American Express Platinum Charge Card Review (India)

By | September 20, 2024
American Express Platinum Charge Card

American Express is known for their premium credit card services across the globe. If you’re looking forward to experience the most premium credit card offering from such an elite credit card issuer, you’re at the right place.

American Express Platinum Card which is issued as a “metal” card in India is an Ultra Premium Credit Card known for its premium lifestyle and travel benefits. It’s a “charge” card, hence it comes with no pre-set credit limit.

Here’s everything you need to know about this prestigious metal card that comes with a status symbol,

Overview

TypeUltra Premium Credit Card
Reward Rate1.25% – 2.5%
Annual Fee60,000 INR+GST
Best forHotel benefits & Concierge services
USPHotel Memberships

American Express Platinum Charge Card is one of the very few cards in India like Axis Reserve, the value of which has to be decided based on the lifestyle benefits it offers and not just by looking at the reward rate.

apply now

Apply through the above link & you’ll be rewarded additional 10,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points.

Annual Fees

Joining/Annual Fee
Rs.60,000+GST = 70,800 INR
Welcome Benefit100K MR points (or) Rs.45,000 Taj vouchers
Renewal BenefitVaries depending on the spends
Eligibility15L for Self Employed / 25L for Salaried

With 100K points one can get a value >50K INR by transferring them to Marriott Bonvoy, among other options. While only Taj vouchers are available as regular welcome benefit there is a way to still get 100K points, more on that shortly.

Note that, every once in a while American Express also sends targeted upgrade offers for the platinum card with lucrative welcome bonus, upto 135K MR points like the one we recently got in Jan 2024.

These upgrade offers are usually sent to existing cardholders with good spends. You’re lucky if you get one.

Credit Limit

Amex Platinum Charge Credit Limit
  • Minimum Credit Limit: 10 Lakhs

Even-though its a charge card and comes with no-preset limit, it still has internal limit or shadow limit which is more like a credit limit, except that it keeps increasing based on your re-payments.

Usually the limit starts at north of 10 Lakhs, however that will be usually available for use only post ~3 months of card issuance as the system needs some time to get in line with your spend pattern.

Design

Amex Platinum Card Design

The Amex Platinum Charge Card carries the iconic design all over the world with minor changes to the design elements then and there.

In real life this card provides a genuine metal feel that sets it apart from other metal credit cards issued in India, thanks to its authentic metallic colour.

Reward Points

  • Earn Rate: 1 MR Point per Rs.40 Spent
  • MR Point Value: ~50Ps to 1Rs
  • Reward Rate: 1.25% to 2.5%

The above reward rate is calculated based on the “minimum point value” that one can get with Marriott Bonvoy Points Redemptions.

If you’re exploring new properties (or) those located in not-so touristy/business locations (or) then the value could be in the range of 1 INR/point.

On top of that, if you’re Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or above, you also get breakfast & lounge access, which changes the game altogether.

Redemptions

While there are very many ways to redeem Amex MR points, I’ve personally redeemed them mostly for Marriott.

I have got a value of well over 1 INR / point at times, like my recent redemption at the beautiful Westin, Himalayas as you can see below:

westin resort and spa, himalayas review

But most of the time I’ve got 1 INR / point like those at JW Marriott Prestige Golfshire, Bangalore (or) Sheraton Grand, Mahabalipuram and its tough to put a static value on it as even the above keeps changing.

That said, most Platinum cardholders transfer the points to Marriott to extract maximum value out of them, as you can as well transfer MB points further to Airlines and get a better value through airmiles, among which Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, Avios & United are quite popular.

Forex Spends

  • Forex Markup Fee: 3.5%+GST = 4.13%
  • Reward rate on Intl. Spends: 3.75% – 7.5% (3X rewards)
  • Net gain: ~3.3% (only if you can get 1 INR per 1 MR)

It’s a decent credit card for international transactions as you gain over 3% of the spend. However, this is only for those who can extract a value of 1 MR = 1 INR as mentioned in above examples.

It’s not for everyone! I personally prefer to use other cards for international transactions unless the merchant is new & of low profile.

Having said that, considering the peace of mind that Amex gives you with their Zero lost Card liability, it maybe better to swipe Amex over other cards when in foreign land.

Airport Lounge access

American Express Mumbai Airport Lounge

Lounge TypeAccess Limit
Domestic LoungesUnlimited
Amex LoungesUnlimited
Priority Pass LoungesUnlimited
Delta LoungesUnlimited
  • Domestic Lounges: Both primary and supplementary card holders get unlimited lounge access to most of the domestic airport lounges located in India. These are affiliated lounges and not owned by Amex.
  • Amex Lounges: You get unlimited lounge access to the Amex lounges across the globe like Mumbai Amex Lounge. You also get access to the Centurion lounges across the globe.
  • Priority Pass Lounges: You get unlimited access to the 1200+ priority pass lounges across the globe. Note that only one supplementary cardholder can be enrolled for priority pass lounge access benefit.
  • Delta Lounges: Apart from the regular lounges, the additional advantage of this card is, you can also access Delta lounges when you fly with Delta Airlines. This may come handy if you’re flying inside USA.
Priority Pass with Amex Platinum

Note: You may need to request for a Priority Pass after getting the card. However, I was told that a digital priority pass will be available instantly, if required.

Birthday Benefit

Amex birthday Benefit
  • 10,000 INR Taj Voucher

Since 2021 American Express has been sending out 10K Taj voucher on the cardmember’s birthday. This is a wonderful benefit which I’ve been enjoying since past 3 years.

The voucher is sent a month prior to the birthday month, ideally sent by the end of the previous month.

Travel Spend Benefit

Amex Taj Voucher
  • Spend 1L on travel and get 15,000 INR Taj Yatra e-Voucher (twice a year)

This travel benefit is applicable every year and they keep shifting it between 30K/15K vouchers from time to time. Quite lucrative for those doing revenue travel spends on cards.

Hotel Elite Tier Benefits

The American Express Platinum Charge Card gives you grand set of elite tier benefits that you can enjoy as long as you hold the platinum card. To avail the tier benefits,

  1. Login to your Amex a/c
  2. Visit this URL
  3. Signup for respective benefits
Hotel Loyalty ProgramTierValue
Marriott BonvoyGold~ 20,000 INR
Hilton HonorsGold~ 20,000 INR
Radisson RewardsPremium
Taj Epicure

Marriott Bonvoy (Gold):

This is the most important benefit that you can get with the platinum card. The combination of Gold Elite status & 100K welcome bonus points makes this card highly valuable.

Considering you stay 10 nights a year with 5 successful upgrades, you can get minimum of 20K INR value out of Marriott Gold tier but there are many who could get more than 50K INR a year just with this single benefit.

I enjoy this benefit quite often as you can see it on my Marriott hotel reviews. This usually gets me upgrades, breakfast and few other benefits.

Hilton Honours (Gold):

This is yet another amazing hotel loyalty program which I recently explored at Austria & Ireland. The complimentary breakfast benefit has a good value especially in countries like Europe where the breakfast rate is easily like 50 EUR for two.

If you do 5 nights a year, you can easily get over Rs.20k value with breakfast benefit alone. If you put a value on upgrades, then you could save even more.

Taj Epicure:

It’s usually beneficial for those who avail the Spa and Salon services at Taj properties as the services are discounted at 20% on the bill.

The enhanced version of Taj Epicure membership now in 2024 also gives you 1 birthday cake & 2 access to the Taj Club Lounges which alone is well worth of over 5K INR.

Radisson Rewards

If you’re someone who’s already loyal to Radisson it does help you with room upgrades & more.

The gold tier helped me to request for an upgrade at Radisson Blu Guwahati but well no one cared about the tier at Radisson Blu Bangalore Outer Ring Road, so it all depends.

Golf Benefits

  • Complimentary Games: 4 per month
  • Complimentary Lessons: 2 per month

Enjoy complimentary games and lessons across 30+ domestic Golf Courses in India. Limiting lessons to 2 per month along with many other restrictions is actually not so good for a card that costs this high.

Dining Benefits

  • EazyDiner Prime
  • Taj Epicure

Eazydiner Prime is a solid benefit to have without a doubt as it could help us save ~45% on the bill easily when coupled with PayEazy offers.

Platinum Concierge

Concierge Service

American Express Concierge service is one of the most under-rated and under-utilized benefit on this card.

Nope, you don’t need to use it for collecting sand from the sea. It can also be used for all the regular day-to-day needs. But the new challenge is that we need to call them for all requests, previously they used to handle over email which used to be so handy for me.

Amex Concierge Service is broadly divided into travel & lifestyle. More about the respective services here:

Travel Concierge

Typically all concierge requests related to travel goes through this team. The services includes but not limited to:

  • Visa Services
  • Hotel/flight booking
  • Travel Itinerary Planning
  • Complimentary First Class Upgrade on Etihad

I’ve been personally using the travel desk to book Taj hotels at ~20% off the regular rates for very many years and it also gives a room upgrade most of the time. This is because the booking will go to the hotel as a “VIP” guest with an “upgarde” request from Amex “Centurion” travel desk. 🙂

Lifestyle Concierge

They can do pretty much anything under the sun with their Do-Anything Platinum Concierge. In most cases you need a lifestyle of its own to get value out of it.

However, you can also use them to delegate small tasks that could save you time. That’s how I use them.

My Concierge experience: I’ve sent them over 100 requests in last 4 years and what I’ve noticed is that they under-perform during peak travel season.

American Express Invites®

A unique programme that gives Platinum Cardmembers a chance to purchase tickets to some of the most popular events, often before they go on sale to the general public.

Apart from this, Amex also occasionally invite the cardmember+1 for a “complimentary meal” at ITC/Taj hotels located in metro cities. Here’s the recent one:

Complimentary dining experience

These kind of dining experiences are great, except that I wish that they could do it more often and in more cities.

Airport Fast Track

American Express Platinum cards issued in certain countries comes with the ability to access the fast track security lanes in respective countries and fortunately this applies to all American Express Platinum cards issued globally as well.

If you’re interested in this benefit, do check out the Amex landing pages in these respective countries: Amex Canada, Amex Italy, Amex Sweden. This benefit is also applicable at Austria & Belgium airports.

That’s not a great coverage indeed but if you’re flying to these countries, it’s worth knowing.

Supplementary Cards

  • 4 Supplementary cards
  • 1 additional card for Business Expenses

You can get up to 4 supplementary cards, which are also metal cards with your American Express Platinum charge card.

Supplementary card holders can also enjoy most of the above benefits that a primary cardholder enjoys, including the hotel privileges.

Don’t forget to apply supplementary cards during the offer period as they run some wonderful offers like: you can get Rs.1000 – Rs.2000 Amazon Voucher per Supp. Card on the Platinum Card.

Unboxing

Amex Platinum Charge Card unboxing

I’ve unboxed 2 Amex Platinum cards, one in 2019 (supp. card) and the other in 2020 (primary card). Feel free to check out both the links for the detailed unboxing. The packaging remains the same even now in 2024 as well.

Renewal

The welcome benefit for the first year takes care of the fee without a doubt. But from 2nd year onwards, it depends on the renewal/retention offer you receive which primarily depends on your card annual spends.

As of mid 2024, the retention benefit on Plat Charge with moderate spends of ~5 Lakhs a year can get you a retention benefit anywhere between 10K Taj vouchers to 50K MR points, which is historically bit low in the past 5 years, but of-course with higher spends there could be even a better offer.

Is it Worth 70,800 INR?

So now we’re coming to the tricky question!

Tricky because I’ve spoken to over 50+ Amex Platinum Cardholders in the past 7 years during my credit card consultation sessions and each one has their own reason to hold on to the card because it has given them memorable “experiences”.

While we can’t put a value on those experiences as it’s different for each, let’s see what the card can offer with it’s primary benefits.

Let’s analyse the total value of the card by placing an “average” price on each of the benefit we saw above. Here we go,

BENEFITDESCRIPTIONVALUE (INR)
Welcome benefit45K Taj Voucher45,000
Birthday benefit10K Taj Voucher10,000
Marriott Bonvoy Gold20K INR value20,000
Total75,000
  • Total Value: 75,000 INR + Lounge + Golf + Concierge

So you get bit more than what you pay, assuming you make use of the Marriott Bonvoy Gold benefit (or Hilton for that matter) just as most other card holders do.

Travel spend benefit is also another lucrative benefit to look at.

And then if you play golf 10 times (or) use lounge 10 times (or) avail concierge services often, that’s another 20K INR savings easily for “each” of the services mentioned.

If you avail all these services, then the overall value you get is huge!

To sweeten this deal, you can also get another 10K Referral Bonus Points by applying through the link below. That’s 5K INR value (or) one extra night at select Marriott hotels!

apply now

Apply through the above link to get an additional 10,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points + a set of Limited Edition Playing Cards designed by Manish Malhotra [Limited Period Offer].

Bottomline

  • Cardexpert Rating: 4.2/5

Overall, it’s a nice card for someone who loves luxury experiences in life. The downside is that the joining benefit shown publicly is restricted to Taj Vouchers, which not everyone would like.

However, do note that you may request for 100K points instead of 45K Taj voucher after receiving the card simply by calling the support. They “mostly” approve such requests from what I’ve seen. But remember that it has to be done before activating the card.

That aside, it’s not only a card for you, but also for the entire family, as you may share 4 supplementary cards with your family & friends so they too can enjoy almost all the benefits as you do.

So if you love Amex and want to experience this metal at-least once, then nothing gonna stop you from getting it. Enjoy the Platinum Life!

What’s your take on the American Express Platinum Charge card? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Author: Siddharth

Helping Indians choose the right credit cards, find the best offers, and enjoy luxury vacations for less using credit card rewards.

415 thoughts on “American Express Platinum Charge Card Review (India)

  1. Poornith Ninan

    Isn’t it excessive even for upper-middle class credit card users to pursue this card? I personally feel paying a high joining fee to get this card makes a lot of sense for entrepreneurs who can afford to write off the joining fee as an expense and those who get reimbursed for corporate travel wherein they can rack up nights with one of the international chains at the their employer’s cost. This is just my two cents. I am sure that others would view this card from different perspectives.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Totally depends on one’s lifestyle.

      It does work for Salaried too. You can consider like paying for a vacation and you get the card for free, as a super premium card member would anyway spend 70K a year on hotels if they do 2/3 short vacations. Again, yes, its only for very small target group.

      Reply
      1. Pikorab Basu

        How to use the card as in case of booking Hilton properties from India ?? Is there any hidden charges that are needed to take care of??

        Reply
        1. Pravin

          I guess no offical renewal offer ?
          What offer people got give some idea
          Thank You & Good Day

          Reply
    2. Venkatesh Sridhar

      Dear Poornith,
      How can the joining fee on American Express be written off as an tax deductible expenses, have you personally done this? I would like to add it to my ITR if this is possible!

      Thanks in advance.

      Regards,

      Venkatesh

      Reply
    3. Pranav kumar

      Well, i got welcome points of 1,25,000 points. I transferred 80k points to marriott. I got Rs 1,12,000 value in 80k points. I booked in Dubai. During new year time, dubai hotels get extremely costly, but NOT when you book in points. In point booking, rate remains the same for a hotel. I still have 45k points left.
      It totally depends on timing, tours you do etc.

      Reply
        1. AMITABH MAHESHWARI

          Sometimes such offers do come for people who are already having American Express cards. I got such an offer too, but I did not take it as I do not find this card worthwhile for me. HDFC Infinia is enough for me.

          Reply
  2. SH

    Additional value drivers:
    Golf lessons – This can fetch you between Rs 1500 to Rs 3000 in value per month (if you were to avail the two complimentary lessons). Green fee waivers can increase the value a lot.

    Taj Innercircle is actually Gold, as you can status match with Shangri-La Golden. Also you will get Silver status in Singapore Airline (with a promise of Gold after three flights with them).

    Adding to your note on ITC culinaire membership. This comes with a set of vouchers (typically 50% off on buffett, 25% to 20% off on a-la-carte, and some more vouchers for Wills Lifestyle). What more the ITC membership gets you 25% as ITC Green points for dinning at ITC and 37.5% points on Fridays, and your birthday week. You can get at least Re 1 value of the ITC Green Points, or can convert to Marriott Bonvoy and get 1.5 Marriott points. Additionally you will get Rs 4000 worth discount codes at Wills LifeStyle for your birthday and anniversary months (not sure what happens if they are in the same month). That’s not all, you will often get 5X points on your purchases at WLS. That is 25% off. Last Diwali I used this to get 58% off on fresh merchandise (5X from ITC, and 33% from HDFC DCB for shopping between 5 pm and 9 pm).

