I Sacrificed 10,000 MR Points to Keep Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card

By | June 2, 2018

It’s the renewal time of my American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card and so i called up Amex customer care to check on renewal fee waiver. Unfortunately I was said that waiver of charges on this card has been stopped in parallel with changes happening on the new redemption options.

Credit Card Renewal

Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card Renewal:

It looks like Amex is spending a considerable amount from the pocket to grab these airline vouchers (Indigo/Spicejet). Hence on a typical spend of 5L in a year, Amex don’t earn much and so they can’t afford a Full fee waiver based on the spend. However, they’re happy to waive off my charges if i’m okay to give away my “regular” MR points as below.

  • 75% Waiver – on deduction of 7,500 MR POINTS (2017, 2018 offer)
  • 100% Waiver – on deduction of 10,000 MR POINTS (2018 offer)

And so i ended up in sacrificing 10k points for 100% waiver of renewal charges. 10k points is seriously a lot to let go but I did so for below reasons,

  1. I don’t want to loose the high credit line on the card.
  2. Taj vouchers are something unique with this card
  3. Amex travel offers are one of the best and again this made me to stick.
  4. The new redemption options are good enough to hold on to it.

The best part to get maximum value out of this card is by availing the above said travel offers whenever possible, apart from maxing out the milestone benefits.

Requirement for Waiver (June 2018 Update):

So i renewed the card once again this year too, using 10k Points. This time though i tried hard with various escalations to see if they can waive the fee based on spend.

So finally i came to know that secret number. You need to spend 15 Lakhs+ to be eligible for the renewal fee waiver on Plat travel Card as of June 2018 and this may change from time to time.

Bottomline

As Amex renewal fee waiver policy is getting strict, it’ll be harder for us to get waiver in coming days, especially on Plat Travel Card. This is put in place past 2 years because Amex seem to have spent a lot in developing the new points redemption booking system and so they’ve decided to use the funds given for waiver’s to offset the expenses.

Hence, it’s good to opt for the platinum travel card only if you can spend a lot or if you can get more value out of it through various cashback/bonus points offers. Else, you may not be able to reap the benefits to its fullest extent.

Were you able to avail renewal fee waiver on your Amex cards? Feel free to share your experiences in comments below.

75 thoughts on “I Sacrificed 10,000 MR Points to Keep Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card

  1. Jay

    Sid,

    Just today I got my entire renewal fee reversed for the fist time and last year they had reversed only 50% of the renewal fee.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Cool!
      I heard that it maybe possible on spends north of 10L.
      Is that the case with you?

      Reply
      1. Dhinesh RK

        Sir can you confirm about the vouchers? Is it Indigo or Spice jet for Amex platinum travel card.

        Reply
        1. MT

          Membership Rewards
          Points Required Redemption value of American Express Domestic Travel vouchers which can be used for booking SpiceJet Airline tickets
          2,000 Rs.1,000
          4,000 Rs.2,000
          10,000 Rs.5,000
          20,000 Rs.10,000

          Membership Rewards
          Points Required Redemption value of American Express Domestic Travel vouchers which can be used for booking
          any3 hotel/airline tickets
          2,500 Rs.1,000
          5,000 Rs.2,000
          12,500 Rs.5,000
          25,000 Rs.10,000

          Reply
  2. Srikrsna

    I got this info from a recent communication from Amex:
    Pay your fee
    Redeem 12,000 Membership Rewards® Points for a statement credit of Rs.5,175, equivalent to the full fee of your American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card (Rs.4,500 + Applicable Taxes)

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Yes, but this is on Amex Gold Charge/MRCC card only.

      Reply
  3. Vijendra

    Siddharth,
    Did they offer you vouchers equivalent to the renewal fee amount?
    I was told by my Amex Relationship manager, that in case a renewal fee is charged, these vouchers would be offered.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      No, the fee was waived off by taking away 10k points.

