Loving My American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card (India)

By | January 10, 2019

I’ve reviewed about American express platinum Travel card recently and as you know, its impressive to see overall 8% reward rate as Indigo/Taj vouchers and so i planned to get hands on it. Its gonna be very much useful for me as i’ve planned for couple of domestic trips in coming months and Indigo being the best airline to fly within India, it sounds nice deal for me.

American Express India Application Process:

American Express application process was a breeze, the most user friendly and simplified process that i’ve ever seen. I applied offline through Amex sales guy and once i submitted all documents, i got an email in matter of few hours stating that i am conditionally approved for the card.

American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card in my Wallet

American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card in my Wallet

Within a week, verification process got completed and i received the card in hand the next week. The whole process took just 10 days. That’s incredibly fast compared to any other credit card issuer in India. For example, HDFC/ICICI/SBI takes more than 20 days to issue the card from the date of application.

My Experience with Amex Customer Support:

Amex have the best in class customer support in India. They can understand what you speak, they can solve most issues over the call, they’re nothing less than an expert. They’ve 24/7 support line with energetic executives on phone even on 2Am.

Every single CC executive that i’ve spoken has very good knowledge about the credit cards and can tackle rare questions very easily. Added to that, they’re extremely friendly in beginning the conversation which you might love every single time, though sometimes odd to see a stranger greeting you like 10 Yr old friend 😀

So far it feels really special to be with American Express (India) i would say.

Some Useful Tips:

  1. You can change your billing cycle with Amex credit cards. Just make sure there is no outstanding balance at the time of request.
  2. You may have upto 3 Amex cards at a time. Apply for the subsequent cards after 6 months of using your first card for better approval success rate.
  3. Spend more to get higher credit limit on your card easily. Especially Amex love those who spend much.

That being said, i’m planning to opt for American express gold charge card in coming months. (Update: I got it!)


Need help with your Amex Application? If you’re in Tamilnadu, i can help you with processing your Amex card application offline. You can contact me here.

Do you have Amex plat travel Card? Share your experiences below.

66 thoughts on “Loving My American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card (India)

  1. Captain Bishuddha Bharatiya

    I know that the minimum requirement to apply for this card is Rs 6 lacs annual income and a firm of minimum 12 months old ( I have neither of those ).
    My question is that can I register for a new firm now and I will show income of more than 6 lacs annually and than can I get the above mentioned card and how much credit limit can I expect ?
    If you can suggest any other method of getting this card than it would be very appreciating .
    Could you please tell me how much annual income you had and what was the credit line sanctioned to you by Amex so that I can compare its credit limit with other banks.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      I can help u with application if you’re in TN. Are u?
      If you’re holding other cards & if CIBIL is in good standing, yes, you can file the income and get it.

      I’ve been given a low Limit <1L initially, but whats good with Amex is that if your usage & repayment record is good, your limit can go very high in a yr, unlike other cards. one of my friend started with 75k limit and went upto 4L in a year. Hope it helps!

      Reply
      1. Captain Bishuddha Bharatiya

        Thanks a lot for your valuable suggestions.
        I live in West Bengal.
        I have ICICI Coral Amex Credit Card with 20k limit ( 2 months old ).
        I also have HDFC All Miles Credit Card with 1.5 lacs limit ( 7 months old ).
        My CIBIL should be in great shape as I have never missed any payments ever.
        So what should I do ?

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          Unfortunately, Amex doesnt source cards in West Bengal.
          You should have some work/resident address in the cities that American express currently provide cards.
          Else you got to wait until they take cards in West Bengal.

          Reply
      2. Vinod Kannan

        Amex initially gives <1 lakh initially by default.

        Reply
  2. ajithkumar

    dear sid,
    is there any annual fee for amex platinum travel card.can it be reversed.Is there any free lounge access.It is mentioned priority pass membership.is it including visit.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Ajit,
      1. Yes, it does come with 3,500+tax joining fee
      2. No complimentary lounge access
      3. No, its only for Priority pass membership, no free visits.
      Hope it helps!