    Also there are dinning benefits: ‘Taste of Platinum’ that has been discussed before and IAP (Amex Guy has great documentation on the same)

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Thanks for additional inputs. Looks like you’re visiting ITC often. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Gaurav Malik

    I just paid my son’s education fee through this card and enjoyed 2x the points. Had initially faced a lot of hiccups with this card and had escalated it….Issues were resolved to an extent. Used this card to get a 25% discount on Taj Room Nights and the offer is still valid till 30th Sept 2019

    Reply
  4. Praveen Perumalla

    Big jackpot for you to get all the elite hotel and dining membership benefits as a supplementary card holder 🙂 Would be a huge benefit since you travel a bit.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Yet, I prefer only Marriott where I’m already Gold Elite. So not a big benefit unless I stop being loyal to Marriott. Let’s see 🙂

      Reply
      1. Neo

        Sid,
        you may want to expedite to BonVoy Platinum by calling the helpline & taking up the Plat challenge.
        16 nights in 3 months gets you to BonVoy Platinum.

        Cheers
        Neo

        Reply
    2. Amex Guy

      Pretty sure supps do not get dining memberships. Taj is for main card holder only, and ITC is for main card holder and his/her spouse (doesn’t have to be a supp). EazyDiner/Taste of Platinum/Amex Network Dining are for everyone.

      Reply
  5. Amex Guy

    Considering how hard it is to review this card, great job! While some things that I’d like to add:

    1. Taste of Platinum is very handy and does add a lot to the already decent dining options — ITC + Taj + EazyDiner.
    2. Shang Jade is much more valuable than I initially thought. 3 welcome drinks, and those things are expensive at their hotels! Shang hotels are great outside India.
    3. You completely missed FHR. On average, Plat members save $550 a year. But essentially, guaranteed room upgrade, $100 credit/dinner, guaranteed late checkout and early check in at an insane collection of upper end hotels. They also have a hotel collection that gives $75.
    4. Accelerated *A gold. You can match Shang to Singapore Air and get silver status. Take 3 flights and you have gold.
    5. I would not value Bonvoy status at 20K anymore. Personally, Hilton Gold is far more valuable than Bonvoy. It used to be much more valuable with SPG still around.
    6. There are a lot of interim offers. Currently they have 25% off (up til 1.5 lac per transactions) at 29 luxury brands. Depending on your lifestyle, that’s a lot of cash value.
    7. The new dining reservation program with concierge is great, especially if you’re booking high demand places.
    8. Plat Emergency services. If you are traveling, this includes emergency airlift, legal advice and counsel support, $8K emergency medical cash, $1K emergency cash anywhere. On top of that if you withdraw cash and call amex that it was an emergency, they bill it as spend not cash advance. You also get travel insurance 5 times a year (pointless if one also has Prestige).
    9. Priority Pass, unfortunately, does not allow free usage domestically. Which is why I never carry it. It is, though, issued directly by PP and is not bank managed, so you can download a digital version on Apple Wallet and always have a backup card on you that way.
    10. Discounts with Platinum Travel are available on economy and PE as well, not just business and first. Depends on airline. It’s on the website.
    11. Golf program has a minimum flight of 1 on weekdays. Which means on weekdays you do not need to know a member to book. A glaring difference between Amex and others.
    12. Emergency home services. Amex covers two home repair visits, up to 1500 INR in case of broken appliances, repairs or other home emergencies.

    That’s just of the top of my head.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Yes indeed. It needs a shift in mindset to review this card 🙂
      Thanks again for adding valuable points.

      3. I’ve been exploring this during my last trip to Vietnam but couldn’t find much of a value, and so I skipped. Will probably add it. Do you have any specific hotels in mind where you get exceptional value in SE Asia with FLR?
      5. But I find a lot of options with Marriott in the places I travel over Hilton and so I’m sticking to Marriott.
      8. Emergency services applies even if we don’t book flights on the card?
      12. This is surprise. Never even heard of it. Have you tried it?

      Thanks again!

      Reply
      1. SH

        It is there in the Card Agreement document. And for item #12 it is 1,200 INR. It is available online and I had read the card agreement end to end before signing up..:-)

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          I need to print this in bigger text to read all of it. 😛

          Reply
      2. Amex Guy

        3. Yes, it is a hit and miss on revenue comparison. Usually you derive lesser value on FHR in Asia because hotels are cheaper and offer a dinner instead of $100 property credit. But it’s still always worth checking. I use it now to book St. Regis Mumbai for example. FHR rate is usually 700-800 more, but I get a breakfast for 2, dinner for 2, upgrade to suite and late checkout, none of which Bonvoy Gold any longer fetches me. So a win there. I do have some options in mind, which city are you looking into?

        5. It depends on loyalty, yes. But Gold status itself is not much valuable. It does not give you guaranteed 4 PM (it did with SPG), guaranteed breakfast, guaranteed upgrade to next cat(it did with SPG) nor the exec lounge access. All of which Hilton Gold does. So, status to status comparison, Bonvoy Gold doesn’t have inherently as much value as Hilton, which is more comparable to Bonvoy’s Platinum now.

        8. Yes.

        12. Have not tried it. Waiting for summers and the AC to do it’s thing lol. Here is how one learns about all emergency protection
        Emergency services are insane. If you’re traveling alone and need medical supplies, they are there. If you get hospitalized or seriously injured, they can fly your family member to your bedside, or your doctor in extreme cases. If your trip delays due to sickness, they cover a hotel room up to $200 a night.

        Amex also just went in partnership with CPP which insures every card in your wallet, not just Amex. The usual plan you can buy for fraud protection up to 3 lacs (for 3K a year). The one you get with Plat is up to 25 lacs. They also have emergency cash and more India related services. Haven’t explored or activated it yet.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          3. Okay, I get it.
          Any city. If the hotel is good enough, with good tourist attractions around, I’ll go there 🙂

          12. Interesting, will check them out.

          Reply
        2. TG

          Amex Guy that’s a helpful link regarding the emergency platinum assist.
          Is it the same concierge folks who will handle these requests, or is there a dedicated team for this or is it outsourced?

          Reply
        3. name

          Hello Amex Guy, like sid; I just got the plat charge card. Could you give your take on this versus ICICI’s Emeralde card?

          PS: Sid, you should do a new comparison with such exclusive cards. I feel ICICI Emeralde is a good card with respect to cost benefit ratio.

          I’d love your and Amex guys take on this.

          Cheers

          Reply
        4. Raj

          Hi Amex Guy,

          Thanks for the valuable inputs. Could u clarify that if one books a Marriott hotel(say St. Regis Mumbai) through FHR, does one accrue Marriott Bonvoy Points? Also, the same question for the Hotel Collection.

          Reply
      3. Vikash

        I too enjoy Marriott service and being a Platinum member since last 3 years able to retain it. Luckily during lockdown they extended my Platinum status till Dec 2021.. They always upgrade to suite and also give complimentary BF or welcome drinks/platter with personal hand written note by Hotel manager. They really make you feel special.

        Reply
      4. Pranav kumar

        In south east asia, hotels are dirt cheap. So save the points for exotic locations. Mauritius LeMeridien ile maurice, St Regis..Dubai year end, Maldives, Moscow St Regis

        Reply
    2. carpediem

      Hi Sid/Amex Guy,

      thanks for the review. I was/am considering getting the amex plat just noticed that trf partners both airlines and hotels for the India card have far poorer transfer ratios than the US e.g. US Amex MR trf to airlines at 1:1 and to hotels like hilton at 1:2. For India,apart from fewer options, ratio is 2MR:1mile and hilton at 1MR:0.9. Only MR>Marriott is 1:1 both places. This probably makes redemption of MR for airline mile fairly poor value (half of the US values). Wondering how best to utilize the MR rewards that I will get since I’m a leisure traveller and will never stay in a cat1 hotel anyway (probably cat5 or higher). Also seems shangri-la, taj epicure and taj warmer welcomes gold tie ups/ cascading benefits are due to end by 1apr21? How does one then get any value from the card?

      Reply
  6. Sahil

    I had the platinum charge card for two years. Cancelled it and staying loyal to my Infinia. Hands down the Infinia is better. While I do travel a lot and stay in many of the hotels Amex has tie ups with, upgrades and deals are “subject to availability”. I have been a victim to this and booked a stay at St.Regis abroad but didn’t get the upgrade as planned.
    With Infinia I know that my returns are guaranteed in my kitty, with Amex there is a lot of ambiguity. I am averaging close to 8% rewards every month on Infinia by utilising 10x,5x sort of offers regularly. Moreover, whenever I had checked with Amex concierge for hotels and flight deals, I found that my travel agent had better deals and if I evaluated smartbuy 10x it also beat it hands down.

    Reply
    1. Praveen Perumalla

      Plat is definitely not for rewards game but for experiences that are generally out of our reach. Leaving aside the returns you mentioned, it is sad to see that Amex is not consistent is providing those experiences to all customers.

      Reply
      1. Pranav kumar

        I purxhased Marriott Bonvoy 1 lakh points for USD 1250. I got 50k bonus points. If you are planning to go on exotic locations, Marriott Bonvoy is best.
        But dont always use points. Use it on year end etc.

        Reply
    2. VJ

      I have to agree. I use the Infinia and the Platinum and the rewards I get out of the Infinia give me much better value. My Amex is up for renewal this month for the 3rd year and I am wondering if I should renew it at all given that no specific benefits are provided for the renewal and some of the benefits I received when I signed up initially (Vistara Gold Tier and ITC Culinaire) are no longer available.

      Reply
  7. Yash Narayan Dabriwal

    Would you recommend getting the corporate version since that gives points for utility spends as well ? Assuming benefits would remain the same except for the earning rate

    Reply
    1. SH

      Yash,

      You can get points on utility (or insurance spends for that matter), by just paying through PayTM (or other wallets that accept Amex). Amex sees it as a PayTM expense and gets you the points. You don’t even have to load PayTM beforehand – just use the PayTM gateway. Also you can do the same trick to get MRs for fuel transactions too.

      Cheers!
      SH

      Reply
  8. Ccgeek

    Hey amexguy,

    I have been following you and Sid for a while. Really have come to strongly dislike the amex plat. After your advice on using the plat charge as my primary card I was hoping their conceirge improves. Yet again they delivered …. absolute utter failure. Ask wasn’t astronomical. Just a few tickets to Avengers that too 2 weeks in advance.

    The conceirge lady called me up and explained why she could not book tickets on book my show!!! Obviously there weren’t any and hence the request. Request remained unfulfilled.

    I am definitely not renewing it next year. Prestige and diners provide far better value and service.

    Reply
  9. Praveen Perumalla

    ‘ targeted upgrade offers for the platinum card’ – the link is of Platinum Travel Card and not the Charge card. You’ll have to update.

    Reply
  10. Praveen Perumalla

    “The only reason that you need to consider is the new soft rule by Amex that don’t let you be eligible for the Amex spend based offers once you’re a Plat Card holder.” – Are you sure about this one?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Yes. But this may change anytime as a lot of cardmembers don’t like it.

      Reply
  11. Priyansh Modi

    Due to many indirect benefits, I guess this is one of most complicated card to consider and review.

    I personally don’t think would be able to take advantage of this card much due to my lifestyle and considering that I more often than not book via OTA with discounts.

    But i am sure for many others, this gives insane value.

    Anyway, loved the review..

    Reply
  12. Sadiq Dastagir

    I bought this card and gave it back in less than a months time, I was misinformed by the sales manager about the card features, I was told that if I go for the 100k points I can book flights and hotels worth 45k, what i was not told that only 25k can be used for international air tickets and hotels while 45k is for domestic use. When I called the concierge sercive for a hotel while I was in Kashmir, I need a room in Gulmarg and they gave me an option of ₹ 1.2 lacs per night at Khyber property in Gulmarg, I mean are you really serious? Can someone spend 1.2 lacs on one night stay? It’s a very hyped card from Amex and their service network is poor as compared to their boasting on the same. The ideal fee of the card should not be more than 15-20k. 60k + taxes could be someone’s one year salary folks, why would anyone waste their hard earned money even if you are a rich? The metal card is all a gimmick and it fools you. I hold Amex platinum and Amex reward card.
    Also they bluffed me about the 100k points by saying that it would be credited to my Amex card account after first swipe, I waited for a week and called them back and they said that after I spend 25k it will reflect within 45 days, i mean what did you charge me the fee for? Which means I pay them 60k + gst which is 70,200 then an additional 25k which makes it 95k almost a lac and they i will get maximum benefit worth 45k? Where is the remaining 45k gone? 45k fee for a piece of metal and hopeless service promises?
    Just to inform you ICICI bank has launched similar card with 90% same facilities and it’s called the Emerald card with a joining of just 12k which you can pay 1k monthly as an EMI. I took this up with senior manager of Amex and they didn’t have a word to say as my above points were valid.
    It’s only a big name so please don’t get fooled by the metal card gimmick please. Just not worth it.

    Reply
    1. Name

      I got the card and thanks for enlightening everyone here about the 25k swipe required. I realized the same when I saw the application popup asking me to spend 25k within a month or 45 days. I do feel this is a downer!

      Sid whats your take on this?

      Reply
    2. Amex Guy

      It used to be on first swipe, but the 25K requirement has been on the website for over 6 months now. It is also the first sentence on the new paper application, followed my a disclaimer that if you have any other charge cards, they will be cancelled.

      You don’t have to book the first hotel they tell you. They have booked even OYOs and FabHotels for me, which they technically cannot, but were courteous enough to call the hotel and book because I wanted to not spend much. Ask. It’s your travel desk, they will help you.

      It is also a really bad idea to burn MR points on Amex travel vouchers. You could have booked 1 lac worth of Marriott hotels at the very minimum, especially if booking within India, thanks to GST. Ideally, you should look for 2 years worth of fee back with bonus. Even basic business hotels like Courtyards in India will give you 1.5 INR/MR point.

      I can appreciate the fact that Emarald might be a better card for your situation, but you cannot seriously compare Emerald with Plat. It appears to me that you signed up without looking, and are now ready to give it up without looking. The God is in the details. 🙂

      Card being metal is not a factor by anyone I know who seriously uses this card. This card could be made of cardboard and I’ll still pay for it every year.

      What Amex desperately needs is more training for Plat. Both with sales as well as service teams. Citi has this nailed pretty well. Prestige simply isn’t sold, but sought after with a dedicated team, which also provides service. Amex is making a deep mistake of letting Plat handling in wrong hands.

      Reply
      1. Name

        Kudos your love for Amex and I say that respectfully. Maybe the card has been immensely useful for you. and I’m happy for that. Could you guide others on how you’ve maximized from the card?

        I liked this part :
        “You don’t have to book the first hotel they tell you. They have booked even OYOs and FabHotels for me, which they technically cannot, but were courteous enough to call the hotel and book because I wanted to not spend much. Ask. It’s your travel desk, they will help you.” — This is functional statement providing applied guidance as opposed to theoretical one. I’ve asked Sid in other thread to collaborate with you to give everyone on this platform a more comprehensive use case for plat charge card.

        I must apologise and respectfully disagree with your statement about: “Amex is making a deep mistake of letting Plat handling in wrong hands.” While income is one criteria, it is up to the applicant to understand the benefits of the card and prudence of the sales representative to guide the customer (this can be enforced by Amex). What is for sure is that there is lack of clear applied guidance on how to best use this card. I’ve read blogs where people have claimed they saved ~4,00,000 INR using this card or they have ~2,50,000 accumulating points on their spends. What they easily and sadly purposely miss out is “how”?

        I got my plat charge card 2 days after the article went online, I was given an upgrade from Gold Charge and Jet Airways card as I wished to close Jet and consolidate. I have E-Mail from Amex representative who is now my account manager explaining in writing benefits of the cards. He does mention 1,00,000 MR points but has no where mentioned a swipe of 25,000 to get those points. While it is subjective as to on whom does the responsibility fall for checking criteria, I personally in my humble opinion feel Amex rep should have told me about it in the interest of transparency, given the premium placement of the card. Is this a downer for me, personally? No. I had to spend for predefined reasons and I did. Just my two cents there.

        Lastly, when Sadiq Dastagir mentioned his experience with Amex plat and pointed towards ICICI Emralde (I am not sure and intrigued as to why ICICI has misspelled it) card, I read up on it. Now based on my limited knowledge (especially in comparison to hobbyist like Sid and passionate person like you) I found Emeralde a more useful “ROI” card. Maybe I’m wrong, heck; let us assume that I am wrong but how do general population who’re getting in to the nick of points, travel and credit cards understand this?

        I’d deeply love your and Sid’s views on this. Also, if I may humbly ask Sid to add your points to his review, it may make it more comprehensive.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          I think this needs a separate article, as you’ve mentioned and that only “Amex Guy” can write more in detail. Will do comparison article too shortly. In my perspective, If you’re a “real spender” especially on luxury travel & Dining, you’ll get a lot of value.

