American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card review
Worth keeping only for an existing member who reliably spends ₹4 lakh to ₹7 lakh a year and will use the Taj gift card and travel redemptions. After the 2026 cuts, anyone spending less than ₹4 lakh a year gets poor value for the ₹5,000 fee. New applicants cannot get it while Amex India's application pause lasts.
Fees
₹5,000 a year + GST. Forex markup 3.5%.
Rewards
About ₹0.25 a point as statement credit; the Platinum Travel Collection (Taj, Air India, Postcard Hotels) gives roughly ₹0.30 to ₹0.50, and 2:1 airline transfers around ₹0.50
- Fuel: 0% – No points on fuel
- Bills: 0% – No points on utility bills
- Insurance: 0% – No points on insurance premiums
- UPI with a credit card: 0% – Amex cards cannot be used for UPI payments
- Everything else: 0.5%
On a typical spending pattern this card gives back about ₹1,800 a year.
What’s good
- Spending ₹4 lakh a year earns 8,000 regular points plus 10,000 bonus points
- ₹7 lakh a year adds a ₹20,000 Taj, SeleQtions and Vivanta gift card
- Points can be moved to airline and hotel partners
What’s not
- Amex has paused new card applications in India, so only existing members can use it
- Cut twice in 2026: the ₹1.9 lakh milestone is gone, milestone points were reduced, and lounge visits now need ₹1 lakh spend a quarter
- ₹5,000 fee every year with no spend-based waiver
- No points on fuel, insurance or utility bills, and a 3.5% forex markup
Lounge access
Domestic: 2 a quarter, only if you spent ₹1 lakh in the previous quarter (₹70,000 for October to December 2026). International: Priority Pass membership fee waived, but each visit is paid.