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American Express

American Express Credit Cards in Australia

American Express credit cards offer the points, perks and prestige you'd expect from Amex, available for every budget.

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American Express is a big global brand that's known for offering generous rewards and perks. In Australia, you can get an Amex credit card linked to the Qantas Frequent Flyer, Velocity Frequent Flyer and Amex Membership Rewards programs. It also offers a cashback credit card and low rate card – plus plenty of options for business owners. In 2021, it won 3 Finder Awards for its credit cards: Best Frequent Flyer, Best Low Rate and Best No Annual Fee.

American Express Credit Card Offer

Qantas American Express Ultimate Card

Receive 110,000 bonus Qantas Points
$200 Statement Credit

Offer ends 27 October 2021

Eligibility criteria, terms and conditions, fees and charges apply

American Express Credit Card Offer

Receive 110,000 bonus Qantas Points and a $200 statement credit when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, a yearly Qantas Travel Credit and lounge passes.

  • $450 Qantas Travel Credit each year and 4 yearly complimentary airport lounge passes
  • Up to 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases (uncapped)
  • Shop Small: Get 3 extra points per $1 (up to 40,000) when you save the offer & spend at participating businesses by 31/03/2022
  • $450 annual fee | 20.74% p.a. purchase interest rate
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American Express Credit Cards Comparison

Data updated regularly
Name Product Bonus points Rewards program Rewards points per $ spent Purchase rate Annual fee
Qantas American Express Ultimate Card
Qantas American Express Ultimate Card
110,000
Qantas Frequent Flyer
1.25
20.74% p.a.
$450
Receive 110,000 bonus Qantas Points and $200 back on your card when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. Plus, a yearly $450 Travel Credit.
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Qantas American Express Discovery Card
Qantas American Express Discovery Card
10,000
Qantas Frequent Flyer
0.75
20.74% p.a.
$0
Get 10,000 bonus Qantas Points when you spend $750 within 3 months, plus a $0 annual fee for the life of the card.
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American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card
American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card
120,000
Qantas Business Rewards
1.25
0% p.a.
$0 annual fee for the first year ($450 p.a. thereafter)
ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. Receive 120,000 bonus Qantas Points and $0 first-year annual fee when you spend $3,000 in the first 2 months.
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American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card
American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card
50,000
Membership Rewards
1
20.74% p.a.
$0 annual fee for the first year ($195 p.a. thereafter)
Receive 50,000 bonus points when you spend at least $1,500 within the first 3 months. Plus, $200 Travel Credit each year.
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American Express Low Rate Credit Card
Finder Award
American Express Low Rate Credit Card
N/A
8.99% p.a.
$0
Get a $100 Statement Credit when you spend $1,000 on eligible purchases by 31 December 2021. Ongoing $0 annual fee.
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American Express Platinum Card
American Express Platinum Card
200,000
Membership Rewards Ascent Premium
2.25
0% p.a.
$1,450
Up to 200,000 bonus points (150k when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months and 50k in year 2). Plus, a $450 Travel Credit per year.
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American Express Cashback Credit Card
American Express Cashback Credit Card
N/A
N/A
20.74% p.a.
$0 annual fee for the first year ($120 p.a. thereafter)
Earn 1% cashback per $1 dollar spent on your everyday purchases. Plus, an additional 5% for the first 3 months (up to $200) and no monthly fees for the first 12 months.
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American Express Business Card
American Express Business Card
N/A
Membership Rewards Ascent
1.5
0% p.a.
$109
ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. Up to 1.5 points/ $1 spent and extended cashflow with up to 51 days interest-free on business purchases.
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American Express Velocity Platinum Card
Finder Award
American Express Velocity Platinum Card
120,000
Velocity Frequent Flyer
1.25
20.74% p.a.
$375
120,000 bonus Velocity Points & 120 Velocity Status Credits when you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months.
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American Express Velocity Escape Card
American Express Velocity Escape Card
10,000
Velocity Frequent Flyer
0.75
20.74% p.a.
$0
Get 10,000 bonus Velocity Points when you spend $750 in the first 3 months, 0.75 points on your everyday purchases, uncapped, and a $0 annual fee for the life of the card.
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Qantas American Express Premium Card
Qantas American Express Premium Card
30,000
Qantas Frequent Flyer
1
20.74% p.a.
$249
Enjoy 30,000 bonus Qantas Points, 2 complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations per year and the protection of complimentary insurance covers.
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American Express Gold Business Card
American Express Gold Business Card
100,000
Membership Rewards Ascent
1.5
0% p.a.
$169
ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. Get 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points when you spend $1,000 within the first 2 months.
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American Express Business Explorer Credit Card
American Express Business Explorer Credit Card
100,000
Membership Rewards Gateway
2
3.99% p.a. for 6 months, reverts to 19.99% p.a.
$149
ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. Get 100,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. Plus, 2 airport lounge passes.
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American Express Explorer Credit Card
American Express Explorer Credit Card
150,000
Membership Rewards
2
20.74% p.a.
$395
Get 150,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. Plus, a $400 Travel Credit each year.
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David Jones American Express Card
David Jones American Express Card
50,000
Membership Rewards
1
0% p.a. for 6 months, reverts to 20.74% p.a.
$99
Get 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points or 25,000 Qantas Points when you spend $1,500 outside DJ in the first 3 months.
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David Jones American Express Platinum Card
David Jones American Express Platinum Card
70,000
Membership Rewards
1
0% p.a. for 6 months, reverts to 20.74% p.a.
$295
Earn 70,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points or 35,000 Qantas Points when you spend $1,500 outside DJ in the first 3 months.
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American Express Velocity Business Card
American Express Velocity Business Card
120,000
Velocity Frequent Flyer
1
0% p.a.
$249
ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. Receive 120,000 bonus Velocity Points and 120 Velocity Status Credits when you spend $3,000 in the first 2 months.
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American Express Platinum Business Card
American Express Platinum Business Card
400,000
Membership Rewards Ascent Premium
2.25
0% p.a.
$1,750
ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. Get 400,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you spend $12,000 in the first 3 months.
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American Express Essential Credit Card
American Express Essential Credit Card
N/A
Membership Rewards Gateway
1.25
14.99% p.a.
$0
Get Smartphone Screen Insurance of up to $500 when you pay for your phone or contract with this card. Plus, a $0 annual fee for life.
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American Express Qantas Corporate Card
American Express Qantas Corporate Card
50,000
Membership Rewards Spirit
1.5
0% p.a.
$70
Earn 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points when you spend $10,000 in the first 2 months. Plus, triple Qantas Points on eligible business flights.
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Amex Credit Cards in Australia