      Reply
    2. Vinod Kannan

      They will reverse the next year renewal fee if u approach them (atleast by half for sure). If u want complimentary lounge access, u gotta go for AMEX JETPRIVILEGE CARD

      Reply
  3. Prashant Agrawal

    AmEx is one card which I have been eyeing for a long time. I have just not been able to find the balance between the fees, spending and rewards yet (spread over 4 other credit cards). But my eyes glow up whenever I see one every time 😀

    All in good time.

    Reply
  4. Deepak

    Hey.
    Can you please explain about the indigo vouchers.. Can we use all vouchers in a single booking? Maximum amount that can be used in a single booking…

    About taj voucher.. Is it fully redeemable through online booking?

    Please help.

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      You can use upto 9 vouchers or so in single Indigo booking.
      Taj voucher can be used in person. You just need to book the hotel before.

      Reply
      1. Deepak

        I recently applied for it and got it approved. Got nice offer of lifetime free part of their some promotion. I see one issue on using indigo vouchers that I need to wait for 1week+ to get it in my hand so I have to plan for it ? Is there any other option – directly redeeming points on indigo website or e-voucher ? Believe same is the case with Taj vouchers ?

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          You’ll receive indigo voucher post giving 24-48 of redemption request. Its a e-voucher (cash voucher) that can cover entire flight cost, no hassles with tax, etc.
          Taj voucher is also fully redeemable cash voucher which you have to present in person while you visit the property.

          Reply
      2. Deep Singh Bawa

        I recently tried using but it showed only option to enter and use only one at a time and lost out on lot of money because of that.

        Reply
      3. Kunal

        Hi ,
        Do you have any idea if the Taj Vouchers I get cannbe given to a friend?
        Or only I can use it ?
        Thanks in advance

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          I’ve used my friends voucher once and billing was smooth as he stayed with me. You need to be one of the guest in the stay!

          Reply
  5. Rachit

    Some cards have fee waived off for 1st year and offer tremendous benefits like Amex platinum travel. If I close the card after 8 months after availing free benefits, Would I be charged anything.

    ALso, some SBI card offer 20,000 miles for annual fee card of 5000. I have heard that these miles are equal to 4 tickets. People take advantage of 4 tickets at 5000 and then after 8 months closes their card.

    ALso, what are the terms and conditions of using Make my trip vouchers of 9000 on amex cards and Indigo vouchers. Make my trip vouchers does not make sense to me because at a time, we can use only 1 voucher of 1000.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Yes, you can close card in a yr if you want to, its allowed and is normal.
      MMT vouchers are useless from my point of view.
      Indigo vouchers are like Cash vouchers, i’m using it often and its good.

      Reply
  6. Nandhakumar

    Eligibility to get amex plat travel card
    1.now I have axis privilege card with 1 lakh limit
    2.where I will apply

    Reply
  7. Anoop

    Hi Siddharth

    Can you clarify what Amex means by self-employed? Does regular freelance income of 75k+ per month count towards this if I provide them my income tax record? (aka 9 lacs/annum).

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      That should be enough. 6L pa is what they look for.

      Reply
      1. Anoop

        Thanks for the quick reply! I’m aware that the amount should be fine, but do you think that they make a distinction between self-employed and freelance work?

        Reply
  8. Arjunlal

    The card benefits description says “Complimentary membership* to Priority Pass, with US$99 annual membership fee waived off.”, but in conditions it says “Cardmember/accompanied guest has to pay a usage fee of US$ 27 for every visit”
    Does this mean, we get a priority pass, but to access lounges we need to pay USD27 per visit?

    I sometimes don’t get these items. Unnecessarily complicated structure of conveying information. For eg:- I have a HDFC Regalia Card and with the Priority Pass that comes with it, I get 12 free lounge visits per year. Nothing of that sort mentioned in the Amex Platinum Travel Card page.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Arjun,
      Free Visits not avail with Amex Plat travel card. Only PP membership fee is waived.

      Reply
  9. Vinit

    Hello Siddharth,
    Thanks for review.
    could you please guide me how to use it effectively? apart from Indigo
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Vinit,
      Hold on to Big spends until Diwali/New Year season as they run lots of spend based offers at that time.
      This way, you can get more than 10% value out of it.

