American Express credit cards are becoming more popular in India. The exclusive offers and great reward programs are the reasons behind this success.
The success of Amex gold credit is the best example of this. I loved this credit card, especially for its rewards program.
But recently the bank made changes in the reward points of Gold credit card and start promoting the American Express Membership Rewards Credit card with the same benefits that bank offered in past on Amex Gold Credit Card.
I am explaining all the benefits and offers on 7 Best American Express credit cards in India.
Best American Express Credit Card in India
#1. American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card
Amex Membership Rewards (check complete review) is my favorite credit card gives 1000 bonus points for using card four times in a month with transactions of at least 1500 rupees.
You can redeem these reward points for statement credit having worth around 40%. It results in a direct up to 10% saving on your spending.
Quick Calculation
You need to make 4 transactions of Rs 1500 each = Rs 6000
Redeemable value of 1000 bonus points (37.5%) = Rs 375
This way you can save up to 10% on your expenses by spending 6000 rupees in a month on four transactions.
Welcome Gift
- Get a welcome gift of 4000 bonus reward points on using the card for Rs. 15000 within the first 90 days of card membership.
- In second year, you will get 5000 bonus reward points on payment of annual membership fee.
The welcome gift on the renewal is only applicable for the second year. From third year, there will be no welcome gift.
Reward Points & Other Benefits
- Earn 1 membership rewards point for every Rs. 50 spent except for spend at fuel, insurance, utilities and cash transactions.
- With Amex Membership Reward credit card, you can enjoy up to 20% off every time you dine at select restaurant partners.
- Zero lost card liability if reported within 3 days of fraud attempt. After 3 days, fee is limited to Rs. 1000.
You can also redeem reward points for statement credit from the fabulous 18 and 24 Karat Gold Collections. Means, you get a direct cashback to your credit card statement.
For 24000 points you get a statement credit of Rs. 9,000 and for 18000 points you can have Rs. 6,000 of a statement credit.
Fee & Charges
- First year – Rs 1000
- Second year onwards – Rs 4500
Annual Fee Waiver
- Full annual fee waiver on annual spending of Rs. 1,50,000.
- 50% annual fee waiver if your annual expenses are between Rs. 90,000 to Rs. 1,49,999.
#2. Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card
Earlier, American Express also offered the Jet Airways Platinum Credit Card, but it was discontinued after the airline ceased operations in 2019. Customers who held the Jet Airways Platinum card were moved to the Platinum Travel card, which is designed specifically for travel-related expenses.
Spend More & Save More is one thing fully merited on Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card. Amex Platinum Travel credit card is one of the best travel cards available in India.
If you are a regular traveler, then believe me Platinum travel credit card is the must one for you.
Just check the bonus offers only and you will come to know why I am saying this.
Welcome Gift
Enjoy the welcome gift of 10000 Membership Rewards Points redeemable for Flipkart voucher OR pay worth Rs. 3000 on Amex Travel Online using the ‘Pay with Points’ feature.
You can avail above benefits only after paying the 1st-year annual fee and spending Rs. 5000 within 60 days of card membership.
Bonus Offers
- Spend 1.90 lakh in a year and get 15000 Membership reward points for Flipkart voucher OR regular reward points redeemable to travel vouchers using Pay with Points on Amex Travel Online worth Rs. 7,500.
- Spend 4 lakh in a year and get 25000 Membership reward points for Flipkart voucher OR regular reward points redeemable to travel vouchers using Pay with Points on Amex Travel Online worth Rs. 12,500.
- On spending 4 lakh you also get a gift voucher from Taj group worth Rs 10,000
- All above offers are valid for 6 months.
Other Benefits of Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card
- Earn 1 membership reward point for every Rs 50 spends except fuel, insurance, utility bill payment and cash transaction
- Enjoy 8 complimentary domestic airport lounge access annually. Maximum visit two per quarter.
- Enjoy upto 20% off every time you dine at select restaurant partners.
- The redemption value of 1 reward point is = INR 0.40.
PS – You can redeem reward points from other over 600 other redemption options as well (redemption value will vary depending upon the item redeemed).
Fee & Charges
- First Year Annual Fee – Rs 3500
- Renewal fee – Rs 5000
Should You Apply For Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card
Amex platinum travel credit card comes with an annual fee of Rs 5000. For first year, you will get a gift voucher of Rs 3000 but from the second year you will get nothing on renewal.
