American Express Explorer
22 reviews
Been an Amex customer for the better part of 15 years, and transitioned some family member to using the service because of the benefits. The one stand out has always been the customer service aspect... but a lot has changed over the 15 years, and I am happy to say I will not be using them anymore as the funding and development into customer… Read more
service has deteriorated to such a point where I wasted hours trying to get a simple question answered and the people there are closing the chat after 1 minute where you have been waiting over 10 for them to reply. I would caution against using them, and not recommend them to friends at all. I think there are better products which are more widely available in the market, I think AMEX has a dying business model, and the one point for standing out in market they have divested from... so I wish you well in your selection and you may be lucky... but hopefully you never have a question or raise a concern. Expect for no helpful feedback.... IMO. Happily moving on to another provider. My annual spend btw was over 40k AUD per year on the card, and even with that I dont see the benefits of this anymore.
Satisfied customer – Having been an Amex card holder for many years, a recent experience has prompted me to write a few comments to express my satisfaction, not something I find myself doing very often these days. Primarily, the prompt, efficient way a claim on our complimentary travel insurance was handled was very pleasing. In addition, over the last few years with… Read more
a couple of lost cards and a few queries along the way, I have to congratulate Amex on the way their customer service people have dealt with these issues. Well done and thank you.
Dreadful application process and third party referral for credit score – Refers you to third party credit agent then you have to apply to getvyour credit score also then offers to subscribe at your own. Avoid Show details
my 400$ credit has lost – I bought a ticket from Qatar through amex with 400$ credit I had. then canceled it. the money was returned but the 400$ credit didn't. I contactd them and they said it woull be into my account after a few weeks. 4 months past and still didn't. have to call them again and spend time to get it back. the 395 annual not worth the card. i am going to close my account. Show details
Worst booking travel experience ever! Extremely Unreliable! – This is my first time booking travel with American Express online. And the experience was extremely excruciating and horrible. I was able to book online however changing the itinerary took forever. 1. First of all every time you call them it takes them well over 1.5-2hours to answer the call. 2. And once I got to speak to the person and… Read more
requested for the change in itinerary, the person wasn't able to quote instantly and make the changes right away. Instead he told me that it will take them 24-48hrs for a quoting team to generate a quote and comeback to me. This wait might be ok if you are travelling in 5-6 months time, but when you are travelling within weeks of change you have to secure the tickets then and there if you get the same fare as your original tickets otherwise the tickets get sold fast. I was getting the same or similar fare on the day I requested for the change which was costing me somewhere around $150 for 4 tickets (if we would have bought the tickets on the day) however by the time Amex Quoting team got back to me in 5 days after I requested (Requested on Wednesday and they came back to me on Monday afternoon) and they also came back with a similar $150 quote for 4 tickets quote. However when the person on the phone actually went to make the change those tickets he said they were all sold out and now price on the tickets are showing difference of around $1250! And the person on the phone conveniently says oh it looks like we are sold out on the ticket we quoted for and now we have to take another quote! I told him ofcourse the tickets are going to get sold out if you come back with quote after 5 days of the request, the tickets are not going to stay there forever? However there was no remorse or no effort for compensation shown from the person on call and then he told me that we are back into the excruciating loop of price quoting again for the tickets that I requested.
This just blew all our travel plans and budget, we had to be there at destination at certain time but now we cant because of the blown up price now. This experience of making changes in itinerary if you book from Amex Travel is just so unreliable and miserable, I have completely lost my trust with Amex Travel and I myself will never be booking through there website again and also get rid of the card as well. I had couple of friends which I was referring to as well but with this experience I would now warn them on how unreliable Amex Travel is if you are utilizing there travel credit and points and using there travel booking online.
If I would have directly booked the flight from the airline or travel agency this would not have been an issue and wouldn't have regretted spoiling the travel plan as such.
Value for $$$ – Signed up with the 240,000 rewards points promo. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the reward points were added almost instantaneously once we met the spend requirements. We were able transfer them into krisflyer points which got us 3 x return tickets to Singapore! We also have $400 travel credit which we plan to splash out on a night in… Read more
Sentosa - makes up for the $395 annual fee. Plus, there are lots of bonus offers for spending with specific outlets. EG: we received a $15 credit for spend over $50 with Pet Circle which we spent on birthday treats for our doggo. There’s also the credit received for each spend using apple wallet. The list of rewards just goes on and on. We’ve not even been prompted to share this review by Amex. I am simply a thrifty mum who loves sharing ways to maximise on $ and make it stretch.
Very annoyed with Amex in second consecutive year – I generally like Amex Explorer as I generally travel several times per year and it offers good insurance, from travel insurance, car rental insurance, etc. Also an effective 1% return through points is great. Happy with all available benefits, of which I still don't use the most. However, the $400 travel credit is the trick. In the whole 2020… Read more
we couldn't travel out of Australia, and therefore there was no way to use the entire travel credit in a single transaction (unless you are nuts). My travel credit expires in early January, and Amex was holding me up the last week to extend its validity for 3 months. The whole 2021 was pretty much the same, although we "opened" the borders in November at some point, but still quite complex to travel around. It's early January and Amex didn't want to extend my travel credit. So I ended up dumping $400 in a very random flight later this year which I have no clue I will be able to use. Not to say I spent like 3 hours of time figuring out radnom destinations, weather conditions at that time of the year, likelihood of travelling then, etc.
