Ways to redeem American Express Explorer Card Annual $400 Travel Credit

How to use your AMEX Explorer Travel Credit: Redeem your Annual $400 Travel Credit¹.

Taking a holiday is a good thing at any time. Having an extra $400 to spend on travel is icing on the cake. So, when the American Express Explorer Credit Card is offering an annual Travel Credit of $400 to spend on things like flights, accommodation and car hire through American Express Travel, it certainly becomes worth a look. As the $400 Amex Travel Credit is provided each year, it could effectively offset the $395 annual card fee. Find out how to redeem on the travel you love with a $400 Travel Credit.

American Express is offering 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply for the American Express Explorer Card, are approved, and spend $4,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months. T&Cs apply. New Card Members only. Offer subject to change without notice.²

Booking Time: How does Annual Travel Credit work?

Using your $400 American Express Travel Credit is as simple, as it is handy. And as the benefit says, it’s annual, so being the primary Card Member, you enjoy the $400 credit every year. It will be valid for the 12 months from your date of issue and expire on the same date each year. It does not carry over, so be sure to use it on a booking that is equal to or higher value. You can choose to use it for yourself or book travel for a friend or family member, and you don’t have to be travelling with them.

A few simple steps are all it takes to redeem the American Express $400 Travel Credit.

VISIT

Visit the American Express Travel Online website to book flights, hotels, and car hire.

BOOK TRIP

Make a booking to the full value of your Travel Credit or more and select the Travel Credit at checkout.

STATEMENT CREDIT

Pay for your booking using your eligible American Express Card and we will credit the amount to your Account within 3 business days.

Hotels and resorts: Take your suite time.

Chocolates on the pillow, crisp clean sheets and a fully stocked mini-bar. What’s not to love about a hotel or resort stay? Using your $400 Travel Credit can be worth every single cent. And you literally have thousands of places to choose from around the globe through American Express Travel Online, from the world renowned bigger players with the likes of Hilton, Hyatt Marriott and Accor, to the smaller and more intimate boutique hotels, family-run hotels and lodgings.

You’ll find the booking rates quite comparable to booking direct and in fact sometimes cheaper when American Express Travel Online is running a promotional sale.

You can even get a little more out of your stay when you use your Travel Credit to book with any one of the 600+ hotels in The Hotel Collection³, which comes with a credit of up to US $100 to spend on dining or resort and spa activities, plus a room upgrade on arrival if one is available.

Whether it’s near or far, using your $400 Travel Credit is the perfect way to make a getaway an even better stay.

Going the extra mile with car hire.

For those with an adventurous spirit, car hire can be very handy, especially if you’ve jumped on a domestic flight.

You can use your American Express $400 Travel Credit with a host of car rental companies in Australia, like Avis, Hertz, Thrifty, Europcar and Enterprise. And you’re not stuck to just airport locations, there are pick-up and drop-off locations throughout cities and regional centres both in Australia and overseas.

If you decide to use your Travel Credit it must be for pre-paid car hire bookings, not for reservations that are paid at a later date.

As always, it’s a good idea to shop around across numerous platforms for the best price.

Use your Travel Credit to Redeem for flights.

You can get plenty of mileage with your American Express $400 Travel Credit when you use them for flights, especially when you’re looking at domestic flights.

Booking your flight through the American Express Travel Online site makes life easy, being simple to navigate and mostly offers prices competitive to booking direct. It also gives you an extensive network of both local and international flights to choose from.

In Australia, you have the likes of Virgin Australia, Qantas and Jetstar. You might also be happy to know that you can still earn Velocity and Qantas Frequent Flyer Points using your Travel Credit for eligible flights. A few useful things to think about when you’re using your American Express Travel Credit to book a flight.

The $400 Travel Credit is just one of the many American Express Explorer Card benefits you receive. Whichever way you choose to use your annual Travel Credit, it’s good to have in your back pocket any day of the year.

Learn more here

Cards are offered, issued, and administered by American Express Australia Limited ABN 92 108 952 085, Australian Credit Licence No. 291313

Travel Credit. If your Card has a Travel Credit benefit, the Primary Card Member is eligible for an annual Travel Credit, subject to Travel Credit Terms and Conditions available at amex.com.au/explorer-travelcreditterms. The Travel Credit can be redeemed through American Express Travel Online on a single eligible travel booking by selecting the Travel Credit when you checkout. To redeem the Travel Credit, the full value of the Travel Credit (or more) must be charged to the eligible Primary Card. Eligible travel includes flights, hotels and car hire when you prepay in advance. The Travel Credit can be used for 365 days from the benefit anniversary date and cannot be used past the expiration date. To check the expiration date of your Travel Credit if you have not already redeemed it, please visit americanexpress.com.au/travel; log in and click ‘Travel Credit’. If your booking is cancelled, and your Travel Credit has already been used and associated statement credit applied to your account, you will forfeit your annual Travel Credit benefit and American Express may reverse the statement credits issued. You need to be able to spend on the Card to access the Travel Credit benefit and it should be credited to your Card Account within 3 business days but may take up to 30 days. Your account must be in good standing and you must have paid the annual fee and minimum payment by the due date. If you cancel your Card, change your rewards program or Card type, you will no longer be eligible for the Travel Credit.