      Reply
  10. Shailesh

    Hi Sid,
    As this Amex Platinum Travel Card doesn’t give any points for fuel, utility, insurance spends. Which card will you suggest for these kind of spends.
    I spend around Rs. 3000 p.m. on fuel, Rs. 3000 p.m. on utility and Rs. 60,000 p.a. on insurance.
    Thanks

    Reply
  11. Full

    Amex is a great card in terms of rewards and other freebies. However Amex lacks network. This card cannot be used for local shopping. They wont just accept it. I had the opportunity to ask a vendor why he wont accept. I was educated that Amex charges the vendor close to 3 percent of the total transaction value while visa and mastercard charge in the range of 1 to 1.5 percent.
    So if you are a cashless person and shop on cards, Amex may not be the best one as it is not so widely accepted.

    Reply
    1. Prashant

      The acceptance of amex has increased manyfold in last 6 months. Small town still has a prolem but there also the acceptance has increased.

      Reply
  12. SHALABH

    Hi Sid,

    I was going through the terms for the eligibility of Rs.4 Lakh benefit. It mentions that 10% of spend must be on utilitites. Is this mandatory? Also are hospital/medical charges part of the utilities?

    Reply
  13. Halder

    I know that one doesn’t earn points on insurance and fuel expenses, but does these expenses count towards the 1.9 lac and 4 lac spend threshold for the indigo and taj voucher rewards?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      I doubt. Because this is basically done via reward points. You can still get the milestone benefit, but little less then metioned.

      Reply
  14. Ash

    Sid

    Want to clear a doubt. So a single person can hold 3 Amex cards but can they be the same cards?

    I currently have American express platinum travel card can I get the same card again?

    Ash

    Reply
  15. Som

    Hi Siddharth

    I need a suggestion from you. Somewhere in the comments you mentioned one can hold maximum of three Amex cards at a time and it would be best to apply for the subsequent cards after 6 months from the issuance of the first card. Could you please comment on the following.

    1. I had my first Amex card (MMT) about 10 months back. I got Amex Gold just 2-3months ago. Is it okay to apply for Amex Platinum Travel card now (I fulfill other requirements)? Or should I wait till 6months from the last card issue date?

    2. I plan to close the MMT card if I get Platinum Travel simply because I don’t want to hold three Amex cards (but I would prefer Platinum Travel than MMT). Do you think it is a good idea?

    Som

    Your comments would be appreciated.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      1. Yes, you have to wait for 6 months
      2. You may consider closing MMT card when you plan to get another card from Amex. Until then you may hold it, if free.

      Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Well, if that person is travelling with the one who’s name is on voucher, it should be fine. Else, it might get complicated.

      Reply
  16. Prashant Gupta

    Small update: i purchases car insurance and i was nit awarded any points as amex from last 2 years dont give points in any insurance payment. Surprisingly lats year i got points from HDFC for the same. so guys unless u want to complete milestone dont purchase car insurance from amex cards.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Thanks for sharing the info. Yes, HDFC is encouraging it even with bonus points recently.

      Reply
  17. Shubhendu Shekhar

    Does it make sense to have American Express Platinum Travel Credit card if I have HDFC Diners Premium Credit Card? Diners Premium has unlimited Lounge access, movie One on One offers etc. Isn’t it better to concentrate my spends on HDFC Diners Premium rather than American Express Platinum Travel Credit card?

    And yes, for me Diners Premium is lifetime free. I feel Rs 5000 for AmEx card is high. Please advice

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      It depends on what you can spend 4L or not. If yes, why not?

      Reply
      1. Shubhendu Shekhar

        So, considering the Rs 5000 annual fee for AmEx card, the return is still better than Diners Premium? I can spend 4L . Last year my total spends were around 7.5L

        Also, what is the acceptance rate of AmEx. Is it accepted everywhere ?

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          Yes the returns are high. Having both and spending with a strategy is a much better way.
          Both Diners/Amex has low acceptance.

