Introduction

You spend Rs. 4 lakhs or more every year on your regular expenses. You pay using either cash, UPI, or debit/credit
card, which gives you either no rewards or a small reward, usually of up to 1%. Now, suppose you spend the same
Rs. 4 lakhs or more every year on your regular expenses through a travel-specific credit card. But this time, you
get rewarded annually with Taj vouchers worth Rs. 30,000 every year that can help you enjoy luxury stays at Taj
Hotels. Before taking the flight to your dream destination, you can relax at the domestic airport lounge with
complimentary access. Sounds good?

So, would you like to shift your Rs. 4 lakhs annual spending from the traditional payment modes to this credit card?
We are talking about the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card, which consistently gives returns of 7 to 10%
on annual spends, depending on the redemption option chosen. For over a decade, the card has reigned supreme among
Indian travellers, and deserves a place in your wallet too. In this article, you will learn about the features and
benefits of the card, how to earn and redeem reward points, and why you should take this credit card.

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American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card

Joining Fees: 5000

Renewal Fees: 5000

Reward Percentage: 1 - 3

Best For: Milestone based Travel Rewards

Category Of Card: Travel

• Welcome Benefit:

  Welcome Gift of 10,000 Membership Rewards points* redeemable for Flipkart12 voucher or Pay with Points option in Amex Travel Online3 worth Rs. 3,000.

• Renewal Benefits:
  • ₹1.9 Lakh Spend Milestone:

    Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points and 3,400 additional points, which can be redeemed for travel benefits.
  • ₹4 Lakh Spend Milestone:

    Earn an additional 25,000 Membership Rewards points, 3,600 regular points, and a ₹10,000 Taj Experiences E-Gift Card.
• Usps:

  High value on ₹4 Lakh spend with a complimentary Taj Experiences E-Gift Card.

Apply Now More Details

Pros:

• High reward rate and value back (40,000 MR points + ₹10,000 Taj voucher) on ₹4 Lakh annual spend.
• The milestone-based reward structure is transparent and highly lucrative if targets are met.
• Complimentary domestic airport lounge access (8 visits per year, 2 per quarter).
• Membership Rewards points can be transferred to partner airline programs.
• Low annual fee (₹5,000 + taxes) relative to the travel benefits unlocked.

Cons:

• Low base reward rate of 1 MR point per ₹50 spent.
• Value is severely diminished if the annual spending milestones are missed.
• No complimentary international lounge access is included.
• Rewards are not earned on key excluded categories (Fuel, Utilities, Insurance).
• Requires a high commitment of ₹4 Lakh annual spending to maximize return.

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Card overview table

Fees & Benefits

The joining fee is Rs. 5,000 + GST.

The cardholder gets a welcome benefit or joining bonus of 10,000 Membership Reward (MR) points on spending
Rs. 15,000 within 90 days of card membership.

The renewal fee is Rs. 5,000 + GST.

There is no renewal benefit or renewal fee waiver criteria.

However, the cardholder can call customer care to check for any retention offers. American Express Customer Care
usually gives some retention offers. Some of these offers include the following:

• Deduction of a specified number of MR points for waiver of renewal fee (e.g., 10,000 MR points).
• Spend a specified amount within a specified number of days for waiver of annual fee (e.g., Rs. 1,50,000 in 90 days).
• Waiver on a specified percentage of the fees without any conditions (e.g., 50% of the annual fee).
• Pay the entire fee and get a specified number of MR points as a bonus for fee payment (e.g., pay Rs. 5,000 + GST
  and get 10,000 bonus MR points).

The card member can choose any of the retention offers given by Customer Care and accordingly get the entire or
partial fee waived. Not all members may get all of the above offers. Some members may get only 1, 2, or 3 of the
above offers in any random sequence/order. Please note that these retention offers are not a part of standard rules
and hence, not documented anywhere on the American Express website. These offers are at the sole discretion of
American Express.

Rewards Structure

There are 2 ways in which a credit cardholder can earn MR points.

Regular reward earn rate

A cardholder earns 1 MR point for every Rs. 50 spent. Spends on fuel, insurance, utility bills, and EMI conversion
at Point of Sale (POS) are excluded from earning regular MR points.

Milestone reward points

A cardholder can earn bonus MR points by achieving the following 2 spend-based milestones in a card membership year.

When the cardholder achieves the first spend-based milestone of Rs. 1.9 lakhs, 7,500 MR points are automatically
credited to the account. The card member must contact customer care for the remaining 7,500 MR points to be credited.