Bonus & Eligibility. Offer only available to new American Express Card Members who apply online, are approved, and spend $4,000 on eligible purchases on their new Card within the first 3 months from the Card approval date. If you are an existing David Jones Card Member and don’t hold or have previously held any other American Express Card(s) in the past 18 months, you will be eligible for the offer. All other 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. Eligible purchases do not include Card fees and charges, for example annual fees, interest, late payment, cash advances, balance transfers, traveller’s cheques and foreign currency conversion. 50,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points will be awarded to the eligible Card Member’s Account 8-10 weeks after the spend criteria has been met. This advertised offer is not applicable or valid in conjunction with any other advertised or promotional offer.

The Hotel Collection.The eligible Card Member will receive the credit as a deduction from the final hotel bill when checking out of the hotel; they will receive $1 for each eligible dollar spent up to $100 USD. Eligible spend includes dining, spa and resort activities. Eligible spend does not include charges for taxes, gratuities, fees and cost of room. Additional exclusions based on specific hotel restrictions may also apply (including without limitation purchases within the hotel that are unaffiliated and/or owned by third parties) - see hotel front desk for details. Credit must be used in conjunction with initial stay and cannot be carried over to another stay, is not redeemable for cash and expires at check-out. Credit is non-exchangeable and non-refundable and is applied in USD or equivalent in local currency based on exchange rate on day of arrival. Limit one credit per room, per stay. Three-room limit per Card Member per stay; back-to-back stays within a 24-hour period at the same property considered one stay. If an eligible Card Member cancels their room, any additional rooms will no longer qualify for benefits as the eligible Card Member must be staying at the hotel. Participating providers and benefits subject to change. Taxes, surcharges and additional fees are as supplied by the hotel at the time of reservation; however they are subject to change and will be charged as applicable at the time of settlement of your hotel account. Note that payments made in foreign currencies will be subject to a foreign currency conversion and fee at the time of payment upon departure.

A one category room upgrade is based on availability and eligibility at check-in to the hotel.

Valid only for new The Hotel Collection bookings of a minimum of two consecutive nights with participating providers made through American Express Travel Online (americanexpress.com.au/travel or americanexpress.com.au/thc), Platinum Travel Service or Centurion Travel Service. Available only for Eligible Card Members of the following American Express Cards: American Express® Rewards Advantage Card, American Express® Explorer Credit Card, American Express® Platinum Reserve Credit Card, American Express® Gold Card, American Express® Gold Business Card, American Express® Platinum Card, American Express® Business Platinum Card® and American Express® Centurion Card. Excludes Gold Credit Card Members who are not also Australian Rewards Advantage, Gold or Platinum Charge Card Members. Payment must be made in full with an eligible American Express Card in the Card Member’s name. Card Member must travel on itinerary booked to be eligible for benefits described. You may be able to use Membership Rewards® points and/or Travel Credit on the American Express Travel website as payment towards The Hotel Collection, if the selected hotel and room type provides you the option to prepay in advance. Card Member must travel on itinerary booked to be eligible for benefits described. The eligible Card Member will receive the credit as a deduction from the final hotel bill when checking out of the hotel; they will receive $1 for each eligible dollar spent up to US$100. Eligible spend includes dining, spa and resort activities. Eligible spend does not include charges for taxes, gratuities, fees and cost of room. Additional exclusions based on specific hotel restrictions may also apply (including without limitation purchases within the hotel that are unaffiliated and/or owned by third parties) - see hotel front desk for details. Credit must be used in conjunction with initial stay and cannot be carried over to another stay, is not redeemable for cash and expires at check-out. Credit is non-exchangeable and non-refundable and is applied in USD or equivalent in local currency based on exchange rate on day of arrival. Limit one credit per room, per stay. Three-room limit per Card Member per stay; back-to-back stays within a 24-hour period at the same property considered one stay. If an eligible Card Member cancels their room, any additional rooms will no longer qualify for benefits as the eligible Card Member must be staying at the hotel. Participating providers and benefits subject to change. Taxes, surcharges and additional fees are as supplied by the hotel at the time of reservation; however they are subject to change and will be charged as applicable at the time of settlement of your hotel account. Note that payments made in foreign currencies will be subject to a foreign currency conversion and fee at the time of payment upon departure. A one category room upgrade is based on availability and eligibility at check-in to the hotel.