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Offer Summary:

Enjoy 10X Membership Rewards® points on booking Air India Flights with American Express Platinum & Centurion Cards.

Terms and Conditions for American Express® RewardsXcelerator Program.

This Offer is open to only American Express Centurion and Platinum Cardmembers whose accounts are valid and in good standing. An American Express Cardmember for the purpose of this Offer means a person holding an American Express® Centurion Card or American Express® Platinum Card, issued by American Express Banking Corp. in India.
The Offer is not valid for American Express Corporate Cards issued by American Express Banking Corp. in India or Cards issued by a third party bearing the name or trademark or service mark or logo of American Express ("Network Cards ") issued in India.
In case the Card account is cancelled before the time of offer fulfilment, Cardmember will not be eligible for the offer benefit.
The offer in this program will be fulfilled by American Express.
The offer would be valid on above mentioned Cards issued in India only.
This offer is being made purely on a “best effort” basis. Cardmembers are not bound in any manner to participate in this offer and any such participation is purely voluntary.
American Express is only responsible for the crediting of the Membership Rewards® Points into the linked Card account. The redemption is not limited or cannot be held against American Express.
American Express & Air India reserves the right at any time without prior notice to add/ alter/ modify/ change all of these Terms & Conditions or to replace wholly, or in part, the Offer by other Offers, whether similar to this Offer or not, or to withdraw it altogether.
This program is being offered by the participating service establishment only and shall be valid for the period mentioned in the offer.
American Express is neither responsible for availability of services nor guarantees the quality of the goods/services and is not liable for any defect or deficiency of goods or services so obtained/availed of by the Cardmembers under this Offer. Any disputes with regard to the quality of goods/services availed shall be taken up with the merchant/service establishment directly. American Express shall have no liability whatsoever with regard to the same.
American Express reserves its absolute right to withdraw and/or alter any of the terms and conditions of the Offer at any time without prior notice.
Nothing expressed or implied in the Offer shall in any way waive or amend any of the terms and conditions of the existing Cardmember agreement with the Card issuer.
Any disputes arising out of and in connection with this program shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in the state of Delhi only.

This offer is subject to partner Terms and Conditions mentioned below.

RewardXcelerator Terms and Conditions

Promotional offer: get 10x membership rewards points on each spend on your card at participating merchants. .

Centurion Card : Cardmember will receive 6 Membership Rewards points (Standard American Express Membership Rewards) and additional 54 Bonus Membership Rewards points for every INR 200 Spent on Centurion Card.
Platinum Card : Cardmember will receive 1 Membership Rewards point (Standard American Express Membership Rewards) and additional 9 Bonus Membership Rewards points for every INR 40 Spent on Platinum Card.
Eligible Cards: American Express Centurion and Platinum Cards only
Validity*: This offer is valid from 28th February’2024 – 6th December 2024(both days included)

The above-mentioned Bonus Membership Rewards Points is for illustration purposes only.

Steps to avail the offer:

The Cardmember transacts on their eligible American Express Card and with participating merchants to make a purchase during offer period.
The Standard and Bonus Membership Rewards® Points will get credited to Cardmember’s account by American Express as per regular American Express process.
The offer will be applicable on the transactions taken only on Air India website & mobile application.

Offer Terms and Conditions:

There is no minimum spend required to be eligible for/avail the offer.
There is no maximum capping on the number of Membership Rewards points that can be earned by the Cardmember under this offer.
The offer with Air India is applicable only on the INR transactions made with Air India official website and/or Air India mobile app and it’s not valid for transactions made via travel agents, Online Travel Agent , any Air India offline counter and/or via any other available channel(s). Transactions made on a currency other than INR will not be applicable for this program.
The offer can be availed multiple times during offer period.
The offer is also applicable on transactions taken with Supplementary Card(s).
Standard and additional Membership Rewards points are awarded to the Basic Card Account only. Eligible spending made on all Supplementary Card(s) will be considered as the cumulative spend of the respective Basic Card Account. 
To qualify for the additional Membership Rewards points, the Card Account must be in good standing, not cancelled for any reasons and enrolled successfully in the American Express Membership Rewards Program. 
The base Membership Rewards points earned on any transaction shall be governed by the product specific Membership Rewards construct and Membership Rewards terms and conditions. To view Membership Rewards terms and conditions, click here. https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/en-in/benefits/rewards/membership-rewards/membership-rewards-terms.pdf
In case the merchant accepts payments via third party establishment or aggregator or any change in the Merchant’s payment acceptance or settlement process, American Express cannot guarantee the credit of Bonus Membership Rewards points on Cardmember’s account.
There might be instances wherein the Bonus Membership Rewards points are credited late or are not credited at all and American Express shall not be held liable in such cases.
The offer is not applicable on payments done via digital wallets.
Any queries pertaining to awarding the Membership Rewards Points will be entertained till 30 days from the date of transaction.
Refund(s)/reversal(s) initiated (during the offer period) for transactions taken prior to the offer period with participating merchants will result in reversal of Membership Rewards points as per the RewardXelerator Program’s offer Earn rate (i.e., 10X or 20X).
In case of any queries, Cardmembers can reach out at amex.in/contactus.
Membership Rewards points will be awarded as per regular American Express process. In case there is a refund/cancellation of the order, the Membership Rewards Points (along with additional Membership Rewards points, under this program) will be reversed back from the Cardmember’s Account in future credit cycle(s).
The Membership Rewards points will be calculated based on transaction amount billed to eligible American Express Card.
The Net Cart Value is the total cart value arrived at after all applicable discounts including coupon code.
In an instance where the partial payment is done by the Cardmember via Membership Rewards Points / cash / wallet / any other method, the additional Membership Rewards Points will be granted only on such part of the payment which is made using an eligible American Express Card.
Offer can be combined with any other offer/promotion running on the partner site/store.
In an instance where the full payment is done by the cardmember via Membership Rewards Points, there will be no additional Membership Rewards Points extended to the card member on that transaction.
Any person availing this offer shall be deemed to have accepted all the terms and conditions.
Product warranty will be regulated by the Terms and Conditions mentioned on the Warranty Card of respective product/manufacturer.
Any defects in goods or deficiency in services or any claims, issues, damages or losses arising therefrom with respect to the Product/Services shall be the sole responsibility and liability of the manufacturer/Seller or the Service Provider.
Pictorial representation of product(s) in communication(s) sent to the customers is purely representational.
American Express/ Partner reserves the right to cancel an order in case of any fraudulent activity Upon cancellation, the order will not be reinstated.
It is not mandatory for the American Express cardholders to participate in the offer. Participation in the Offer by the card holder is voluntary and free. Participation in the Offer by the Cardholder will be construed as acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of the Offer and Cardholder is advised not to participate in the Offer if such Terms & Conditions are not acceptable.
American Express shall determine, from time to time at its discretion, those transactions which are eligible for credit of additional Membership Rewards Points (as part of this offer) and the number of additional Membership Rewards Points which Cardmember shall earn upon completion of a successful transaction on participating merchant website/store.
The Offer is valid only in India.
American Express is neither responsible for any deliveries, refunds & exchanges and any additional costs related to deliveries, refunds and exchange. This is to be managed between the Merchant and the Cardmember.
All Bookings made under this Offer shall be subject to Air India’s  conditions of carriage available at  www.airindia.com

American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card Review (India)

If you’re looking for a 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 it’s 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 that Amex has ever created. Here’s the detailed review of the Amex platinum travel credit card,

Table of Contents

Milestone Benefit

Airport lounge access, my experience, other benefits, how to apply, faq’s.

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 spend targets.

Currently, one of the best offer you could get is an additional 2,000 MR points as a part of limited period offer when you apply using a referral link .

*** Limited Period Offer: 2,000 Bonus MR Points ***

Apply through the link above to get 2,000 additional Referral Bonus Membership Rewards ® points (spend INR 5,000 within 90 days).

While there are no renewal benefit (or) renewal fee waiver condition, you maybe 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 platinum travel card and not platinum charge card , which some get confused often, as multiple Amex cards carries the “platinum” tag.

