If you’re looking for a best travel credit card in India, the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is a must have in your wallet. The attractive reward rate on the card is too good to believe and it holds intact even after so many years of it’s existence.
It has been holding the “best travel credit card” tag almost every year for about a decade and so it’s undoubtedly an amazing product that Amex has ever created. Here’s the detailed review of the Amex platinum travel credit card,
Table of Contents
Overview
| Type | Travel Credit Card |
| Reward Rate | 1% – 8.5% |
| Best for | Taj Vouchers & Marriott points transfers |
| USP | Milestone benefits |
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card has been everyone’s #1 choice when looking for a travel credit card because it comes with an attractive value and a relatively easy to reach spend targets.
Currently, one of the best offer you could get is an additional 2,000 MR points as a part of limited period offer when you apply using a referral link.
*** Limited Period Offer: 2,000 Bonus MR Points ***
Apply through the link above to get 2,000 additional Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points (spend INR 5,000 within 90 days).
Fees
| Joining Fee | 3,500 INR+GST |
| Welcome Benefit | 10,000 MR Points |
| Renewal Fee | 5,000 INR+GST |
| Renewal Benefit | Nil |
| Renewal Fee waiver | Nil |
While there are no renewal benefit (or) renewal fee waiver condition, you maybe eligible for the retention benefit based on your profile/spends which may include complete waiver of the fee as well.
Do note that the reward rate takes a little hit when you consider the renewal fee. However, there is a right way to go about it, we’ll discuss that later in the article.
Note: This is platinum travel card and not platinum charge card, which some get confused often, as multiple Amex cards carries the “platinum” tag.
Design
While I’m not a great fan of the Platinum Travel Credit Card’s design, it’s subtle and you wouldn’t be disappointed to have it in hand. The new design is good indeed.
Rewards
| SPEND TYPE | REWARDS | REWARD RATE (CASH CREDIT) | REWARD RATE (MARRIOTT/TAJ VOUCHER) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Spends | 1 MR on every 50 INR spend | 0.50% | ~1% |
- Excluded spends: Insurance, Utilities, Fuel
- Rewards don’t expire.
The reward points earned on American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card are ideally meant for Marriott transfers (or) Taj voucher redemptions (according to me), as other options are not attractive enough.
Also note that the MR points earned on plat travel can’t be pooled with other Amex cards, so you can’t redeem for Gold (or) Platinum rewards collection.
While the reward rate on regular spends is not that attractive as seen above, its all about the milestone benefits that makes this card really click!
Milestone Benefit
| Spend Milestone | Benefit | Value | Value (Cumulative) | Savings (Cumulative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9 Lakhs | 15,000 MR (Bonus) | ~7500 INR | 7,500 INR | 3.9% |
| 4 Lakhs | 25,000 MR (Bonus) + 10,000 Taj Voucher | ~22,500 INR | 30,000 INR | 7.5% |
- Note: You’ll unlock 2 benefits on hitting 4L milestone spend, as above.
Note that the above calculation is done by considering “1 MR = 0.50 INR” as we easily get that value by transferring to Marriott or redeem for Taj voucher redemptions.
With Amex Platinum travel card, you may also redeem your MR points for Flipkart vouchers at the rate of “1MR = 0.30 INR” but that’s not a wise option in my opinion.
So, if we consider regular rewards along with milestone benefits, we get a good ~8.5% return on spend post reaching 4L milestone.
What else one can ask for?!
Note: On reaching milestones, you’ll only get 7,500 and 10,000 “bonus” MR points, you’ll then need to call support and ask them to credit remaining points into your account. Gets done in a minute.
Airport Lounge Access
| Access Type | Via | Access Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Amex | 8 (2/qtr) |
| International | Priority Pass | – |
Note that you’re eligible only for regular domestic lounge access (for primary cardholders only) but not to the American Express Lounges located in Delhi & Mumbai.
To access Amex proprietary lounges you would need Amex Platinum Charge Card.
While you get complimentary “membership” to Priority Pass for international lounge access, you do-not get any complimentary “access” with it, unfortunately.
My Experience
I’ve been using American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card since past 6 years and it has been an amazing time with the card so far.