      Reply
      1. Rahul Dwivedi

        Well in case you had paid the amount, you’d have got an equivalent number of points. So I see there was a net loss in your decision to pay with the accumulated points.

        Reply
      2. SaurabhN

        For this year they were generous to waive off the annual fee on my Plat Travel card by deducting 5k regular points. Happy to sacrifice them 🙂

        Reply
  4. Lalita

    I am reversing my gold card fee for last 5 year , let’s see this time (November) , plus last month some of my friend on Gold and membership do get membership reversed and bonus 5k point too !!!

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Shouldn’t be a problem with Gold card. Only co-branded cards are bit strict on waiver. Even that, if spends are as high as 10L, may get waiver.

      Reply
  5. Mouli

    When I took the Amex Platinum Travel card last september , I was said that it was life time free card and got a mail confirmation from AMEX Channel Sales Manager like below. still will they charge for renewal ?

    • You are aware of the fee structure which is NIL for the first year and NIL as renewal fee from second year onwards.

    Thanks,
    Mouli

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      No, you wont be charged in that case.
      Maybe you have applied for it on some retail offer (or) via corporate sourcing.

      Reply
      1. Mouli

        Siddharth,

        Yes you are right.Some offer was going on during last September.Executive said that its only applicable for that month.

        After that I referred my friend and he was charged for the AMEX Platinum Travel card. When I called to customer care they said that LTF offer is no more available

        Thanks,
        Mouli

        Reply
  6. Bora

    Same with me.. I have spent more than 5.5 lacs, still no free renewal for the Travel card.. so finally had to give up 10K points for the fee waiver..

    Reply
  7. Dibyaroop Ghosh

    Which one is better “The American Express® Platinum Travel Credit Card” or “American Express® Platinum ReserveSM Credit Card”…..I have the second one…..read thru the comparison between the two….

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Well, the “reserve” card gives you high-end hotel benefits while the other has good milestone travel (airline+hotel) benefits. Its just your personal choice based on your lifestyle. “Travel” card is well worth it.

      Reply
  8. SaurabhN

    Hi Siddharth

    Like you I have been using Amex Platinum Card from last 3 years and for last two year renewal fees I was able to get them waive off. But just like your case this time I was denied the reversal and ended up paying the full fee. Since I had already redeemed all my points for Indigo vouchers few months back I didn’t have much MR points to get the waiver off by sacrificing them. Anyhow I also find the value to be good if spending is more than 4 lacs, which is achieved easily in my case. So I am continuing with the Amex card for the bonus travel points.
    After completion of 4 lac threshold I normally move to my other cards like Yes Exclusive or ICICI Rubyx VISA for points accumulation. Do you think its a wise approach?

    Like always, thanks for your regular inputs.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Thanks for sharing your experiences Saurabh 🙂

      Reply
  9. Hiranmoy Kar

    Hey Siddharth, Thanks for the update.

    If I am getting this right, you did not have to pay the applicable taxes (15%) on the Rs. 5000/- renewal fee which comes to Rs. 750. So you saved Rs. 750 by paying with MR points?

    Reply
  10. Karthikeyan KR

    Will their Taj vouchers work at TAJ GATEWAY hotels ??

    Reply
  11. Rahul Desai

    Hi Siddharth, can you tell me how widely this card is accepted in India? I’m talking about the Jet Airways variant of this card. AMEX isn’t very widely accepted is the impression I have.

    Reply
  12. Alok

    You’ve mentioned a few times that “Amex travel offers are the best”. Where does one look for them? How do they compare to the current 10X promo on HDFC DCB?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Alok,
      Refer this link for Amex offers: Amex Offers

      We couldn’t compare DCB’s 10x here as Amex offers are usually seasonal except some domestic hotel offers.

      Reply
  13. S B

    My gold charge card is due for renewal in August (Bill generated in Sept). I called them up to cancel it, but was asked to connect back during Sept, but the operator was somewhat confident that the renewal fees would not be charged. I think since Amex platinum is a co-brand card, hence free renewal is a challenge

    Reply
  14. Alok

    What’s typically the best time to discuss annual fee waiver with issuers? Before the relevant statement is out? Or After?

