Offer ends: 25 May 2027
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Offer available to new American Express Card Members only. T&Cs apply.
Card Overview
Key Attributes
Earn
Velocity Points per $1
1.75 Points
on eligible Virgin Australia purchases³
1 Point
on everyday purchases, excluding the providers below³
0.5 Points
at government bodies in Australia, including Australia Post and the Australian Tax Office³
Travel Benefits
Travel Insurance
Complimentary Travel Insurance² when you use your Card to pay for your return trip. (PDS)
$50 Virgin Australia Statement Credit
Spend $50 or more on eligible flights on your Card with Virgin Australia and receive a $50 statement credit⁶, once per redemption period. Enrolment required. Benefits end 31 December 2026. Exclusions apply.
Minimum Spend
$3,000
on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from approval.
Annual Fee
$95 p.a.
Points Cap
Yes
After a total of 12,000 Velocity Points is earned on your Velocity Escape Plus Card Account in a calendar year, your everyday earn rate will change from 1 to 0.75 Velocity Points per $1 spent on everyday purchases.
ATO Points
No
Overseas Transaction Fee
3.5%
of the converted amount
Interest-free period
Up to 55 days
Purchase Rate
23.99% p.a.
Why Choose This Card
The American Express Velocity Escape card is perfect for getting access to a Velocity points-earning credit card, without the larger annual fees of other credit cards.
A solid earn rate of up to 1 Velocity Point per $1 spent³, with bonus points for purchases with Virgin Australia, allows you to rack up points quickly through your everyday spend. We also like the $50 Virgin Australia statement credit⁶, which is credited when you spend $50 or more with Virgin Australia in a single transaction.
This card also comes with a range of complimentary insurances, including international travel insurance².
Overall this card is great for budget-conscious points-hunters, with a low annual fee and useful benefits.
This guide references some of the benefits of insurance policies provided with this card. You should read the PDS and obtain independent professional advice before obtaining this product.
Where could 20,000 Velocity Points take you?
You could redeem them for the following:
Extra Benefits
Complimentary Insurances
Insurance Cover² Includes: Medical Emergency Expenses Cover, Trip Cancellation and Amendment Cover, Personal Baggage, Valuables, Money and Travel Documents Cover and Personal Liability (PDS).
Mobile Wallet
Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Samsung Pay.
American Express is offering 20,000 bonus Velocity Points¹ for new American Express Card Members who apply online by 25 May 2027, are approved and spend $3,000 or more on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from approval.
It is a Velocity Point-earning card that comes with complimentary Travel Insurance² when you pay for your return trip using the Card, plus a $50 Virgin Australia Statement Creditⁱ each year, for a $95 annual fee.
Who is the American Express Velocity Escape Plus Card for?
This card will likely suit those:
- who frequently travel on Virgin Australia
- who are averse to cards with high annual fees and are looking for a low annual fee card that still earns Velocity Points
Digging into the details
The American Express Velocity Escape Plus Card is visually cut from the same cloth, but targeted at a different customer to the high-end sister credit card the Velocity Platinum.
Card Details
| Card | American Express Velocity Escape Plus Card |
| Loyalty program | Velocity Frequent Flyer |
| Points earned from spend | 1.75 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible Virgin Australia purchases3 1 Velocity Point per $1 spent on everyday purchases, excluding the providers below3 0.5 Velocity Points per $1 spent at government bodies in Australia, including Australia Post and the Australian Tax Office3 |
| Points cap | After a total of 12,000 Velocity Points are earned on your Velocity Escape Plus Card Account in a calendar year, your everyday earn rate will change from 1 to 0.75 Velocity Points per $1 spent on everyday purchases |
| Earns points at ATO | Yes |
| Additional card members | Up to 4 additional Card Members at no additional cost4 |
| Included Insurances | Complimentary Travel Insurance2 when you use the Card to pay for your return trip. Cover Includes: - Medical Emergency Expenses Cover - Trip Cancellation and Amendment Cover - Personal Baggage, Valuables, Money And Travel Documents Cover - Personal Liability Terms, conditions and exclusions apply (such as maximum age limits, pre-existing medical conditions and cover limits) |
| Mobile wallet | Support Apple Pay®, Google Wallet™ and Samsung Pay |
| Annual fee | $95 p.a. |
This is a low annual fee card that is ideal for Velocity Point earners who don’t want a heap of benefits with their card and also don’t want to stump up for the annual fee.
