Which American Express card is best? All six Amex India cards compared on fees, rewards and eligibility, with scores and who each suits. New applications are paused.
Quick Verdict
The best American Express card depends on how much you spend, and right now you cannot apply for any of them.American Express India says on every card page that it is temporarily pausing new card applications while it updates its technology platforms. If applications reopen, our picks are SmartEarn for a low fee, Platinum Travel for ₹4 lakh and ₹7 lakh milestone spenders, Platinum Reserve for ₹50,000 monthly spenders, and the Platinum Card for heavy travellers.
This best amex card india guide covers all six personal products on American Express India's card pages, as of November 2026: four credit cards and two charge cards. Fees, benefits and eligibility come from the Amex pages only.
Card | Type | Annual fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
SmartEarn | Credit | ₹495 + taxes | Low-fee online shopping |
Membership Rewards | Credit | ₹1,000 year 1, ₹4,500 later | Monthly bonus-point hunters |
Gold Card | Charge | ₹1,000 year 1, ₹4,500 later | Everyday spends incl. utilities |
Platinum Travel | Credit | ₹5,000 + taxes | Milestone and lounge users |
Platinum Reserve | Credit | ₹10,000 + taxes | Lifestyle, golf, vouchers |
Platinum Card | Charge | ₹66,000 + taxes | Frequent international flyers |
Benchmarksutra Scores range from 53 to 61 out of 100 for the six Amex cards. See the scores table below.
Can You Get an American Express Card in India Right Now?
Not for now. Each card page we read carries this notice: "We are temporarily pausing the acceptance of new card applications in India as we make planned updates to our technology platforms for domestic card issuing operations." Existing cardmembers are not affected by this notice. American Express gives no reopening date, so check its site before you plan around any card.
When applications are open, Amex says it issues cards in a set list of cities, including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad. It also requires a good credit history and no payment defaults. ReadVisa vs Mastercard vs RuPay vs Amexfor how the network differs from the others.
American Express Credit Cards in India: Full Portfolio
Amex India lists these personal cards. Two of them are charge cards, which means you pay the full bill each month and have no pre-set spending limit.
Card | Fee (taxes extra) | Waiver or renewal rule | Welcome gift |
|---|---|---|---|
SmartEarn Credit Card | ₹495 | Waived on ₹40,000+ spend in the previous year | ₹500 statement credit on ₹10,000 in 90 days |
Membership Rewards Credit Card | ₹1,000 year 1; ₹4,500 later | 100% waived at ₹1,50,000; 50% at ₹90,000 to ₹1,49,999 | 4,000 points on joining fee and ₹15,000 in 90 days |
Gold Card (charge) | ₹1,000 year 1; ₹4,500 later | 5,000 points on first renewal | 4,000 points on ₹10,000 in 90 days |
Platinum Travel Credit Card | ₹5,000 year 1 and later | No waiver listed | 10,000 points on ₹15,000 in 90 days |
Platinum Reserve Credit Card | ₹10,000 year 1 and later | Waived at ₹10,00,000 spend | 11,000 points on ₹30,000 in 90 days |
Platinum Card (charge) | ₹66,000 | Renewal vouchers up to ₹35,000 at ₹20 lakh spend | Up to ₹60,000 gift on ₹50,000 in first 2 months |
Welcome gifts on all cards need the annual fee to be paid and the spend within the stated window.
How Amex Rewards Work
Most Amex India cards earn1 Membership Rewards point per ₹50. Fuel, insurance, utilities, cash transactions and EMI conversion at the point of sale are excluded on the Membership Rewards, Platinum Travel and Platinum Reserve cards. The Gold Card is different: it earns on utilities, but not on fuel from 12 June 2025 or insurance.
What is a Membership Rewards point worth?
Amex does not publish one cash value. Its Gold Collection table, though, lets you work it out. Our maths from that table:
Gold Collection option | Points | Voucher value | Value per point |
|---|---|---|---|
Taj voucher | 24,000 | ₹14,000 | ₹0.58 |
Amazon or Flipkart voucher | 24,000 | ₹8,000 | ₹0.33 |
Taj voucher | 18,000 | ₹9,000 | ₹0.50 |
Amazon or Flipkart voucher | 18,000 | ₹6,000 | ₹0.33 |
At ₹0.33 a point, a ₹50 spend returns about 0.67%. At ₹0.58 it is about 1.2%. That is a modest base rate, so the cards pay off through milestones, vouchers and perks. Use thereward value calculatorand readCredit Card Transfer Partners in Indiafor other ways to use points. Our post on theEtihad Guest transfer being discontinuedshows why checking redemption options matters.
