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AmEx Explorer: 160,000 MR Points (Worth $800) + $100 Credit + $400 Travel Credit ($3000 Spend in 3 Months - $395 Annual Fee)

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AmEx Explorer: 160,000 MR Points (Worth $800) + $100 Credit + $400 Travel Credit ($3000 Spend in 3 Months - $395 Annual Fee)
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Associatedpohaau on 26/07/2021 - 11:07 pointhacks.com.au (1030 clicks)

3 DAY FLASH DEAL - Offer Ends Midnight Wednesday, JULY 28 - 2021

Given the recent popularity with the 3 Day Offer on this card, we've brought it back for a limited time only with a $100 Statement Credit.

AMEX are offering an increased signup bonus of 160,000 Membership Rewards Points (worth $800 in Gift Cards). Plus, enjoy a $100 Statement Credit, which can be put towards offsetting the first year $395 annual fee. This is a limited time "3 Day Exclusive" offer that is only available through PointHacks.

The 160,000 bonus Membership Rewards (worth $800 in Gift Cards) & $100 Statement Credit offer is now live until Thursday, July 28th 2021.

Details include:

  • 160,000 bonus Membership Rewards (worth $800 in Gift Cards) + a $100 Statement Credit when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of approval.

  • Earn 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 on all purchases except government bodies where you will earn 1 point per $1 spent (uncapped).

  • $400 Travel Credit every year.
  • Up to US$100 credit when you book a two consecutive nights stay with The Hotel Collection.
  • Free access to the Sydney or Melbourne Airport American Express lounge twice a year.
  • Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver Status
  • Included Insurances - smartphone screen insurance and various travel insurances (PDS).
  • Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay support.
  • Access to American Express Plan It
  • Up 4 Additional Cards for family members or friends, at no extra fee.
  • Plus, earn 5 MR Points per $1 spent and receive up to 40,000 extra bonus points with Shop Small. Get 3 extra MR Points per $1 spent when you save the offer to your new Card via the Amex app, and spend in-store or online at participating shop small business by 31/03/2022.
  • Min Income: $65,000
  • Annual Fee: $395
  • Ends Thursday, July 28th 2021

View the full offer details only at PointHacks.

Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18 month period are ineligible for this offer. Previous and existing bank-issued American Express companion cardholders are eligible for this offer.

This 3 Day Offer is only available exclusively through PointHacks and not available through any other channel, including if you go to AMEX directly or use a referral link (the offer there remains no bonus points).

Financial American Express Credit Card Membership Rewards Reward Points Statement Credits

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closed Comments

  • NonSense on 26/07/2021 - 11:15
    +12

    dropped around $300 in 2 weeks…

    • pingMarky on 26/07/2021 - 12:10

      Yeah, now you have to pay some annual fees… bs

  • Ozfanmel on 26/07/2021 - 11:17
    +15

    cant beat this ? https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/637529

    • lilkid28 on 26/07/2021 - 11:20

      They set the bar too high before…

  • lilkid28 on 26/07/2021 - 11:20
    +1

    OK offer, but MUCH better to use a referral from a friend who has a high referral offer. Not everyone got it though. For e.g. My card offering the referee 175,000 sign up bonus (no statement credit, but usual $400 Travel credit, etc) but the referrer gets 50,000 bonus points. My partner's card didn't get the bonus referral offer, only the standard 50-60k sign up bonus.

    • nightelves on 26/07/2021 - 11:38

      Really? For Explorer? That's high as.

  • Tim33888 on 26/07/2021 - 11:38
    +8

    bring back the old deal with $395 statement credit!

    • ShanghaiRocks on 26/07/2021 - 11:45
      +1

      Yes, I'd consider if the old deal is back
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/637529

    • Soothsayer on 27/07/2021 - 17:14

      +1 to this, happened to miss the last deal so a bit disappointed with $295 less value this time around, would have signed up anyway if there was something else to offset it!

  • p1owz0r on 26/07/2021 - 11:39

    Do a lot of people still charge higher merchant fees for amex?

    Just keen to understand how purchases offset against the travel points - which would ultimately offset cost of flights to UK when allowed (to visit immediate family).

    Or if there are hacks, e.g. only put your utilities, groceries or whatever on the card to avoid surcharges.

    Any info would be appreciated!

    • CaptainHoltisDad on 26/07/2021 - 11:57
      +4

      There's a lot more parity than there used to be. Even small cafes are happy to accept Amex with no surcharges. Funnily enough a lot of sites online still like to pass on the extra fees to customers (cough cough airlines).

      For me, if there's a surcharge, I just pay with another card or cash.