So, from the second year, let’s calculate the spend-based benefit –
You can clearly see if you spend less than INR 1.90 lakh in a year, this card will hurt you with its annual fee. If you spend 1.9 lakh, your savings will be around 1.5% which is decent.
This card performs best at an annual spend of 4 lakh. If you are a regular traveler and your annual expenses are Rs. 4 lakh or more through a card, then the Amex platinum travel credit card is the best card for you.
Check out – HDFC Bank Regalia vs Millennia Credit Card
#3. Amex Gold Credit Card
Amex Gold Credit card was a premium card earlier. A few months back, the bank reduced the reward points on the Gold credit card. Now, Amex Gold credit card is not as effective as it was in the past.
But you don’t need to lose the heart, the bank offers the same benefits on American Express Membership Reward credit card.
Before discussing the Membership reward credit card, Let’s take a review on the Amex Gold credit card.
Welcome Gift
- 4,000 Bonus Membership Rewards® Point.
Bonus Offer
You can use the Amex gold card to get 1,000 bonus membership rewards points for simply using your Card 6 times (earlier it was 4 times) on transactions of Rs. 1,000 or above.
This way you can earn up to 12,000 bonus reward points every year.
Fee & Charges
- First Year Fee – Rs 1000
- Renewal Fee – Rs 4500
Reward Points & Other Offers
- Earn 1 reward point for every Rs 50 on all spend including fuel, and utility bills.
- Get 10% discounts on flight booking with Vistara Airlines.
- Enjoy up to 20% off every time you dine at select restaurant partners.
- Zero lost card liability.
- 5X Membership Rewards Points on rewards multiplier portal.
- The redemption value of 1 reward point is = INR 0.25
You can also redeem reward points for Vouchers from Taj, Tanishq, and Amazon or as statement credit from the fabulous 18 and 24 Karat Gold Categories. This means you get direct cashback to your credit card statement.
For 24000 points you get a statement credit of Rs. 9,000 and for 18000 points you can have Rs. 6,000 of a statement credit.
#4. American Express SmartEarn Credit Card
American Express SmartEarn is an entry-level shopping credit card. This card is ideal for those who want to earn rewards on their everyday spending without having to pay high fees.
Welcome Gift
You get Rs. 500 cashback on spends of Rs. 10,000 within 90 days of card issuance as a welcome bonus.
Bonus Offer On American Express SmartEarn Credit Card
- Earn 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs. 50 spent except on Fuel, Insurance, Utilites, Cash Transactions.
- 5X Membership Rewards Points on Paytm wallet uploads, Swiggy, BookMyShow, Big Bazaar, PVR, and Myntra. The maximum cap of 250 Points per month at this rate.
- 10X Membership Rewards Points on Uber rides with a max cap of 500 Points each month.
- 10X Membership Rewards Points on Amazon and Flipkart with maximum 500 points per month at the accelerated rate on Amazon or Flipkart.
Other Benefits of American Express SmartEarn Credit Card
- Enjoy 5X Membership Rewards Points on BookMyShow and PVR Cinemas.
- Get 1% fuel surcharge waiver at HPCL fuel stations exceeding Rs. 5,000.
- Zero lost card liability.
Fee & Charges
- Joining Fee – Rs. 495
- Renewal Fee – Rs. 495
Annual Fee Waiver
- Annual fee waived off on spends of Rs. 40,000 in the previous year.
You may like to read – HDFC Diners Black credit card review
#5. American Express Platinum Credit Card
American Express Platinum card is a super premium credit card in the Indian market. This card is designed for high-net-worth individuals who travel frequently and value luxury and convenience.
American Express Platinum Card is its metal design, which is heavier and more luxurious than most credit cards. This feature has become a status symbol for many cardholders and adds to the card’s appeal.
Welcome Gift
Get Taj, SeleQtions, and Vivanta Hotels vouchers worth Rs. 45,000 if you spend Rs. 50,000 in the first two months of card issuance.
Bonus Offer On American Express Platinum Credit Card
- 1 Membership rewards point for every Rs. 40 spent using the card.
- 3X Membership rewards points on all international spends.