By spending on your American Express Velocity Escape Plus Card, you’ll earn 1.75 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible Virgin Australia purchases, 1 Velocity Point per $1 spent on everyday purchases, excluding government bodies and the ATO, which earn 0.5 Velocity Points per $1 spent. After a total of 12,000 Velocity Points are earned on your Velocity Escape Plus Card Account in a calendar year, your everyday purchases earn rate will change from 1 to 0.75 Velocity Points per $1 spent.³
You can add up to four additional Card Members at no extra cost, allowing household members to share the account.
The card is also eligible for Amex Offers, which provide American Express Card Members opportunities to be rewarded in many ways, just by spending on their Card.
Complimentary Travel Insurance
When you travel, don’t let an accident trip you up. When you book and pay for your return trip with your American Express Velocity Escape Plus Card, you’ll get domestic and overseas Travel Insurance.²
Your complimentary Travel Insurance includes:
- Medical Emergency Expenses Cover
- Trip Cancellation and Amendment Cover
- Personal Baggage, Valuables, Money And Travel Documents Cover
- Personal Liability
Terms, conditions and exclusions apply (such as maximum age limits, pre-existing medical conditions, and cover limits). Please refer to the ‘Schedule of Benefits’ section of the Insurance Terms and Conditions for full details.
It is important you read your American Express Card Insurance Terms and Conditions and consider whether the insurance is right for you. We do not provide advice about the insurance or whether it is appropriate for your objectives, financial situation or needs.
American Express Plan It
American Express ‘Plan It’⁵ allows Card Members to pay off eligible transactions or a portion of your balance in equal monthly instalments. You can choose between a 3, 6 or 12 month plan, and there’s no interest, but a fixed monthly fee applies to access this feature. The minimum plan amount is $100. Terms & Conditions apply.
Mobile wallet integration
American Express Cards work with Apple Pay®, Google Wallet™ and Samsung Pay, meaning you can use this card on your smartphone for easier payments.
Read the Point Hacks guide to using Apple Pay or for using Google Wallet and Samsung Pay, including instructions on how to add your American Express card to those services.
With this feature set up, it means you could still use your NFC-enabled phone to make purchases with your American Express account, even if your physical card is lost or stolen and pending replacement.
Summing up
The American Express Velocity Escape Plus Card is a great Card for ongoing Velocity Points earn on eligible spend with a reasonable $95 p.a. annual fee.
Terms and Conditions
Cards are offered, issued, and administered by American Express Australia Limited ABN 92 108 952 085, Australian Credit Licence No. 291313.
American Express income and credit approval criteria applies. Subject to Terms and Conditions. Interest rates, fees and charges apply. All interest rates are quoted as an Annual Percentage Rate. All information, including fees, charges and interest rates are correct as at 5 August 2026 and are subject to change.
Eligibility Criteria
These are the minimum requirements to be eligible to apply for this Card. Other additional eligibility criteria, such as proof of income, will generally be required later on.
-
Be aged 18 years or over
-
Be a permanent Australian resident or a non-permanent resident with more than 12 months remaining on your visa
-
Have a good credit history and no payment defaults
-
To be eligible for the bonus offer, you must not hold, or have held, any American Expresss® Card issued in Australia in the past 18 months
Terms and Conditions
¹ 20,000 bonus Velocity Points
20,000 bonus Velocity Points are only available to new American Express Card Members who apply online by 25 May 2027, are approved and spend $3,000 or more on eligible purchases on your new Card in the first 3 months from the Card approval date. 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. Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the past 18 months are ineligible for this offer. 20,000 bonus Velocity Points will be awarded to the eligible Card Member’s account 8-10 weeks after the spend criteria has been met. Velocity Points are earned in accordance with the American Express Velocity Cards Points Terms and Conditions available here and are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Velocity Frequent Flyer program available here. $95 annual Card fee applies. This advertised offer is not applicable or valid in conjunction with any other advertised or promotional offer.
