The American Express Platinum Edge fee free deal is back on, representing a saving of $195 for the first year of card membership. The card doesn’t come with a large serve of bonus points on sign up (just 5,000 AMEX MR points when you spend $750 in the first 3 months of card membership), and has been devalued in the eyes of some people with the replacement of an annual domestic return flight with a $200 travel credit. However, it has a generous points earn for everyday spend which many people will be able to use to their advantage.
Key card benefits:
*5,000 bonus AMEX MR Ascent points (transfer these at a rate of 1:1 to airline and hotel partners) when you spend $750 in the first 3 months of card membership. Those who hold or have held a direct-issued AMEX in past 18 months are ineligible - although my experience is that as long as you don't already have a card in the specific MR program the card is enrolled in (the 'Ascent' program, in this instance) you will get the bonus points.
*$200 Travel Credit every year (use to book flights, car hire, accommodation or experience bookings via AMEX Travel)
*0% p.a. on balance transfers for the first 12 months
*Free supplementary cards (use to access ‘statement credits’)
*Complimentary enrolment in the Membership Rewards Ascent program7 saving you $80 per year
*Complimentary domestic and international Travel Insurance
To apply for the card, you’ll need to report a household income of $50,000 or more.
Other benefits of the card that are worth taking into consideration are as follows:
It’s the highest Earning AMEX card for supermarket and petrol spend
The Platinum Edge Card will earn you points in the AMEX MR ‘Ascent’ program, with points transferring out at a 1:1 rate to a number of airline programs (excluding Qantas). It’s worth noting that this card is also the highest earning AMEX card for supermarket and petrol spend. You’ll earn:
*3 points per dollar spent at major supermarkets
*2 points per dollar spent at major petrol stations
*1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases excluding utilities, insurance (except those issued by American Express), telecommunication providers and government bodies in Australia where you earn 0.5 points per dollar spent
Current holders of Explorer card can apply and then link to Ascent program for the highest earning card combination possible
There are reports from many existing Explorer / Plat Edge card holders that the Explorer card (which operates in the lower value AMEX MR ‘Gateway’ program) can be ‘linked’ to the higher value Platinum Edge ‘Ascent’ program upon request. This will allow card holders to earn a flat rate of 2 x airline / hotel points per $ on all Explorer purchases (excl Govt spend which is 1 x point per $), making the Explorer and Platinum Edge cards the perfect combination for maximising daily spend.
Note the current referral offer provides 15,000 points but with annual fee charged for the first year, so isn't the greatest deal (possibly AMEX haven't updated this yet - will amend post if referral offer changes).
However, if you would like to sign up with the referral offer, my link is: https://www316.americanexpress.com/iFormsSecure/un/iforms.do...
Or choose a fellow OzBargainer's link from the referral wiki: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/american_express_referrals