  • [Deactivated] on 26/07/2021 - 11:43
    +3

    Travel credit these days literally means nothing to me, it's so risky to fly anywhere.

    I didn't see that old deal with the extra credit, or I would of gone for it.

    • edisonAU on 26/07/2021 - 12:19

      That is a problem for a lot of existing Explorer cardholders. A number of my friends has tons of credit but cannot use them at all due to lockdowns restrictions etc. They ended up using for staycations instead.

      Also booking via Amex portal is generally more expensive than using large travel website or direct anyway.

      • EarlyBird on 26/07/2021 - 12:28

        Not generally but always more expensive, especially when it isn't airfare. My travel credit bookings in the last couple of years had to be cancelled because of lockdowns and their travel booking system is unduly restrictive compared to booking directly

        AMEX isn't making any effort to retain existing card members when we can't use the airport lounge and have difficulty in using the travel credit

        • muncan on 26/07/2021 - 12:49
          +1

          I got lucky in Dec ‘20 where my travel-credit-booked Qantas flight got rescheduled by an hour, allowing me to rebook/cancel. I opted to cancel and AmEx credited (at Qantas’s discretion) my AmEx card (already closed) with the full travel credit amount, plus a little extra I paid for the total booking. 12 weeks later I got an email from AmEx confirming the credit (yes the delay is ridiculous, but I’ve got all the time in the world), and then I called them to transfer the credit from my closed card to my bank account.
          TL;DR - converted travel credit to cash

        • DrRalph on 26/07/2021 - 12:53
          +1

          'but always more expensive'

          No. But frequently more expensive. If you take the time you can get good value from the credit.

          • kipps on 26/07/2021 - 13:02
            +1

            @DrRalph: This. I’ve found instances where Amex booking is cheaper than available direct. It’s not always more expensive at all.

            • EarlyBird on 28/07/2021 - 00:40
              -1

              @kipps: Are they for flights, hotels or car hire?

  • Antfan on 26/07/2021 - 11:48

    ALDI, no go with this..while some tiny merchants do.

    • Slo20 on 26/07/2021 - 16:51

      Tiny merchants like Woolworths, coles, JB, good guys, Bunnings?

      • Antfan on 26/07/2021 - 17:04

        Smaller chains, Tong Li

  • expatOz on 26/07/2021 - 11:57
    -5

    AMEX rejects a LOT of people especially high income earners so just think twice before applying. I'm clearly eligible but I was still declined even after 3 manual reassessments. I've got almost every other card except AMEX in the last 5 years.

    • [Deactivated] on 26/07/2021 - 12:16
      +3

      I've never been declined, always instantly approved. I don't consider myself a high earner, I generally have high savings and maybe that gets me across or my credit score may be really good.

      I haven't flipped cards for a few years, some people do 5+ a year and eventually that could catch up?

      • starburstyellow on 26/07/2021 - 12:32
        +1

        Same I've never been declined before either. Even when my score was sub 600.

        • expatOz on 26/07/2021 - 13:13
          -1

          Interesting. My score is above 600 and like I said way above eligibility crietria. That led me and several others to believe that they don't want to give out cards to people who would just use the benefits and close within a few months which is exactly what I would've done to be honest.

          • starburstyellow on 26/07/2021 - 13:34

            @expatOz: Have check again. I understand that getcreditscore got reset mid this month. Do the whole scores from previous is gone. I jumped 250+ pts!

          • [Deactivated] on 26/07/2021 - 13:53

            @expatOz: They could have a history, I've never actually closed an account as I enjoyed using my AMEX benefits on the last card.

          • Slo20 on 26/07/2021 - 16:54

            @expatOz: Can’t comment on what their credit checks are but as a frequent credit card churner and high income earner I can confirm I was approved for an Amex with max credit limit recently.

            • expatOz on 26/07/2021 - 17:09
              -1

              @Slo20: Yea can't quite pinpoint how it works, its a black box apparently. I see some people saying Citi and ANZ are strict but I've been approved for their card each time instantly.

    • DrRalph on 26/07/2021 - 12:54
      +4

      'AMEX rejects a LOT of people especially high income' Evidence for this?

      In my experience AMEX offers one of the easiest to satisfy.

      • expatOz on 26/07/2021 - 13:12
        -1

        No evidence but you can see many people echo the same sentiment over in the previous deal thread.

        • zilver on 26/07/2021 - 13:50

          I was instantly accepted for a PLATINUM card recently and I've been denied by ANZ and Citibank and even (profanity) OPTUS lol.