I’ve used the Taj vouchers received through amex platinum travel card and other Amex offers to explore some of the beautiful Taj properties (among others) across the country. Here are some of the nice ones that I’ve explored,
- Taj Santacruz, Mumbai
- Taj Fisherman’s Cove, Chennai
- Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
- Vivanta, Guwahati
- Vivanta, Coimbatore
- Taj Lands End, Mumbai
- Taj Bengal, Kolkata
- Taj Connemara, Chennai
- Taj West End, Bangalore & few more
Which one is your most-loved or aspirational Taj property? Maybe I can cover the review of it if that interests you.
Other Benefits
- Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 3.5% + Service Tax
- Amex health insurance benefits (with ICICI Lombard)
- Amex Festive Offers
How to apply?
Applying online is the quickest way to get American Express Cards in India.
Currently, one of the best offer you could get is 2,000 additional MR points as a part of the Limited period offer when you apply using a referral link.
*** Best Travel Credit Card in India ***
Apply through the link above to get 2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points and even more, check out the link for current bonus gift.
Note: It’s better to apply using your Aadhaar address, otherwise the application might get rejected (or) delayed. If CIBIL is very good it will not ask for income documents.
FAQ’s
1. Is Amex Plat Travel still good in 2024?
Very much it is, as it has the reward rate that is one of the best in industry.
2. What other travel cards can I hold along with Amex Platinum Travel?
Generally most travellers I know have Amex Platinum Travel + Axis Magnus Burgundy + Axis Vistara Infinite. That’s a brilliant combo to fetch overall average reward rate of >10% easily.
3. My address proof is not in serviceable area, what to do?
Amex is strict on that for now (as they know what happens when they don’t follow RBI rules) and so can apply only with valid address proof. Changing Aadhaar address is pretty quick and that works for most.
4. I don’t need a travel card, what other Amex card can I have for rewards?
You should then probably explore the MRCC card. The same can be applied via this referral link.
5. How fast does Amex process the application?
Usually within ~2 days for approval status and another ~3 days for delivery. They’re generally super fast. If it’s your first AMEX Card, it might take additional 1 week depending on various factors.
6. How to get renewal fee waived?
Spending >7L a year usually helps in renewal fee waiver, perhaps you can make use of the spend linked offers post hitting 4L.
Bottomline
- CardExpert Rating: 5/5
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card with ~8.5% reward rate is one of the highest rewarding Credit Card in India and its a must have in your wallet if you love travel benefits.
That said, the only issue with the card might be the acceptance, but it’s understandable that those who get this card are most likely to use it only at premium hotels and restaurants where the acceptance is generally not an issue.
What’s your take on the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
I’ve explored..
1.Taj Krishna , Hyderabad
2. Vivanta by Taj , Hyderabad
Ah yes, I’ve missed adding Taj Krishna to the list. It was a decent one.
I’m new to Amex. By any chance, do you have a referral link for their entry-level SmartEarn card? And does Amex often offer Life Time Free cards as promotions or should I just go ahead now and get the entry-level card? Thanks!
LTF is rare. You shall use the same link and click on “View our other cards” to apply for other card variants.
Thanks! I used your referral link to get the SmartEarn card. Though I’m new to Amex, it got approved within 24 hrs!
Siddharth, I am have decent use of travel platinum card, if we wish to use retention offers on travel platinum card or gold charge card, then when to approach customer care ?, I mean after deduction of renewal fee or before that ?
Pls guide
After the fee gets charged.
Plz explain how to optimise Taj voucher for stay cation for family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children
Or any other great way redeem Taj voucher
Yes this would be a great topic to elaborate on.
Sid, please do consider.
This article and the comments may help: Taj Hotels: Tips on booking, upgrades and more
I have started using an Amex Plat Travel card with a limit of ₹150k, since the last month. I have another credit card with a limit of ₹260k. How many months of usage would it take for an enhancement of credit limit, considering my last month’s usage was about ₹90k and general usage will always be above ₹25-30k?
I have a good CIBIL score but a not very high net ITR of about ₹550k as I am a professional and take advantage of presumptive taxation at 50% of gross income and thereafter deductions of around ₹200k.
Hi Sid, appreciate your effort for reviewing this card. Do we need to call customer care to get the annual fee waived off?
