American Express
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card
4.5 / 5amex
- Joining fee
- ₹5,000
- Annual fee
- ₹5,000
- Base reward
- 0.5%
- Min income
- ₹50,000/mo
- Forex markup
- 3.5%
- Interest p.a.
- 42%
Where it earns
| Category | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | 0% | Uncapped |
| Travel | 0.5% | Uncapped |
Benefits
- ▸8 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per year (max 2 per quarter)
- ▸Complimentary Priority Pass membership (US$99 annual fee waived; ~US$32 charged per lounge visit)
- ▸Milestone bonus points and Taj Stay voucher on annual spend thresholds
- ▸Membership Rewards points never expire while the account is active
- ▸1 Membership Rewards point per Rs.50 spent (excludes fuel, utilities, insurance, cash, POS-EMI)
The good
- + Strong milestone-driven value (bonus points + Taj voucher) for Rs.4-7 lakh annual spenders
- + 8 complimentary domestic lounge visits plus Priority Pass membership
- + Membership Rewards points do not expire
The catch
- − Low flat base earn rate (0.5% value-back) with no category accelerators on the base card
- − Fuel, utilities, insurance and EMI spends earn no points
- − Amex acceptance is narrower than Visa/Mastercard in India
- − 3.5% forex markup makes it weak for international spends despite the travel positioning