          • [Deactivated] on 26/07/2021 - 13:54

            @zilver: ANZ was such a pain for me!

  • monitha on 26/07/2021 - 12:03
    +1

    Should have lowered travel credit instead statement credit haha

    • yaziyo on 26/07/2021 - 13:20
      +1

      I suspect there's a significant number of people who never end up claiming the travel credit - meaning Amex gets free money.

  • thermos36 on 26/07/2021 - 12:08

    Does anyone know how to check you successfully signed up for this promo? Signed up for this last time but can't see any reference to it in my account so don't want to spend 3K only to find out it didn't go through correctly.

    • starburstyellow on 26/07/2021 - 12:33
      +1

      If you don't have an amex in last 18 months and used the link, it should be in the bag. Feel free to call them as they can tell if you qualified for the promo.

    • Deezy88 on 26/07/2021 - 14:57

      When you spend 3k it'll show up in the next statement. Had this card 2 years ago and just signed up again with the 180k points.

    • El-Rhi on 26/07/2021 - 15:03

      Chat through the app

  • donkeydoc on 26/07/2021 - 12:14

    if you have an existing amex card, how can you get this? asking for a friend

    • Hunter80 on 26/07/2021 - 12:27

      You just click 'apply' and Bob's your uncle. Telling on behalf of a friend.

    • starburstyellow on 26/07/2021 - 12:34

      You can get the card, but won't get the bonus.

  • jonnel13 on 26/07/2021 - 12:16

    Travel Credit…that's funny.

  • wildstone on 26/07/2021 - 12:24

    Given the recent popularity with the 3 Day Offer on this card, we've brought it back for a limited time only with a $100 Statement Credit.

    It was popular because of the $395 credit. I guess it will be less popular now.

  • Deezy88 on 26/07/2021 - 12:26

    Can someone tell me what the Statement Credit is?

  • VaTo on 26/07/2021 - 12:46

    I applied to this card two weeks ago, got it approved the next day, and received it last weekend.
    About the Travel Credit and according to the little note on leaflet received it says: "The annual Travel Credit can be used from the anniversary date…", so it seems to me you need to wait one year to use it, and not straight from the beginning as I was thinking. Am I wrong?
    I don't think that's mentioned anywhere OP so I suggest you include it in the description

    • soakedintaquila on 26/07/2021 - 13:24

      nah, i dont think so. please have a closer look, I am pretty sure they mean - Your Travel Credit is issued annually on the anniversary date, which indicate they dont use financial year or fiscal year and instead anniversary year based on joining date to expire and topup your travel credit. More details at https://www.americanexpress.com/au/travel/how-to-use-travel-…

      • VaTo on 26/07/2021 - 17:47

        You are completely right. I chatted with an agent and he confirmed this. I need to wait to get my first statement and be billed for the annual fee to start using the travel credit

  • Bomba on 26/07/2021 - 12:51
    +2

    Would consider this if it had the $395 credit

  • letmecry on 26/07/2021 - 12:58

    I still haven't heard anything back after applying last time, only a confirmation with ref no via email.

    I'm not rushing though

  • Hunter14 on 26/07/2021 - 13:02

    Is it worth keeping the card once we get the bonus points?

    Or start the 18month count down as early as possible?

    • starburstyellow on 26/07/2021 - 13:34

      I'm cancelling as soon as I use the $400 credit.

      • Hunter14 on 26/07/2021 - 13:36

        Are there any non travel items we can spend the $400 on?

        • starburstyellow on 26/07/2021 - 15:10

          Not really :( as car rental and accommodation are travel items. Alternative you can sell your credit on Classified.

          • Hunter14 on 26/07/2021 - 15:28

            @starburstyellow: Ah damn. Thanks anyway. Maybe I'll just donate the credit to someone who needs to travel.

            • starburstyellow on 26/07/2021 - 22:30
              +1

              @Hunter14: Nah don't donate. Sell the $400 credit for $250 or something. I'm sure they are takers :)

  • hashtagbargain on 26/07/2021 - 13:02
    +1

    Minimum income 65k pa

  • Mandalorians on 26/07/2021 - 13:14

    thinking to cancel mine, travel credit is useless nowadays.

    • EarlyBird on 28/07/2021 - 00:46

      One way to extend it is to book something that is very likely to be cancelled (or there's sufficient grounds for cancelling it) before the credit expires. That way you may get your money back.

  • Laz167 on 26/07/2021 - 13:55
    -3

    Tried to apply last time, got the wait 5-10 we will contact you for more details. Then received letter on day 3 , not exactly saying i was declined but that they did not have enough information to approve at this time. They didn't contact me to ask me to provide any additional payslip, bank statements, etc.