    Reply
  15. Arif ehsan

    You just need to cancel the card. Apply again through Bankbazaar, get 750 Amazon vouchers and free card issue. And losing 10k points is a lot. Definitely better redeemed for SpiceJet vouchers now.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Yes, you can do. But not good in CIBIL front.

      Reply
  16. Sahil

    I have the Platinum Charge Card since the past 2 years. I got them to waive off the entire fee of 50k last year but this year they are only offering me 20k Taj vouchers against the payment of the fee. I am not sure if I should continue or not. What is the reward rate of the Amex Plat Charge Card? I don’t see you having done a full review on it here.
    My spends are decently high(a few lakhs a month) primarily used for dining, online shopping,etc. Based on this do advice if you recommend another good card?
    I currently have Regalia which is my primary card(hoping to switch to Infinia if they stop being so pricey about it or else SBI Prime) and a Citibank Premier Miles which is no longer attractive.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Plat charge card is not good for reward rate but is best for availing the hotel perks, elite status, etc.
      Yes, HDFC Infinia/SBI Elite would help for sure.

      Reply
  17. Preet

    I recently got my Amex Platinum travel card and while applying I told the rep that I don’t want to pay for the renewal fee and what she replied was that if i spend 1.90 Lac a year then I can call the Customer care and ask them to waive off the renewal fee.
    When I sent her an email with the above points for clarification the lady called back and told about the fee waiver verbally.
    Although I don’t have anything in written but as a proof I have an email which i sent them asking for clarification.
    Do u think i can use that and ask then to waive it off?
    Coz if its not possible then i better spend the money on my Regalia HDFC card who charge around 2500 an year and they have 9 times access to lounges and all.
    Also please suggest when is the best time to call them and ask for a waiver(Just before the 1st year is going to be over)?
    Please suggest

    Reply
  18. Captain Bishuddha Bharatiya

    I live in a small town Siliguri ( West Bengal ) and Amex do not provides any card here. But my Uncle has an apartment in Kolkata and I can go there if I have to. I can do anything to get an amex card. Please suggest what should I do ?
    My current ITR is only Rs. 3.3 lakhs but I can go higher to get the card. Please guide me step by step. Which amex card can I get easily ?

    Reply
    1. Prashant Gupta

      You can start with mmt payback card initially with this itr. For all ither cards minimum 6l itr is requires.

      Reply
      1. Captain Bishuddha Bharatiya

        They have mentioned in their website that they need 6 lacs ITR for MMT card. Are you sure I will get it with 3.3 laks ITR ? Will they come in my house and in my shop for verification and do they need landline number and bill ?

        Reply
  19. Prashant Gupta

    I also got the fees adjusted against 10000 MR points :-(. However i had 2 referrals last year so partly compensated.
    Got 50% fees waived off on MRCC.

    Reply
  20. Aroon

    its really unattractive for Amex to charge 10000RP for fee waver…. when they have been doing it in past for free….
    strongly worded communication from all users should make them think on policy change….

    Reply
  21. Biby

    I called Amex CC as renewal fee(2250+gst) was charged for my Gold card. Then they gave a better ‘offer’. They guy reduced the charge to 1125+ gst. Also he will credit me 5k reward points. Which is equivalent to 1250(or more if used for 18k or 24k redemption).

    Reply
  22. Praveen Perumalla

    About membership fee, I spend about 6L last year on my Amex PT card but still, Amex did not waive the fees. I escalated and even then they stuck to their decision. They said starting July 2017, they stopped membership fee waivers since the cost of the card has increased due to the addition of complimentary lounge access benefit. The only option to get a waiver is by using RPs.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      High spenders are still getting waivers, which does makes sense. So You have chances if you spend 10L+

      Reply
  23. Praveen Perumalla

    But probably not worth spending the additional 6L after the milestone benefits are over at 4L spend, just to get the waiver, when there are cards like YES first that give better benefits on regular spends that surpass the benefit from the combination of fee waiver and RPs from the additional 6L spend.