          Reg. 25k spend criteria, Even-though it shouldn’t be a problem for those who are eligible for this card, it’s Amex mistake indeed and they should probably fix that. Infact they can better remove it or, I’ll be more than happy if they give 200k points on 2L spend in 90 days 🙂

          Reply
          1. Name

            Hey Sid, I hope I’m not being interpreted incorrectly. I meant an article by you and Amex guy in conjunction and did not wish you directly or indirectly imply that he should be writing it solely. 🙁

      2. Sadiq

        Dear Sid, my only concern is that when you pay a hefty joining fee of Rs 70,200 what is the value we as customers are getting from it, at least we should get the entire joining fee back in some form which justifies that kind of amount.

        Reply
      3. Prakash

        I hold Citi prestige for 3 years now. Never saw a better service. They beat Infinia guys hands down. Magnus guys don’t even stand a change in customer service.

        I’m yet to explore Reserve (just ordered in July’23) & Platinium.

        Reply
    3. Amitabh Maheshwari

      After reading this I won’t even think of going for it. Unless you are filthy rich, fee of 60k plus GST doesn’t make sense at all. In these days of COVID 19 when travelling anyway is at an all time low, MRCC is the best card of Amex. Once things normalise, we can go for travel card. Platinum card may be ok for show off or if you travel abroad frequently in business class and stay in five star super deluxe hotels.

      Reply
  13. Srikkanth

    I m self employed and going to file my ITR for this year above 6 lakhs.. Now I m planning to apply Amex cards since the eligibility is 6 lakhs for self employed.. do they go with this year Itr or will they ask for prev years too ? I don’t have 6 lakhs itr for previous years… btw I have few more credit cards since couple of years..

    Reply
  14. Shiv Kumar Singh

    Should I apply for Amex Platinum Charge Card and I want to know it’s eligibility and I already hold Diners Club Black( Life Time Free), ICICI Diamant Credit Card and recently got ICICI Emeralde for free.
    So would Amex give me this card at discounted annual fee or regular annual fee…..

    Reply
    1. Amex Guy

      The only way to get Plat free is if you have a private banking relationship with one their partner private banks. Usually the ones who requires 25-30 crore minimum are their partners. If you have a really large portfolio with IL&FS you can try for IL&FS cobranded Plat. Not sure if they will waive the fee, but worth a try.

      Other than than, you will be paying the first year fee. Reconsideration will happen on at least 40-60L spend in the first year, depending on their mood. Over 60L, they usually always waive the fee. But there are no promises.

      Reply
      1. SH

        Amex Guy – how do you get so much inside info? Not that I am complaining about all the knowledge that you share so generously, but sometimes I just wonder..:-)

        Cheers
        SH

        Reply
        1. Amex Guy

          My company is on Amex Corporate, just know too many RMs within Amex. Also, Amex HQ is next to my office in cyber city, too many friends there. Can’t say more than that publicly. 😛

          Reply
          1. kiran

            Seems amex is withdrawing boingo benefit for plat cards.

          2. Name

            That’s enough to do some serious OSINT on you. :p

            PS: light humor and in good faith.

          3. Amex Guy

            @kiran: Indian issued personal Plat never had it. Boingo was always on Corp Gold and Corp Plat.

    2. Akshat

      Hi Shiv

      Can you please comment on LTF for diners black (apparently being Imperia doesn’t cut it).
      And how do you obtain icici emeralde LTF, (high nrv with ICICI?)

      Reply
  15. Surya

    Sidharth.. how stringent is Amex on the eligibility parameters for charge card? I would have income to the tune of 22L this ITR. Would that suffice, or are they stringent on the 25L eligibility factor?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      It’s strict for fresh applications. But you could pass through if you get an upgrade offer.

      Reply
      1. Surya

        Thanks. I did apply as an upgrade to my existing plat travel card and they approved the card without any documentation.

        Reply
        1. rupin

          Please tell how did u get upgrade offer ?
          I am using Platinum travel credit card from 1 year .
          Any chances that I can upgrade offer for PLATINUM CHARGE CARD

          Any tips ?

          Reply
          1. MT

            Just call them on customer care and request , they will be more than happy to give you

    2. Praveen Krishnakumar

      Amex considers an annual income of above 15 Laks or if you open any of super premium cars . I have the list with me I’ll mail to sid!

      Reply
  16. Ashish

    What are the renewal benefits on this card. Do we get 100k points on paying renewal fee. If not, how does it make sense to renew by paying 60k plus tax.

    Reply
  17. name

    Hey Sid, could you please confirm which memberships will continue to be at elite tier until we hold the card? Will it be all of them (six) which are offered as part of the registration page?

    Reply
  18. SH

    I have asked this to Amex, and they said all of them will continue to be at Elite tiers as long as one holds the card.

    Reply
  19. MAA-traveler

    Not many would know but Amex has this “One Annual Fee” policy (not sure if feature is available for India) where Platinum Charge cardholders will only pay one annual fee of Rs 70.8K and hold a maximum of 3 cards –2 credit and 1 charge. In other words, there is no annual fee for up to 2 more cards so long you pay the annual fee of Platinum Charge card. MRCC+Plat Travel + Plat Charge for Rs 70.8k! Not bad at all especially during renewal where we don’t get any renewal benefits. 🙂

    Reply
    1. AS

      You cant hold Plat Travel with Plat charge and MRCC unless one is a companion card.

      Reply
  20. SH

    Amex allows one companion card with Plat Charge. In most occasions it is the Reserve one, but for some folks (me included) it is Plat Travel. So I don’t need to pay Plat Travel fee as long as I hold the Plat Charge. They refunded the fees on pro rata basis once I got the Plat Charge. Not sure about the second card (MRCC) that you have mentioned. What is the source of your info?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Did you get it with companion card offer? Or, you get got Plat and later added Plat Travel as companion?

      Reply
      1. Amex Guy

        Doesn’t matter, Sid. Amex sends companion offer to everyone once a year, if you were not given one on onboarding. Wait for it to pop up in online account if not already given. Or, as in my case, an absolutely useless Reserve card will show up in the mail without asking. (Wasn’t the worst thing though as I got it without CIBIL hit)

        If you get it on onboarding, they always ask which card you’d like as companion. Has to be a platinum variant, gold cards like MRCC and Everyday cannot be a Plat companion.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          Got it. Btw, I never got the companion card offer till date and I was said once that it was because I’m already holding 2 Credit + 1 charge card.

          Reply
          1. SH

            The companion is only for Primary Plat holder (not add on holders). Also if you have exhausted the 2+ 1 quota, you can still chose one of the existing plat credit card to be complimentary for you.

          2. Satish Kumar Agarwal

            Dear Sid

            In that case, you can ask Amex to make Plat travel card you already hold to be free (as long as you hold Plat Charge card). Please pardon me if I sounded foolish, bcoz I am novice in the world of Amex cards, as I can’t get one here.

    2. Neo

      Whats the benefit of the Plat travel as a companion card ..only Taj vouchers i guess ?

      Reply
      1. SH

        That and the 7.5k and 10k bonus MR at 1.9 lac and 4 lac spend level respectively. Additionally the Amex spend based offers, and lounge access (one every quarter).

        Reply
  21. Aseem Garg

    They have the concept of companion card. No offer needed. Platinum travel fee reversed on pro rata basis.

    Reply
  22. Gaurav Malik

    I had the Plat travel card but as soon as fees got charged I asked them to cancel it as had moved all my spend to the Plat Charge Card…They very politely reversed the fee and cancelled the card. I hold the Plat Jet card and the person also told me as Jet is no longer operational we would come out with a new offer as well and the team would help me cancel the card as and when the expiry is near or I can cancel it right away. His ending statement was a little surprising. “As long as you have the Plat Charge Card you do not need any other card”

    Reply
  23. Mayank Grewal

    Does anyone have any data points on how they managed to make use of the International Airline Program with the Platinum card? While the programme has plenty of top-flight airlines in the US, the ones listed for the Indian version of the card aren’t all that hot, if my memory is correct.

    Reply
  24. Sriram Sridhar

    I hold the US version of the Amex platinum charge card, I also hold the Diners club Black and Standard Chartered Ultimate cards and the Amex platinum travel card, in India.

    To be really honest, the Amex platinum charge card in India is a terrible deal compared to what the card offers in other parts of the world. I hold on to the US version of this card just for that reason, despite being based largely out of India for the last couple of years. For instance, the same card in the US has

    1. Travel expense credit on a major airline of choice, up to $200
    2. Monthly Uber credits, totaling up to $200 every year
    3. Saks 5th avenue credit of $100 per year
    4. Reimbursement for TSA global entry membership: about $100
    5. Unlimited lounge access: Amex Centurion and Priority pass
    6. Doubling manufacturer warranty on all purchases up to an extra two years
    7. Purchase protection for damage or theft for up to 120 days after a purchase
    8. Primary rental car insurance for all rentals
    9. A generally excellent concierge service which has even managed last minute bookings in Michelin starred restaurants booked out months in advance
    10. Amex offers on a wide variety of brands and stores
    11. Amex FHR benefits
    12. Gold status on Hilton and Marriott
    13. Free Boingo Wifi
    14. Free Shoprunner 2day shipping membership
    15. 5X points on travel
    16. Zero foreign transaction charge
    17. Signup Bonus of around 60k to 100k points
    etc.

    The fee for the card is $550, but this is routinely offset a bit on calling, as a statement credit for around 250-$300 or so, making the cost around $300 or approx Rs 20k. If you count the benefits, you easily make thousands of dollars on the card every year.

    The Indian version of the card though is almost criminally overpriced and offers only a tiny fraction of benefits the same card offers in the US and other parts of the world. I have tried asking AMEX India about the disparities and never really got a satisfactory response.

    The differences are so massive that it seems pretty fair for discerning Indian credit card users to boycott the card completely till AMEX India gets its act together, reduces price and increases benefits on its most premium offering to Indian customers. I also hope Indians who have the card already, call out AMEX India and pressure them into making the card better.

    Reply
    1. SH

      That is not quiet right. Here is what the Indian version has that is missing from the US version:

      1. Golf benefits
      2. Shang, Taj, Hilton, Radisson statuses
      3. ITC and Taj dinning programmes
      4. Add on cards up to 4 for no additional cost

      The IAP and FHR are there for the India version as well.

      You can get a lot of benefits from the first four items by strategically using them.

      Free Boingo wifi is cut in US.

      I agree that the fees are higher in India, and the airline transfer ratio is half of that in US. But if you are transferring to Marriott then the transfer ratio is double that of US. In am saying because here you get 2.5MR for every Rs 100 spend.

      But overall with all the credits (travel, Uber etc) the actual cost of holding the US version is significantly lower. But there are pockets of values in India as well.

      Reply
      1. Neo

        Hi SH,
        How valuable is the FHR on the Indian card? I was researching hotels in Tokyo for an upcoming vacation & found FHR was listing hotels which I had already eliminated due to the budget :P. Also, are there any preferential airline fares for non-business class tickets for airlines not part of IAP?
        Looking forward to your inputs on the same

        Cheers
        Neo

        Reply
        1. SH

          Yet to use FHR. May be others can comment on that.
          There are preferential rates for non-business class tickets as well. Discount range is between 5% to 25%, and for SkyTeam carriers the range is up to 30%. Remember discounts will increase as the cost of ticket goes up. From what I know expect 5% to 10% discount on non-premium tickets.

          Reply
    2. Amex Guy

      I held the US version too for years before global transferred to India, it used to be $450 then. I think Indian version is better, and I currently hold Aspire Hilton which has been fantastic.

      — Indian variant comes with 4 supplementary cards free. You need to pay $175 extra for 3 supplementary members. So the fee of equivalent offering is $725. That’s 50K INR. And you’d still be 1 supplementary and 1 A/C card short.
      –All status benefits are same. Indian one is better here actually.
      — Indian version comes with 24 golf lessons every year.
      — Much stronger service. You know what I’m talking about, Plat line in US has become unbearable now. Concierge in US uses Expedia to book travel. It’s an absolute joke. In India, they are savvy and use a real GDS.
      — 52 green fees waivers on golf every year, with minimum flight of 1.
      — There is no $39 booking fee for taking advantage of IAP bookings on flights. If you book even 10 flights with Amex to get IAP discounts, you need to add $390 to your annual fee.
      –Every card in Amex offerings come with TSA..could never take advantage of it but I can’t imagine this being special to anyone who has Plat.
      –There are additional status on Indian card — Taj Gold, Shangri-La Jade, Radisson Gold. This should alone be worth the extra 10K in fee.
      –There is practically no dining advantage of US plat anymore. There is enough free wine in India for Indian variant.
      — Indian version gets 3X on forex. 5X on airlines would be super though.
      — Car rental advantage of US version has been the highlight feature for me, except that CSR simply has better offering for over 2 years now. And Amex didn’t change anything.
      –Out of express cash and emergency cash, all Plat emergency services are withdrawn from US card. A sure sign that in US, Amex sees it as a mass market card.

      Honestly, I’d rather keep CSR (present version) + Amex Gold (new one) + Hilton Aspire as my personal fav US trifecta. The reality is that to compete with CSR, Amex Plat is now just another card in US when it comes to offerings and service. And the benefits they provide are not for lifestyle, but to entice people who should not have the card in the first place. And the customer service reflects that attitude.

      For what Plat is meant for, Indian version is more value offering than US. At least for me.

      Reply
      1. Mayank Grewal

        Re the $39 fee for booking via the Platinum Travel desk, I think they’ve just introduced an online portal for these IAP bookings, which does not involve the fee, and importantly, the hassle of calling the travel desk and feeding them itineraries one by one as they check them out.

        And don’t forget the list of airlines you have access to via the US IAP is far better than here in India. The Indian list is heavy on Skyteam and Star Alliance carriers, which, apart from SQ, are not worth shouting about in business class. The US version has top-line One World airlines like JAL, QR, CX and QF, plus the usual *A suspects.

        As far as Centurion lounges go, in India, you have just the two, if I’m not wrong, and one in HKG. Unlike in the US, where there are plenty.

        The 5x on travel spends is also a massive benefit.

        Add it all up and it’s hard to see how the Indian Amex plat is better value at over twice the annual fee, unless you’re maxing out the supplementary card benefits and golf benefits all the time. I guess I’m not considering them a whole lot because they’re not benefits I personally would make much use of.

        Reply
        1. Amex Guy

          > Re the $39 fee for booking via the Platinum Travel desk, I think they’ve just introduced an online portal for these IAP bookings, which does not involve the fee, and importantly, the hassle of calling the travel desk and feeding them itineraries one by one as they check them out.

          While limiting IAP discounts to only 2 redemptions per year for US Plats. Indian Plat, like US Cent is unlimited redemptions without any fee. But hey, they got Saks socks for free 🙂

          Reply
          1. Mayank Grewal

            >> While limiting IAP discounts to only 2 redemptions per year for US Plats. <<

            I don't think this is the case. I've looked at the IAP pages and the Amex Plat t&c for IAP and it does not seem to say this anywhere.

          2. Amex Guy

            The IAP has 3 faces:

            1. BOGO on First/Business class.
            2. Auto upgrade to first/business on buying business or premium economy. Usually second to highest fare.
            3. Discount ranging from 10-25% on base fare, on flights originating (including round trips) from one’s issuing country.

            On US personal plat, option 1 is not available to begin with. Option 2 is available only to be used twice a year with $39 booking fee per ticket (not per use), and in practice always unavailable to plats die high number of cents. Option 3 is available to be used any number of times and also has an option to book online to save $39 fee.

            On US Cent, all options re available, with no booking fee, any number of times.

            On Indian Plat, all options are available, with no booking fee, any number of times.

            You are only looking at option 3 documentation, which only became a part of IAP in mid-2017, and most Plats and Cent who actually had the card before 2017 even associate IAP with it.

            One thing I’d want to come to India is bonus points on booking through Amex. Can’t believe they don’t have that yet.

          3. Pratik

            my amex account has been suspended for financial review..been 3 days..review still to be finalized..any idea how much time they take and what is the general outcome?

          4. Akshat

            @Amex Guy, Hi

            Can you kindly guide towards BOGO offer, couldn’t see it anywhere on the IAP page or the membership page of platinum. Travel desk doesn’t know about it too.

            Aside, can you also please help with the difference of fraud protection of Amex platinum form other premium cards like DCB and Infinia. apart from amount they cover is there any other difference

            Thanks in advance

      2. Shri

        Hello AmexGuy!