Compare the details of these popular American Express credit cards available in Australia:

Types of credit cards from American Express

  • Amex rewards credit cards

American Express Membership Rewards credit cards earn points per $1 on your eligible spending, which you can redeem for travel bookings, gift cards, frequent flyer point transfers or to shop at David Jones, Ticketmaster, Webjet or Helloworld. If you're new to Amex, you could also take advantage of an introductory bonus points offer on the card you choose, which can sometimes be as high as 200,000 points when you meet the spend requirement.

If you want frequent flyer points, you can exchange your Membership Rewards for points or miles with partner airline schemes including Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Check out Finder's guide to Amex Membership Rewards for more tips on earning and spending your points.

Want cashback rewards instead of points?

The American Express Cashback Credit Card offers 1% cashback per $1 spent on your everyday, eligible purchases and 0.5% back for spending with government bodies.

To give you an idea of the value, every $1,000 spent on eligible purchases with this card would give you $10 back on your account.

  • Amex frequent flyer credit cards

If you're a member of Qantas Frequent Flyer or Velocity Frequent Flyer, you can get an Amex card that earns either Qantas Points or Velocity Points per $1 spent.

Some Amex Qantas and Velocity credit cards also come with extra features such as complimentary travel insurance, complimentary flight or travel credit and airline lounge passes, which could help justify the cost of the annual fee.

Get more value: If you're new to American Express, check for introductory bonus offers that give you extra value when you first sign up. In some cases, you could get thousands of bonus rewards or frequent flyer points – making it easier (and faster) to get the rewards you want.

  • Amex no annual fee credit cards

There is a small selection of Amex cards that offer no annual fee ever, including the Qantas American Express Discovery Card and American Express Velocity Escape Card. Similar to other credit cards on the market, American Express cards with no annual fees typically earn fewer points per $1 spent or offer fewer perks than cards that charge an annual fee. But these cards do still give you access to perks including Amex Offers, instalment plans and, depending on the card, rewards.

  • Amex low rate credit cards

Both the American Express Essential Credit Card and the American Express Low Rate Credit Card offer competitive, low interest rates for purchases. Both of them also offer no annual fee and exclusive shopping offers, discounts, ticket deals and more through Amex Experiences and Amex Offers.

  • Store credit cards

The range of David Jones American Express credit cards offer exclusive benefits with the department store, such as complimentary gift wrapping and complimentary delivery options through David Jones online. You can use these cards to earn either Membership Rewards or Qantas Points per $1 on all your eligible spending – both at David Jones and anywhere else.

  • Amex business cards

American Express business cards give you access to useful features for business spending, tracking and reporting – including additional cards for employees and integration with popular accounting software like MYOB. You can also earn Membership Rewards or frequent flyer points per $1 spent, depending on the card you choose. Some of these cards also offer American Express AccessLine – a platform that lets you make fast, secure global payments even if a merchant doesn't accept cards.

Benefits of getting an American Express card

From rewards programs to exclusive perks, here are some of the extra features and benefits you can get with an American Express card.

  • Centr: By Chris Hemsworth – 2021 Amex membership benefit

If you have a personal, small business or corporate American Express card, you can get a complimentary 12-month membership to Chris Hemsworth's health and fitness app, Centr. To redeem the offer, subscribe to Centr via the dedicated Amex link and type in your Amex card details.

Your card won't be charged during the offer period and you can cancel your subscription before the end of the 12-month free period if you don't want to pay for a second year. If you're an existing Centr member, you can redeem this offer when your current membership expires, as long as it's between 15 February 2021 and 14 February 2022.