Yes, they may have few options for you based on the spend.
Hi Sid,
As always, a nice review, I’ve used this card for five years and it’s still among the finest for travel. I also have MRCC, and they once transferred my MRCC points to my platinum card when I asked them to and they said its one time offer:), which I transferred into Bonvoy and used for 4+1 free night in Thailand.
I have been using the MRCC for nearly 2 years now. Recently, Amex offered an upgrade to the Platinum Travel card FYF. Didn’t go for it, as my travels aren’t that extensive to make use of the benefits of the card that doesn’t offer a fee waver or can effectively be used offline. MRCC, with the monthly bonus rewards can offer up to a 6 percent reward on a spend of 20000, and that will also take care of the card fees too. Think Amex in general, will have to do better in terms of lounge access. The MRCC, with a very high yearly fee unless applied on referral, doesn’t offer any. Even the Platinum Travel card, despite being travel specific, doesn’t offer international lounge. Think the Axis Magnus, despite not being a travel specific card, can give the Platinum Travel a proper run for money for the number 1 travel card in the country as of now!
I just realized that I only got 7,500 MR points last year when I hit the Rs.1.9L threshold. This is why I make sure to read your articles. Always learn something new and I’ll make sure to call the support team and request for the full 15,000 MR points benefit. Won’t make that mistake again!!
Glad you got something useful!
Hey thanks for that Note to call customer care for remaining points.
I used to see that i have been using the card and not getting equivalent points, but never gave it a thought to contact customer care. I think i missed my points of the previous years but at least managed to get them this year.
Its really strange why i need to call them though.
Are they accepting utility bills or lease agreements or government flat allotment letters as address proof? I have an existing MRCC which was issued in Delhi basis lease agreement. But, now they are saying that they accept only aadhar, passport and election id. When I escalated, received a call back saying it can be worked out as I am an existing customer and will receive a call back in 48 hours. But, no response so far and it’s been 2 weeks. I got a Magnus approved and already have a LTF DCB. So, confused whether this is worth the trouble. But, milestone benefits looks enticing 😂. Any way out except changing aadhar address?
Unfortunately changing aadhar address is the only solution for now.
Hi Siddharth, great review. You’ve clearly done a lot of research which is evident from the article. You have earned yourself a new fan.
I’ve got a question, if I may ask. Between this card and Amex MRCC (or some other card from Amex), which one would you recommend for me?
A little background about me: I’m a 30 year old male living in Mumbai with a salary of 30 lakhs per annum. My annual spends are about 3-4 lakhs per year. I plan to do international trips one each year next year onwards. I’m mostly interested in AirMiles.
I look forward to your response.
Thanks in advance.
If you can reach 4 Lakhs spends in an year, this card is better. MRCC is good for spends upto 20k per month.
Thanks for the review. I have been using it for past 4 years. Need to add an important info.
Once the renewal fees are charged, you can just call their helpline. I did it this year. They just asked me to spend 35 k in 2 months which i did it easily and my renewal fee was reversed in the next billing cycle.
I was also able to use this card twice at Amex lounge in Mumbai domestic terminal T1.
Sure? Mumbai T1 does not have any amex lounge.
Hi Siddharth, how does this fare against the HDFC Diners Club Black credit card? Given that both cards have the same fee structure.
I am a regular user of Amex reserve card, it’s no more that beneficial card this days, lot of other cards are with good benefits.
In my City Surat, many of the shops, garments shops, Resturants doesn’t accept the card.
When ever make travel bookings, doesn’t get any benefits, earlier there was benefits on MMT but no more now.
Yes need priority pass to access the airport lounge out of India, this card won’t do.
Only three discount cards for Taj hotels is given, that too is just to say.
Does Amex gives Card on Card basis? I am not fulfilling income criteria of amex
No.
Hi Sid. Another good article. Have you ever booked Taj Stays under discount rates running on Taj website and faced any issue using Taj Vouchers against that stay?
I recently booked a stay during Freedom sale offer on taj website but at the time of checkin, they refused to use Taj vouchers for the same. They showed me terms where it says these can be used only on “Public rates” and not for any already discounted booking, not even member rates (one becomes a member just be enrolling to Tata Neu). Took a lot of convincing to finally use them.
