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Winner of the 2020 Finder Award for Best Credit Card Provider, American Express offers credit cards to suit a range of lifestyles and goals, including frequent flyer and reward points, no annual fees and low interest rates. You can use this guide to compare American Express cards issued in Australia, discover the benefits of Amex and learn how to apply.
American Express Credit Card Offer
Qantas American Express Discovery Card
$0 annual fee
Eligibility criteria, terms and conditions, fees and charges apply
American Express Credit Card Offer
Earn uncapped Qantas Points on purchases and pay $0 annual fee for the life of the card.
Earn 0.75 Qantas Points per $1 spent (0.5 points / $1 with government bodies in Australia and 1.75 on Qantas spend)
Purchase interest rate of 20.74% p.a. with up to 44 days interest-free
Ongoing $0 annual fee on primary and additional cardholders
Complimentary purchase and refund protection included
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Compare the details of these popular American Express credit cards available in Australia:
Qantas American Express Discovery Card. Earn Qantas Points on your everyday spending and redeem points for flights and more on this no annual fee rewards card.
American Express Essential Credit Card. This no annual fee credit card earns points per $1 spent and has a unique and handy feature: Smartphone screen insurance.
American Express offers credit cards to suit both personal and business needs. Amex is renowned for its platinum products and competitive rewards options, but it offers low rate cards and low fee cards as well. You can compare the different types of American Express credit cards available in Australia below to find the right one for you.
Rewards credit cards
American Express rewards credit cards give you access to the Membership Rewards programs and earn Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases. 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.
You can use Membership Rewards points to shop online at David Jones, Ticketmaster, Webjet or helloworld. You can also use points for any purchases through Select + Pay, book future holidays through American Express Travel or redeem your points for gift cards with big brands including Coles, David Jones, Myer and WISH (Woolworths Group).
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 for earning and spending your points.
As well as rewards, these cards often offer extra perks including complimentary travel insurance, American Express Lounge invites to use at Sydney and Melbourne airport. These rewards cards typically charge higher annual fees and interest rates than cards with fewer extra features.
Frequent flyer credit cards
American Express offers credit cards that are linked to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program and Velocity Frequent Flyer program. These cards give you a way to earn Qantas Points or Velocity Points per $1 spent on your everyday, eligible purchases. You can redeem your points for flights, travel packages, gift cards and more through your linked frequent flyer account.
Some of these cards come with extra features such as complimentary travel insurance, complimentary flight or travel credit and airline lounge passes. These perks can help justify paying a higher annual fee or purchase interest rate to use one of these cards.
Both rewards and frequent flyer Amex cards often offer new cardholders thousands of bonus points when you meet the spend requirements.
No annual fee credit cards
There is a small selection of Amex cards that offer you no annual fee – which helps keep your overall account costs down. Similar to other credit cards on the market, American Express cards with no annual fees typically earn fewer points per $1 spent when compared to Amex cards that do charge annual fees. But these cards still give you access to perks including Amex Offers, instalment plans and – depending on the card – rewards.
Low rate credit cards
If you want to save on credit card costs, you can consider an American Express low interest rate credit card. Both the American Express Essential credit card and the American Express Low Rate credit card offer competitive purchase interest rates. Plus, both these Amex cards offer no annual fee. You can also get access to 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 Rewards for purchases at David Jones and elsewhere.
Business credit cards
American Express offers business credit cards that come with useful features including additional cardholders to manage employee spending and tools to track your business expenditure. Some Amex business credit cards earn Membership Rewards or Qantas Points on business spending. Some also offer American Express AccessLine – a platform that lets you make fast, secure global payments even if a merchant doesn't accept cards. Business cards generally have higher credit limits than products designed for personal use.
The 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 credit 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.
Exclusive perks with Amex Experiences and Amex Offers
You can access presale tickets to concerts and other events with American Express Experiences. When you present 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 cardholders can enjoy exclusive discounts and cashback promotions with partnered brands including THE ICONIC, Woolworths, David Jones and more thanks to Amex Offers. Check out the current offers on the American Express website and register the deal to your card.
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.
Digital wallets and contactless payments
American Express is compatible with all three major digital wallets: Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay. You can add your card details to the relevant digital wallet app and use your smartphone or smart device to make contactless payments at the terminal. The American Express Westpac bundle cards also enable you to use your fitness tracker to make payments with Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay.
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:
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.
How to apply for an American Express credit card
If you've compared American Express credit cards and found one you like, you can apply online in around 10 minutes. Before you apply, make sure you meet the following eligibility requirements and have all the relevant documents and details you need on hand.