So yes, it's a great card in normal circumstances. But these are not normal circumstances and Amex has decided to fleece thousands card holders by the way of inability to use travel credit (while charing them annual fee).
In summary, if you feel there may be further Government restrictions on travel, or that international travel can be affected otherwise - maybe delay getting this card (or any Amex card) until thi situation betters out.
One disappointed and very annoyed customer who will explore alternative similar options on the market at this point.
(Clarification: In my review I rated Rewards with 5 stars while Rates & Fees with 1. The rewards are generally great, but the most important one cannot be used for the last two years - therefore I rated Rates & Fees with 1 since the fee is not anymore offset by the main reward. Not an easy way to score here.)
Worst card ever, never coming back Amex card – $400 travel credit expired and no extension due to Covid, I have spent a whole year in lockdown and forgot to cancel.... "nothing we can do " worst card ever, customer service advisor advised booking 1 year ahead for traveling. which is "are you crazy? during covid? " Show details
Great card for the rewards and travel credit & Mobile& travel Insurance – I have the Amex Exporer card sinc ethe last 2 years. The $395 annual fee is compensated by the $400 travel credit. There are times, when the Tickets on the American express Travel site is a couple of $100 more than other websites. The Rewards point value has been reduced from $7.41 /1000 points to $5.00 /1000 points. The promotional offers e.g. vogue fashion nights & Small shop in November are good value for your money. Show details
Awesome credit card for points and travelling – This is one of the first credit cards I got and I loved it. It gives you the travel credit of same amount as annual fee plus it give you complementary insurance, lounge passes and many more benefits. The best part is that you can accumulate points at faster rate with this card and although amex is not accepted everywhere but to have that option in your hand is worth it. Show details
Great card, still going strong – Have had this card for 3 years and great card especially for travelling. Lounge access has been a blessing especially with a toddler. Insurance on card is good as well, got a new phone stolen on the way back from one of our overseas trips and insurance gave us a full refund no questions asked. Disappointed as the points have diminished in value… Read more
over the years. But the perks of Amex offers makes up for some of the downfalls, though many of the good offers are full before you can register for it.
A card which gives good points – Enjoyed first year annual fee free and $400 traveling credit which I used on air ticket, pretty good service, they sent me reminder by text which help me avoid late payment penalty, no one else does that, the only thing I think can improve is add search bar on the website, so users can search by name, amount etc Show details
Adjustment of points and rewards dilution – Have had it for two years, it's started to decline in its member benefits with stores that are overpriced and not relevant. The discount amount isnt actually attractive for sellers who have an inflated RRP Also, it's American Express and isn't readily available within stores and if they are - there's usually surcharges. Points used to get a higher return e.g 1,000 = $5 and it was formally $7+ Show details
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Amazing Card! Great Product! Rewards are fantastic! – Had this card for almost three years, the amount of rewards given by this card has been overwhelmingly fantastic! American Express makes it very easy for us to claim our rewards and redeem them on flights. Plus the annual fee you pay for transfer directly to travel credit. Booking your flights with the travel credit on the AMEX service is easy… Read more
and competitive! Just stay away from hotels!
We've used this card numerous time overseas and the rates are pretty competitive to other banks. There are no slap on fees or penalties for using this card abroad, hence the 'explorer' naming of it.
Excellent Credit Card with Great Rewards! – It was quite convenient for me to use my Amex card when I travelled to Phuket last month. It is more and more easier for me to accumulate points for example supermarkets like coles, woolworths, shops like bunings and ikea, etc can accept Amex. Also it will send me some cash back promotion to save in the card and automatically redeem when you hit… Read more
the requirement. There're lots of ways to redeem my point, credit for repayment, travel credit, transfer to frequent flyer points, etc. The most good part is $400 trevel credit can be used per year. Really recommeneded.
Best credit card – good value with $400 travel credit. best credit card on market! Also come with international airport lounge and lots of amex deals this is the only credit card I keep for long term. Show details
Great rewards earning rate, good all round card – It's a good all round card, with a decent earning rate of 2x points/$1 on almost everything (0.5/$1 on Government). Points can now be redeemed at the same rate as more premium Amex cards (like Platinum Charge) since the realignment of the programme a few months ago. I personally use them for airmiles, 0.5 miles per 1 point (1 mile/$1, which is… Read more
pretty good). Usual rip off 3% foreign exchange charge, with no additional reward for overseas use, so I don't use it outside Aus. $395 annual fee is offset by the $400 travel credit, but that's only a benefit if you'll use it. Amex travel aren't always the cheapest option either, so you might not get a true $400 value from it (if the $400 room is available for $350 elsewhere, for example). Overall I would recommend, I've held the card for several years now. I'd recommend holding out for a 100k points signup bonus, rather than the 50k Amex usually offer on this product, though. Amex customer service is very good, they're one of the better companies to deal with, if you do need to, and I'd be confident that, in the unlikely event your card was compromised due to fraud, etc., you wouldn't be left high and dry.
