Review: David Jones American Express credit card

Introduction

The David Jones American Express credit card serves up uncapped frequent flyer points with 10 airlines and two hotel chains, plus shopping perks at DJs like free home delivery and bonus points at supermarkets and petrol stations to complete the package.

It’s a good card to have if you regularly shop at David Jones and are poised to make full use of those benefits, but if your main goal is to maximise frequent flyer points on your everyday spends, other cards from AMEX prove more attractive.

David Jones American Express credit card: key facts

• Grade/tier: Standard/entry-level
• Card type: American Express
• Loyalty program: Qantas Frequent Flyer or David Jones Membership Rewards (DJMR)
• Qantas Points earned per dollar (Qantas Frequent Flyer option):
       Major supermarkets and petrol stations: 2.25
       Purchases at David Jones: 1.5
       Everywhere else (including government/ATO spend): 0.75
  
  
• Or, David Jones Membership Rewards points earned per dollar (DJMR option):
       Major supermarkets and petrol stations: 3
       Purchases at David Jones: 2  
       Everywhere else (including government/ATO spend): 1
• DJMR airline and hotel partners (2:1 conversion): Virgin Australia Velocity, Air New Zealand (2 DJMR = Airpoints $0.01), Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Hilton HHonors, Malaysia Airlines Enrich, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Starwood Preferred Guest, Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Actual frequent flyer points earned per dollar spent via DJMR: 1.5/$1 at supermarkets and petrol stations, 1/$1 at David Jones and 0.5/$1 everywhere else
• Points capping: Uncapped
• Supported tech: Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay
  
  

Fees, charges and interest:

• Annual fee: $99
• Supplementary cardholder fee: $29 (waived first year)
• Interest rate on purchases: 20.74% p.a.
• Interest-free days on purchases: Up to 44
• Interest rate on cash advances: N/A
• International transaction fee: 3.0%
• Minimum household income requirement: $40,000 p.a.
• Minimum credit limit: $2,000
  
  

Earning points for free flights:

Notably different from regular David Jones store cards, the David Jones American Express Card can be used wherever AMEX is accepted: both at home and abroad.

That’s underscored via the card’s sign-up bonus for new customers who apply and are approved, which delivers 15,000 Qantas Points or 20,000 DJMR points (equal to 10,000 airline frequent flyer points) when using the card at least three times outside of David Jones within the first month.

Yes, you read that correctly: choose Qantas as your rewards option and you’ll earn 50% more frequent flyer points – both via the sign-up bonus and on your everyday spend – than choosing to earn David Jones Membership Rewards points instead.

For example, a one-way Sydney-Melbourne flight in economy can be booked for 8,000 Qantas Points: earned after spending just $3,556 on groceries and fuel, $5,336 at David Jones or $10,667 everywhere else.

Opt for DJMR points and convert your earnings to Virgin Australia Velocity points and you’d instead need to spend a higher $5,200 on groceries and fuel, $8,000 at David Jones or $15,600 everywhere else to earn the 7,800 Velocity points needed for your journey.

Shopping benefits with David Jones

Along with earning frequent flyer points, David Jones American Express cardholders also enjoy the following benefits with DJs:

• Invitations to fashion parades and other events
• Free home delivery on items bought in-store and online using your card
• Complimentary gift wrapping for purchases
• Defer payment for three months after spending $250 or more on apparel, shoes and fashion accessories in-store
• Up to four years interest-free on homewares, furniture, bedding and electrical purchases of $500 or more in-store
• Delay your payments for purchases made between 1 November and 24 December until February of the following year
  
  

Airport lounge access:

Access to airport lounges isn't a perk offered with this card.

Complimentary insurance coverage:

Don’t hope for Platinum-level extras like free travel insurance or extended warranty cover to come included here, although purchase protection is thrown in for good measure: covering eligible items bought with the card for 90 days if they’re stolen or accidentally broken.

Not all goods are covered and other restrictions may apply, so be sure to read and understand the fine print before relying on this insurance.

David Jones American Express Card: the verdict

With purchases at supermarkets, petrol stations and David Jones directly attracting more points per dollar spent than everywhere else, this card is better-suited to people who spend more at these locations than anywhere else.

That’s because on all other spend, you’re earning just 0.75 Qantas Points or the equivalent of 0.5 Velocity points per dollar, and that’s only where American Express is accepted: earning rates which are easily trumped by many Visa and MasterCard products.

However, if you’re regularly dropping coin with businesses that welcome AMEX, consider also the Qantas American Express Discovery Card and the American Express Velocity Escape Card: both of which award one frequent flyer point per dollar on everyday spend and have no annual fees to pay, either.

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.