Similarly, when the cardholder achieves the second spend-based milestone of Rs. 4 lakhs, 12,500 MR points are
automatically credited to the account. The card member must contact customer care for the remaining 12,500 MR points
to be credited.

The MR points don’t have any validity date. Thus, they never expire. One of the USPs of American Express credit
cards is that their MR points never expire. So, the cardholder is free to accumulate and use them whenever required
without any deadline pressure of redeeming them.

Accelerated reward points with the Reward Multiplier (RM) platform

All American Express credit cardholders can earn accelerated reward points with the Reward Multiplier platform. An
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card holder can earn 3X reward points for spends through the RM platform. It
means, instead of 1 MR point, the cardholder will earn 3 MR points for every Rs. 50 spent through the RM platform.

The cardholder can use the RM platform for shopping at merchants/websites under various categories, such as:

The cardholder can use the RM platform to purchase gift cards of 100s of online/offline brands under various
categories. The cardholder can get instant discounts and earn 3X MR points on the gift vouchers.

Link to Reward Multiplier:

https://www.americanexpress.com/in/benefits/rewards-programs/reward-multiplier/

The maximum number of Bonus MR Points that can be earned through the RM platform is capped at 25,000 Bonus MR Points
per month. The bonus MR Points are credited to the card account within a period of 120 business days from the date
of the valid transaction made on the merchant website/platform.

There is a monthly purchase limit for Amazon Pay Gift Card, Amazon Shopping Voucher, and Flipkart Gift Voucher. A
cardholder (primary and supplementary) can purchase a maximum of Rs. 10,000 worth of vouchers for each of the three
individual brands in a calendar month. A 1.5% convenience fee + GST is charged on the purchase of Amazon Pay and
Amazon Shopping gift vouchers on the RM platform.

Certain transactions are excluded from earning bonus MR points on the RM platform. These can be checked at the
following link:

https://www.americanexpress.com/in/benefits/rewards-program/terms-conditions.html

Extra rewards on Reward Multiplier

From time to time, American Express comes out with offers that reward cardholders with extra MR points for
transactions done through the Reward Multiplier platform. For example, American Express ran an offer from 24th to
28th January 2025 as part of Republic Day celebrations.

As per the offer, the cardholder would get 25 MR points for every Rs. 100 spent across brands/merchants listed on
the Reward Multiplier platform. During such offers, the ongoing 3X MR points on the Platinum Travel Credit Card are
not applicable. E-vouchers/Gift vouchers purchased through the e-Voucher platform (Gyftr) on Reward Multiplier are
not a part of this offer.

From time to time, American Express keeps coming out with similar bonus MR points offers for the RM platform,
insurance premium payment transactions, etc. Participation in these offers may require prior registration.

Purchasing MR points from American Express

A cardholder can purchase MR points from American Express at the rate of Rs. 0.40 per MR point. A maximum of 10,000
MR points can be purchased in a calendar year. The amount is charged to the cardholder’s account.

Complimentary lounge access

A Platinum Travel Credit Card holder can enjoy 8 complimentary visits (2 per quarter) to domestic airport lounges
across India. The benefit is applicable for the primary cardholder only.

The list of eligible lounges can be checked at the following link:

Platinum Travel Lounge List

Reward Redemption

The MR points earned with the Platinum Travel Credit Card can be redeemed in the following ways:

• Platinum Travel Collection
• Transfer to partners
• Purchase of INSTA Vouchers
• Payment of online transactions

The various MR points redemption options can be accessed from the ‘Rewards & Benefits’ section of the Dashboard.

Platinum Travel Collection

Under the Platinum Travel Collection, the MR points can be redeemed for the following gift vouchers.

Transfer partners

American Express has a tie-up with various airline and hotel partners for the transfer of MR points.

From the above list, the Singapore KrisFlyer and Marriott Bonvoy transfers are popular among American Express credit
cardholders in India.

Purchase of INSTA Vouchers

The cardholder can redeem MR points to purchase INSTA Vouchers of more than 100 online and offline brands. The
redemption value is Rs. 0.25 per MR point.

Payment of online transactions

Payment for online transactions can be done using MR points. The redemption value is Rs. 0.25 per MR point.

From the above-discussed redemption options, transferring MR points to partners like Singapore KrisFlyer and
Marriott Bonvoy can give good redemption value. For example, the points requirement for booking a hotel room through
Marriott Bonvoy is dynamic. The cardholder usually gets a redemption value of Rs. 0.50 to Rs. 1.0 per point.
However, at times, they can get a higher redemption value.