This article and the comments may help: Taj Hotels: Tips on booking, upgrades and more
Hi Siddarth, I am holding a Amex Gold Charge Card for the past 8 years. I have recently used all points only for Marriott transfer. One deterrent was that 24K and 18K collection won’t be available anymore. Having said that, is it beneficial to move to Platinum Travel Card? Thanks, Vamsi
Sir, what do you mean by 24k, 18k collection wont be available anymore? source of this info?
MRCC card exists on this 24k,18k collection. I will be discontinuing the card if this info is correct
Ismail,
What I meant was if I move from Gold card to Platinum Travel as my main card then the points from MRCC will need to move in to 1 account led by Platinum travel and then 24K and 18k might not be available.
If you want to get rid of this then go for Gold Card instead. The combination of Gold and MRCC and give 24k points every year if you simply spend 1.44 Lakhs for monthly spends with some discipline.
Sid, Awaiting your feedback pls. Thanks, Vamsi
Me: Hi Vamsi, I enjoyed driving Maruti Alto last few years. Shall I now upgrade to Baleno or maybe Ciaz? 🙂
It’s quite tough to answer just with little inputs, so I skip such queries.
That’s why I have the credit card consultation service. It ideally takes about 30 mins to 1hr for beginners to understand the game and arrive at a sweet strategy that they can really make use of.
I understand that not everyone may afford the fee, in which case, I suggest to go through each reviews and comments which will help you find the answer easily. So many lovely contributors have shared advices generously that you can make use of.
using this card for three years now
cool points- just above 7 % rewards if annual fee taken into consideration
not so cool points – 1.obligation to spend 4 Lakhs on a not so acceptable card
2.rewards of 34000rs Taj vouchers make you think and spend more on a lavish vacation = more expenses
I am planning to get rid of this card when it approches renewal
Hi Sid
Amex is back with the same old trick now !
Please mention this very clearly, those who are using the referral links, ensure that, they need to provide the same address as that of Aadhar. They pull out the address from Digi Locker.
If different address, then they take this as an opportunity to reject it, and advise the user to re-apply again.
Funny thing is, when they again apply, it will state ” After careful consideration, we are sorry to let you know that we will not be able to approve your application ”
This is the exact wordings they will get.
Then, after a cooling period of 30-45 days, Amex’s different sourcing team would contact these people and approve the card
This was those agents get their internal referral benefits, then fees , and then avoid giving refferal bonus to us (8000 points) .
I know that you (even me) a bug fan of Amex, but this is the bitter truth on how Amex India behave unprofessionally in India.
They will find a small mistake to reject the application and contact those rejected ones later and approve the same application with same documents which was submitted earlier! Shame on Amex India.
I have experienced this for 6 friends earlier and even today same thing happened with another friend, will wait for another 3 months and see if they will contact him and approve the application, then I will sue them up 🙂
Thanks for sharing it Arun. Will update accordingly.
I’m aware that they were using this follow up system excessively in the past but now without the proof I doubt if they can still do it. But yes, very useful info for those who need smooth & fast approval apart from the additional rewards.
Hey Sid, i have been using CC from last 3 years and my highest limit is 5L. Credit score is good having no negative remarks. But the problem is I have started working 3 months ago and my package is 4LPA😅. Can I apply for this card?
Hey Siddharth,
You are amazing! Thank you for such amazing reviews and offers that you bring about.
I have 2 questions-
1. Does AMEX allow us to hold multiple cards of AMEX? As in, if I take travel card now, tomorrow AMEX MRCC offers Lifetime free, I can opt for that as well while holding Travel card?
2. I am a HNI based on my income as of now for HDFC(not a salary account though). I have recently opened bank account with them. I don’t have any cards with them, how do I get LTF offers on cards with them?
1 – Yes. With Amex, you can hold multiple cards and lower variant will be free for you. So if you have plat travel and MRCC both, MRCC will be free.
2- Chase your RM .
My RM doesn’t try at all. All he does is goes by bank policy. He says I cannot get offer on DCB as LTF, I cannot have 2 credit cards with HDFC in future as there is no policy. He’s not ready to believe that people have gotten these things. I am not sure what to do really, seems my RM is worthless
Change your account to different hdfc branch.