        I would like your inputs if Amex Plat India has any trip interruption benefits. travel insurance, baggage delay, lost baggage, delayed flights etc etc.
        Trying to determine if I should be putting flight charges on Amex Plat India vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve.

        Reply
  25. Puneet

    Sid & Amex Guy,
    After reading your reviews, opted and went in for AMEX PLAT. But within few days, I realized that it’s a much over-hyped card. The true sense of value is somewhat missing. Like I tried booking through FHR, but the prices on FHR were far more expensive than regular travel sites like Yatra. Please shed some light on this .

    How do you book some less expensive hotels??? FHR shows only the luxury premium hotels.

    Along-with the card came two forms. One for primary card holder and one for spouse. When the primary one asks us the spouse details then why a separate form?.

    The priority pass is valid only for Primary holder & 1 additional supplementary card holder.

    Further, the sales rep is not at all interested in clarifying or giving information. He considers as deal done and please call customer support.

    P.S. The card does feel premium in it’s metal avatar but still 60k + for metal ?????? Think one has to really crack the puzzle to reap the benefits. For me, I am going to return. A tough nut for me to crack !!!!

    Reply
    1. Mouli

      I also got the upgrade offer and in dilemma whether to go for it or not ?,what is FHR?
      Even if you return the card now,will you get back the joining fee?

      Reply
  26. Mohan

    Received invite to apply for amex platinum charge card, with 1.25 l reward points, any suggestions , I’m not sure if I can apply.

    Reply
    1. Name

      Personally I see lot of people being invited for platinum charge card. I dread to say this but Amex Guy is right that American Express is selling it blindly. Unless you can find good return on investment of 70000 service fees, DO NOT go for the card. There is no point going for something with enthusiasm only to regret it.

      Personally, I have gone for it and working on capitilising on the service fees.

      Reply
  27. MT

    @amex guy , BOGO on any airline any sector any biz/F fare ?

    Reply
  28. RAHUL BANSAL

    amex guy, :
    is BOGO available even if you book for others like your parents

    Reply
  29. Achanta

    I got invited with 125K point and 4×2000/- amazon vouchers for supplementary cards.

    My review after using the card.

    Only for the people
    1. Business people, who spend at least 60lakhs per year
    2. Travelers, who travels abroad or across India and stayed in hotels at least 4 trips per year
    3. Luxury people, who can enjoy the amex platinum status at airports, golf and hotels etc.

    Monthly on avg I used to spend more than 50lakhs to my business with credit cards, In this spends I shared 10 lakhs per month to amex platinum which are large spends more than 3lakhs at single swipe.

    The reward rate good, but acceptance of this card is very limited.

    My personal suggestion anyone
    If annual spends more than 50lakhs
    Amex platinum card

    If annual spends more than 20lakhs
    SBI air India Signature card

    If annual spends more than 10lakhs
    SBI elite card

    If annual spends above 5 lakhs
    there are many cards , but choose wisely as per your nature of spends
    Amex platinum Travel card (best rewards 20 thousand flight tickets+10k Taj hotel voucher)
    SBI Prime card
    ICICI Shappiro Card
    HDFC Business First
    Amex Gold charge

    The above cards have best reward rate as per the usage, remaining cards like, Axis, Yes, HSBC, Citi, RBL, IndusInd all are best on special offers
    SBI and HDFC has more online shopping offers compared to the remaining banks.

    Reply
  30. SH

    Recently I used the Home Assist service of Amex Plat. For those who are not aware, Amex, through the Platinum Concierge, offers Home Assist for repair works like AC, fridge, plumbing, electrical works etc. They also allow a credit of Rs 1,200 for repair services. My AC needed a repair, so I triggered the Home Assist. The Concierge team got back to me the next day with a list of vendors available for the repair work. Then I randomly picked one vendor and asked them to liaise with them to get the repair work done – with a note saying that per my understanding service worth up to Rs 1,200 was to be paid for by Amex.

    This is when the stuff hit the fan. What followed was a frantic series of calls from the Concierge Manager trying to understand where I got the notion that up to Rs 1,200 of the cost was to be borne by Amex. I told them that it is part of the card holder agreement and that information is publicly available. However she asked me to have the documentation sent to her – which I did. There was radio silence for a day – then after almost 36 hours they called me to say that they had spoken top their marketing team and that they would reimburse me for up to the said amount that I was eligible for.

    They they took two days to schedule an appointment with the vendors. They called one vendor, and that vendor asked why the client cannot call them directly (“is he such a big shot?”). So they struck that vendor out. Finally they got hold of one and asked me to pay the service charge to him, which Amex would then transfer to my account. The date was set (and I was ready with the flower and the wine), but the vendor failed to show up, and was not reachable over phone.

    I escalated the matter , and Amex came back to me requesting me to get the repair done from anyone and they would reimburse anyway. So I got UrbanClap to do the repair. My repair cost was over Rs 6K (I had to get the condenser replaced and refill the gas). I sent Amex the invoice copy, and after seven days the Rs 1,200 popped up in my account.

    I am a tad dismayed that Concierge team is not conversant with all the services that Amex has promised in the card holder agreement.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      A big thanks to you for sharing this information.

      I wish they had higher limit, say Rs.3K & trained employees.

      Reply
    2. Sandeep

      That is news to me…

      Is it only for the Platinum Charge or is it applicable for the Platinum Reserve as well?

      Reply
    3. Neo

      Thanks SH,
      I think you & Amex Guy can hold a refresher training course for the Amex plat team to understand the card benefits in great detail 🙂

      Cheers
      Neo

      Reply
    4. Praveen Perumalla

      So much hassle for the 1200 credit with the so-called super-premium card. Thanks for sharing your experience, SH. You are probably the first person in the whole country to have used this benefit.

      Reply
      1. carpediem

        😀 😀 😀 😀 ! Good one! Was considering the plat, now i’m reconsidering…

        Reply
  31. GGM

    Hi Guys,
    Great review and comment. Really helpful. I recently got an upgrade offer to the AMEX Plat. I negotiated the fees and got it at INR35K+Tax. But instead of reward points i’m going for INR30K of Taj Vouchers. I travel extensively but most of my travel is corporate business class so lounge access comes along with that.
    I am planning to evaluate it for 1 year from the perspective of intangible services that they offer.
    I have one question: What all privileges are extended to the Supplementary card holders i.e Do they get the same lounge access, do they get Hotel privileges? Can they use the concierge services?
    It would be great if you can shed some light on the above or point me to any documentation where i can find more information.
    As an aside: when traveling abroad, me and my wife will get access to lounge courtesy AMEX Plat. Do i need to pay for my 4 yr old kid or is there a way to get that access complementary as well

    Many Thanks

    Reply
    1. MT

      35k + tax on upgrade from a non jet airways variant card ? Or from a jet variant card ? And even at this price , you were offered 125k bonus points or a 30k taj voucher and all benefits of the card ? , 35k for first year or 35k as long as you hold the card ?

      Reply
      1. GGM

        I had cancelled my jet airways card long back, but for extending this offered they reactivated it and upgraded it to Platinum. Post that they cancelled the Jet card again.
        35k+taxes is locked as long as I hold the card.
        After negotiating they only offered 30k Taj voucher

        Reply
  32. NMS

    I too took the 35k offer and plan to evaluate it for a year. I hold the Citi Prestige card as well, so a few of the benefits like priority pass, more points on international spends and Taj membership are similar for both cards. I look forward to the Platinum Travel Services and FHR. The metal card is really nice no doubt.

    @GGM, from what I know, supplementary card holders do get all the hotel membership and lounge access to the Amex lounges (including Centurion lounge). Priority Pass is limited to one supplementary card holder.

    I also think that if you or you wife visit an Amex Centurion lounge, you can each bring along two guests.

    Reply
      1. GGM

        I negotiated it, having said that I’m a heavy user of Amex travel Platinum for almost last 10 years

        Reply
    1. GGM

      So I understand that it is only possible with Centurion Lounge. For other priority pass enabled lounge it would be accessible for just 2 of us.

      Thanks

      Reply
  33. SH

    GGM,

    I think you got a great offer in terms of fees.

    As per your question, all the supp cards get concierge access and hotel statuses. But only one supp card gets the Priority Pass access. So this means that all supp cards can get lounge access within India for free. But only the primary and one supp card holder (who has the PP) will get overseas lounge access for free.

    Reply
  34. :P’tap

    Hey,

    I also received the Plat charge card upgrade offer however, couldn’t negotiate discounted fees.
    I already own SBI AI Signature, Vistara Infinite & DC Black – All reward points are largely accumulated on these cards.
    I don’t see a real world benefit for Platinum Concierge for a regular Joe like me and FHR is practically useless since I’m a Bonvoy Amb Elite & IHG spire.
    I only value the Golf Lessons which I’ve been waiting for since DC Black removed this feature but in Mumbai the only Golf Course they have registered for lessons is the one in Thane which isn’t so great and so so far!
    Considering my travel patterns, I barely use the Amex India lounges and I don’t see myself using the Centurion lounges more than a couple times during a year.
    Also, I don’t see spending 60L or more in a year to be even considered for the renewal waive off !
    However, I can’t deny the sheer joy of holding this metal card, it’s more than a subtle flex!

    What do you guys suggest I do, should I go ahead nonetheless and try it out for a year or continue my spending on the DC Black?

    Reply
    1. Nikhil

      Not related to your question, but what’s your strategy for the DCB apart from the 10x and 5x partners? Do you put most of your spends on it?
      Personally, I find earning and transferring to CV points via the DCB a better proposition than earning CV points through the Vistara Infinite directly. Although the Gold and milestone benefits do help with the Vistara Infinite card.

      Reply
      1. :P’tap

        Nikhil, I use the CV Infinite only for Gold Status benefits. Since 9W grounding, I’ve been left low and meagre ;/

        Reply
        1. Nikhil

          I understand your pain! I’ve been looking to use up my JP miles at the base redemption value of 8500 on Indigo or Air India whenever I can

          Reply
    2. Kiran

      Hi,

      I have used twice the target amount and when I had requested for fee waiver they plainly refused it stating they haven’t given the waiver to anyone till date and she also challenged that it’s a recoded line and I wouldn’t tell something bluntly.

      So as far my expierence they would not waive the fees for the 2nd year onwards you have to pay ₹70,800.

      Cheers,
      Kiran

      Reply
  35. NMS

    If you get the 35k offer (for still holding an Amex Jet Airways card) that fee is locked in, meaning your renewal fee will be 35k every year.

    For the welcome bonus, you only get 30k of Taj voucher, no points. You do get all the other benefits.

    Reply
  36. Neo

    Hi,
    Just wondering, what happens if you get the card & decide to cancel it say, 2-3 months down the line ?
    is the full fee refunded ?
    Also, what happens to elite hotel status? Do we lose that as well.

    ~Neo

    Reply
  37. Alok

    Is it possible to use the Plat Charge to make a discounted booking at Taj hotels and then use a voucher from the Plat Travel offer to make partial payment?

    Also, the Plat Taj offer is for the room-only-rate, right? What is the best deal on breakfast/meals?

    Reply
    1. MT

      That 10k voucher can be setoff against room charges and charges to room(room service,spa,etc) except taxes… they dont really care which amex card you book the room through , I suggest using your Plat charge , take a deal on the taj booking , then at reception counter , present the plat travel gift card at the reception , enjoy best of both worlds

      Reply
  38. Alok

    The upgrade process was quite quick.

    Accepted the 125K offer on Aug 1. Got no email/sms confirmation so checked with them on Aug 2. They said my offer had expired 30/6, and I had to forward them the email that had the offer valid till 30/9. They approved it on Aug 2. Received the card on Aug 7. Didn’t see a CIBIL hit.

    It seems enrollment to the hotel programs is going to take forever in comparison 🙂 The official turnaround, I’m told is upto 6-8 weeks, although apart from Radisson, others are expected to come sooner.

    Reply
    1. Alok

      Hilton Gold and Shangri-la Jade upgrade was indeed fast, and was reflected in 5 days (Aug 9 — Aug 14) on the respective membership pages, not updated on the Amex status page yet. Radisson not processed yet.

      Reply
  39. nikhil

    Hi Siddharth,

    I recently got a request to upgrade my gold charge card to platinum charge card since my spends in a year exceeds 25 lacs across my three amex cards. I am really skeptical of taking the upgrade offer for 125k bonus points with 60k+ GST as joining fee.

    Reply
    1. MT

      dont upgrade if you are skeptical… i have received upgrade to Plat Charge on my Amex Plat Travel card with hardly 5-6 lakhs spend annually….they keep renewing the offer every month….only take when you feel you can take advantage of the vast perks the Plat Charge offers

      Reply
    2. Amex Guy

      I think they are randomly sending upgrade offers, not based on spends. I already hold a plat, and got an upgrade offer to plat based on my plat reserve (which is an LTF companion to plat) on which I have spend Rs. 15 till now.

      I hope the offer stays till renewal time. Then I’ll actually take it, and get 125K bonus points for essentially paying the same renewal fee. 😀

      Reply
  40. Alok

    I see that many of the Amex (and in particular, plat charge) offers expire around september. Is this a usual trend? Do these typically renew in the next year, or do they change year to year?

    (looking at taj, air india, some of the wellness benefits, etc.)

    Reply
  41. Aman

    Hi,

    I just received my primary and supplementary platinum cards.

    I want to find out that can I (primary card godler) and the supplementary card holders all get the Morriot Bonvoy Gold Membership?

    I.e.:

    -Primary Card holder
    -Supplementary card holder 1
    -Supplementary card holder 2

    It says above the supplementary card holders will receive the hotel benifits too, So i suppose this should be the case?

    Thanks for your help.

    Aman

    Reply
  42. Raj Vardhan

    I got instant discount of Rs. 10,000/- from Tanishq yesterday upon purchase of gold jewellery. Tanishq informed that they were running this scheme from 06th September itself but the value of jewellery should be minimum Rs. 1,10,000/-. Two pieces of jewellery were purchased and separate billing was done and paid vide Amex Platinum Charge card and Amex Platinum Reserve Card and got discount of Rs. 10,000/- on each card i.e. totaling Rs. 20,000/- . Happily sharing with you. Thanks. 🙂

    Reply
  43. R M

    Hey guys,

    I have an upgrade offer to Amex Platinum with 125K points.
    So I called up the customer care to ask about the benefits that are extended to the supplementary card.
    Apparently, it’s only the lounge access and priority pass(1 additional) that the supplementary cards get.
    I was hoping that the Dining benefits, Taste from Platinum would be available on the supplementary cards as well.
    Can someone who’s already using a supplementary card comment?

    Reply
  44. joal

    i am currently working in Brunei where AMEX does not operate . is it possible for me to apply for this card as an NRI ? anyone who is an NRI and holding this card ?? i am currently holding a HDFC infinia.

    Reply
  45. Sumeet

    What happens at the renewal ?
    No renewal mr points?
    Your hotel statuses go away if you haven’t met the criteria?

    Reply
  46. Anonymous

    I recently got the Amex Plat card after using the Reserve for a year. I got the 125k targeted offer and the 50% Marriott transfer seemed really good, plus I have upcoming travel to the USA and Asia. Thanks to this blog and comments for enlightening me on the card benefits.

    Aside from the excellent marriott conversion offer, my experience has been nothing short of harrowing:

    1. I emailed concierge on how to get to the Centurion lounge in SFO considering that my flight might be in a different terminal. Concierge told me that plat card holder doesnt have access to centurion lounge. What!? I was directed to travel desk, who transferred me to card customer care, who also told me plat doesnt have centurion access. Additionally, they couldn’t be bothered to research whether I can traverse between different SFO terminals to get to the lounge. Can anyone add to this?
    2. I called the travel counsellors to book flights and cruise in Asia and requested Visa details, he sounded very annoyed/disinterested about my request and said he is on leave for next two days, and would respond after 3 days. I requested him to expedite if possible, since tickets fluctuate. I never heard back from him. I ended up having to book on my own 🙁
    Travel planning is stressful and a lot of work. This is one area I hoped the famed “Senior Travel Counsellors” would be able to help. It was a major let down.
    3. I asked travel desk to research for me hotel quotations for Marriot, hilton etc and the points required, so that I can plan my stay accordingly. Travel desk simply gave me link to Fine hotels and Resorts without doing any of the research. I had to email concierge, who only responded after 4 days, despite multiple follow ups, and did not deliver on my request. Is there no SLA to respond to member emails?
    4. Many more unfortunate experiences: concierge, travel team and customer care keep passing the buck amongst themselves. What a waste of my time.

    Can other readers share their stories here regarding the Amex customer service, travel and concierge respectively? At this point, I don’t see it as a lifestyle card, it seems to be more of a high end rewards card, with excellent Marriot rewards points with Marriott Gold and ofcourse other great tangible perks.