² Complimentary Travel Insurance
The insurance on American Express Cards is subject to terms, conditions and exclusions (such as maximum age limits, pre-existing medical conditions and cover limits). You must use your American Express Velocity Escape Plus Credit Card to pay for your trip in order to be covered under the travel insurance and for eligible items for those items to be covered under the retail insurance benefits. It is important you read the American Express Velocity Escape Plus Credit Card Insurance Terms and Conditions and consider whether the insurance is right for you. We do not provide advice about the insurance or whether it is appropriate for your objectives, financial situation or needs. This insurance is underwritten by Chubb Insurance Australia Limited (ABN 23 001 642 020, AFSL No. 239687) under a group policy of insurance held by American Express Australia Limited (ABN 92 108 952 085, AFSL No. 291313). Access to this insurance is provided solely by reason of the statutory operation of section 48 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth). Card Members are not a party to the group policy, do not have an agreement with Chubb and cannot vary or cancel the cover. American Express is not the insurer, does not guarantee or hold the rights under the group policy on trust for Card Members and does not act on behalf of Chubb or as its agent. American Express is not an Authorised Representative (under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)) of Chubb.
³ Velocity Points
As long as your Velocity Escape Plus Account remains current and in good standing and you must be a member of the Velocity Frequent Flyer program to earn and redeem Velocity Points. Velocity Points are earned in accordance with the American Express Velocity Cards Points Terms and Conditions available at americanexpress.com.au/VelocityPointsTerms, and are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Velocity Frequent Flyer program available at experience.velocityfrequentflyer.com/member-support/terms-conditions. Exclusions apply. Eligible purchases do not include Card fees and charges, for example annual fees, interest, late payment fees, cash advances, balance transfers, fees for traveller’s cheques and foreign currency conversion. These do not earn Velocity Points. For the full list of exclusions, please refer to the American Express Velocity Cards Points Terms and Conditions. Certain transactions will earn 0.5 points per dollar with Merchants classified as; government, including the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Postal Corporation (Australia Post), federal/state and local government bodies. Industry specific earn rate may apply when you use a payment account, payment aggregator, services of a third party or online retailers that sell goods for another merchant. For example, a payment made to Local Government bodies processed through payment aggregator may earn rates at the government earn rate. Velocity Points earned on Virgin Australia spend are only valid for purchases made in Australia. After a total of 12,000 Velocity Points is earned on your Velocity Escape Plus Card Account in a calendar year, your everyday purchases earn rate will change from 1 to 0.75 Velocity Points per $1 spent. Velocity Points earned on eligible Virgin Australia purchases made in Australia and the 0.5 Points per dollar on government spend, remain unchanged. The Points threshold is based on eligible Velocity Points earned during a calendar year and will be reset on 1 January each year. Velocity Points earned by all Card Members on a Card Account contribute to the 12,000 Points threshold each calendar year. Bonus points earned from Acquisition bonus offers and marketing campaigns are excluded from the threshold.
⁴ Additional Card Members
Member will be liable to pay for all transactions made by Additional Card Members. Earning of points is subject to the terms and conditions of the Rewards Program the Primary Card Member is actively enrolled. All points earned on Additional Card Member spend will go to the Primary Card Members Account. The Primary Card Member cannot add an Additional Card under their own name or email address and cannot add an Additional card under the name or email address of a previously approved Additional Card application on the Account.
⁵ Plan It
You can create an Instalment Plan as long as your account is in good standing. We may withdraw this offer, prevent you from creating any new Instalment Plans or cancel any of your existing Instalment Plan(s) at any time if your Card Account is overdue, or if you do not comply with your Card Conditions.
** Reward Seat fares
Reward Seat fares are based on Economy Reward Seat availability on Virgin Australia and partner airlines for the selected route (correct as at 22 July 2026). The base fare is payable in Velocity Points, with applicable taxes, fees, and carrier charges payable in addition to the Points redeemed.
Reward Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or during peak travel periods. Bookings must be made via the Virgin Australia website. Reward Seat bookings and associated charges do not earn Velocity Points. A payment surcharge may apply.
Changes or cancellations can be made for a fee and any fare difference, provided they are requested at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure. For international partner airlines, voluntary changes may require cancellation and rebooking on a new ticket. Where eligible, the original ticket value will be refunded.
Some flights may be operated by partner airlines, and different baggage allowances or conditions may apply. For full fare rules and conditions, visit velocityfrequentflyer.com.
Offer available to new American Express Card Members only. T&Cs apply.