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 additional point on Qantas spend)
Purchase interest rate of 20.74% p.a. with up to 44 days interest-free
Charges a 3% foreign currency conversion fee
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 issues 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 and low fee options 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 are linked to its Membership Rewards programs. You can use these cards to earn Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases. Some boast big bonus points offers for new Amex customers, which can sometimes be as high as 150,000 points when you meet the spend requirement.
You can use your Membership Rewards to 'pay with points' and shop online at David Jones or Ticketmaster. Membership Rewards can be redeemed for holidays through American Express Travel or redeem them for gift cards with big brands including Coles, Myer, Bunnings and Country Road.
If you prefer frequent flyer points, 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 and access to Amex Experiences.
These rewards cards typically charge higher annual fees and interest rates than cards with fewer extra features.
Frequent flyer credit cards
American Express offers frequent flyer cards that are linked to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. These cards regularly have bonus points offers and can be used to earn points per $1 spent on eligible purchases. You can then redeem your points for flights, travel packages and more through your preferred frequent flyer program.
Some of these cards come with extra features including complimentary travel insurance, complimentary flight vouchers and airline lounge passes. These extra features 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 on sign up points. You usually need to apply by an offer end date and meet a spend requirement (such as spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days) to get the points.
Low rate credit cards
If you want to save on credit card costs, you can consider an American Express credit card with a low interest rate. Cards such as the American Express Essential credit card and the American Express Low Rate credit cards both charge competitive purchase interest rates. These cards often sometimes come with low or no annual fees. Some low rate American Express cards are linked with the Membership Rewards program, although they'll usually have less competitive earn rates than platinum products.
Store credit cards
The 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. Business cards generally have higher credit limits than products designed for personal use.
The benefits of banking with American Express
From rewards programs to exclusive perks, here are some of the extra features and benefits you can expect with an American Express credit card.
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 few 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.
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.
Cardholder status. Many American Express credit cards offer bonus points promotions. In order to be eligible for most bonus points offers, you will need to be a new card member, meaning you cannot currently hold or have held an American Express card within the previous 18 months.
Credit history. Applicants must have a good credit rating.
Age. Applicants must be at least 18 years or older.
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 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.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
* The credit card offers compared on this page are chosen from a range of credit
cards finder.com.au has access to track details from and is not representative
of all the products available in the market. Products are displayed in no particular
order or ranking. The use of terms 'Best' and 'Top' are not product ratings and are
subject to our disclaimer.
You should consider seeking independent financial advice and consider your own
personal financial circumstances when comparing cards.
Feedback
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We compare from a wide set of banks, insurers and product issuers. We value our editorial independence and follow editorial guidelines.
finder.com.au has access to track details from the product issuers listed on our sites. Although we provide information on the products offered by a wide range of issuers, we don't cover every available product or service.
Please note that the information published on our site should not be construed as personal advice and does not consider your personal needs and circumstances. While our site will provide you with factual information and general advice to help you make better decisions, it isn't a substitute for professional advice. You should consider whether the products or services featured on our site are appropriate for your needs. If you're unsure about anything, seek professional advice before you apply for any product or commit to any plan.
Products marked as 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money here.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labelling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
Providing or obtaining an estimated insurance quote through us does not guarantee you can get the insurance. Acceptance by insurance companies is based on things like occupation, health and lifestyle. By providing you with the ability to apply for a credit card or loan, we are not guaranteeing that your application will be approved. Your application for credit products is subject to the Provider's terms and conditions as well as their application and lending criteria.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
