SPG), and with the $400 travel credit as opposed to the domestic flight.

  However, worth remembering that the Explorer 110,000 points are part of the gateway scheme and Qantas is not a transfer partner. The Gateway points transfer at a rate of 1 point to 0.75 airline miles (so you will end up with 82,500 airline points, which is still enough to get you business class to Europe one way on both Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific who are transfer partners).

  The Explorer also has an excellent 2 x points per dollar on all spend apart from Govt expenses (0.5 points per dollar). The only card with a better earn rate (for supermarkets and petrol) is the Platinum Edge which has been devalued over the past year and only comes with a very minimal 15,000 sign on points, so not likely to be attractive if you want the instant gratification of a large sign on bonus.

  However, if you are a Qantas loyalist, 112,500 Qantas points is also a significant sign on bonus, and depending on where you live, could get you one way to Europe in business class (e.g. Adelaide to Rome on Emirates business class is 112,000 redeemed via Qantas website). I plan to ditch my Qantas card this year after I use the domestic return flight, as it is not my go to card for ongoing spend.

  Finally, I guess it comes down to whether you prefer the Explorer's $400 travel credit or the Qantas Ultimate return domestic flight. The domestic flight could be good value if you live in Perth (you can use it to get to East coast), otherwise you might look at selling it. The travel credit is flexible in that it can be used for airfare, car hire and experiences booked via American Express travel (and pricing is competitive with other online travel agents / airlines - e.g. Qantas sale fares should be bookable via AMEX online at same price as Qantas website.

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  vinsyd on 02/01/2017 - 18:13

  All in all depends on what you need, but from a $ value point-of-view the Qantas card is worth more on face value, but the explorer has other perks, really depends on your needs. You can also find referral bonuses on the "Pages" section of Ozbargian, 110k points on the Explorer at the moment.

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  mbck on 02/01/2017 - 18:24

  Nice summary above. It really comes down to whether you prefer Qantas or the flexibility of other airlines.

  In my point of view, the Qantas card would be better suited if you do frequent flying. You will then be able to fully utilise the 3 pts per dollar earning rate. The free return domestic flight is also helpful if you plan to do this annually, or you could simply sell this on the marketplace. Note, the platinum edge free flight has been replaced with a travel credit, hence this free flight with the Qantas platinum card may also be changed down the track. For day to day use, you are only receiving 1 point per dollar.

  The explorer is one where you can use without further planning/thinking. It's such a simple card to use. 2 points for everything (except government fees). This means you can earn 1.75 points per dollar of velocity or others (more than 1/dollar). Of course the drawback of this is the lower frequent flyer conversion.

  Considering you are planning to fly in a few years time, another option is to 'game' the credit card bonus points game. Get the Qantas ultimate card, spend the minimum amount to receive your bonus point, cancel and repeat with other card offers. This is not recommended if you are planning to get a mortgage soon though (impact on credit score).

  My personal preference is the explorer. It's a set and forget card. Oh you also get the smart screen insurance with the explorer and not with the Qantas ultimate. Simply pay the phone/plan with your card and you're covered for up to 500 dollars of screen replacement.

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    Samsungnote10 on 04/01/2017 - 10:51

    "You will then be able to fully utilise the 3 pts per dollar earning rate. "

    3 QFF points using the qantas card??? is it really this high

    I have a Bank issued Amex and get 1.5ish points per $ spent,

    I too am deciding which one to get, as I dont have any other cards,

    so all things being equal a 1 QFF is roughly the same value as a 1 velocity point???
    im quite familiar with the QFF program but not anything else,

    still trying to work out whether I should go for a card with qff or amex rewards, and to compare
    i am happy to have both open

    ps. yes I too am trying to earn business class return to europe, and even first class for 2

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      mbck on 04/01/2017 - 23:44

      Yap, you get 3 points per dollar spent at selected restaurants, selected qantas products and services.

      You then get 2 points per dollar on other airlines, accommodation, major cruise and tour operators. Foreign currency spend also nets you 2 points.

      1 point on everything else except for government charges (you get .5)

      You are correct in that 1qff is equal to 1 velocity point, though some people prefer one airline compared to the old other. I think from people I've spoken to, they prefer qantas.

      The important question is, are you stuck with qff or are you quite flexible? If you are stuck with qff, then your only options are the amex ultimate (or the other amex qantas cards).

      However, my personal favourite is the Explorer. It's simple to use (all spends are 2 points per dollar or .5 for government spend), you get $400 travel credit which nullifies the annual fee, 110k point with referral (which is worth about 82.5 velocity points), 2 amex lounge passes in Sydney, smartphone screen insurance. The only downside is, you can't transfer this to qff though.

      Which cards were you looking at? Visa/mastercard/amex

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        Samsungnote10 on 05/01/2017 - 02:10

        Thanks for that

        I've got a bank amex and visa so now looking thr full amex for points.

        I don't do restaurants or airlines very much so what you are saying is that

        I think I need the Explorer to get 2 points per dollar on normal spend as if it's 1 point per dollar I might as well stay on my bank amex which is 1,5 points per dollad

        Currently have Qantas account but will open another miles account to get these bonuses

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        mbck on 05/01/2017 - 09:55

        @hellohello123:

        Yes, the explorer is a set and forget type of card for me. I don't have to think much; if the business accepts amex, that's my go to card.

        Make sure you use the referral codes so you get the extra bonus points :)

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  donbot on 02/01/2017 - 18:39

  Go both.

  110k points from explorer = one way to Europe in business on SQ.

  110k points from Qantas = nearly enough for one way from Europe in business on QF.

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  ChaseTheSun on 02/01/2017 - 20:14

  Go for the Explorer for the flexibility. If you are only into qff points and travel domestically then go for the qantas one.

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  87percent on 03/01/2017 - 05:16

  Check out Keith's Point Hacks site for some further information too

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  Flinty1 on 27/01/2017 - 07:45

  Thanks for all your feedback everyone. So I decided to go for the Explorer, as it seemed like an amazing deal. Card arrived last week and I have already met the minimum spend. I wanted to ask, what is the likelihood of being approved for the Ultimate as well? Is it worth taking the credit hit risk to see, or will American Express reject me as I already have one card? I think the bonus runs out in just a few days.

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    The Champagne Mile on 27/01/2017 - 09:18

    AMEX lets you hold two credit cards, so you should be find to apply for the Ultimate. Do it ASAP though - offers in both cards run out in 3 days.

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    donbot on 27/01/2017 - 11:55

    Yep, to repeat what Champagne Mile said you should be ok.

    For future reference - I always apply for minimum credit limits (eg. $3k) on cards that I plan on churning to keep the total credit they offer to me as low as possible. Cards I keep - I have the limits that I need for day to day transactions.

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      Flinty1 on 27/01/2017 - 13:07

      Just looking st application now. Should I tick the box asking if I already have an AMEX or will that deny me the bonus points?

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        donbot on 27/01/2017 - 13:10

        I dont think it has any bearing - I've not ticked it before and they sent me a letter saying 'we've taken into account your other AMEX issued cards when determining your credit limit', and I've still got the bonus points.