American Express Platinum Card

The Platinum card is a flagship offering by the popular card issuer, American Express. It is a top-end credit card and comes with a host of travel benefits that make your life easier while traveling and gives you access to special discounts at leading hotel chains, airlines, etc.

You get many other privileges including unlimited complimentary domestic and international airport lounge access. It is one of the two Charge Cards that American Express is currently offering. Apart from the travel benefits, one of the unique features of this card is that it has no preset credit limit.

You also get fast-track upgrades to higher tiers on some of the most premium hotel loyalty programs, and in case you need any assistance planning your trip, AmEx 24×7 concierge service is always there at your rescue.

Product Details

• Welcome gift of gift vouchers worth Rs. 45,000.
• 1 MR (membership Reward) for every Rs. 40 spent with the card (except fuel, utility, and insurance transactions).
• Up to 5 Membership Rewards Points for every Rs. 100 spent on fuel.
• 3X Membership Rewards on spends abroad.
• 5X Membership Rewards Points on the AmEx’s Rewards Multiplier portal.
• No preset credit limit.
• 24×7 global concierge service.
• Travel-related insurance benefits including personal air-accidental death insurance worth Rs. 5 crores.
• Up to 50% off at over 1800 premium restaurants in India and a complimentary membership to EazyDiner Prime.
• Access to over 1,200 airport lounges globally including Centurian Lounges and American Express Lounges.

Rewards and Benefits

Welcome Benefits

SeleQtions, Taj, and Vivanta Hotels’ vouchers worth Rs. 45,000.

Movie & Dining

Complimentary membership to EazyDiner and a discount of up to 50% at 1,800 premium restaurants across India.

Rewards Rate

1 MR on every Rs. 40, 3X Rewards on all international spends, and 5X Rewards Points on transactions via the AmEx Reward Multiplier portal.

Reward Redemption

Membership Rewards Points can be redeemed against dining, travel, and accessories on AmEx’s Membership Rewards Redemption portal.

Travel

Access to over 1,200 airport lounges across over 130 countries, 24×7 global Platinum Concierge Service, travel-related insurance benefits including a life cover of Rs. 5 crores.

Golf

Complimentary access to premium domestic and international golf courses

Domestic Lounge Access

Unlimited access to domestic partner lounges in India.

International Lounge Access

Access to over 1,200 Airport Lounges globally including American Express Lounges, Priority Pass Lounges and Delta Lounges.

Insurance Benefits

Personal air accident coverage worth Rs. 5 crore, cover of Rs. 50,000 for loss of check-in Baggage/ passport/ document, overseas medical insurance of USD 50,000 for the first 7 days of the trip.

Zero Liability Protection

Cardholders will not be considered liable for any fraudulent transaction if loss of card is reported within 72 hours. Maximum liability of up to Rs. 1,000 on reporting after 3 days.

Fees & Charges

Joining Fee

Rs. 60,000 (plus applicable taxes)

Renewal Fee

Rs. 60,000 (plus applicable taxes)

Spend based Waiver

N/A

Rewards Redemption Fee

Nil

Foreign Currency Markup

3.5% of the transaction amount

Interest Rates

3.5% per month

Fuel Surcharge

Fuel surcharge is waived at all HPCL fuel stations for purchases up to Rs. 5,000, 1% surcharge applicable on BPCL and IOCL stations and 2.5% surcharge applicable at all other fuel stations.

Cash Advance Charge

3.5% of the advanced amount subject to a minimum charge of Rs. 250.

Add-on Card Fee

Nil up to 2 add-on cards

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American Express Platinum Card Features and Benefits

Being one of the most premium Amex credit card in the Indian market, the Platinum Card comes with a host of exciting advantages across different categories, including travel, reward programs, and many more. To understand all its features and benefits in detail, refer to the following information:

Welcome Benefits

Get stay vouchers from Taj, SeleQtions, and Vivanta Hotels worth Rs. 45,000 if you spend Rs. 50,000 in the first two months of card issuance.

Travel Benefits

• Unlimited domestic lounge access to partner lounges in India.
• Access to over 1,200 plus airport lounges globally including Centurion Lounges, American Express Lounges, Priority Pass Lounges, Escape Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges.
• Fast track upgrade to higher tier membership at leading hotel loyalty programs around the world including Taj Reimagined Epicure, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Radisson Rewards Gold Status, and Hilton Honors Gold Status without having to fulfill the usually required criteria.
• 25% off at Taj, SeleQtions, and Vivanta Hotels.
• Exclusive deals on some of the world’s finest airlines like Emirates, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Delta Airlines, and many others.
• Complimentary benefits worth Rs. 37,000 at 5-star hotels including guaranteed 4 PM late check-out, room upgrades at check-in (if available), daily breakfast for two, WiFi, or a special amenity at each property worth USD 100.
• 24×7 global concierge service for assistance regarding hotel/flight bookings.
• Travel-related insurance benefits including a life cover worth Rs. 5 crores.
• Pre or post-departure fine dining up to USD 100 per person on overnight Platinum Luxury Rail Journeys in Europe.

Movie and Dining Benefits

• Up to 50% discount on the dining bills at over 1800 premium restaurants across India.
• Preferential reservation, complimentary drinks, and a 24×7 VIP helpline.

Golf Benefits

American Express Platinum Credit Card entitles you to complimentary access to over 30 golf courses in India and 50+ golf courses across the world.

Fuel Surcharge Waiver

• No fuel surcharge at HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 5,000 (1% surcharge applicable thereafter).
• 1% fuel surcharge at BPCL and IOCL fuel stations (subject to a minimum surcharge of Rs. 10).
• 2.5% surcharge at all other fuel stations (subject to a minimum surcharge of Rs. 10).