    I don’t understand why American express is heavily compromising on service standard. Perhaps I expected too much from the “Do Anything” concierge and famed travel counselors and need to temper my expectations.

    Reply
    1. PT

      Anonymous,
      That is true, Amex Platinum’s travel desk is just premium for namesake. Last night I gave them a call for price check between DEL and Munich just to test the waters. There is an ongoing offer on Etihad from some time now where you get upto 10% off on the fare for Amex card holders (not just Platinum). However the travel desk did not have any clue about that and they were just repeating general fares which you can beat with any OTA.
      One time I requested if they can help me to book a cab between 2 cities in Europe and right of the bat they told me to check at the taxi stand of the airport for fares and booking!…….. … …. Enlightening isn’t it?

      These are just few instances where Amex team has shown complete lack of knowledge for any offers which can reduce the fare or provide any other benefit. Somehow most of the the time I end up calling them around midnight, I am not sure if that could be one of the reason for such kind of service.

      There is a big disconnect between the Amex offers/promotions and the knowledge of the same with Amex line, you have to go extra mile if you want any benefit with this service. Unfortunately Citi Prestige is on the same page with Amex but at least it has a better ROI for the fee you pay. Best option is google, the first few results will give you a complete pictures if there is any offer worth going for.

      Reply
      1. Citi and Amex

        PT, thanks for the insights.
        Calling at midnight shouldn’t be a problem. I recommend you try emailing them too, and escalate if responses are unsatisfactory, there is a paper trail as evidence.

        Regarding Citi Prestige, my experience has actually been great.
        I’ve been using their concierge very regularly and frequently for close to a year now. With citi you have to be very specific with your request and they will get it done. What I like is that they respond very promptly to emails, they do not drop the ball on any request.
        They don’t seem to have airline or hotel offers(except 4th night free) so they aren’t great for booking flights or hotels. But they are excellent with unconventional requests, things I would expect a concierge to do. Researching hard to get items for me, research hotels or cruise based on specific requirements, things requiring multiple phone calls to research. Granted these services aren’t “discounts” or “offers” most people look for, but for me its my favourite perk of the card, saves me a lot of time and it’s great to know that there’s concierge that you can actually rely on to do most things, much unlike the Amex plat card.

        Reply
        1. PT

          Citi and Amex,
          Mailing them I feel is actually too much of a hassle for simple things like flight booking where prices can change any minute.

          With respect to the concierge service of Citi Prestige , I think citi do not have a separate desk for concierge and travel desk, they are all rolled into single line unlike Amex. It is absolutely a hit or miss with citi, I have had instances where they provided me a list of possible hotels where I can stay during a short vacation based on my inputs and there were also cases where they outright told me that they cannot help me in finding hotel and I have to look in Hotels.com and then inform them (Yes this happened with me during last week itself) for availing 4th night free offer. The person on the other end was very sure that they only help in booking and not shortlisting.

          Citi concierge have also sent me incorrect quotations (which were very low from the market price, a clear red flag) and then blatantly refused to accept that they were wrong arguing that prices are dynamic and all the pries increased by 50% in a span 15 hours. This was when I absolutely lost faith in concierge service as you can not rely on them for the accuracy of information.

          The above cases does not mean that Prestige is a bad card by any means, it is still one of the best cards in my arsenal in terms of services it provides, same goes for Amex albeit with Amex it becomes a zero sum game as I do not travel with business or first class.

          Reply
  47. gaurav jalan

    my only disappointment is :

    no invites / events in my email since 10 months of joining

    rest I am enjoying everything

    Reply
    1. MT

      Whenever a super premium product is advertised in general media , its exclusivity is downgraded … there was a full page ad in TOI a few days back in mumbai also… amex is now trying to sell it to masses… lets see if they bring Optio to India

      Reply
      1. Anoop E S

        At Delhi airport, they are telling everyone, who presently holds amex card, to apply for platinum charge card.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          I don’t think these promos would do any good, as those who can get this card will anyway know about it.

          But anyway it will serve as a good overall branding though.

          Reply
      2. Gkcards

        I don’t think market for 70K card can be increased here much by advertising

        Reply
      3. Manu

        Today I received an email for upgradation.
        Now i am ready for the 70k fee but unsure of the value. As i already have Diners black and most Pvt bank cards..

        Reply
    1. Alok

      OK. my experience:

      I asked them for help with getting visas for my family; they sent me a checklist, forms. I filled them up. I then called them again and they said they’ll send someone for document pickup. I anticipated a travel agency rep would come, check the docs and take them; instead last minute a courier company agent came to pick up docs. So i had to hurriedly package them in an envelope. Then next day, I got an email saying I need to send the docs again — the checklist had said I should cross-sign on the photo on the application form, but they said I should send it again without the cross sign. I asked why is the instruction different from the checklist, and they said the checklist was for Delhi-based processing, whereas my processing happened in Mumbai. Anyway, resent the docs by the same courier pickup mechanism,. The visas then arrived within 2 days.

      So, overall good experience, but I would have appreciated more communication from them as to what the process entails, and a more targeted checklist of documents.

      Reply
  48. MT

    If i opt for amex platinum charge , can i give addon cards to my father in law and brother in law ?

    Reply
    1. Alok

      I got an offer of 20k in Taj vouchers on renewal of PlatCharge, although.. my renewal is due faaaaar away.

      The offer showed up in the mobile app.

      Reply
  49. Alok

    Amex sent out invitations for 2 front-row seats to one of their plays, for 5000MR each seat; those seats were otherwise selling for ₹9440 on bookmyshow. Thought it was a great redemption rate.

    Reply
  50. PT

    Here is one more example that shows how complacent the travel desk/concierge team has become that they are not able to cater even to the most basic requests.
    I was in Europe last week and somehow ended up on a connecting flight with 8 hours layover in Porto (Portugal). Airport lounge wasn’t descent enough to spend 6 hours so I emailed Amex travel desk one day before to find me a accommodation in a day hotel or in a hotel close to airport with a early check-in request (Since I already had idea that there are few nice hotels just outside airport, I was assured that this booking will be done in a jiffy). Amex executive responded with a single Marriot property 13 Kms away from airport.

    Not happy with the results I again asked them to look close to the airport on which they told me that do not have nearby hotels in their reservation system, I even went ahead to request them to call the hotels and check if bookings can be made. Received a straight denial, not even an assurance that they will try to help.

    Hugely disappointed I called up “Do anything” concierge and this time I gave them the hotel name too where I wanted to book a room, this time the guy was descent enough and instead of straight no he said that accommodation was not available the next day and reiterated the Marriott property availability, but showed hesitance to call the hotel once which was close to the airport.

    Finally I decided to do the booking myself and went to the hotel website and was able to book it promptly, however I found that in a hurry I booked the hotel for the same day instead of the next day, so just sent out a mail and the booking was modified in a matter of minutes.

    Amex has completely failed me this time (not the first time), I am not sure if they were this useless from the beginning or this is a new stride.

    Reply
  51. Vignesh

    My annual salary is 5 lakh, will be increased to 6 lakh from March.I am a heavy user of Citi premier miles credit card for past 3 years and have never defaulted on a single payment.
    My credit score is above 800.
    Will I be eligible for Amex platinum as it states the income eligibility is 15L p.a.
    And is it worth getting with my income level ?
    If approved,can I netogiate on the annual fees prior to joining.
    If not platinum what would be the best card for me in Amex ?

    Reply
    1. Tejas Ghongadi

      Why would you want to spend 12 of your annual salary as Credit Card Fee.

      Platinum card absolutely makes no sense at this price point unless you travel a lot and use most of the hotel membership benefits regularly.

      If you do want an Amex, I suggest going for Amex MRCC.

      Reply
    2. PT

      Vignesh,
      I will be shocked if you are talking about going for a platinum charge card. With your financial position you will be spending close to 2 months of salary just on the credit card fee. Even if you are in a job where you have been travelling 100% of the time, staying in hotels and it is all payed by your organisation I would not recommend this card to you with your income level.
      But if you are talking about Platinum travel card then you can give it a try, it’s a decent card to hold provided that you hit milestone spends.

      Reply
  52. Hrishi

    To sid and Amex guy,
    Have you used the upgrade to first class on the Amex plat via Etihad? If yes, how does it work? And how many times can you get upgraded?
    It’s for the primary user only? Or can the supplementary user get this Benefit as well?
    I saw on the website it says valid till 31 dec’20

    Reply
  53. Praveen Krishnakumar

    Amex the minimum eligibility is 6 Laks , you can start with Amex membership rewards credit card .

    Reply
  54. Ankur

    Hi Vignesh,

    You have not mentioned your expenses categories or how much would you spend on card. Do you travel and would be able to use Platinum benefits ? This the question only you can answer.

    For staring into Amex, you can apply for Rewards or Platinum travel card.

    Reply
  55. MT

    For the accelerated Star alliance gold status for the card , is BOM – SIN – DPR , DPR – SIN – BOM counted as 4 flights or 2 flights on Singapore airlines ?

    Reply
    1. SM

      I’m doing the same route for Gold Match. Have written to KF but haven’t received a response yet

      Reply
  56. Sudheer

    It seems they have extended the Taj Epicure membership till 31’st Mar.

    @Siddharth, I have applied the Amex platinum card through your referral and received it today. Thanks for all the information/support you provide on cards benefits.

    Reply
  57. Deep

    Hi Sid, Amexguy

    I just got an 125k points upgrade offer. How can I maximize this card from 2nd year onwards?

    Thanks

    Reply
  58. Nikhil

    Hi sid and Amex guy.
    I’m a self employed professional with a small business. I travel around 4-6times an year internationally and once a month domestically.
    I usually stay in Marriott or Hyatt properties. Was contemplating to apply for plat charge. So needed your opinion on two things
    1) would I be able to use plat card to max with above situation
    2) is there any advantage of taking corporate plat charge instead of personal. Does it help if I have a SME business

    Thanks in advance

    Reply
  59. Rakesh

    Due to current situation.. no way to use Taj vouchers or MR points for Marriot conversion !!

    What are the odds to get atleast 50% fee waiver on this card ?

    And their so called Concierge is of no usage even during Valentine’s day..they were unable to deliver a bunch of flowers citing high demand ! but those are the times they were needed more .. isn’t it ?

    Reply
    1. Aseem Garg

      Hi,

      I have heard of people getting 80k points on renewal. You can negotiate for an offer.

      Reply
  60. Aravind

    Does the Amex Platinum IAP give discount on Intl economy flights too ?. If it does what would be the range of discount in % terms ?

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Vikash jain

      I want to know about platinum charge card as I want this card if I spend 20 lakhs in a year on electricity bill thru this card is it beneficial for me to take this card as for other expenses I use diners black card which very good in reward rate as u know will I get extra benefit from amex platinum charge card

      Reply
  61. Aniket

    Thanks for the blog and all commenting here. It’s been a great insight. I am self-employed and earn almost four times more than what platinum charge card needs for the self-employed. I held AMEX cashmagnet in the US and have been using MRCC in India since last year. My spend on MRCC is about 2 lacs annually, and AMEX sent me upgrade offer to platinum for 115K points recently, though catch is I have to spend 50K in two months to get those points. Joining fee is same as normal – 60K+GST. I occassionaly travel, and I know my situation is probably same as 60% or more folks who got such an upgrade offer. I am not going for it, as I occassionaly travel and benefits don’t make much sense. On the other hand, I have saved about 10K across offers on MRCC within a year, and fee also got waived off automatically due to card rule than if you sepnd 1.5 lac or more then it comes free for renewal.

    People going for upgrade just for elite tier, I feel shouldn’t do it unless you really can get most out of it. Everyone’s credit needs and spending patterns are different. If you really want a metal card, then OneCard is a good option now. I hold about five cards so far, including Regalia from HDFC, ICICI amazon card, and OneCard. I like Amex MRCC the most in India for regular online/offline purchasing needs. Ah, and Amex service is really good. give them a call and they solve it one way or other.

    Moment Amex adds purchase protection, warranty extension, and similar benefits (outside hotel and travel), I will go for Platinum card.

    Reply
  62. Nasreen

    Hi Sid & Amex guy, I received the upgrade offer from Amex for the Platinum Charge Card today. I currently have the Platinum Travel Card. My annual salary is INR 8L. I’m very confused whether I should accept the offer or simply ignore. The offers are very tempting but at the same time I’m hesitant about the annual fee of INR 60k (which can be paid monthly as well – INR 5k). Please let me know your thoughts.

    Reply
  63. Amitabh Maheshwari

    I have applied for AMEX Platinum Charge Card today in ₹ 5,000 per month offer. I do not know if I will be able to get the full benefits out of it so as to justify the high fee. But one thing I know, I will get the joy of owning the platinum and that itself compensated for the high fees. Some things are priceless and the pride of owning the platinum far far outweighs the annual fee. From now on, I will assume that my earning is less by ₹ 70,800.

    Reply
  64. Karan Bhandari

    I think the 125k offer is back. Has anyone received this offer?.
    Only change is:
    “Spend ₹50,000 and get 1,25,000 Membership Rewards® points# within
    the first two months of your Platinum Cardmembership.”
    But no offer on renewal this time.

    Reply
    1. AbhiKohli

      Me too. But expiring on 30th Nov. No sure to let it go or to take it. Travel looks difficult in most of 2021 as well. Any other benifit looks unlikely for me.

      Reply
    2. Neo

      Don’t think they give renewal offers beforehand.
      I know folks who have negotiated aggressively with Amex for their plat renewals. But its all when the renewal fee hits the account.

      Reply
  65. Venkatesh Sridhar

    Hi Siddharth,
    Just wanted to drop a note to let you know, that your indepth research really helped me to choose this card, thank you very much for putting this on the internet.

    Regards,

    Venkatesh

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      You’re most welcome, Venkatesh.
      Check back after a month to have even more details on this card, especially on the concierge service 🙂

      Reply
      1. AbhiKohli

        Its been long since you committed concierge review… somehow you keep pushing it any NDA ? 😀

        Reply
  66. PK

    I checked Amex Reserve Card & Amex Platinum Card
    These cards there any renewal MR points offer… MR points only offered at the time of sign-up.

    Understanding is correct?
    ===========================
    From this blog…

    Many card members that renewed during Covid-19 got very good retention offers which makes sense to hold on to the card.
    ============================
    Does Amex offer renewal benefits or Renewal Retention offer people received?

    Thank You

    Reply
  67. Ayush Agrawal

    What’s the typical benefit in using IAP? I currently hold the Plat Travel card, and called up the IAP helpline to enquire on flight prices (to see if the upgrade to Plat Metal Card is worth it). But unfortunately they don’t even tell you the prices if you’re not a Platinum Card holder!
    So as an example, a Del-Syd business class flight in September shows 40-50k for economy and 1.6 lakhs for business class on MMT. Mum-Tokyo is 30k for economy and 1.3 lakhs for business.
    Can a current Platinum holder tell me what’s the price for these flights on the IAP portal?
    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    1. MR

      Ayush,
      IAP is only available on select airlines, the list is here americanexpress.com/in/benefits/the-platinum-card/international-airline-program.html AIR INDIA is listed on the site but has been discontinued which is a bummer and also a bit misleading to have it listed there.
      If you are looking for business class fare on any of these airlines listed, you’ll get average of 10% discount. Premium and economy is not discounted for few flights i’ve checked on SQ AND UA
      Hope that helps. For those who fly business class, nothing can beat this card.

      Reply
  68. Barnali Roy

    Too many hotel tieups and not sure if people will use it really. This card has high renewal fee with nothing guaranteed. Rewards points have less value if I compare with Infinia or Indusind Indulge.
    Lounge access is there with so many cards at a very low fees. Infinia is anytime better.