          Reply
          1. Shubhendu Shekhar

            I know this is asking for too much but will it be possible for you to guide me on how should I manage my expenses on these two cards.
            Most of my expenses are dining/movies. Travel and shopping are limited.

          2. Abhishek Roy

            I’ll disagree. The last time my Diners Card was rejected was 1.5 years back. In fact that is the only time ever that the card wasn’t accepted. After that I haven’t faced such a situation again. The acceptance of Diners Club Cards are extremely good. As of now it can be swiped at POS terminals from HDFC, CITI, ICICI, SBI, AXIS, Bank of Baroda, Yesbank. I think that covers most of the POS machines in India. And in all probabilities, Diners has a better acceptability than AMEX cards now in India.

          3. Siddharth Post author

            Ah long topic. I meant, it cannot match Visa/MC 🙂

          4. Raulnayak

            From my experience, Diners acceptance and AmEx acceptance is different.
            What I mean is that AmEx acceptance is low because the retailers do not want it.
            Diners acceptance is low (Which is not true anymore) is because some machines cannot accept. So basically, it is a difference of can’t and won’t.

  18. Shubhendu Shekhar

    Also, can the annual fee for AmEx be waived off on spends of around 4 LPA?

    Reply
    1. Anish

      Depends on how you speak to the CC executives. You can always give a try !

      Reply
  19. Anish

    Sid,
    After I read your post, I went ahead and applied for this card and got it approved instantaneously. How long should I wait before I apply for the Credit Limit Enhancement? How much should I use to enhance it?

    Anish

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Spend 4 Lakhs or so in next 6 months and expect your limit to be doubled 🙂

      Reply
  20. Arjun

    I currently have this card and try to use it as much as I can. 5 months old, already spent 1.8 lakhs. Awaiting milestone benefits at 1.9 lakhs. I love their customer service too.
    Having said that, I do not plan to keep this card after the first year. I feel the renewal fee of Rs 5000 is a little too much. I have HDFC Regalia and Yes First Preferred card (will be getting next week). Wouldn’t it be better value to cancel AMEX and spend on these cards instead? Which option would give better rewards?
    Is there any chance of a renewal fee waiver?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Waiver or discounted fee maybe possible on high spends.

      Reply
  21. Prashant Gupta

    I referred one of my friends for a card as there is an offer going on, wherein on successful referral one gets 8000 MR points. The whole process was smooth and fast. within one week he got the card and me the rewards points. (will have to share half with him :-(, that was the deal 🙂 lol ). Anyways nice promotion.

    Reply
  22. Naveen Sehgal

    Hello
    I have an American Express platinum travel card from last 4 month. I’ve applied amex gold charge card online but they said we regret to process your application on this time……
    Can I apply again for this card ? And I know that the time when I can apply this card again????

    Reply
  23. Kapil Sharma

    Hello!

    I’m using AMEX Membership rewards credit card for 8 month. also having SBI PRIME card. Now i wants to close one card. Please suggest which one i should close.

    Reply
    1. rishabh

      SBI prime would be better if you want to cancel. It’s good but when the bulk aquiring of points is a matter then Amex definitely stands out. For short term benefits SBI may seem better with its Club Vistara silver membership in which you get a free upgrade voucher and a free ticket (only for one time), etc. But in long term Amex points are much versatile and offer greater value, as well as they are easier to earn. Also, they can be transferred to many international rewads programs.

      Reply
  24. rishabh

    Please tell us the t&c’s about the Taj vouchers we recieve on spending 4L per year.

    Reply
    1. Prashant Gupta

      No t&c……u need to do booking by calling the Taj reservations and tell them about the voucher. In your final bill the 10K amount will be adjusted against the voucher.

      Reply
      1. Sharathkumar Anbu

        You may note that only room rate will be adjusted against the Voucher. Taxes need to be borne by the User.

        E.g. If you room rate is 6000 rupees and 1200 GST, 10K voucher will be used against 6K rupees and remaining 4K will be forfeited.

        1200 GST need to be paid separately using cash or card (any card, not necessary Amex card)

        Reply
  25. Dev

    is it still a good travel card in 2019? if not which card is good?

    Reply

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