    Reply
  24. Hemanth

    I am planning to take a travel card, my final choosen one are HDFC regalia and American express platinum travel card, please compare the benefits for my spending around 5-6 Laks per year.

    Reply
  25. Suresh

    Hi,

    Recently I have opted for 10K worth Spicejet Travel voucher after crossing 4L spend limit. However, I got a single voucher from Airlines/Amex for 10K despite my request for lower denomination. Such High denomination means I will be compelled to forego certain amount, hence it is a way of fooling. Did any one has experienced such situation from Amex/Airlines, and any suggestion on how to deal with this…

    Reply
    1. Vijay

      I had the same experience , they are getting adamant on this inspite of customers raising this , i believe you can write to head credit card. may be a concerted effort by all of us can help us get through

      Reply
  26. Mr. Sarkar

    No Choice, They are strict and I got the fees adjusted against 10000 MR points :-(, doesn’t look worthy if your spending is within 5L, as after adjusting the points for renewal charges(Looks like to be 20000 in the next year, as as per their webste 1000 points adjusted for 250Rs, so for 5000Rs fee, it will be 20000, I did not calculated the GST, which will add up another 4000 points, i.e spending of Around 6L), hardly you will have left out with any benefits after the adjustment of fees. So decided to Quit and continue with other card like HDFC Diners, which is having lots of benefits.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      That’s correct. But if you could time your spends above 4L+ during spend based offers, you can get decent reward rate at the same time you may get reversal without sacrificing 10k points.

      Reply
  27. Sumit

    My mother with a credit limit of INR 3.7 lacs asked for 50% waiver for annual fees but was refused. So we got the card cancelled

    Reply
  28. SaurabhN

    I also had to sacrifice my 10k regular points for this year’s fees waiver. My total spending was around 5-6 lacs on Amex as Yes Exclusive won the spending benefit for me in last year. Again this year will be using my Amex Plat card till my threshold of 4 lacs is achieved and then will be back to Yes Exclusive.

    Reply
  29. Prashant Gupta

    It was renewal time for 3rd year. Last year i also had sacrificed 10K points for fee waiver, but didnt use the card. So this year there was no offer and i cancelled my card. Got the limit transferred to Platinum reserve and the points redeemed for cash that will be transferred to Reserve card later. They were offering me MRCC, but as i already have that in my wife’s name i declined.

    But still if u can spend 4L, this is one of the best card.

    Reply
  30. Nagaraj

    Hi Siddharth,

    I have Taj vouchers gained from my spends using amex card. Any way I can redeem them to the full worth, as I don have any plans to stay in any taj hotels.

    Reply
    1. Amex Guy

      I’m not fully sure as I get confused between ITC and Taj vouchers, but I think Taj vouchers are pretty restrictive. You can only use them for room charges and in-room dining, and nothing else, not even GST. So I doubt there is any other way, since you can’t give them away.

      But AFAIK, you can use them even at Ginger properties, and there is also Vivanta, so you can redeem them for everyday travel as well.

      Reply
      1. Vaibhav

        No i used it for GST and infact since room + gst was less than 10k, the diffference i used to buy some goodies

        Reply
  31. Siddharth Mehta

    Got my annual fee fully waived off this year 🙂 They had 2 options this year… Use 10k points to waive off the fee as I did for last 2 years.. or spend 2 lakhs in 60 days and get it waived off fully. I met the 2nd criteria as I spent heavily on my Amex card in the last 2 months to meet the Amex summer spends offer (spend 6 lakhs to get 30k hotel voucher). They counted those spends for this offer too and it worked for me. So I basically double dipped unknowingly 🙂

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Cool. I too got 100% waiver, surprisingly without any condition 🙂
      So it looks like they’re expecting less spends for waiver this year, not as high as 15L as last year.