Similarly, the Platinum Travel Collection vouchers give a decent redemption value of up to Rs. 0.50 per MR point.

You can use the Reward Calculator Tool to maximise the value of your MR points.

Redemption Examples

How to earn more than a 7% reward rate

The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card gives the best reward rate when used for Rs. 4 lakhs in a year. Let
us see how you can earn a 7.3% reward rate and enjoy free stays for a few nights at Taj properties every year for an
annual spend of Rs. 4 lakhs.

When you spend Rs. 4 lakhs in a year with the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card, you get the following benefits:

• Base reward rate: 1 MR point for every Rs. 50 spent = 8,000 MR points
• Milestone of Rs. 1,90,000 = 15,000 MR points
• Milestone of Rs. 4,00,000 = 25,000 MR points + Rs. 10,000 Taj voucher

Total MR points earned = 48,000 MR points.

The MR points can be redeemed against Taj vouchers at the rate of Rs. 0.40 per MR point. Thus, the 48,000 MR points
can be redeemed for Taj vouchers of Rs. 19,200.

Adding the Rs. 10,000 Taj voucher (applicable on achieving Rs. 4 lakhs milestone spend), will give Taj vouchers of
Rs. 29,200 in a year on spending Rs. 4 lakhs. It translates into a reward rate of 7.3%.

Suppose a person spends 50% of the Rs. 4 lakhs annual spend through the Reward Multiplier platform. The reward rate will increase to 8.1% as follows:

• Base reward rate for Rs. 2 lakhs spends: 1 MR point for every Rs. 50 spent = 4,000 MR points
• Accelerated reward rate for Rs. 2 lakhs spends through RM: 3 MR points for every Rs. 50 spent = 12,000 MR points
• Milestone of Rs. 1,90,000 = 15,000 MR points
• Milestone of Rs. 4,00,000 = 25,000 MR points + Rs. 10,000 Taj voucher

Total MR points earned = 56,000 MR points.

The MR points can be redeemed against Taj vouchers at the rate of Rs. 0.40 per MR point. Thus, the 56,000 MR points
can be redeemed for Taj vouchers of Rs. 22,400.

Adding the Rs. 10,000 Taj voucher (applicable on achieving Rs. 4 lakhs milestone spend), will give Taj vouchers of
Rs. 32,400 in a year on spending Rs. 4 lakhs. It translates into a reward rate of 8.10%.

If the cardholder spends the entire Rs. 4 lakhs in a year through the RM platform, the reward rate will further increase to 8.90%.

How to Apply

The eligibility criteria includes the following:

• The applicant must be over 18 years of age.
• Must have a savings or current account in India.
• Must have a good credit history and no payment defaults.
• A permanent residential address in India.
• Must reside in one of the cities in which American Express credit cards are issued.

The applicant, whether salaried or self-employed, must have a personal annual income of Rs. 6 lakhs or above.

If you apply online through a referral (existing American Express cardholder), you will get a referral bonus of
2,000 MR points.

Optimal Use

The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is best for annual expenses of Rs. 4 lakhs. For spends above Rs. 4
lakhs, the reward rate falls. Hence, to optimise the card benefits, use it for annual spends of Rs. 4 lakhs. Beyond
that, you may switch your spends to another American Express credit card, like the Membership Rewards Credit Card
(MRCC).

For spends beyond Rs. 4 lakhs in a year, you may consider a travel card from other banks. Some of these include the
Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card or the HSBC TravelOne Credit Card to optimise travel rewards. You can use all these
credit cards to accumulate travel rewards for flights and hotel stays.

Bonus Tips & Insider Hacks

The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card doesn’t have any annual spend-based criteria for the annual fee
waiver. However, at the time of renewal, the cardholder can contact American Express Customer Care and ask whether
there are any retention offers, as discussed in the earlier section.

From time to time, American Express sends spend-based offers. For example, every year, during Diwali, American
Express sends a festive spend-based offer. When the cardholder spends the specified amount during the specified
period, they get rewarded with bonus vouchers from brands like Taj, Amazon, Flipkart, etc. These spend-based offers
enhance the overall reward rate by 2 to 5%.

American Express runs campaigns related to the Reward Multiplier platform. For example, a campaign may offer 5 to 25
MR points for every Rs. 100 spent through the Reward Multiplier platform. During such offers, the usual 3X MR points
offer doesn’t apply. Some campaigns are spend-based. For example, a campaign may offer a specified amount gift card
for spending a specified amount through the Reward Multiplier platform.