Card-by-Card Review
American Express SmartEarn Credit Card
The lowest fee in the range at ₹495, waived on ₹40,000 of annual spend. It earns 10X points on Zomato, BookMyShow, Uber, Ajio, Nykaa and other partners, and 5X on Amazon. But the bonuses are capped: 500 points a month jointly for Flipkart, Uber, BookMyShow and other partners, 500 for EaseMyTrip and Zomato, and 250 for Amazon. Earn vouchers worth ₹500 at ₹1.2 lakh, ₹1.8 lakh and ₹2.4 lakh of annual spend. No lounge access is listed. Amex lists income of ₹4.5 lakh (employed) or ₹6 lakh (self-employed).
Benchmarksutra Score:60/100 — C Tier
American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card
Fee is ₹1,000 in year one and ₹4,500 after, with the ₹4,500 fully waived at ₹1,50,000 and half waived at ₹90,000. Use the card four times a month for ₹1,500 or more to earn 1,000 bonus points. Spend ₹20,000 or more in a month for another 1,000 points, if you enrol. Renewing in the first year gives 5,000 points. No lounge access is listed.
Benchmarksutra Score:59/100 — Avoid unless niche use case
American Express Gold Card
A charge card with no pre-set spending limit, so approvals follow your spending pattern and credit record. Amex warns that this does not mean unlimited spending. It earns on utilities, earns 5X through ShopWise, and gives 1,000 bonus points on six transactions of ₹1,000 each a month. Fee is ₹4,500 from year two with no waiver listed.
Benchmarksutra Score:57/100 — Avoid unless niche use case
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card
A ₹5,000 card built around milestones: 10,000 points at ₹4 lakh annual spend, and a ₹20,000 Taj, SeleQtions and Vivanta e-gift card at ₹7 lakh. From 1 October 2026 it gives 2 complimentary domestic lounge visits a quarter, but only after you spend ₹70,000 in Q3 2026 or ₹1 lakh a quarter after that. Points no longer expire while the card is active and in good standing.
Benchmarksutra Score:53/100 — Avoid unless niche use case
American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card
A ₹10,000 card for lifestyle users. Spend ₹50,000 in a month to unlock vouchers worth ₹12,000 a year and two complimentary golf rounds a month at 32+ courses (enrolment needed). It lists ALL Accor+ Explorer, Taj Epicure and EazyDiner Prime memberships, plus Priority Pass with up to 2 free international visits a year. Amex notes that access to the Centurion Lounges in Delhi and Mumbai ended on 1 September 2023. Waiver needs ₹10 lakh spend, which few meet.
Benchmarksutra Score:61/100 — C Tier
American Express Platinum Card
The top card at ₹66,000 plus taxes. It gives access to 1,550+ lounges through the Global Lounge Collection, 3X points on spends abroad, hotel elite status (Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Honors Gold and others), Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits and air accident cover of ₹5 crore on tickets bought with the card. The Platinum page also carries a notice that new hotel and flight bookings are unavailable until 15 November. It is a charge card.
Benchmarksutra Score:60/100 — C Tier
American Express Benchmarksutra Scores
Each score uses the fixed 100-point framework from ourBenchmarksutra Credit Card Scoreexplainer. Eligibility is scored conservatively because all applications are paused.
Card | Score | Tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
Platinum Reserve | 61/100 | C Tier | Lifestyle perks at ₹50,000 monthly spend |
Platinum Card | 60/100 | C Tier | Heavy international travellers |
SmartEarn | 60/100 | C Tier | Low-fee online shopping |
Membership Rewards | 59/100 | Avoid unless niche use case | Monthly bonus triggers |
Platinum Travel | 53/100 | Avoid unless niche use case | Milestone spenders and lounge users |
Gold Card | 57/100 | Avoid unless niche use case | No pre-set limit, utilities earn |
Amex scores sit below mass-market cards because the base earn is low, fees climb fast and rupee value per point is unstated. They suit specific users, not everyone.