- 5X Membership rewards points on purchasing from the reward multiplier portal.
- 1 Membership RP on every Rs. 100 spent on fuel.
- AdditionalLY, 4 Membership RP on every Rs. 100 spent on fuel with a maximum cap of 5,000 membership rewards per month.
Complimentary Benefits of American Express Platinum Credit Card
- Complimentary membership to EazyDiner.
- Get up to 50% discount at 1,800 premium restaurants across India.
- Complimentary unlimited domestic lounges access.
- Access to over 1,200 airport lounges internationally including American Express Lounges, Priority Pass Lounges and Delta Lounges.
- Complimentary access to over 30 golf courses in India and 50+ golf courses across the world.
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver at HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 5,000.
Fee & Charges
- Joining Fee – Rs. 60,000
- Renewal Fee – Rs. 60,000
Annual Fee Waiver
One of the major drawbacks of the American Express Platinum Card is that there is no spend-based waiver for its annual fee.
Should you apply for American Express Platinum Credit Card
If you are a frequent traveler, the American Express Platinum credit card is the best option for you as the card offers unlimited domestic and international lounge access with special discounts at the leading hotel chains and airlines.
#6. American Express PAYBACK Credit Card
The American Express Payback Credit Card offers you to 2 Payback points (earlier 3 Payback points) for every Rs 100 spent except for categories fuel, utilities, insurance, and cash transactions.
The 2 payback points offer is not very attractive but decent for a basic level Amex credit card.
As a welcome gift, you get Flipkart voucher worth Rs. 750 on taking 3 transactions within 60 days of card approval.
Fee & Charges
- First year – Rs. 750
- Second year onwards – Rs. 1,500
Reward Points & Other Benefits of Amex Express Payback Credit Card
- 2 payback points for every Rs 100 spent.
- You can also get multiple payback points across more than 50 partners including Flipkart, Big Bazaar, MakeMyTrip.com.
- Enjoy up to 20% off at selected restaurants.
- Get a 1% fuel surcharge waiver whenever you refuel at any HPCL outlet with your Card.
- Earn a Flipkart voucher worth Rs. 2,000 on spending Rs. 1.25 lakh per year
- Earn a Flipkart voucher worth Rs. 5,000 on annual spending of Rs. 2.5 lakh.
#7. American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card
One thing which attracts me to the American Express Platinum Reserve credit card is, the welcome gift of 11,000 bonus membership rewards points in the first year.
Besides this, there is nothing much to talk about this credit card. Let’s have a quick look at the benefits that the card offers at what cost.
Reward Points on Amex Platinum Reserve Credit Card
As a welcome gift, you get 11,000 bonus rewards on spending Rs. 30,000 within 90 days of card approval.
You will earn 1 membership rewards point for every Rs. 50 spent except for expenses made on fuel, insurance, utilities, and cash transactions. You can read about the best credit cards for fuel here.
The reward points are not very impressive if you compare this with the annual fee.
Fee & Charges
- First year fee: Rs. 5,000
- Second year onwards: Rs. 10,000
Complimentary Benefits of American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card
- Complimentary access to American Express lounge and 12 domestic lounges across India.
- Free Complimentary membership to Priority Pass worth $99 per year.
- Enjoy movie or online shopping vouchers from Bookmyshow, Flipkart worth Rs. 6,000 per year
- Get privilege offers on Taj Hotels, Palaces, Resorts and Safaris.
- Get special health and wellness benefits from Max Healthcare, Fortis Healthcare and Texas Medical Concierge
My View on Amex Platinum Reserve Credit Card
Frankly speaking, I didn’t find any great offer for that you have to need to pay an annual fee of Rs 10,000 (from the 2nd year).
Don’t forget to check out – HDFC Regalia Gold credit card review that provides better benefits as compared to the HDFC Regalia credit card being in the same category.
Conclusion
I loved the benefits of the Amex Gold card in previous years but since the launch of the Amex Membership Rewards Credit Card is my favorite Amex card.
The only benefit with Amex Gold card is you earn reward points with spending on fuel and utility bills that other cards don’t offer.
American Express Platinum credit card is an ideal choice for frequent travelers with unlimited domestic and international lounge access and other travel benefits.
Which one is your favorite among these? Let me know in the comments.