State reason “not happy with RM or particular Branch services, so moving a/c to other Branch” (another area/town/city)
I have done this, but not for credit cards. (Got enough sorry calls from RM and BM and got things done)
I don’t want different branch RM to also do the same. How do we make sure that my new branch and RM do have powers to make it happen?
I have got an offer for upgrade but no renewal fee waiver and with my 2-3lakh a year spend on MRCC, i don’t think upgrade is good for me. Since I use IDFC first select card more now because of it’s straight forward rewards and generous lounge access, and Amazon pay card for amazon purchases, even MRCC 1.5lakh spend to waive renewal fee is sometimes hard to come by. Amex really need to add more benefits than removing them to keep their cards trendy.
Hi Sid, no post from u for long time now even when many new cards has been come out from different bank, Ur post and guidance was helpful all the time so request you to share ur views info abt new cards and/or other useful things abt existing cards. #flywithsid
Thanks Sid.
Glad that I read your article. Got 60k points credited for past 3 years as well, thanks to you.
Keep sending great stuff!
Hi Sid,
Are you sure we can transfer milestone rewards to a transfer partner like Marriott? The signup page mentions the following:
1. Spend Rs. 1.90 lacs in a Card membership year and get 15,000 Membership Rewards points redeemable for Flipkart vouchers or Pay With points option in Amex Travel Online worth Rs. 4,500
2. Spend Rs. 4 lacs in a Card membership year and additionally get 25,000 Membership Rewards points redeemable for Flipkart vouchers or Pay With Points option in Amex Travel Online worth Rs. 7,500.
Thanks,
Pankaj
Very much doable.
I just logged into my account and have the following offer:
“Upgrade and unlock benefits worth ₹45,000.
Get a ₹1,000* Amazon voucher and 10,000* Membership Rewards® Points as a special offer to upgrade. Additionally, enjoy benefits of ₹45,000* and more on your upgraded Card.”
Full fee of Rs.3500+GST to be paid and spends of 15000/- within 90 days of issuance
Which is better – your referral or the above
FYF (or) Pay fee & get equivalent benefits. It’s a personal choice I would say!
Hi Sid
Please clarify how you get 0.5 and 1.0 on Cash Credit and Taj Vouchers, respectively. I think the rate has been revised downwards as cash credit seems to have been revised to 0.25 now. Even Amazon and Flipkart vouchers are at 0.25.
Dear @Siddhart and @Arun Murugan,
I think I have become a victim of their bait and switch tactic as well. 😐
I applied for Amex MRCC card using Siddharth’s link on 25th Nov 2022. The VKYC was done on the same day.
The girl who did my VKYC told me that, “the address that you have mentioned on the application form, is slightly different than the one that is there on your Aadhaar card”. I informed her that, “that is the case because the layout of the fields to input address is weird on the application form”. She asked me, “If you wanna use the address that is mentioned on the Aadhaar card?” I told her yes.
For Employment Verification, on the application form, they required my Work Email Address. I didnt provide that coz my company’s policy is very strict. We are not allowed to provide that. The VKYC girl told me that, i would have to upload my Salary Slips using the link that i received on my Email. I did that on 25th Nov itself, plus on 26th Nov, i uploaded my bank statement as well as a rep from customer service told me that i would have to do that as well, that the VKYC girl didnt mention.
Today is 4th Dec, its been almost 9 days and they havent completed my Employment Verification yet, even though i have provided all the documents that they asked for. Whenever i call them, they give me different email addresses. I have sent an Email asking for an update but i am yet to receive a response.
What should i do?
Any help would be highly appreciated.
Hi Sid,
Could you explain what you meant by “Note: On reaching milestones, you’ll only get 7,500 and 10,000 “bonus” MR points, you’ll then need to call support and ask them to credit remaining points into your account. Gets done in a minute.”
I already have MRCC applied from Sid’s referral link in Jan 2020
Am enjoying subsequent year reduced fee due to referral
Am interested in Plat travel. My query is how can I get plat travel as FYF (as I have existing MRCC card). Can I call and apply directly or use fresh application from referral link ?
Please advise .