      Reply
      1. Praveen Perumalla

        Sid – Got waiver without even contacting Amex? How much was your overall spend?

        Sid M – Until last year burning points was the only way for waiver (it is technically not a waiver though). Good to see this new spend based waiver option. Did you this option in writing from Amex?

        Reply
          1. Nn

            I got my full fee waiver without any points deduction! Spends north of 10+ lakhs

        1. Siddharth Mehta

          Nope. They did not send it to me in writing. I was told about this verbally on the phone. My total spend on the card was more than 10L in the last year.

          Reply
  32. Prashant Gupta

    I got similar offer on Amex MRCC: Pay fees first and then spend Rs.30000 in next 90 days and get fees reversed, which i did.

    Reply
  33. Khushboo

    Seems amex is giving different options to everyone. That’s not fair… I have been asked to spend 4 lacs in next 90 days for reversal of fees else I have to give up 10k reward points.
    Thinking about card cancellation and fresh application through a referral, just that not sure what will happen to the points accumulated so far – is it a feasible option, what impact does it have on cibil?

    Reply
    1. Amex Guy

      Yes it will impact CIBIL. It will also not help. If you ever reapply a card you’ve had with Amex, you don’t get first year pricing or benefits. They treat it as card renewal. So you’d be paying whatever fee they are charging now, without any joining benefit and without the fee reversal offers you have now.

      Reply
  34. Sree

    So its time for my renewal on Amex platinum travel and i called the cust care. After all the polite talks i bring up the option of fee waiver. Th agent transfers me to the concerned team and he explains why the charges on this card and so on. Finally offers me option of using 10k MR points for fee waiver. I was ok with it since my yearly spend was only a little over 4 lacs. However i had only 8700 regular points so the agent tells me the balance points would be deducted and once i earn more MR points it gets added to the bonus and i can still use the 10k bonus for vouchers. I didnt think it was a bad deal given i had to pay 5900 rupees as fees including GST

    Reply
  35. Manpal Singh Julka

    Hey Sid!
    Im absolutely happy with my amex platinum travel card( even though it costs me 10k points each year).
    I have a Yes First Prefered card, Citibank IOCL and a Amex rewards card.
    With the recent devaluation of the Yes cards, i really dont see any merit in it(even though ive been using it for over 3 yrs now and they are not willing to upgrade me to the exclusive card due to this not being my primary card).
    Can you suggest me something for my everyday spends with a holistic (and rewarding) benefits to replace the yes card?
    Thanks!!

    Reply
  36. Abhi

    I have to spend 4L in 90 days to get my fees waived. So different people getting different targets, probably based on how much they have been spending previously on this card. I stopped at 4L last calendar once I maxed out the benefit from Amex PT and moved to other cards esp DCB. Now it seems it’s better to spend well beyond 4L to either get fee waivers or less challenging targets for fee waivers.

    Reply
  37. MSJ

    So my Anniv year is about to begin, and i called up the Amex Reps. Got the following offer :
    1. 10000 points for 100% reversal
    2. 5000 points for 50% reversal
    3. Spend 2 L in 60 days for 100% reversal
    4. Spend 4 L in 90 days for 100% reversal

    Time to spend !

    Reply
  38. Bhavin Shah

    I called for few waiver and my request was accepted immediately probably bcoz of my spend last year may by 6-7 lacs

    Reply
  39. Sreetharan

    I called for the usual fee waiver options for my platinum travel and as usual the agent transferred me to the team that handles these queries, and to my surprise i was given 3 options that were usually not given before. 1)pay half the actual fee i.e.2950 including GST. 2)Pay the full fee of 5900 including GST and get 5000 pts. 3) Use up 5000 pts to cover the entire fee. Naturally i chose option 3 with no hesitations. My spends have usually been around 4 to 4.5 lacs for the last 3 years with Amex plat travel. This year i have already spent 1 lac in the first month since we have multiple offers. Maybe that helped.

    Reply

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