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American Express Business Explorer Credit Card

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Terms and conditions apply

Purchase rate: 23.99% p.a.
Reward points per $ spent: 2
Annual fee for the first year ($149 p.a. thereafter): $0 p.a.
Interest-free on purchases: Up to 55 days

Our verdict

Offers 2 airport lounge passes, complimentary travel insurance, and a $0 first-year annual fee, which goes to $149 p.a. after that.

The American Express Business Explorer credit card is suited to people who want to be rewarded for their business spending. It earns 2 points per $1 on most eligible spending and 1 point per $1 with government bodies – including the ATO. Right now, it also offers a $0 first-year annual fee when you apply by 23 July 2024. The $149 annual fee that applies after that is competitive among business rewards cards, especially because there is no annual fee for up to 99 employee cards.

If you have employees, this gives you a way to keep track of expenses through one account and earn more points. You can redeem these for American Express Travel bookings, gift cards or point transfers to partnered loyalty programs including Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards and Hilton Honors.

Pros

$0 first-year annual fee
Up to 99 additional cards at no cost
2 American Express Lounge passes per year for use at Sydney or Melbourne international airports
Complimentary travel insurance
Up to 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent

Cons

$149 annual fee after the first year
3% foreign transaction fee
No ATM withdrawals or other cash advance transactions, which could be limiting for some businesses

The American Express Business Explorer Credit Card offers a mix of perks and helpful business features. This includes 2 American Express Lounge passes per year that you can use at Sydney or Melbourne international airports and complimentary travel insurance. It also has detailed statement breakdowns and transaction data that can help with accounting tasks for your business.

Details

Product details

Product Name	American Express Business Explorer Credit Card
Purchase rate p.a.	23.99%
Interest-free period	Up to 55 days on purchases
Min credit limit	$3,000
Card type	American Express

Eligibility

Available to temporary residents	No
Joint application	No

Rewards

Rewards program	Membership Rewards Gateway
Bonus points	N/A
Rewards points per $ spent	2
Rewards points cap	Uncapped

Fees

Annual fee	$0 first year ($149 after)
Minimum monthly repayment	2.5% of the closing balance or $30, whichever is greater
Late payment fee	$30
Foreign currency conversion fee	3%
Cash advance fee	2% or $2.50, whichever is greater
Additional cardholder fee	$0
Number of additional cardholders	99

How to apply

You can apply for the American Express Business Explorer credit card online, but make sure you check the eligibility requirements and organise the necessary information before you start your application.

Eligibility criteria

Business requirements. Your business must have a valid ABN registered for GST with an annual revenue of at least $75,000.
New cardholder application. To be eligible for the $0 first-year annual fee offer, you must be a new American Card Member. This means you can't have had an American Express card in the past 18 months.

Residency. You must be a citizen or permanent Australian resident.
Credit history. A good credit history with no payment defaults is required.
Age. You must be at least 18 years of age to apply for a credit card in Australia.

Required documents

Personal details. You'll need to include details like your full name, email address, contact number, residential address.
Proof of identity. This includes your Australian drivers licence, Medicare card or passport.
Business details. This includes your business name and annual business revenue.
Financial information. You'll be asked to include your business' ABN as well as proof of personal income and business turnover including recent payslips and bank statements.

Go to American Express's site More info

Card benefits

$0 first-year annual fee. The American Express Business Explorer Credit Card offers a first-year annual fee waiver when you apply as a new Amex card member by 23 July 2024. This saves you $149 on the annual fee that applies after the first year.
Membership Rewards Gateway program. You'll collect 2 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent on purchases and 1 Membership Rewards Point per $1 spent with government bodies. Rewards include travel bookings, credit on your account, paying for purchases with points, gift cards and purchases at David Jones, PayPal or Myer. You can also transfer your Membership Rewards to partnered frequent flyer programs including Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Emirates Skywards, with 3:1 or 2:1 transfer rates for most programs.

Additional cardholders. You can manage your employee expenses under one account with up to 99 additional cardholders for no extra fee.
Complimentary insurances. If you use your card to pay for return business travel, you'll enjoy complimentary travel insurance on domestic and international trips. This includes cover for damaged or stolen baggage, money or documents, medical emergency expenses, delayed flights and travel disruption. Please see the insurance policy document for more details on what's covered, the eligibility requirements and how you can make a claim.
Airport lounge passes. You'll receive two entries to the The Centurion Lounge at Sydney International Airport or Melbourne International Airport per calendar year. The lounges offer free Wi-Fi, charging stations and complimentary food and beverages.
Expense tracking technology. You can take advantage of an automatic transaction data feed with MYOB, making it easier to monitor and manage your corporate expenses under the single account. You can also download statements and transactions details, view balances and review business expenditure using MYOB, Quicken or Microsoft Excel.
Mobile wallets. You can use your eligible smartphone or device to make contactless payments at the checkout when you link your card to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay.

Rates & fees

Annual fee. Outside of any promotions, this card charges an annual fee of $149.
Purchase rate. This card has a variable purchase rate of 23.99% p.a. You can't use it for ATM withdrawals or cash advances, so no cash advance rates apply.

Interest-free days. If you pay your balance in full by the statement due date, you can avoid additional costs and enjoy up to 55 interest-free days.
Minimum repayment amount. Cardholders are required to pay a minimum repayment of $30 or 2.5% of the closing balance (whichever is greater) each statement period.

Go to American Express's site More info

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Amy Finder

Editor

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Ruth Mulhern

May 22, 2018

The American Express website is quoting 50k points. How do you apply for this offer of 100k

Nikki Angco

May 23, 2018

Hi Ruth,

We’ve read your message, Thanks!

Please note that we’re a product comparison website and we do not represent any company we feature on our site. We provide general information on products to assist you in your buying decision process hence we cannot recommend product / service that is rightfully fit for you.

Earn 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards when you meet the spend requirements:

— You can give your points balance a boost of 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards when you apply by 2 July 2018, receive approval and spend $3,000 in the first three months.

Business Loyalty Bonus. If you spend at least $100,000 within 12 months of your approval date, you’ll also receive a business loyalty bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards.

Hope this was helpful.

Cheers,

Nikki

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James

May 20, 2018

Do you get $400 travel credit voucher per annum with Amex business explorer card like you do with the Amex explorer card?

Jeni Velasco Finder

May 20, 2018

Hi James,

Thank you for getting in touch with finder.

As a friendly reminder, while we do not represent any company we feature on our pages, we can offer you general advice.

With this American Express Business Explorer credit card, you don’t get $400 travel credit however you’ll also earn 2 Membership Rewards per $1 spent on purchases and 0.5 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on government costs (such as ATO transactions). You can redeem these rewards to pay for purchases with points, gift cards or purchases via David Jones or Ticketmaster. If you prefer frequent flyer points, you can also exchange your Membership Rewards for points with eight frequent flyer programs including Velocity, Emirates Skywards, Air New Zealand Airpoints, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Etihad Guest. If you spend at least $100,000 within 12 months of your approval date, you’ll also receive a business loyalty bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards.

I hope this helps.

Have a great day!

Cheers,

Jeni

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American Express Business Explorer Credit Card

Pros

Cons

How to apply

Eligibility criteria

Required documents

Card benefits

Rates & fees

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