    Reply
  69. MT

    A golden question for myself to ask you guys

    Should I retain my Amex plat charge for 1 more year

    Got onboard the amex plat in Jan 2020, got 1.25L points after making the 90k spend within 3 months , booked a trip to Singapore via amex concierge (discounted business class) and bam , Lockdown

    Amex helped me get back the refund within 2 months of SQ announcement of them willing to refund tickets(score amex concierge) , since then used all cashback schemes which came along for grocery purchases , blew up 1.25L points on double value cashback scheme (bad decision in hindsight, but when i redeemed on the last day in july , seemed valuable as i had decided to shut down the plat) , come november , used the Taj innercircle Gold for fabulous discount at Taj bekal and also got upgraded to their highest suite pool villa (valued 43k+ in my calculation) , since then just used 3 times for dining cashbacks/discounts in mumbai under 2 schemes

    Spend on card in last year has been just short of 8 lakhs in a year since most expenses were put on HDFC infinia , axis ace, Stan C ultimate

    Now with Shangrila Jade status going away on 31.3.2021 which in turn will mean losing the Taj Gold status post april

    My business also doesn’t warrant travel , so basically its just down to 1-2 vacations a year

    Please suggest whether I should consider continuing withe card or shut it down

    Reply
    1. MR

      I renewed it myself for a second year despite the pandemic. I calculated that I got back almost 3 lakhs in value in first year so the 2nd year fee is also as good as waived. Travel is going to open up later in 2021 so this card will come in handy for sure. Plus the constant 100% cashbacks

      Reply
      1. MT

        Last year they gave half of fees as cashback , this year also half of fees is offered as cashback , so i am not expecting more cashback offers as such

        Reply
  70. Ajai Singh

    I have a Reserve and now it feels less of a asset and they denied me Gold Charge card as a companion card and pushed MMRC instead. Still at 2.5lac limit and resubmitting ITR for LE of more than 5k LE has hit me bad. Additionally the Mumbai Amex lounge was closed so could not use it there too. I hope that AMEX does some reshuffling for the Reserve card since in its current state its not great at all.

    @Siddharth kindly do a Reserve card review when possible since you now have one and that one review from earlier needs an update.

    Reply
  71. Nimidh

    Can people share renewal benefits Amex offered for the metal card in the last few months?

    Reply
  72. Dhaval Gandhi

    Hi sid

    If you are already a gold bonvoy do you get upgraded to platinum bonvoy with the amex platinum card?

    Reply
  73. Ajai Singh

    Does the limit in my Reserve card matter to get an upgrade email “1.25lac points” for the platinum?

    CC says the upgrade email for the platinum does not depend on lower cards limit which for me is 2.55lac on Reserve card and 2.90lac on MRCC “Companion”.

    Also can anyone clear up the limits of MRCC “Companion” & Reserve conjoining in case of one of the companion card being cancelled.

    Reply
  74. Mahim Mishra

    Avoid AMEX card very poor distribution and merchant affiliation. Even customer care knows this and suggests payment to other wallet to each purchase limit utilisation.

    Reply
  75. Bharath

    Is the 25 lac minimum income requirement for the Platinum Charge card based on Net Income or Gross Income? Also, can we pay the fee in 12 monthly installments?

    Reply
  76. Sumeet Roy

    Hi Sid and AmexGuy

    I am already having Amex Platinum Travel card and having offer for upgrade to Amex Platinum for sometime now. Have been waiting around for few months now, but now I have a reason, its unusual reason though.

    The thing is I am planning to move to Germany for 1.5 Years, and I will travel to India at least 2-3 times in this period and my shopping will be done from India mostly. Does it make sense to have this card and use it for travel bookings and shopping etc there. I see usually there is 3X foreign spends offer, does that offset at least the forex transaction+Conversion fee at least. And please suggest if there are some other benefits along the way as well. At the end of the day, will I be recovering part of my 60K annual fee.

    The thing is I do not see any good cards over there, and credit card scene in Europe in general is pretty weak IMHO. They cards there hardly have any rewards, and no offers etc.

    PS: I know Amex people will not issue me card if I disclose that I will be OOO for 1.5 years may be, but I want to keep this card for its benefits.

    Reply
    1. Shivi

      @Sumeet – Try to take Amex Payback Credit Card once you get to Germany. It has pretty sweet cashback offers on and off along with a sign-up bonus.

      Reply
    2. Siddharth Post author

      3X is good as long as you know how to redeem those points for a good value. So totally depends on your spends & redemption capabilities I could say.

      Generally speaking, if you cannot convince yourself after looking at the benefits, Plat charge is mostly not a right card for you.

      Reply
      1. Sumeet Roy

        Thanks a ton Sidharth.. I would not go for it then may be.. Most of the benefits are not applicable in Europe and Marriott group presence in EU is low for redemption of Amex points

        Reply
    1. Shivi

      Prestige will be beneficial to him only if he wants to play the miles game & also open the high NRV account with CiTi

      Reply
  77. Shimul

    My upgrade offer is:
    a) 1,15,000 Membership Rewards® Points
    OR
    b) Rs.50,000 + Rs. 5000 worth of vouchers from Taj, SeleQtions & Vivanta Hotels as Welcome gift for 1st year and
    Rs. 25,000 worth of Taj Voucher on 1st
    renewal.

    Reply
  78. MT

    Received renewed epicure card from amex , thing to note is gols status validity is mentioned as 31/03/2021 , while epicure plus validity is mentioned as 31/01/2022

    Reply
  79. carepdiem

    Hi Sid/Amex Guy,

    thanks for the review. I was/am considering getting the amex plat just noticed that trf partners both airlines and hotels for the India card have far poorer transfer ratios than the US e.g. US Amex MR trf to airlines at 1:1 and to hotels like hilton at 1:2. For India,apart from fewer options, ratio is 2MR:1mile and hilton at 1MR:0.9. Only MR>Marriott is 1:1 both places. This probably makes redemption of MR for airline mile fairly poor value?. Wondering how best to utilize the MR rewards that I will get since I’m a leisure traveler and will never stay in a cat1 hotel anyway (probably cat5 or higher). Also seems shangri-la, (>taj gold) tie ups/ cascading benefits are due to end shortly? How does one then get any value from the card?

    Reply
    1. Akash

      Hi, My situation is exactly the same as you, I am also confused about whether to get this card or not.
      What you have thought, are you taking this card?

      Reply
      1. Carpediem

        Have decided to put this on hold for now. Would like to so what they do to make up for the loss of shangrila jade. Besides travel plans look highly uncertain anyway with second wave so…fwiw rm told me he couldn’t assure that mrcc and travel plat fee would be waived if I held a plat charge, said would be case by case and not up to him to assure.

        Reply
  80. Raghu

    Hi Siddharth, Thanks for great article.

    Any insights on the renewal fee on the metal card. Are they giving any discount/waiver / renewal bonus due to pandemic?

    Not sure how to ask for a waiver?

    Reply
    1. MT

      No fee waiver/discount on fees , low spender like ne got 20k taj voucher if i paid full fee at one go , high spenders have their renewals according to their business given to amex ..only option is to split fees in 5k x 12 if you ask them

      Reply
  81. MT

    Coming soon : another 2,500 cashback on apple and google store spends , 10k cashback on truefit and hill/oberoi hotel salon , recd in mail as unlock platinum benefit , timeline yet to be announced

    Reply
  82. Udit Panjwani

    My card is due to renewal in 2 days and all they are offering is 20000 voucher with Taj and payment of INR 60k plus taxes as a monthly scheme, anyone got the same? Any workaround to that? Seems almost nothing.

    Reply
  83. dushyant

    Hi guys
    Can anyone elaborate on the etihad first class upgrades? is it always given or its circumstantial?

    Reply
  84. sudheep

    One quick query,..

    Could anyone link Golden circle with TIC recently? No luck for me..

    Reply
    1. MT

      Yea , but took 15 days and follow up on helpline , still 1 more pending , will update on that as well

      Reply
    2. Gautam Garg

      I got it done through GC website. It went smoothly and the linking was done with a week.
      Do make sure to choose GC as the primary status.

      Reply
  85. AmexPlat

    @Sudheep, @MT
    Couldn’t link my Golden Circle account to TIC. The link on the Taj Hotels website is broken. I called Taj multiple times but no luck. They always ask me to call Shangri La. Shangri La always asks me to call InnerCircle. It’s a mess. @MT, who exactly did you contact? Any additional help will be appreciated.

    Reply
    1. MT

      Taj innercircle did it for me , though application was made on warmer welcomes website

      Reply
  86. Sajida

    Sir, can you explain about the ‘1 additional card for business expenses’ you have mentioned in this article because my major expenses are for business and as far as I know there is no mention for this on the website. This additional card would be very helpful to me for flight miles and marriot bonvoy.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      It’s a separate card to differentiate the expense. Easy to take the stmt and submit for reimbursement from the company.

      You may also use it just for one type/category of spends like fuel/travel.

      Reply
      1. Sumeet Roy

        hey Sid

        Can you please take some time out and respond one of my questions in above thread from February.. just search with my name Sumeet Roy on this page

        Reply
        1. Ayush Agrawal

          Better to take HDFC DCB, along with the Global Value program. Effective forex rate reduces to 1.35%, combined with the regular 3.3% reward rate gives you +2% rewards.
          Amex gives 7.5 MR points under 3x, but charges 4% as forex rate, so the reward rate is negative. Not worth the additional 60k in fees.

          Reply
          1. Siddharth Post author

            Part of the problem with HDFC is it keeps a check on foreign POS spends if done for longer duration. Amex don’t care much AFAIK.

          2. Rahul

            If you spend more than 7 lakh in foreign currency on a card, the card company has to deduct tds and pay to IT department.
            Also if total transactions cross 10 lakh mark, they get automatically reported to IT department. Tread carefully and spend as per your declared income and what you can make up for. Spending money just cause of 2 or 3% return without substantiation is ITR, will result in tax notices and actions.

  87. Sarvesh Joshi

    I got a call from amex for Platinum Charge Card.
    I was told that :
    1) Spending on 1 lac on travel gives 30k tab vouchers
    2) Annual Spends of 12 lacs will lead to annual fee waiver of 60k as the company would want to retain its premium customers.

    So are the above things true ? Please share your views. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  88. SK

    If I decide to cancel the card for any reason within 1-3 months, will they reverse the charged fees and also take back the sign up bonus points?

    Reply
    1. Priyank Jain

      They generally cancel with pro-rata fee refund (on best effort basis)

      Reply
    2. Shivi

      No. They won’t refund the fees to start with. No bank will. It’s part of TnC

      Reply
  89. Priyank Jain

    Sid

    After receiving my platinum card, i am planning a vacation as taj with family (expected booking amount 1.5lakh). Can i utilize the 40k taj vouchers and still take benefit of kaizen offer with 30k taj vouchers award?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Easy way is you can split the booking into two: 1L(travel desk)+50K(self – use vouchers here)

      Reply
    2. Praveen Perumalla

      To use vouchers, you have to make the booking directly with Taj.

      Reply
  90. Priyank Jain

    Amex has again come back with Platinum offer with 125k MR points for April. It does not seem to be targeted offer but can also be received through customer care (who will connect with sales personal) and they will offer. Applied my Plat charge today!!

    Reply
    1. Siddhartha Tiwari

      In March, I received 115k points offer or Rs. 55K Taj Voucher Offer for Upgrade. Now I have received this 125K points Upgrade offer over email.

      What I understand from the terms & conditions is that the upgrade will automatically cancel my LTF AMEX MRCC card. This is the only thing that’s stopping me from taking a plunge.

      Reply
  91. Ram

    @siddhartha Tiwari, You can apply for a new card with any referral link . You get 100k + 20k for referral. You get to keep the existing cards .

    Reply
    1. Siddhartha Tiwari

      I think that MRCC & Plat Charge Card are incompatible together. Can anyone here confirm holding them together.

      Reply
      1. Tejas Ghongadi

        I hold MRCC, Gold Charge Card and Platinum Charge Card together.

        Reply
        1. Siddhartha Tiwari

          Thanks for confirmation guys.

          Just one more query, are Reward points accounts same for Platinum Charge & MRCC?

          Reply
          1. Gkcards

            For MRCC and Travel card, even though login is same, points are separate

  92. Daisy Antony

    The main issue I face with Amex cards is that it is barely accepted anywhere in South India, for eg. Kerala. I agree that the Platinum card is awesome, however it is a bit jarring when you realise you cannot use it at all even for basic purposes in most parts of India.
    If you travel mostly within India you cannot depend solely on this card – it is absolutely necessary to have another non Amex credit card which is disappointing when you pay a high fees.

    Reply
  93. PK

    This is a review of the Amex Concierge Service:

    With the ongoing pandemic, I required some medicines that were not available at any chemists in Delhi.
    I called up HDFC Diners Black/Infinia concierge and Amex Platinum concierge (where I am a supplementary card holder).
    HDFC Diners Black called me back in 30 minutes and said they called a few vendors and its not available and that was the end of that story
    Amex meanwhile called me back in 30 minutes and said its not available and they will keep searching. What followed was absolutely a pleasure to deal with where they called me 2-3 times a day with updates and 2 emails a day with updates. On the 3rd or 4th day, they arranged a runner to go to the shop and pick up the medicine and had it delivered to me at my home.
    Absolutely amazing service and I would spend the 60k a year just for this kind of service.

    First times Ive used the concierge and they hit it out of the park. Will definitely use them again whenever I need to for anything now!

    Reply
    1. Mitesh Chaudhary

      I was supposed to fly to MP from Maharashtra, and as per MP govt requirement I was supposed to carry a negative RT PCR report in which swab was taken not more than 48 hours before.

      I independently reached out to about 5 different labs and none were ready to provide a report before 48-72 hours. Also some of them were over booked to send a staff member to collect swabs.
      So I thought of I calling up the ‘Do it anything’ concierge for getting my RT PCR done and also get a report within 36 hours as I was flying after 36 hours. They understood my part and asked for 2 hours time. I wasn’t really positive but when I got a call after an hour, they reported that they called 4 labs but none were ready to provide a report before 72 hours but…. we have a good news for u, we have found a lab which was willing to send a person get me tested and deliver report within 24 hours on best effort basis. Amex team scheduled a visit with my consent.

      The best part is post the testing they followed up with the lab to ensure that I get my reports before I take off from Maharashtra.

      Amazing. Highly appreciated.

      Reply
  94. MAA-traveler

    @Tejas Ghongadi,
    When I asked Amex they said we can’t hold two charge cards together. Any pointers as to how you got Gold Charge Card and Platinum Charge Card together?

    Reply
  95. Mohnish Tekwani

    @MP @Tejas Ghongadi
    Any Guidance on how to get Gold charge along with Plat charge ?

    Reply
  96. Ram

    I see lot of hate on Amex concierge service. Here is another side of story. I wanted to get an appointment for a doctor for a special need for my son . The hospital was far away from home in Chennai and did not have a number available anywhere on the internet.I called the Amex concierge and placed a request for an appointment with the doctor. They were able to track the doctor and speak to him personally and got an appointment in another hospital where he practiced.I cannot put a value in monetary terms to these kind of delightful experiences .

    Reply
  97. AK

    Are there any current renewal offers on the plat card?

    My card is coming up for renewal next month and was wondering what the latest was. IIRC, last year they gave me 55k MR points.

    Reply
    1. AK

      Have just received an option of 80k MR or 50k taj vouchers.

      Not sure which to take to be honest!

      Reply
          1. Raghu

            Good, they gave only 20k Taj vouchers option to me in Feb’21 but frankly didn’t see any great returns so far.

            What did you opt finally?

  98. Avi Munjal

    I had a question about Reward Points:

    So for example if I spend Rs 100 on amazon/air tickets, I would need to spend 400 (100X4) reward points for 100 Rs through my Amex Platinum card reward points. For HDFC Infinia Credit Card, do you know if I would have to spend the same number of reward points (400 points for Rs 100)?

    I know that the number of points you earn for 150 Rs spent is equal to 5 points for HDFC and 3.5 points for Amex. However, I am not sure about spending reward points for each credit card.

    Also, I wanted to ask you if you have any recommendations for platinum corporate card. Which bank provides most value for money for a platinum level corporate card? looking forward to your insights and suggestions. Thank you

    Reply
  99. Ayush Agrawal

    HDFC Diners Club Black and Infinia have a reward points value of 1 Re. i.e. each point is worth Rs. 1. , but you’ll have to book flights/hotels through their own Smart Buy portal to redeem the points.

    Reply
    1. Sachin

      Its no longer that proposition, when u try to redeem it
      for INFNIA its now .33 paisa per point cash credit.
      however for the E Vouchers for some company its like .50 paisa
      and for amazon/flipkart its .25 paisa. devalued it

      Reply
      1. Nikhil

        Please don’t spread fake news, I can see that as of today 8th August Amazon/flipkart vouchers are valued at .50 paisa per point. Also booked a flight ticket yesterday @1rupee per 1 point rate only. DCB cardholder

        Reply
        1. chanduatla

          Both are correct.
          When you redeem from netbanking link, it is Rs. 0.33/reward. When you do from smartbuy, it value is Rs.0.5/reward.

          Reply
  100. sRam

    I got my Amex platinum last year July and it’s due for renewal this month. No word on the app nor any call from them. I am worried there is no offer for me now and they will slap on a 60+12k on my next bill. Should I contact immediately and check on offers? Without any offer I don’t want to continue anyway…. I got a 100k points initially.
    I have used all the offers in the year and went past 15 lakhs in usage in 1 year. So Wondering what should be my stance…
    looking for advice.