Which Amex Card Suits You? By Cohort
Freshers and beginners
SmartEarn has the lowest fee and the lowest entry bar on paper, with Amex listing income of ₹4.5 lakh for employed applicants. But Amex asks for a good credit history, which you may not have yet. Start with a first card from ourcredit card comparison guideand apply to Amex later.
Middle-aged families
The Membership Rewards card suits households that swipe many times a month, because of its bonus-point triggers, though no lounge is listed. SmartEarn works for online grocery and shopping. Neither earns on utilities except the Gold Card.
Travellers and frequent flyers
Platinum Travel if you spend ₹4 lakh to ₹7 lakh a year, for the milestones and the quarterly lounge visits. The Platinum Card if you fly abroad often and will use lounges, hotel status and 3X abroad enough to justify ₹66,000.
Professionals (CA, lawyers, doctors)
Platinum Reserve fits professionals who can route ₹50,000 a month through it and will use golf, dining and hotel memberships. The Gold Card's no pre-set limit helps with lumpy spends, but you must clear the bill in full.
Senior citizens and retirees
Amex lists income criteria for employed and self-employed applicants only, so pension income may not be accepted for every card. Check with Amex before applying. If you already hold a card, renewal waivers (₹40,000 on SmartEarn, ₹1.5 lakh on Membership Rewards) are easiest on SmartEarn. See alsoadd-on credit cards explained.
Checklist Before You Choose an Amex Card
Check the Amex site for whether new applications have reopened
Confirm your city is on the Amex issuing list
Match the fee to your yearly spend, using thebreakeven calculator
Check the income criteria: ₹4.5 lakh employed or ₹6 lakh self-employed, per card
Know whether it is a charge card (pay in full) or a credit card
List which of your spends are excluded: fuel, insurance, utilities, cash and EMI at point of sale
Decide how you will redeem points before you collect them
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Treating an Amex charge card like a revolving credit card; balances must be cleared in full
Paying a ₹66,000 fee without using lounges, hotel status and abroad spends
Expecting points on fuel, insurance or utilities on most Amex cards
Missing the 90-day window for the welcome gift
Assuming "no pre-set limit" means unlimited spending
Applying to Amex when your credit history is thin
Related on benchmarksutra
FAQs
Which American Express credit card is best for me?
It depends on your spend. SmartEarn suits low-fee users, Platinum Travel suits ₹4 lakh to ₹7 lakh spenders, Platinum Reserve suits ₹50,000 a month spenders, and the Platinum Card suits heavy travellers. New applications are currently paused.
Can I apply for an American Express card in India now?
Amex India says it is temporarily pausing new card applications while it updates its technology platforms. No reopening date is given.
Which Amex card has the lowest fee?
SmartEarn at ₹495 plus taxes, waived on ₹40,000 of spend in the previous year.
Which Amex card has the highest fee?
The Platinum Card at ₹66,000 plus taxes.
Are Gold and Platinum Cards credit cards?
No. Amex lists the Gold Card and the Platinum Card as charge cards, where the bill is paid in full each month.
What is the income needed for an Amex card?
Amex lists ₹4.5 lakh for employed and ₹6 lakh for self-employed applicants on SmartEarn and Membership Rewards, and ₹6 lakh for Platinum Travel and Platinum Reserve.
Do Amex cards give lounge access?
Platinum Travel gives 2 domestic visits a quarter on spend conditions. Platinum Reserve lists Priority Pass with 2 free international visits a year. The Platinum Card lists 1,550+ lounges.
Do Amex points expire?
On Platinum Travel, points do not expire while the card is active and in good standing. Check the terms for your own card.
Official Sources and Editorial Note
Data checked as of: November 2026
American Express India: SmartEarn page
https://www.americanexpress.com/in/credit-cards/smart-earn-credit-card/
American Express India: Membership Rewards page
https://www.americanexpress.com/in/credit-cards/membership-rewards-card/
American Express India: Gold Card page
https://www.americanexpress.com/in/charge-cards/gold-card/
American Express India: Platinum Travel page
https://www.americanexpress.com/in/credit-cards/platinum-travel-credit-card/
American Express India: Platinum Reserve page
https://www.americanexpress.com/in/credit-cards/platinum-reserve-credit-card/
American Express India: Platinum Card page
https://www.americanexpress.com/in/charge-cards/platinum-card/
This article is written from official sources and does not rely on third-party wording. Per-point values are our calculation from Amex's Gold Collection table. Fees, benefits and issuance can change, so confirm current terms with American Express before applying.