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. The new design is good indeed.

Excluded spends : Insurance, Utilities, Fuel
Rewards don’t expire.

The reward points earned on 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 makes this card really click!

Note: You’ll unlock 2 benefits on hitting 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 post reaching 4L milestone.

What else one can 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.

Note that you’re eligible only for regular domestic lounge access (for primary cardholders only) but not to the American Express Lounges located in Delhi & Mumbai .

To access Amex proprietary lounges you would need Amex Platinum Charge Card .

While you get complimentary “membership” to Priority Pass for international lounge access, you do-not get any complimentary “access” with it, unfortunately.

I’ve been using American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card since 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
Taj Connemara, Chennai
Taj West End, Bangalore & few more

Which one is your most-loved or aspirational Taj property? Maybe I can cover the review of it if that interests you.

Foreign Exchange Markup fee: 3.5% + Service Tax
Amex health insurance benefits (with ICICI Lombard)
Amex Festive Offers

Applying online is the quickest way to get American Express Cards in India.

Currently, one of the best offer you could get is 2,000 additional MR points as a part of the Limited period offer when you apply using a referral link .

*** Best Travel Credit Card in India ***

Apply through the link above to get 2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards ® points and even more, check out the link for current bonus gift.

Note : It’s better to apply using your Aadhaar address, otherwise the application might get rejected (or) delayed. If CIBIL is very good it will not ask for income documents.

1. Is Amex Plat Travel still good in 2024?

Very much it is, as it has the reward rate that is one of the best in industry.

2. What other travel cards can I hold along with Amex Platinum Travel?

Generally most travellers I know have Amex Platinum Travel + Axis Magnus Burgundy + Axis Vistara Infinite . 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. 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 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 post hitting 4L.

CardExpert Rating: 5/5

American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card with ~8.5% reward rate is one of the highest rewarding Credit Card 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.

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120 thoughts on “ American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card Review (India) ”

I’ve explored.. 1.Taj Krishna , Hyderabad 2. Vivanta by Taj , Hyderabad

Ah yes, I’ve missed adding Taj Krishna to the list. It was a decent one.

I’m new to Amex. By any chance, do you have a referral link for their entry-level SmartEarn card? And does Amex often offer Life Time Free cards as promotions or should I just go ahead now and get the entry-level card? Thanks!

LTF is rare. You shall use the same link and click on “View our other cards” to apply for other card variants.

Thanks! I used your referral link to get the SmartEarn card. Though I’m new to Amex, it got approved within 24 hrs!

Siddharth, I am have decent use of travel platinum card, if we wish to use retention offers on travel platinum card or gold charge card, then when to approach customer care ?, I mean after deduction of renewal fee or before that ? Pls guide

After the fee gets charged.

Plz explain how to optimise Taj voucher for stay cation for family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children Or any other great way redeem Taj voucher

Yes this would be a great topic to elaborate on. Sid, please do consider.

This article and the comments may help: Taj Hotels: Tips on booking, upgrades and more

I have started using an Amex Plat Travel card with a limit of ₹150k, since the last month. I have another credit card with a limit of ₹260k. How many months of usage would it take for an enhancement of credit limit, considering my last month’s usage was about ₹90k and general usage will always be above ₹25-30k?

I have a good CIBIL score but a not very high net ITR of about ₹550k as I am a professional and take advantage of presumptive taxation at 50% of gross income and thereafter deductions of around ₹200k.

Hi Sid, appreciate your effort for reviewing this card. Do we need to call customer care to get the annual fee waived off?

Yes, they may have few options for you based on the spend.

Hi Sid, As always, a nice review, I’ve used this card for five years and it’s still among the finest for travel. I also have MRCC, and they once transferred my MRCC points to my platinum card when I asked them to and they said its one time offer:), which I transferred into Bonvoy and used for 4+1 free night in Thailand.