The only credit card I need – I have been using the Amex Explorer Card since it's launch in 2016 and have been extremely happy with it. Being an Amex customer for 9 years, I have used a few other cards in the past but Explorer Card is the best so far in terms of offers and features. - The easy and fast earning Reward Points are the best feature as I have managed to used a lot… Read more
of my points for travel bookings with Amex Travel and ended up paying very less for tickets and accommodation. It's true savings rather than losing your points in transfer to airlines and follow T&Cs. With Amex Travel website you have an option to use them on any airline. - Travel Credit of $400. This is by far the best refund of my Credit Card fee as I have managed to use this credit every year either on flights or hotel. The good part is that it can be used for your family and friends as well. - Travel Insurance - The travel insurance service is amazing. I have used it once where my baggage got lost in transit and was located after 3 days. I didn't have all the payment slips and documents plus didn't use Amex for some of the transactions overseas. I started my claim but didn't submit it. The Chubb Insurance supported followed up and asked me to provide whatever documentation I had and processed my claim. - Smartphone Screen Insurance - I have used this once and was seemless. I dropped my iPhone and smashed the screen. Took it to Apple and got the screen repaired. Submitted the claim online and got the 90% refund as mentioned. No hassles.
The customer service has always been great with Amex and that is the only reason that I just use 1 credit card for last 5 years.
Pros and Cons of the American Express Explorer Card – I've had the American Express Explorer card for about 3 years. Here are the pros and cons: Pros 1. The card comes with plenty of added benefits including including travel protection, mobile phone screen up to $500, extended product warranty etc. 2. The annual fee is $395 however; you get $400 credit to use through American Express Travel. So as… Read more
long as you're travelling at least one a year, the annual fee pays for itself.
3. Customer service is pretty good and it's convenient using the web chat service and not having to call.
4. You can use reward points for credit off your account balance.
5. Travel insurance seems pretty reliable. I recently made a claim for USD $4,000 after returning from the US and the claim process was seamless. It was all done online and the claim was paid out in 2 weeks. Very positive experience.
Cons 1. The $400 travel credit can only be used on American Express Travel which is a poorly designed travel site with lots of bugs. It does not make for a good experience. As a global conglomerate, I can;t understand why American Express have failed to invest more in their travel site. Also, the site doesn't offer up all flights. I've noticed they never have the budget fares for Virgin or Qantas and only seem to have the flexi and premium fares. So whilst you get $400 travel credit, you may not be able to use it economically.
2. They've recently lowered the conversion rate for American Express reward points to Velocity reward points.
3. American Express cards are still widely shunned by merchants in Australia. I'd say 80% of merchants won;t accept American Express and the ones who do will normally charge 2% to 3% for the privilege.
4. Interest rate is high but not an issue if you pay your balance by the due date each month.
Ripped off my points ! – I have well over 160,000 points and I wanted to transfer to Asiamiles before the 15 April deadline of the massive devaluation. I transfer twice three and two weeks before the deadline and they have both failed. Right after the devaluation they say now I can transfer, but only under the new rate. This means I would lose at least a one way flight… Read more
to Asia in points.
Beside after the massive devaluation there is little point keeping the Amex as a lot of merchants still not accept it, or will have a higher surcharge for using it. The $400 Amex travel credit is of little value as they are offer a less range of hotels and flights and are more expensive than other websites such as Expedia and Booking.com anyway. Their foreign currency commission is one of the highest among other credit cards.
Excellent rewards program – Pros: 60,000 AMEX bonus point promo at the time of application. Member points can be used for things like travel, shopping or transferred to partner programs like Velocity (which I do frequently). 2 x Free annual access to the AMEX lounge at Sydney Airport. $400 travel voucher via AMEX travel website each year. Special offers on retail (such as… Read more
spend $25 and get $15 back). Promotes programs that encourages spending at small businesses. Widely accepted home and abroad (but not as much as Visa and Mastercard). Great online account platform
Cons: Expensive $395 annual fee (offset by the travel voucher)
I use this card a lot and it has enabled me to save a tonne of points that I have used for travel.
Summary: get it if you plan to use it a lot i.e. pay bills on the card and repay in full each month. Then watch your points grow quickly
AMEX Explorer 60k point bonus using referral link – Excellent value Card. $395 annual fee offset by $400 in travel credit for use on any flight or hotel booking. Complimentary travel insurances included when you use the card to book your travel. Easy app to keep track of spend. The Card has a Great look with a solid dark colour which makes it seem like a premium Card. Handy backup Card to… Read more
accumulate frequent flyer points are a better earn rate. Use [referral link removed] to sign up and get a 60,000 point bonus (I also receive 30,000 points).
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