  • Membership Rewards

If you have an American Express Membership Rewards card, you can earn points per $1 you spend on eligible purchases. These cards regularly offer competitive bonus points and earn rates. Plus, you can redeem your points for a variety of rewards from cashback on your account to gift cards and frequent flyer points.

As long as you keep your account in good standing, your American Express Membership Rewards Points won't expire. This means you need to make all required payments by the due date on your account statements.

  • Amex Offers and Amex Experiences

Having an Amex card gives you access to exclusive discounts and cashback promotions with partnered brands like THE ICONIC, Woolworths and David Jones through Amex Offers. The current offers are listed on the Amex website and in the app, where you can click to save or activate an offer.

You can also access pre-sale tickets to concerts and other events with American Express Experiences. When you show your Amex card at the entry, you can relax in style before your next concert at American Express Entertainment Lounges at select entertainment venues in Sydney and Brisbane.

  • Amex Shop Small

Amex runs the Shop Small promotion each year, giving card members a way to get extra value from supporting small businesses. In 2021, people with eligible Amex cards can earn 3 extra points per $1 spent with participating small businesses until 31 March 2022. In past years, the offer has focused on cashback for spending at small businesses.

  • Airport lounge passes

A selection of American Express credit cards come with complimentary lounge entry invitations each year. Depending on the card, you could take advantage of the perks at a Qantas Lounge or one of the American Express Lounges at Sydney and Melbourne airport. Check out our review of the American Express Lounge at Sydney airport for more details of what you can expect.

  • Mobile payments

American Express is compatible with all 3 major digital wallets: Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay. You can add your card details to the relevant app and tap to pay straight from your mobile phone or device. You can also tap and pay directly with your Amex card at the checkout.

  • American Express Plan It instalment plans

You can set up interest-free instalment plans to repay new purchases over a set period of time, with a fixed monthly fee and terms ranging from 3 to 12 months. American Express Plan It is available for purchase balances of $150 or more listed on your most recent statement and will see how much the monthly repayments are – including the monthly fee – before you commit to the plan.

The payment details for Plan It vary based on factors including the repayment term, the card you have and the balance you want to pay off. But to give you an idea of the potential cost, a $1,000 purchase could be paid off in monthly instalments of $90.64 over 12 months (including a $7.30 monthly fee). This is based on details from the Plan It calculator on the American Express website. When you have an Amex card, you can log in to your account to get accurate details about the Plan It instalment plan options available to you at any time.

  • Complimentary insurance

American Express offers complimentary insurance on a range of its personal and business cards. The type of cover you'll get depends on the card you use, but options include:

    • Domestic and international travel insurance
    • Purchase protection
    • Refund protection
    • Buyer's advantage cover (for extended warranty options)

In most cases, you just need to pay for a trip or eligible item with your card to activate the cover. But all insurance policies have specific requirements, so make sure you read the fine print for any insurance that comes with your Amex card.

  • Complimentary smartphone screen insurance

Right now, American Express is the only credit card issuer in Australia offering smartphone screen insurance on some of its cards – including the American Express Essential, American Express Explorer and American Express Platinum.

When you use one of these cards to pay for your monthly phone contract or buy a new smartphone outright, this cover lets you claim up to $500 if the screen breaks after being accidentally dropped or hit. You can make up to 2 claims in a 12-month period, although it's worth noting you'll pay a 10% excess each time. To give you an idea of the value, repairing an iPhone screen can cost between $45 and $520, depending on the model.

Eligibility criteria

You can apply for an American Express credit card online in around 10 minutes. But before you apply, you'll need to meet the card's eligibility criteria. These are different for each card, but below we've included details of what to look for.

  • Residential status. You must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or holder of a current long-term visa (12 months or more, not including student visas).
  • Minimum income. You'll need to meet the minimum annual income requirement to apply.
  • Credit history. You must have a good credit rating.
  • Age. You must be at least 18 years or older.
  • Bonus points eligibility. If you're getting an Amex card with a bonus points offer or another introductory offer, you'll need to be a new card member. This usually means you will only be eligible for an Amex introductory offer if you do not currently hold an Amex card, or if you have held one within the previous 18 months.

Information and documents you need to apply

Make sure you have the following information and documents ready before you apply:

  • Personal information. You need to share personal details including your name, email address, phone number, residential address and a valid form of ID, such as your driver's licence number.
  • Income and employment. This includes your current job, your employer’s contact information or your accountant's details if you’re self-employed. You'll also need to provide details of your annual income, including any income generated from assets like property or shares, and whether you have any savings.
  • Debts and liabilities. You need to provide information about your ongoing expenses, such as rent or mortgage payments, your weekly food budget, loan repayments and any existing credit card debts.

What happens after you apply?

American Express will give you an initial response in around 60 seconds. You'll also be sent details about your application – and what to do next when you're approved.

Frequently asked questions

Want to compare a wider range of credit cards? Check out the latest offers for rewards, balance transfers, low rates and more.

  1. American Express Help Centre
  2. American Express acceptance in Australia
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