Insurance Benefits

• Travel related insurance benefits as under-

Catagory	Insurance Cover
Personal air accident (loss of life)	Rs. 5 crore
Loss of check-in baggage, passport, documents	Rs. 50,000
Overseas medical insurance	USD 50,000

• Protection against loss, or damage of tangible goods within 90 days of purchase, due to fire, burglary, or natural calamities.
• Wallet protection including fraud protection worth Rs. 15 Lacs
• Emergency Hotel and Travel Assistance up to Rs. 2 Lacs and emergency cash in India.

Zero Liability Protection

Cardmember shall not be liable for any fraudulent transaction if loss of the card is reported within 3 working days, otherwise, the liability of the cardmember is limited to Rs. 1,000.

American Express Platinum Card Rewards

• 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs. 40 spent using the card.
• 3X Membership Rewards Points on all spends outside India.
• 5X Membership Rewards Points on purchasing from the Reward multiplier portal.
• 1 Membership Reward Point on every Rs. 100 spent on fuel, and 4 additional Membership Reward Points on every Rs. 100 spent on fuel with a maximum cap of 5,000 membership Rewards per month.
• You don’t earn any reward points on utility bill payments and spends on insurance categories.

Reward Redemption

• The Membership Rewards Points redeemable on popular e-commerce websites (like Flipkart), by purchasing e-vouchers from Amex’s online shopping portal, INSTA purchases at offline stores, and also to make credit card bill payments under the Cash + Points program.
• The Membership Rewards Points are transferable to other AirMiles and hotel loyalty programs like Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club, Club Vistara, Emirates, Skywards, Etihad Guest, Finnair Plus, InterMiles, Qatar Privilege Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, Virgin Points, Marriott Bonovoy, and Hilton Honors.
• You can book hotels, flights, and experiences on Amex Online Travel website and can even pay for fees and taxes with your reward points.
• Redeem points for a range of dining, travel, and entertainment products like electronics, luggage, kitchen accessories, etc. at the Membership Rewards catalogue.

American Express Platinum Card Fees & Charges

• Annual Fee: The annual membership fee of American Express Platinum Card is Rs. 60,000 per annum.
• Interest Rate: In case of non-payment of the American Express Platinum Credit Card bill in full by the payment due date, the levies an interest of 3.5% per month on the amount due on the card’s statement.
• Cash Advance Fee: American Express charges a cash advance fee of 3.5% of the withdrawal amount of cash withdrawals for ATMs.
• Foreign Currency Mark-up: A forex mark-up fee of 3.5% of the transaction amount is applicable on all foreign currency transactions made with the American Express Platinum Card.

Advantages of American Express Platinum Card

• Travel Benefits: American Express Travel Card is although not a travel-specific credit card, it does come loaded with a plethora of travel benefits for the card members including unlimited complimentary domestic and international airport lounge access across the globe, complimentary membership of premium hotel loyalty programs like Taj InnerCircle Silver Tier, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Radisson Rewards Gold Status, and Hilton Honors Gold Status, discounted rates at partner 5-star hotels, comprehensive travel-related insurance cover, 24×7 concierge service for assistance regarding flight/hotel bookings and many other travel benefits.
• Dining Benefits: American Express Platinum Card offers as much as a 50% discount on dining bills at partner restaurants. You are also entitled to preferential reservations and complimentary drinks at certain partner restaurants.
• 5x Reward Points via Reward Multiplier: You can earn 5x Membership Rewards Points on your American Express Platinum Card on purchases made via American Express’s reward multiplier portal.
• Insurance Benefits: Another very important feature of American Express Platinum Credit Card is that you are entitled to a comprehensive insurance cover that includes personal air accident insurance worth Rs. 5 crores and an overseas medical cover worth USD 50,000.

Drawbacks of American Express Platinum Card

• High Annual Fee: American Express Platinum Card comes with a membership fee of Rs. 60,000 per annum which is one of the highest in the Indian credit card market.
• No Spend Based Waiver: You do not get any spend-based waiver on the annual fee of the American Express Platinum Card. You have to pay the annual fee of Rs. 60,000 for the American Express Platinum Card.
• Not Very High Reward Rate for a Super Premium Credit Card: American Express Platinum Credit Card earns you 1 Membership Rewards Points for every Rs. 40 spent with the card, while the maximum monetary value of 1 Membership Rewards Point is Rs. 0.50- thus effectively, a maximum reward rate of 1.25%, which is definitely not a very good reward rate for a superpremium credit card that comes with a membership fee of Rs. 60,000 per annum. However, as mentioned earlier, the card does offer attractive welcome/milestone benefits and travel benefits to compensate for the not do good reward rate.

American Express Platinum Card Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the American Express Platinum credit card:

• Your age must be 18 years or above.
• Salaried applicants must have a minimum annual income of Rs. 25,00,000 and self-employed applicants must have a minimum annual income of Rs. 15,00,000 (and their company must have been trading for at least 12 months).
• You must be a resident of any of the following cities- Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Indore, Coimbatore, Chandigarh/Tricity, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodra, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Ernakulam, Vijaywada, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Nasik, Trivandrum, Mysuru, Cuttack & Vizag.

How to apply for American Express Platinum Card

You can apply for the American Express Platinum credit card online on their official website. All you need to do is select the Platinum card from the list of cards and fill a form with your personal and financial details, and submit the same online. You will also have to submit identity proof, address proof, and proof of income to verify the details entered by you. If your application is approved, your card will be mailed to you at your address.

American Express Platinum Card Customer Care

American Express has a dedicated customer care helpline for its Platinum cardholders. You may dial 1800 419 1255 (toll-free), 1800 180 1255, 0124-2801444, or 0124-4650244 in case you need any assistance or to report the loss of a card.