Eligibility criteria
The eligibility criteria vary between American Express cards but usually includes the following:
Residential status. Australian citizens, permanent residents and holders of a current long term visa (12 months or more, not including student visas) are eligible to apply.
Minimum income. You'll need to meet the minimum annual income requirement to apply.
Credit history. Applicants must have a good credit rating.
Age. Applicants must be at least 18 years or older.
Bonus points eligibility. Many American Express credit cards offer bonus points to new card members. This means you will only be eligible for an Amex bonus points offer if you do not currently hold and Amex card, or if you have held one within the previous 18 months.
Required documents
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.
Bonus point and promotional offers are usually only available when you apply for a card by a specific date. If you apply after this time, you won't be eligible for the promotion. Make sure you check the date of any specific offers you look at before you submit your application.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have a question about American Express credit cards? Check the FAQs below for answers to common questions about Amex credit cards. If you can’t find the question and answer you’re looking for, get in touch with us using the form at the bottom of this page.
You can use your American Express credit card with many major brands in Australia including Telstra, Coles, Woolworths, David Jones and Bunnings. Although American Express is accepted less widely than Visa or Mastercard, the number of brands that accept Amex is growing. Since January 2017, more than 135,000 new places have joined the American Express network in Australia and this number is only increasing.
Before you apply for an American Express credit card, check if the businesses you regularly shop with accept American Express to ensure it will suit your spending behaviour.
You usually can't take advantage of promotional bonus points offers and other introductory offers if you're an existing American Express cardholder. If you've held an Amex credit card in the past, you may have to wait around 18 months until you can qualify for another bonus points offer that's only eligible for new cardholders. If you're unsure, check the terms and conditions or contact American Express directly to confirm if you're eligible to earn the bonus points.
Most American Express cards in Australia offer additional cardholders and don't charge an additional cardholder fee. You can request an additional cardholder by logging into your Amex account and filling in a simple application.
This can be a convenient option when you want to share your account with someone or boost your point balance, as the additional cardholder would also earn points per $1 spent. But keep in mind that you will be the one who is legally responsible for all repayments and other account features.
Most Amex cards are regular credit card accounts, which allow you to carry a balance on your account as long as you pay at least the minimum amount listed on your statement by the due date. If you do carry a balance, you'll be charged interest on it at the applicable rate.
There is also a small selection of Amex charge cards – such as the American Express Platinum Card and the American Express Business Card – which require you to pay off your balance in full each month. As you don't carry a balance on these cards, standard interest rates do not apply. However, there can be serious penalties if you don't pay the full balance by the due date on each statement.
If you crack the screen on your smartphone, follow these steps to make a claim:
Get your phone repaired. Take your phone to a repairer and get a copy of the receipt.
Submit your claim. Complete the American Express Insurance claims form and submit it online. You'll need to attach a copy of your credit card statement that shows the purchase of your smartphone or ongoing contract payments as well as a copy of the receipt for the repair.
Remember, you can claim cover for a repair price of up to $500 when your smartphone screen breaks because of an accidental fall or impact. A 10% excess applies for each claim and you can make up to 2 claims in a 12-month period. So if the claim you submitted was for the maximum $500, you'd pay an insurance excess of $50.
Note that you won't be able to claim the insurance if the screen breakage is a result of any of the following:
The act of cleaning, servicing, inspection, maintenance, adjustment or repair
Breach of the manufacturer's operating or guidance instructions
Wear and tear or gradual deterioration of the equipment, or any damage that cannot be attributed to a single incident
Corrosion, rust, condensation or evaporation, dampness, dust or change in temperature, unless directly attributed to sudden and unforeseen damage
Any willful act, or intentional or reckless misuse of the equipment by you or anyone authorised by you
Any wrongful act committed or attempted by you or by anyone authorised by you
Amy Bradney-George has been writing about personal finance for more than 13 years – including over 600 articles as a senior writer for Finder. Her work has also appeared in publications including Money Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, Financy, ABC News Australia and Equity Magazine. Amy has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Drama from Griffith University.
The American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card offers 150,000 bonus Qantas Points, no pre-set spending limit and platinum perks including complimentary insurance.
Want to get more value from Membership Rewards points? Find out which redemptions you can use to get the greatest benefits and dollar value from your American Express rewards.
Find out how you can redeem your American Express Membership Rewards points for your flights and the destinations and airlines your points can take you to.
Reward your spending with Membership Rewards points, lounge passes, a $400 travel credit and complimentary insurance covers with the Amex Explorer credit card.
The American Express Qantas Corporate card offers a combination of expense management tools and rewards for businesses with an annual turnover of $10 million or more.
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