Yes, Plat travel FYF is possible via above links. MRCC doesn’t affect this app.
do supplementary card holders het lounge access?
No!
Sid, Will I get the Taj Experiences E-Gift Card worth Rs. 10,000 if I apply with your referral link. As I understand its a welcome offer and usually not given on FYF cards. Please clarify.
You’re right.
Is the 10k Taj Experiences E-Gift Card on 4 lakh spends every year or first year only?
Taj vouchers can be earned on 4L spends every year
Which card you recommend in terms of rewards MRCC or Travel Platinum?
Travel plat for spending of 4lac+
Mrcc for 1-2l spends
Sid, so on spending 4 lakhs on this card, we get in total 30,000 INR Taj vouchers (including the 10k milestone benefit one)?
Also, is there a limitation on number of Taj vouchers that can be used during a stay?
– Yes
– Not known to me but it’s better to stick to ~5 or less at a time whenever possible.
Hi Anirban,
Thr is no limit on the number og vouchers that can be redeemed in one go. Once i have used 11 vouchers amounting to rupees 110000 in total.
It’s not a 8.5% return Siddharth, you’ve got to factor in the annual charges also.
Although a great card earlier i think it’s lost its Sheen in recent past
Still a great card I would say!
Most do get at least 50% off on renewal when one hits 4L spend, also there maybe spend challenges to get 100% waived off.
Ideally we’ve to look at only one fee at a time. But even in worst case we get a healthy ~7% which is great!
i JUST APPLIED FROM YOUR REFERRAL LINK BUT I GOT THIS MESSAGE. CAN YOU FIND OUT THE REASON ?
Thank you NILESH! for applying for the American Express® Platinum Travel Credit Card.
Application Reference No. *****
After careful consideration, we are sorry to let you know that we will not be able to approve your application.
Nilesh, You’re trying to apply for a 3rd “credit Card”
Amex issues only 2 Credit Cards & 1 Charge Card per person.
Before applying, I had already cancelled one card. Then I applied using your link. Now they are saying you have to wait 90 days before applying. They did not mention anything like this before I cancelled the card.
Hi Siddharth,
I recently purchased health insurance via Amex and did get reward points for it. I guess no reward points are awarded for buying insurance from any other portals or vendor.
Cheers!
As a supplementary card holder of the platinum reserve, can I apply for this in my own name without closing the reserve?
Yes!
Insurance offer is rolled out today on my Travel card, 5 membership rewards per 100 spend, up to 10000 rewards.
But why would anyone go for it? 🙂
Even I received offer 5 MR for every 100 spent on insurance. Unfortunately I have paid all my insurance from other card. Too late.
Hey since how long is the system of Calling Up for Bonus rewards going on?
As I have not called for the same at all.
Can I request them to credit the bonus rewards for last 3 years?
Hi Siddharth,
I am new to the credit card world and have to say it was an amazing review. To give you a background, I’m 30 and have an annual salary of 24LPA. My annual spending is around 2-4L, and on an avg, my monthly spending is ~20K. I wish to generate Reward points that can help me with free/cheap airline tickets or gift vouchers on Flipkart/Amazon.
I request you to tell me which card would be suitable for me, Amex MRCC/ Platinum Travel/Axis Magnus/ Axis Vistara Infinite/ Axis Atlas. Your recommendation would be much appreciated
The spends vis-a-vis your salary is quite low though that is a personal thing but you may want to look into it to optimise your usage of cards. Given the information AMEX MRCC should be your best bet !
Applied for Amex Plat Travel card via Apply Now link of this post on 21 Dec. Digilocker Aadhar verification done instantly. VKYC done within minutes. Received mail regarding approval of card on 22 Dec. Received card via Bluedart today on 25 Dec. This is some speed ! Thanks for the referral link Sid !
Has anyone with an AMEX Indian card been able to apply for an AMEX US card?
would be interested to know if yes , how can it be done
You have an option in netbanking to transfer your card to another country although I haven’t tried it. Else, you can call Cc.
I received AMEX card in UK based on my Indian Platinum Travel card.
I got Amex card in Canada based on my Amex card in India.