    Reply
    1. Gkcards

      For travel card, they said I can call when the fees is billed. So i guess the same would be true for platinum card also?

      Reply
  101. S D

    While I have been using plat card from past 2 years and renewing 3rd time soon, I am pretty much satisfied with it. Although it is not serving the main purpose of my international travels, they are handsomely rewarding over this pandemic era.

    However the biggest complaint from me is the quality of the physical card. This is 2nd time I am facing the issue. The card is getting split into 2 pieces, as they were pasting metal and delicate chip strips together. I have complained about it twice to Amex guys but of no use in rectifying it apart from replacing the card.

    The cheaper one card and other metal cards that are being issued in India are single piece metal cards and not sure what is the problem with Amex to issue such sturdy cards for these premium metal cards.

    Hope they will resolve soon!!

    Reply
    1. Ajai Dev

      That is exactly my issue as well I had also linked pics of the same but my comment was not approved here. The plastic on top and back are not at all durable and I have tiny bubbles near Amex logo.

      Before anyone says I had changed my card twice now “For free” since 2019 earlier one had a split plastic layer issue but that is not the way forward.

      Reply
  102. Taranveer Singh

    As someone who is very used to scouring the aggregator websites and finding cheapest possible business class/luxury hotel deals, I am a bit unsure about whether the Amex Platinum travel desk will understand my upper middle class mindset of looking for money saving opportunities.

    Do they only offer the potential upgrades on hotels/flights booked via their own platform? Or even if I book a hotel room via let’s say ‘Booking.Com’ and flight via ‘Akbar Travels’ for example, if I am a AMEX Platinum Charge card holder, will I be considered for available upgrades regardless?

    Reply
  103. Priyansh

    Sometimes, reading some reviews I am extremely tempted to go for Amex Plat Charge card.
    I mean, it’s brilliant card- where at least from looks of it, you can get the benefit redeemed via the Mariott program and other hotel programs.
    Plus the concierge reviews have just been brilliant.
    But on other side, as some people pointed out, it’s for people who are more on luxury. Probably not a card for those who are looking for more of “moneys worth”.
    Especially as someone who holds DCB/SCB Ultimate which gives 3.3% flat reward rates and other offers online, have a feeling I would be amongst its lower spending consumer (total card spends in a year-8-10l max)

    Thn question is- would I be getting a decent renewal offer itself.

    Tempted to apply.

    Reply
    1. MT

      If you plan on luxury vacations/ business travel where you stay at luxury hotels , go ahead and apply(post the ban is lifted by RBI) , otherwise not money’s worth , you will lose more time thinking about how to justify the fee

      Reply
  104. Daksh Setia

    I am using Amex Platinum Travel , MRCC card Since 2019. I doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria of 15 Lacs ITR (Self Employed).How Can I get Platinum Charge card once the Ban lifts from Amex ?

    Any suggestions or Tips ..?

    Reply
  105. Kumar

    Hi all, any idea on how much renewal benefits currently offered by American Express for Amex platinum charge card renewal ? My renewal will be in Jan 2022.

    Reply
    1. Venkatesh Sridhar

      There are no renewal benefits on Amex Plat Charge. You pay the same amount, you don’t get any MR points like you do when you sign up.

      Reply
    2. Amex Guy

      Most likely none, travel is open. To be fair, with two spending offers, App Store, Salon offers, Shop Small, Reserve offers, Amex has paid back more than fees + GST in 2021 in form of cash! I’m wondering why are you expecting a retention offer? At best, they’ll offer you to be on monthly plan. If you spent over 40L-ish, expect some Taj Vouchers if you pay in one go.

      Unless (and I hope not) Omicron leads to serious lockdowns I don’t see Amex offering retentions to even the highest of spenders. And it’s not even sensible to ask for one this year.

      Reply
    3. Anonymous

      Keeping my name anonymous for a reason. I took 110K MR Points as retention bonus and know at least 12-15 other Platinum Charge users who have received 100-120K with one of them even getting as high as 175K MR Points.

      Except the 175K Bonus guy, no one has spent more than 10 Lacs on the Platinum Charge Card.

      Honestly, even with mediocre spends of 4-5 Lacs, people have got Retention Bonuses of 80K MR points

      Reply
      1. MT

        was it your first renewal ? with my spends north of 10lakhs on the card , i wasnt offered any retention offer for the 2nd renewal , they made me remind of all the offers that i have used during the year and told me the value i derived from the card…just paid the fees , i must have covered the fees atleast 10 times by now during 2 years of holding the card

        Reply
    4. Sudheep

      Tried my luck too.. Unfortunately no renewal offer for my platinum… will keep the card for one more year, the benefits received so far can cover the charges.

      My total spends were 8-9 lakhs only .

      Reply
      1. Sudheep

        Update: 50k TAJ voucher as renewal offer on full payment. Other option was to redeem MR points@ INR 50paise/MR point which I didn’t opt.

        Reply
    5. Seshu Pasineni

      My spend was just above 10lakhs. Renewal due in April. Just casually checked with Customer care executive if there’s any retention offer. Customer care executive mentioned there wasn’t any retention offer on my card but connected to account relationship manager just in case. Account manager after reviewing offered a 40k Taj Vouchers or 60k reward points as retention offer. I accepted 40k Taj voucher without any bargain.

      Reply
  106. Raja

    Since I have a Plat issued elsewhere, I got tempted to write this. Honestly, it feels like I have been living under a stone. A lot has changed in India over a decade, and we have a well-performing credit reporting system.

    My ignorance aside, I was looking to apply for a credit card in India when I landed on this site. First, good work helping/saving the community! Your reviews have been quite helpful. For the card, I was thinking of a no-frill type travel card that offers a modest reward (2% or more) on other purchases as well.

    About Plat, I hope at some point Amex India improves its reward structure for flight/hotel bookings, like its US counterpart. (Asking for additional flight incidental and hotel credits would be too much, for now.) More importantly, I wish the regulators considered reducing or eliminating the 4.13% forex markup altogether, which I have noticed on almost all cards, except maybe one or two (with yet more than 2% fee); it kills all the fun of so-called premium travel cards. As for me, until I have a decent card there, I might just stick to my CSP and Plat when traveling home 🙂

    Reply
  107. Harsh

    Renewed 3 plat charge cards in Feb this month (me, cousin and father in law). Got the following retention offers:

    I got 40K taj vouchers and option to pay the fees by points @50p per point
    My cousin sister got 20K taj vouchers. Fees cannot be adjusted against points.
    My FIL got a 125K taj voucher for renewal. Option to pay the fees by points @50p per point.

    For me at 40k, the renewal seemed bearable and for my FIL it seems like a bonanza. Some other people have got the 125K offer which makes little sense as they could reduce the fee to zero and just issue the remainder as gift card (more pleasing to Indian customer as it involves the word FREE)

    Reply
  108. sudheep

    Am getting ONLY art auction mails which(mostly) nobody cares of..

    RBI ban could the reason.. new customer intake is zero for an year almost.. BUT this is 70k+ card..

    Hope Flipkart/Zomato offers wouldn’t end up in HISTORY.

    Reply
  109. amit pandey

    today i call to amex abt my charge card retention offer they only offer me 50 k mr point with rigid attitude .and i cancelled amex charge card after two year of usage .

    Reply
  110. R

    not a great experience so far with Amex metal this year.

    1. As of now no targeted offers received
    2. Removal of Gyftr vouchers from reward multiplier
    3. Removal of Amazon from Reward multiplier
    4. Marriott bonvoy program devalued up to 30-40% hence Amex points value is down
    5. Taj vouchers are not applicable on promotional tariffs only on BAR rates (Both Amex and Taj teams confirmed on mail) etc

    i don’t see value with such a high annual fee card even if they give all the money back as Taj vouchers.

    Reply
    1. MT

      1. started during pandemic , now rare
      2. started during pandemic , withdrawn
      3. same as 2
      4. further devaluation expected next year onwards
      5. hits and misses

      opinion : if you dont see value , close it before your next renewal … you will also see aggressive approval of the metal card once the ban lifts , further devaluations expected , new CEO is not as transparent as the old one

      Reply
  111. Jeetendra Singh

    Hi,
    Below is the statement mentioned for Medicine Concierge by Amex India.
    A medicine concierge comes to your aid during a medical crisis . Very similar to a personal assistant, this service seamlessly manages hospital admissions, doctor appointments, final bills and filing insurance claims. A medicine concierge works on a flat/annual fee business model.

    I want to know do they charge separately Medicine Concierge as mentioned above & what would be that amount for an year, is that for individual or for full family, if for family.
    who would be correct contact to know compete details on this, as they mentioned that final bills and filing insurance claims what does mean, will provide insurance also.

    ***

    Regards
    Jeetendra Singh.

    Reply
  112. AK

    Update for current year renewal offer. (My annual spend on this card is upwards of 20L)
    Got offered 40k taj vouchers (last year got 50k)
    No scope of any bargaining for more. Gladly took it over the measly 50k MR they were offering as an option.

    Reply
    1. Saurabh

      The Amex website still displays a banner about the ban being in place and doesnt allow for new card application

      Reply
  113. Arjun

    Do you expect any new offers on signing up? I am planning to get one.
    HDFC had very aggressive offers when the ban was lifted. Will AMEX follow the suit?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Amex has to go aggressive on this card going forward for reasons other than the ban. Let’s see.

      Reply
  114. Aakash cjb

    “4 Supplementary cards
    1 additional card for Business Expenses“
    Interested to know more about 1 additional card for business expense!

    Sid, For Business expenses – since we don’t have AMEX BIZ CARD, you meant CORPORTE card or personal card?

    Reply
  115. Abhishek Tapadia

    AMEX 4 Metal Supp. Cards –

    1. Are they issued on your name or in the name of your Family members for whom you get it for ?
    2. If they use it separately, so the spends on their cards ( being on your name or not) helps you with rewards in adding it to your Account or they are disbursed to the Supp. Cards owner.
    3. Is Credit limit Shared and will it handle your credit score if on main holder name or will help with their credit score if supp. card is on their name ?
    4. The Companion card shares of the credit limit with the main card and does it helps in shaping the rewards in your main card ? Suppose if you mainly use Companion card for all small transactions domestically ?

    Thanks,
    Using ICICI Sapphiro Currently

    Reply
    1. MT

      1. Issued in name of person
      2,3,4. All benefits of points and the consequences are primary card holder to bear

      Reply
  116. Pratmesh Kumar

    Hi,

    Few questions:

    1) Can I book unlimited times of travel with them, I mean they have different offers for each place can I claim 5 – 10 of their offers. Or is there a cap on the number of offers you can claim via them. Also Taj 25% and other such discount deals is it unlimited in a year or there’s a cap on their bookings.

    2) why do they charge 10k add on card fee? Should I get a supplementary card then for my wife, will it include unlimited lounges india and abroad?.

    Reply
  117. sarab

    Just applied for this card after lift of ban.
    On their website it doesnt show 100000MR welcome bonus. Only taj vouchers.
    Can anyone confirm.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      It’s expected to come again after a month or so, likely after Marriott transfer offer expires.

      Reply
      1. sarab

        Maybe should have waited. But anyways too late now. My card is already on the way.
        Will it be possible to approach them and get points instead of the vouchers.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          No, as they didn’t mention that on the updated site. But nothing wrong in trying.

          Reply
      2. Durgesh Singh

        When the Marriott transfer offer will expire and does that mean that after the offer expires and the MR points resumes then we can’t transfer the points to marriot bonvoy?

        Reply
      3. Rajesh Joshi

        Hi Sid.
        They have started offering points. I have got an offer to upgrade to Platinum charge from Platinum travel card with 1,15,000 bonus reward points.

        Reply
  118. Amitabh Maheshwari

    One very unpleasant thing has come to light. Now they are offering only Rs 45000 worth of Taj vouchers as welcome bonus on Platinum Card. The option of 100,000 MR points is gone. I just had a look at their website.

    Reply
  119. Amitabh Maheshwari

    They may not offer points anymore as people keep MRCC and redeem points using gold collection. On 100,000 points I can get 4 Taj vouchers of 14K each. That comes to ₹ 56k worth taj vouchers. Even transfer to Marriott Bonvoy can be made, which may be even more lucrative. Amex has seen through this so not giving welcome bonus in the form of points. Very unfortunate from customers point of view. Amex should not behave so stingy in case of such a premium card.

    Reply
  120. Deepak

    Hi. I am quite interested in this product and was waiting eagerly for the ban to get lifted & apply for the same. While submitting the application I realized that my city (In kerala) is not under the service radar. For the same I made a call to the CC & the promised to escalate the issue to the concerned authority. Is there a possibility or would you be able to add any suggestion to get this card if the CS authorities wouldn’t help on this issue.

    Reply
  121. Bhavin

    Not worth, they even reduce the credit limit, inspite of no payment default they reduced by limit to 2 lakhs siting no good reason. Stopped using card as no point to spend such a high fee with mere 2 lakhs limit. Better to use HDFC Infinia.

    Reply
  122. Amitabh Maheshwari

    They are not issuing add on cards at present. Normally with every primary card 4 add on cards can be obtained free for friends and family. So it seems that right now getting this card isn’t profitable.

    Reply
  123. Anish

    I am considering getting an Amex Platinum Card, and have two questions:

    1. How do I redeem and use Mariott points to book stays? Also, what is the approximate number of points needed to book a room?

    2. Is the Complimentary First Class Upgrade on Etihad still present? I could not see that mentioned on the Amex website.

    Reply
  124. praven

    holding platinum travel card and received an upgrade offer today …. they are offering 115000 points as welcome offer instead of 45k taj gv..

    Reply
  125. Vignesh

    I have recently received email to upgrade to Platinum from Platinum travel.I have couple of questions on this.
    1) If I take the Platinum card and if I am moving to UK in near future,I would want to convert my Indian Platinum to UK platinum card.Do I have to pay annual fee for Indian variant as well as UK variant when I convert the card ?
    2) I received invite for 115k points,if I apply now and get 115k points and when I get UK variant then will I also get the 30k bonus points as per the UK card terms ?

    Reply
  126. Chinmay

    Hi Sid. Great review as always. Just one minor correction, MB Gold doesn’t give free breakfast anymore. It’s platinum and above.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Reality is different from T&C, at-least with MB in 2022. 🙂

      Reply
  127. MeltingMercury

    I have an LTF MRCC card. Have received a FYF Platinum Travel card last month… Can we get Gold Charge card as companion card to my platinum travel card? Or can I request for a Gold Charge card under one fee policy of Platinum Travel?

    Reply
  128. Gaurav Sahi

    Hi Siddharth ,

    What is the best option to pick while applying AMEX Charge card. Should i pick 45k Taj voucher or 1 Lac points.

    Thanks
    Gaurav

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Usually 1L points because if you’ve MRCC along with Plat Charge @ 1L points, you can still get Taj vouchers worth about 56000 INR by redeeming for Gold Collection. 🙂

      Reply
  129. Bharath

    Is AMEX still sending Taj gift voucher of Rs. 10000 for the cardmember’s birthday? I’m curious since I got it last year.

    Reply
  130. Bhupendra Basera

    Excellent review, Sid- I’ve only recently been using the Amex plat Charge card, but I can’t bring myself to prefer it to the HDFC Infinia. I recently travelled to the United Kingdom and contacted the Platinum concierge service for airline and hotel alternatives, but the options provided were prohibitively expensive, so I booked online at a lower cost (Flight with Smartbuy and Hotel through Skyscanner as Smartbuy had no good options for hotels for London). Amex’s reward ratio is.6% vs. 3.3%, and I’m curious why someone would choose Amex over Infinia. I don’t think anyone can compete with Infinia in terms of reward ratio. I want to use more of Amex is there anyway i can take out more benefit?

    The only true perk is that I utilised my Hilton Gold membership, which entitles me to complimentary breakfast and one night free following a stay.The only true perk is that I have a Hilton Gold membership, which entitles me to complimentary breakfast, one night free after five nights of continuous stay (so if you stay for six nights, you just pay for five nights), an upgrading to the next category, and access to the executive lounge. Here is my personal experience with Hilton Gold- Look to the Hilton Honors website for hotel pricing. book EP plans ( Room Only as you will be eligible for Breakfast), Request a room upgrade at check-in to gain access to the Executive Lounge ( Free Wine and snacks). If you book using an online portal, you will not receive points or a free night if you stay for more than 5 nights. So compare where you are getting a good deal (Hilton or 3rd party App). In my experience skyscanner did good job ( I am not promoting people can check other websites as well). Hilton Gold Member will be eligible for Free BF,Upgrade and Lounge access even if they book hotel through 3rd party app.