All the above offers boost the overall return rate on the Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card.

As discussed earlier, the Platinum Travel Credit Card is good for annual spends of Rs. 4 lakhs. Beyond that, the
cardholder may switch to another Amex card or another travel card from another bank to optimise travel rewards.

Tips to Maximise Rewards

Split Your Annual Spend Wisely
Aim for exactly Rs. 4 lakhs/year to unlock the best milestone reward structure.

Use Reward Multiplier
Earn 3X points by shopping via the Reward Multiplier platform. Combine this with festive offers for an 8–9% return.

Redeem Smartly
Convert MR points to Marriott Bonvoy or KrisFlyer for higher per-point value instead of Insta vouchers.

Buy Gift Cards via RM
Use the platform to buy Amazon/Flipkart vouchers for offline use — earning 3X points even when merchants don’t accept Amex.

Track Spend Milestones
Use the Amex mobile app to track progress toward Rs. 1.9L and Rs. 4L milestones to avoid missing bonus rewards.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant must be at least 18 years old.
• Should have a stable income of Rs. 6 lakhs per annum or above (salaried/self-employed).
• Must hold a savings or current account in India.
• Should have a good credit score (preferably 720+).
• Must reside in cities where American Express issues cards (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, etc.).

Documents Required

• Identity Proof: PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, or Passport.
• Address Proof: Utility Bill, Aadhaar Card, or Passport.
• Income Proof: Latest salary slips (for salaried) or ITR with computation sheet (for self-employed).
• Bank Account Proof: Cancelled cheque or bank statement (3–6 months).

If applying online, you’ll need to complete video KYC and upload scanned copies of the required documents.

CardGenius Verdict

The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card has a lot of pros and some cons.

Pros:

• High reward rate (combination of base reward rate, milestones, Reward Multiplier, spend-based offers, etc.).
• Good travel redemption offers for airmiles and hotel loyalty programs.
• Complimentary domestic airport lounge access.

Cons:

• All American Express credit cards, including Platinum Travel, have limited offline acceptance. It can be overcome
  by buying gift vouchers of offline brands from the RM platform at 3X MR points reward rate along with instant
  discounts (if any).
• There is no complimentary international airport lounge access.
• There is no renewal fee waiver. It can be made up by asking for retention offers by calling customer care.

Who should get this card?

The features and benefits of this card are mostly travel-centric. So, if you are a regular traveller, you must get
the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card.

FAQ

Is Amex Platinum Travel still worth it in 2025?

In 2025, we have some good travel credit cards to choose from. These include the Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card, HSBC
TravelOne Credit Card, HDFC Bank Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card and the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card.

While all the credit cards are good for earning travel rewards, the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is
still worth holding for annual spends of Rs. 4 lakhs. When the reward points are redeemed for Taj gift vouchers, it
can give a reward rate of 7.3% to 8.90%, as explained above.

Apart from redemption for Taj vouchers, the MR points can be transferred to loyalty programs like Singapore
Airlines KrisFlyer for airmiles, Marriott Bonvoy for hotel loyalty, etc. These are pretty popular among Indian
travellers.

Do utility bills and insurance premium payments count towards annual milestones?

Utility bill payments and insurance premium payments don’t earn any base reward rates. However, the spends towards
these count towards the annual milestones of Rs. 1.9 lakhs and Rs. 4 lakhs.

How to get the renewal fee waived?

There is no annual spend-based renewal fee waiver criteria for the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card.
However, at the time of renewal, the cardholder can contact American Express Customer Care to check if there are any
retention offers. Some of these can include:

• Deduction of a specified number of MR points for waiver of renewal fee (e.g., 10,000 MR points).
• Spend a specified amount within a specified number of days for waiver of annual fee (e.g., Rs. 1,50,000 in 90 days).
• Waiver on a specified percentage of the fees without any conditions (e.g., 50% of the annual fee).
• Pay the entire fee and get a specified number of MR points as a bonus for fee payment (e.g., 10,000 MR points).

The cardholder may be offered any one or more of these offers in any combination. Giving a retention offer to all
customers is not guaranteed. Giving a retention offer is the sole discretion of American Express.

How fast is the approval process?

Usually, American Express is pretty quick at processing applications. Some users have reported that they got the
physical card within 3–4 days of online application. Once you apply online, you will have to do the video KYC. Post
that, the approval or rejection decision will be given. If approved, the cardholder may receive the card in 3–4
days.