Hey Sid. I’ve been using this card for 4 years now. Two quick points:
1) Reward after hitting 4L is not attractive. So, I use HDFC regalia after hitting 4L. But regalia has been downgraded so much in recent years that I’m thinking about getting some other secondary card.
2) I’ve never been offered Annual fee waiver despite high spends. Do you contact customer service and request for it?
I currently hold an MRCC card and upgraded to a platinum travel card. Do I have to pay the annual fee for both cards considering if not reaching the spending threshold?
Wondering if AMEX would come up with 22 rewards point offer around republic day time…
Mostly the taj hotel rates on thier website is inflated by 30 percent so actual value of 10k voucher is 7k only.
One trivial question, are emi transactions also considered in milestone. Ex., (30k – split as 10k for 3 months) will this be added as 30k in the milestone ?
Thanks Sid.
Glad that I read your article. Got 90k points credited for past 4 years as well, thanks to you.
Keep sending great stuff!
Hi Siddharth,
Great article thanks. Had a quick question.
You’ve said that Fuel, insurance and utilities are excluded spends. I’m assuming these are just for base reward points. Or do they no count towards the 1.9L and 4 L milestones as well.
Thanks
It will be counted for milestone targets.
Has anybody noticed that amazon on its app have stopped taking amex card , I tried booking flight and railway tickets and it didn’t showed my amex card and when manually put the cards details and it’s says this type of card is not accepted.
Strange
better way is to buy Amazon voucher from amex gyftr
I have a smart earn cc and the platinum travel cc. I have earned reward points on both. Its not making sense to keep the smart earn card, if I close it, will I lost on points?
is it worth keeping smart earn if I already have the platinum travel cc?
Which Rent payment app accepting this card..?
Housing.com, i was able to unlock my milestones with a few txn’s
Housing.com not accepting Amex now sadly
Mobikwik, but it charges 2.5%
So do your calculations to make sure you’re getting net positive return.
Hi Sid,
Does rent get covered in utilities? Also are rental spends counted towards milestone benefits?
Hi Mukund,
You cannot use Amex card for making rental payments. Even if you make the payment through any rental payments app, you wont get any RP’s as it gets counted under utilities.
Where do you guys spend on Amex cards to reach milestone… Now that Cred Education fee payment thru Amex is stopped
Is the 0.5 conversion on marriot and taj still there? Don’t see it anymore. They have changed it to 0.25? Can you confirm?
Hi Siddharth,
I currently hold this card – Amex Platinum Travel. I have been getting upgrade intimation to the Platinum Reserve. Should i upgrade to the reserve or stick to the travel? On a separate note, I have chosen not to upgrade to Platinum Metal Charge as of now, maybe later.
Hi Sid,
I transferred 60k points to marriot and then to UnitedMilage. Currently there is offer going on for every 60k points transfer we will get 10k miles extra. Current transfer ratio is 3:1. So total I got 30k miles. Is it good transfer or bad one?
Essentially that’s 2:1 and it’s indeed good value with United.
Hi brother, I have a question related to amex platinum travel supplementary card.
will the supplementary card holder get separate login details and can see the transactions made by him/her and be able to pay outstanding on his/her card? Or only primary card holder can see the transactions made by supplementary card and only primary card holder has option to pay the outstanding?
Will the supplementary card holder get separate login details and can see the transactions made by him/her and be able to pay outstanding on his/her card?
– Yes
has anyone got the complete fee waiver on amex platinum, i got complete waiver on MRCC
if we don’t get the complete waiver, then the card is too costly and no point in upgrading
I called Amex today and spoke to their customer care about the best way to utilize points, and they said either Flipkart vouchers or Taj vouchers. I asked if there’s any other hotels, they said no. So I’m confused about the Marriott thing now.
Marriott comes under “points transfer” and not as vouchers.
Also, the rewards section on the app shows, only Taj and shows the conversion rate as Rs 250 for every 1000 points, which is vastly different from this article. Am I the outlier, or is this the standard now?
Conversion rate is correct as you mentioned. However, if you go for Taj vouchers you will get 18k/24k gold under Rewards Redemption option.
Noticed a rounding off, for 376 spent, the RPs credited were 8, not 7.