    I have excellent credit score with only a 2k coles card and i also meet all the other requirements. i also had the same card 2 year ago. Financial situation hasn't changed since then.

    Seems like they're just fishing for data.

    • letmecry on 26/07/2021 - 18:16

      Ive got rejected as well, similar situation. They did not ask for any things just rejected probably on spot as the letter dated on the same day but took a week to receive it.

      I do have the anz card

  • cook99 on 26/07/2021 - 14:47

    Just cashed in my $800 from the previous deal, 160k points hit immediately on spending $3k.
    Ripper deal.
    Now to book a night at hotel with travel credit and close the card to begin the 18 month wait for next deal

  • chk on 26/07/2021 - 15:36

    OP, you mention "Up to US$100 credit" - USD?

  • safio on 27/07/2021 - 02:58

    How frequent do deals similar to this show up? I know about the deal earlier this month with $395 of credit but can’t seem to find any other comparable ones in the short term. Just trying to figure out if I should pull the trigger on this one or wait a short amount of time for a better deal?

    • muncan on 27/07/2021 - 10:20

      Maybe try the Westpac one?
      I just got mine again today after 12 months wait. No fee (just create an account first) and the 130K points can be converted to $650 statement credit via annual fee rebates (see deal comments).

  • robb6014 on 27/07/2021 - 09:47
    +1

    I've had one of these for about 5 years it's fantastic. Heaps of points earned, I've linked it to both paypal and afterpay accounts and earn full points. Plus a holiday every year. I have a VISA too for those shops that dont take AMEX but as a secondary card I cant fault it.

  • safio on 27/07/2021 - 18:52

    How do American Express reward points generally compare to qantas frequent flyer points pragmatically? Tossing up whether to get this or wait for a qantas AMEX deal

    • yaziyo on 28/07/2021 - 09:34

      Many people back-of-the-evelope price Qantas points at about 1c ea. This assumes you use the points for travel, but not business class travel (or if you do business travel, you don't value business travel at "sticker price" and say wow I saved $6000 on a flight you'd never spend $6000 on). You can (although probably not during covid) also sell the points for about this much each (although it's against the Qantas TOS).

      You can then use that to compare against what the amex points are worth. OP says you can get $800 cash with 160k points, meaning that a single Qantas point is roughly twice as valuable as an Amex point (1c vs 0.5c).

      This doesn't consider how much more valuable cash is than saving money on flights, per dollar, especially while travel isn't really a thing at the moment for Australians.

  • diazepam on 28/07/2021 - 09:27
    -4

    Negging this deal again

    As per the previous deal:
    I've called Amex and asked for why I was rejected after sending in all the documentation, ID, etc.
    I was rejected based on an "internal assessment criteria" after passing credit check, ID check…
    They sent me 3 letters saying "Our decision is based on an overall assessment of the details provided to us on your application"
    No one was able to tell me more information including when I asked to be transferred to a senior representative.
    This is stupid and pretty much is what others saying seems correct - it seems as if they are rejecting those who probably can easily service credit cards (I'm around triple the minimum income, in a stable job, with investment properties fully paid off)

    I'm going to have to neg this deal based on:
    1) rejection rate - many people (myself included) who have stated should be eligible based on income, assets etc.
    2) AmEx criteria that is undisclosed "internal assessment criteria"
    3) Not being able to provide reasons for rejection (completely automated by computing systems)
    4) Stupid "5-10 business day response" when the call centre already knew the application was rejected
    5) Requiring to call up and ended up wasting >1 hour of my time and still being rejected after providing payslips, rental statements etc.

    Kudos to those who got it, I feel like this was more of a gamble than an application and a waste of a credit check.

  • AncientWisdom on 28/07/2021 - 13:09

    Would have signed to the previous deal but missed it.

    This one is not good at all IMO given I cancelled my explorer card (pre covid) as I could almost never find a good way to use the travel credit.

  • moo on 31/07/2021 - 12:13

    Does anyone know when the annual fee will be charged?

    • AncientWisdom on 09/08/2021 - 13:28

      Annual fee due dates
      Although it can vary by card issuer, your annual fee is typically billed on your account anniversary, one year after your account is opened.

      It will then appear on your next billing statement, just like any other charge or credit. Most issuers give you between 30 and 60 days to close your account and receive a refund of your annual fee. And in some cases, card issuers will offer you a prorated refund of your annual fee if you close your account in the middle of your cardmember year.

      https://thepointsguy.com/guide/important-dates-for-credit-ca…

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