If you’re looking for the 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 its 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. Here’s the detailed review of the Amex platinum travel credit card,
Overview
| Type | Travel Credit Card |
| Reward Rate | 1% – 8.5% |
| Joining Fee | |
| 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 spending targets.
Currently, one of the best offers you could get is a First Year FREE limited period offer when you apply using a referral link.
*** Limited Period Offer: First Year FREE ***
Apply through the link on the page & you’ll get it First Year Fee Free* (Saving INR 3,500) + 2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points (spend INR 5,000 within 90 days)
Fees
| Joining Fee | |
| Welcome Benefit | |
| 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 may be 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 a platinum travel card and not a platinum charge card, which some often get confused, as multiple Amex cards carry 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.
Platinum Travel and Platinum Reserve cards look similar except for a black line running along the right side of the card on Reserve.
Rewards
| SPEND TYPE | REWARDS | REWARD RATE (CASH CREDIT) | REWARD RATE (MARRIOTT/TAJ VOUCHER) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Spends | 1 MR on every 50 INR spent | 0.50% | ~1% |
- Excluded expenses: Insurance, Utilities, Fuel
- Rewards do not expire.
The reward points earned on the 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 make 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 | ~INR 22,500 | 30,000 INR | 7.5% |
- Note: You’ll unlock 2 benefits upon hitting the 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 after reaching the 4L milestone.
What else can one 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 | – |
While you get complimentary “membership” to Priority Pass for international lounge access, you do not get any complimentary “access” with it, unfortunately.
Note that you’re eligible only for regular domestic lounge access but not to the American Express Lounges located in Delhi & Mumbai. To access those lounges you would either need Amex Reserve (or) Amex Platinum Charge Cards.
My Experience
I’ve been using the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card since the 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 & 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?
You may apply online/offline or at airport outlets (no special airport offers at the moment), whichever is convenient for you.
Currently, one of the best offers you could get is a First Year Free Limited period offer when you apply using a referral link.
To sweeten this, you can also get another 2K Bonus Points by spending Rs.5000 within 90 days of membership.
*** Limited Period Offer: First Year FREE ***
Apply through the link on the page & you’ll get it First Year Fee Free* (Saving INR 3,500) + 2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards® points (spend INR 5,000 within 90 days)
FAQ’s
1. Is it still good in 2022?
Very much it is, as it has the reward rate that is one of the best in the industry.
2. What other travel cards can I hold along with Amex Platinum Travel?
Generally most travelers I know have Amex platinum Travel + Axis Magnus + Axis Vistara Infinite (First Year FREE for a limited period). 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 which is also issued as First Year Free. 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 an 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 after hitting 4L.
Bottom line
With a wonderful reward rate of ~8.5% the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is one of the highest rewarding credit cards 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.