There is strange rule in Amex that they need the applicant to have address proof document on current address. My all documents ( Aadhar, PAN Voter ID or Passport) have my permanent address and I stay away from home town due to job reasons. Hence they rejected my credit card and refusing to allow me to apply for it. What could be a possible way out for the same ?
It is easy to change Aadhar address. Change it. Apply for the card. Change it back again
Does one earn rewards point on rental transactions with this card ?did not see it as an exclusion
Hi Sid,
Amex is pretty notorious here, they should credit points automatically.
Note: On reaching milestones, you’ll only get 7,500 and 10,000 “bonus” MR points, you’ll then need to call support and ask them to credit remaining points into your account. Gets done in a minute.
Good review as always and yes we need reviews of Taj properties as you share of other properties you’ve visited.
Thanks.
The design has changed now. This is an amazing card and has no rigid monthly milestones like MRCC. On renewal last time I got the option of 50 per cent fee waiver or 10,000 RPs on paying the full fee. I opted for the latter.
Thanks Siddharth, the post helped me in getting ~1.2L points from previous years as I was unware of bonus points addition can be done only manually.
Hi! Will insurance and utility spends count in 4lacs apends criteria?
Yes
Yes. including utilities and insurance.
Can this card be applied on card to card basis. I have infinia card.
Hi Sid,
My Amex Platinum Travel card is due for annual renewal fees (Rs. 5900).
I have got 3 options:
1. 50 % off on complete annual renewal fees (Rs. 2950 to be paid)
2. Pay complete annual renewal fees, and get 10000 points.
3. Don’t pay annual renewal fees, and 10000 points will be deducted.
Which one to select, according to you?
3rd option usually makes sense for most.
But depending on where you plan to redeem, even 2 would make sense, rarely.
I was in dilemma every year which option to choose and I always chose 2’nd option. If you choose 3’rd option you will loose 10000 points. Instead if you choose 2’nd option you can save your 10000 points plus get additional 10000 points, which mean you can get 20000 points by paying 5900 fee which is not bad with each point value around 30 paisa.
Option1: 50 % off on complete annual renewal fees (effectively Rs. 2950 to be paid)
for option2) Pay 5900 and get 10000 RP ( ie 5000 worth Taj voucher) , effectively we pay 900 cash
for option3) Pay annual fees through 10000 RP ( effectively paying Rs 5000)
Looks to me like option 2 is best.
Btw , where do you see these options ? I had paid Rs 5900 annual fees in the month of April, with a charge on the statement , Can i request for 10000 RP in lieu of that ?
Hi Sid,
I hold LTF amex platinum travel and annual fee Infinia metal. I am thinking of closing infinia due to high annual fee and rather do all of my spends on amex plat travel. Is it a wise decision?
Infinia is worth holding, as you anyway get equivalent points on renewal.
Thanks for the clarity.
How did you get amex platinum travel card as LTF ?
Well, it was back in 2017. They were running an offline aquisition campaign in my office at cyber hub, Gurgaon.
I know it’s very rare now, but still few of my office colleagues hold this card as paid ones due to its high rewarding and premium experience.
Hi Sid,
Is there anyway that I can get MR points instead of Taj vouches on 4Lacs spends. I don’t use Taj vouchers. So I am looking for equivalent MR points. Did u hear from anyone about this case?
No, it is not possible. The process is automated
Hi Siddharth,
Need some help. Over last 2 months, I used my Amex Platinum Travel primary and supplementary card and associated different mobile numbers at GYFTR to purchase Amazon Pay vouchers. I also have an MRCC and needed to use a different number due to GYFTR’s system which does not recognize a unique customer as a combination of card number plus mobile number.
This month, GYFTR have blocked mine and my wife’s card saying that my account does not meet their internal security checks. They are not giving me any reasons but I am not able to use the rewards multiplier to buy vouchers. That now brings down the reward rate that I used to get earlier on the cards.
Do you have any suggestion to rectify this situation?
Regards,
Nikhil
I am also facing the same problem with gyftr and this not limited to Amex cards, I hold HDFC infinia and axis Magnus and I am unable to purchase gift cards through either of the cards
Getting the card was super quick, received the card within day from application date.
It is accepted for complimentary access at adani lounge Mumbai T2. Most of the cards do not have that privilege.
It’s worth if you are a frequent traveler.