    Reply
  131. Abhi

    5 RPs per 100 on fuel is nice but is fuel surcharge waived on this card, and is there any capping?

    Reply
  132. Karan Gupta

    Hello Siddharth! Loved the detailed article about this charge card.

    I have business expenses, primarily travel based of upwards of 40 lacs annually. Which credit or charge card would you suggest for me for maximum returns in terms of travel? A combination of credit cards is also okay for me.

    Reply
  133. Anand Gupta

    Hi Sid, I have received an offer with an option to either take INR 55k worth of Taj Experiences eGift Card or 1,15,000 Membership Rewards Points.

    Which seems to be a better offer from your perspective?

    Please guide!

    Reply
  134. Samy Dcosta

    Hi! I work on a cruiseline as an Art Gallery Director. I make anywhere between 2.5 lacs to 6 lacs per month. Can I apply for an Amex Platinum charge card while I’m overseas ?

    Reply
  135. Mayank

    Platinum charge card is being approved on card to card basis now.

    Reply
  136. Seyed

    Hey Sid.. Amex just dropped an email to upgrade to Amex Platinum Card.

    “We’re looking forward to welcoming you into our Platinum family.”
    “Offer valid until 30 April 2023”

    Currently holding Amex MRCC card(joined in Dec) and HDFC Infinia. Few other cards Citi Reward/ SCB Manhattan.

    I am not hunger for credit limit. And I travel less(once or twice a year – domestic) and most of my spends are online.. mixed spend personal and business.

    Should I go for upgrade or not? Highly confused.

    Reply
    1. Ankit Saraf

      Did you go for the upgrade? I have MRCC (free) and DCB right now with several other cards. My fixed personal spends about 5-6lacs a year and another 3-4lacs for friends/family during sales. Last year spend on mrcc was about 1.7 lacs. Amex just offered me upgrade with welcome benefits of 1,35,000 rp. I am also confused as to why am I being offered such a premium card. Not sure whether to take this or not.

      Reply
      1. Seyed

        MRCC is much better for the spend range 2-3L because Platinum card have 60k+ for renewal fee and no I don’t see any big advantage holding that card.

        Reply
        1. Bhavin Shah

          Advantage is 135000 points transfer to Marriott bonvoy with 30% bonus….you can extract better value if you know the game for 70k

          Reply
          1. Bhavin Shah

            Yes, currently no 30% offer but I am assuming it comes once in a year….even without 30% you can get better value than 70k

  137. Praveen

    Hi,
    Can people throw some light on what kind you renewal benefits or offers we get from AMEX. like point or vouchers ?
    And if we cancel this current card after how many days we can apply for new Platinum Card ?

    Reply
  138. Venkatesh Palimpati

    Hi Siddharth

    I was curious about the supplementary cards. You mentioned “1 additional card for business expenses”. Can you please elaborate on this point.

    Reply
  139. SM

    I recently got approved for Amex Platinum card and enrolled to upgrade Marriott membership to Gold. The Amex website shows status as pending since last 10 days. Any idea how much time it takes to upgrade to Gold?

    Reply
  140. MD

    The current link for Amex MITC has clauses missing between 3.1.14 upto 5.1 listed on page 3. There is no mention of the INR 1200 twice a year reimbursement.

    Has anyone been able to claim the 1200 home assistance reimbursement recently? for example with cards applied for after Feb 9th when this version of the t&c came into effect.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Looks like Amex clarified this today via email – benefit to be withdrawn from 25th June 2023

      Reply
      1. MD

        Thats a pity, don’t you think Indian Platinum cards holders are losing more value by every year? For example, the Shangri-La Jade membership was discontinued in 2019 and now the home assistance reimbursement.

        In comparison the $695 that is charged to US Amex plat holders provides far more benefits at a lower cost of 56k.

        They have reimbursements for various services and other benefits:
        1. $240 entertainment streaming services credit
        2. $155 Walmart membership credit
        3. $200 uber credit
        4. TSA precheck/ global entry free
        5. No forex transaction fees
        6. Car rental loss and damage insurance
        7. 1 year extended warranty on items purchased
        8. Cell phone damage protection

        The India version doesn’t have nearly as many of the benefits but is more expensive than the US variant.

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          All are so busy with Axis that no one is there to even complain Amex these days. 😉

          Reply
  141. S G

    I was charged the annual fee in June 2023.

    Called up the hotline and asked for an exception.
    They offered 35k Taj Vouchers or 50k MR points.

    I refused this offer, was offered 90k MR or 50k Taj Vouchers.

    I see others have been offered 55k Taj / 115k MR points. But my spends this year have been low on the AMEX Plat Charge card – 9.8L or so.

    Reply
  142. Mohit

    After holding Amex Platinum charge for nearly 4 years, had to close it with a heavy heart. Tried negotiating with the Amex card retention executive and her manager, however, they were not willing to offer anything beyond 10K Taj voucher. I noted other cardholders been offered at least some respectable retention/renewal deals, which was really a big factor towards this decision. I feel the level of disparity by Amex amongst its cardholders has increased significantly in the recent times!!

    Reply
    1. Vikram

      Sorry to hear this. I don’t have this card but I have the Platinum Reserve Credit Card which I’ve not used for a few years now. I called them up last December to cancel the card and they told me that the fee was due only in May and I can call back on May 1st if I still wanted to cancel it and then they’ll see what they can do.

      I called back on the first week of May and the retention team offered to revert the fee but they said this can’t be done till the fee was actually charged which they said would be on 18th. I requested the card be closed as I found no use for it and I don’t see myself using it in the next year either. They still insisted that I retain it as I’ve been a customer for 7 years now.

      I honestly wanted to close the card as I saw it as a kinda liability. With this card active, I am sceptical about applying for any new card as I currently have 7 cards. I’ll cancel the SCB Ultimate soon. This platinum reserve and their MRCC are now of hardly any use to me. I am planning to get a fuel card, SBI Octane mostly, as my fuel expenses have gone up and I am losing on possible points. But couldn’t convince them and so waited for the fee to be levied. I immediately called them back afterwards and they took the request to reverse it. It happened in about 3-4 days. I told them that I would probably call them back same time next year to cancel the card again and they told me that they’d still most likely offer me the reversal.

      Because of this I was truly moved because this was the card I’ve used the least and I’ve hardly used it in the past 3+ years. Literally 0 transactions during this time. So I thought highly of their customer service and I assumed that they would be doing the same to everyone.

      Maybe they’re not doing it for their top card variant?

      Reply
  143. Harsh Rastogi

    Does anyone know if the Mariott Gold Elite membership gets removed instantly after cancelling the card or if it stays for the year?

    Reply
  144. Nikhil Gogate

    Hi Siddharth… Just had a quick question. I’ve had the AMEX Plat for a few months now. I’m looking to make ₹4 Lakh transaction but the merchant is going to charge me ₹10,000 for using a credit card. ₹4 Lakh will get me 10,000 Reward Points. I’m wondering is it worth paying the ₹10K fee? How do I know the worth of the points that I gain? How does one get more than ₹1 value? Thank you for your help!

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Not worth it, as you can anyway buy Amex points at 40ps upto 10K points directly with Amex itself.

      Amex points are ideally good for Marriott and then to United/AA from Marriott. But no sure shot way to get >1Rs value in this game as there are so many factors involved.

      Reply
      1. Nikhil Gogate

        Thanks, Siddharth. I appreciate the response.

        Please let me know if I’m thinking on the right track:

        In the end the vendor charged me a fee of Rs. 5,600 for using the credit card (and not Rs.10k as I had originally thought). I earned 10K points over the entire amount of Rs. 4L (inclusive of the fee). Effectively, it looks like I paid a tad bit more for 10k points (Rs. 5,600 vs Rs.4,000) compared to purchasing the points out right from Amex at Rs. 0.4. So a loss from that standpoint, but on the upside, I get to register a large spend on my account. That does count for something, right? Also, in the future, if I am able to get a value of Rs. 1 or more for those 10K points, then I would have covered my losses. Am I thinking on the right track?

        I had another question / comment for everyone: Accessing the Amex lounge in Mumbai has been a challenge because of where the lounge is – domestic part of the T2 terminal. I have taken several flights some domestic (from T1) and some international (T2), but have been unable to access the Amex lounge. I find it silly that the only way to access it, it seems is if you are booked on a domestic flight on either Air India or Vistara. For all other domestic airlines, the lounge is out of bounds. Is that the same experience everyone else has had?

        Reply
  145. Himmat

    Hi sid,

    How can we buy points from amex. Please enlighten us all

    Thankyou and regards

    Reply
      1. Varun

        Hi Siddharth,

        I am holding Amex Platinum Travel with MRCC as a companion card. I currently have an offer to upgrade to Platinum Charge card with bonus of 135K points. If I apply for this card, will my Platinum Travel card cease to exist? Can both Platinum Travel & MRCC exist as companion cards? Thanks.

        Reply
  146. Bhavin Shah

    Didn’t act on Plat upgrade offers with 115000 points, this month they have increased to 135000 points

    Reply
  147. Abhikohli

    Is the golf benefit also silently withdrawn on the card ? I see no mention of it on Amex website. Really ? Amex thinks itself as really premium card issuer and with 70 annual charges also not providing golf ?

    Reply
    1. NMS

      Nope, it’s very much active. It’s mentioned under Special Access on the page.

      Reply
  148. Himmat

    Hi everyone, i am being offered 40K points of renewal ( 4 year) . Is anyone offered more as amex support remains adamant that this year not mire than 40k points given to anybody

    Reply
  149. Ankit

    Is Amex offering any retention exception? My renewal is due next month and all they offered was 30k of Taj vouchers whereas on other hand they are offering 135000 points to upgrade..

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      From what I see in the last 2 months, Amex India has become less generous with retention offers. But as you might know, they keep changing it almost every quarter.

      Reply
  150. Sai Madhusudanan

    Thanks for updating this article. Recently got the charge card.

    Also can anyone confirm the offer of book 1L through travel desk/service and get X amount of taj voucher, is that offer still going on? could not find that or the taj birthday 10k mentioned anywhere

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Both are more of “temporary” offers and AFAIK it’s still active.

      But I would suggest you to check once with support whenever you plan to avail those benefits.

      Reply
    2. Sudheer

      I received 15k Taj voucher offer on my platinum. Spend 1,00,000/- or more on Amex travel (Domestic/International Hotel/Flight) and receive 15k Taj voucher after the journey. This offer is expired on 29’th Dec.

      Reply
      1. Sai Madhusudanan

        Thanks. Is there a place where we can see such offers or is it through email or calling them up and asking the only way?

        Reply
  151. AAJ

    For 2nd time I didn’t get spend based offer, so closed PlatChrg which was getting fee levied next month. Holding on to other 3 though 🙂

    Reply
      1. AAJ

        Didn’t do decent spends owing to no such offer, other cards yes. Overall decent spends Sid. But somehow couldn’t make use of card for the fees. Previously i was offered 100k MR for renewal, this time it was just 10k Taj (about 18k MR worth ).

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          10K Taj is unacceptable indeed.
          But seems this is happening for many in the last 2 months.

          Reply
          1. AAJ

            Oh I see. They are getting new to bank for 135k so losing existing. Let’s see if I get any upgrade later, had it earlier despite holding one 🙂

          2. Ankit

            Amex didn’t improve the retention offer so I asked them to close the card..

  152. Anshul

    135k MR offer is not for new to bank customers.. It’s upgrade offer for existing customers.

    Reply
  153. Alam

    I had requested Amex Platinum Travel credit card as a companion card, but Amex refused and said that they can only provide Amex Platinum Reserve as a companion card. But I could apply for Amex Platinum Travel credit card as a non-companion card.

    Reply
    1. Arijit C

      I had Platinum Travel for >4 years. Last year upgraded to Platinum Charge and they converted the Platinum Travel as companion card.

      Reply
  154. SANJO VARGHESE

    The hotel membership benefits can be availed only for primary card holders. Not for supplementary card holders.. only one supplementary card holder can access international lounge access for free..

    Reply
  155. Rohith

    Hello Sidd,

    I have been stuck the global limit of 3.5L it’s been almost a year now. Unable to remove that limit from my account. Tried for review with the credit team multiple times but couldn’t get it removed. Just now paid my membership fee for the 2nd year. This anything else that I can do?

    Also I saw you mentioned that you’ve given 100+ requests could you please tell which is the most that you’ve used or the best that saves much of your time.

    Thanks Sidd.

    Reply
  156. Ankit

    What amount of annual spend is decent on this card? I have the offer to upgrade to this card with 135k mr points. Any info is appreciated.

    Reply
  157. nikunj duggal

    My card renewed is charged to the statement.
    The only offer i got is 30K Taj for retention. Confused – Is it still worth it?
    Not a big fan of Taj vouchers
    Holding Infinia + Axis Vistara Infinite

    Reply
  158. Mohit

    My card got renewed in Jan and I got nothing. Forgot that the renewal was due in Jan, so when I called to find out post renewal that is their anything I will get for renewal, they informed I get nothing.

    I seriously feel the card is not worth the fees at all and will close it during next renewal period.

    Reply
  159. Abhi

    1st yr was wonderful, 135K pts as part of the upgrade, which translated to 175K Bonvoy pts thanks to the 30% bonus. Also reversal of fee on Plat Travel card plus 10K Taj on birthday month, and free salon service worth 2.5K at Trufit & Hill. But on renewal it’s just 20K Taj so no choice than cancel it.

    Reply
  160. R S

    A Lot has changed with this card, what really catches eye is the so called “Platinum do anything” concierge, which has become a bit of a JOKE !! They could not even sort out a couple of concert tickets for me (forget about getting sand from a sea, lol) & just gave me the info where I can get them online from, so much for 70K+ annual membership & the so called famed “do anything” concierge..

    Amex even reduced the charge support for me below 7 digits & this being with them for 8 years now with ~40-50L spends on my amex cards year on year ! NO one has a clue why !!

    The platinum has simply lost it’s sheen & the prestige it once had due to amex trying to be greedy & mass marketing it to anyone & everyone without actually delivering the quality that was once synonymous with an amex plat ! What is even more surprising or rather shocking is that people are getting this card WITHOUT any income proof when previously one needed to have over 15L ITR to get a hand on this & they used to be pretty strict about that .. It was a card which some had & most coveted but that just seems mythological now ..

    Shame really.. Considering dumping this card .. Every passing year it is becoming harder to justify the 70K+ fees unless you’re a serious international traveller !

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      All true indeed.

      Just like Axis that gave Magnus without following strict eligibility criteria, now Amex is doing the costly mistake with Platinum. Let’s see where it goes.

      Reply
  161. Srinjoy

    Dear Siddharth,
    You mentioned that travel concierge would provide complementary First class upgrade on Etihad.
    Just this month I have booked Business class tickets to London and back for my family on Eihad via the Amex Travel concierge desk.
    They did not mention any such offer as a free upgrade to First class however.
    Do we have to request them separately for the same?

    Reply
  162. Ganesh

    “While only Taj vouchers are available as regular welcome benefit there is a way to still get 100K points, more on that shortly”

    Hi Siddharth: Would be great if you can elaborate on this. Thinking of getting the Amex Plat Charge but not keen on the Taj Vouchers as welcome bonus. Any way to get 100k points? Thanks.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Please read the “bottomline” for the same.

      Reply
  163. Kapil

    Im offered Amex platinum card with 1.25 lac points welcome benefit/ is it worth applying? I’m already holding HDFC infinia, Icici Sapphiro and my wife had HDFC biz black. For most of the spends I use Hdfc infinia and mostly mine is a LTF card too(though my spends exceed what’s needed for fee waiver). I had Amex travel platinium but wasn’t very happy

    Reply
  164. NIKHIL

    Hey Siddharth,

    Thank you for this awesome resource! I had a question about renewal – I’ve had the Amex Plat for a year now. My total spend has been probably over ₹40L in this past year. I spoke to them and they are willing to offer 60K MR + ₹ 10K Taj birthday voucher for renewal. What are your thoughts about this offer? Is this good enough to consider the renewal?

    Just FYI, I have tried my best to take advantage of all perks, hotel discounts, spend offers etc that come along with this card and decently happy with it. I just miss not being able to make NFC payments using my watch!

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Ideally, I wouldn’t suggest renewing at 60K MR.

      Reply
      1. Nitesh Sharma

        But isn’t 60k+10k taj enough to cover annual charge? How much would you bargain upto

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          At the moment 60K itself is high from what I see with the offers others get. The point is, given that they’re throwing ~130K points for upgrade offers, 60K feels small.

          Reply
  165. Abhi

    If one cancels Plat Charge, when do they next offer upgrade to Plat Charge again? Assuming lower cards are still actively used.

    Reply

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