I have been using the MRCC for nearly 2 years now. Recently, Amex offered an upgrade to the Platinum Travel card FYF. Didn’t go for it, as my travels aren’t that extensive to make use of the benefits of the card that doesn’t offer a fee waver or can effectively be used offline. MRCC, with the monthly bonus rewards can offer up to a 6 percent reward on a spend of 20000, and that will also take care of the card fees too. Think Amex in general, will have to do better in terms of lounge access. The MRCC, with a very high yearly fee unless applied on referral, doesn’t offer any. Even the Platinum Travel card, despite being travel specific, doesn’t offer international lounge. Think the Axis Magnus, despite not being a travel specific card, can give the Platinum Travel a proper run for money for the number 1 travel card in the country as of now!

I just realized that I only got 7,500 MR points last year when I hit the Rs.1.9L threshold. This is why I make sure to read your articles. Always learn something new and I’ll make sure to call the support team and request for the full 15,000 MR points benefit. Won’t make that mistake again!!

Glad you got something useful!

Hey thanks for that Note to call customer care for remaining points. I used to see that i have been using the card and not getting equivalent points, but never gave it a thought to contact customer care. I think i missed my points of the previous years but at least managed to get them this year. Its really strange why i need to call them though.

Are they accepting utility bills or lease agreements or government flat allotment letters as address proof? I have an existing MRCC which was issued in Delhi basis lease agreement. But, now they are saying that they accept only aadhar, passport and election id. When I escalated, received a call back saying it can be worked out as I am an existing customer and will receive a call back in 48 hours. But, no response so far and it’s been 2 weeks. I got a Magnus approved and already have a LTF DCB. So, confused whether this is worth the trouble. But, milestone benefits looks enticing 😂. Any way out except changing aadhar address?

Unfortunately changing aadhar address is the only solution for now.

Hi Siddharth, great review. You’ve clearly done a lot of research which is evident from the article. You have earned yourself a new fan. I’ve got a question, if I may ask. Between this card and Amex MRCC (or some other card from Amex), which one would you recommend for me? A little background about me: I’m a 30 year old male living in Mumbai with a salary of 30 lakhs per annum. My annual spends are about 3-4 lakhs per year. I plan to do international trips one each year next year onwards. I’m mostly interested in AirMiles.

I look forward to your response. Thanks in advance.

If you can reach 4 Lakhs spends in an year, this card is better. MRCC is good for spends upto 20k per month.

Thanks for the review. I have been using it for past 4 years. Need to add an important info. Once the renewal fees are charged, you can just call their helpline. I did it this year. They just asked me to spend 35 k in 2 months which i did it easily and my renewal fee was reversed in the next billing cycle. I was also able to use this card twice at Amex lounge in Mumbai domestic terminal T1.

Sure? Mumbai T1 does not have any amex lounge.

Hi Siddharth, how does this fare against the HDFC Diners Club Black credit card? Given that both cards have the same fee structure.

I am a regular user of Amex reserve card, it’s no more that beneficial card this days, lot of other cards are with good benefits. In my City Surat, many of the shops, garments shops, Resturants doesn’t accept the card. When ever make travel bookings, doesn’t get any benefits, earlier there was benefits on MMT but no more now. Yes need priority pass to access the airport lounge out of India, this card won’t do. Only three discount cards for Taj hotels is given, that too is just to say.

Does Amex gives Card on Card basis? I am not fulfilling income criteria of amex

Hi Sid. Another good article. Have you ever booked Taj Stays under discount rates running on Taj website and faced any issue using Taj Vouchers against that stay? I recently booked a stay during Freedom sale offer on taj website but at the time of checkin, they refused to use Taj vouchers for the same. They showed me terms where it says these can be used only on “Public rates” and not for any already discounted booking, not even member rates (one becomes a member just be enrolling to Tata Neu). Took a lot of convincing to finally use them.

Hi Siddarth, I am holding a Amex Gold Charge Card for the past 8 years. I have recently used all points only for Marriott transfer. One deterrent was that 24K and 18K collection won’t be available anymore. Having said that, is it beneficial to move to Platinum Travel Card? Thanks, Vamsi

Sir, what do you mean by 24k, 18k collection wont be available anymore? source of this info? MRCC card exists on this 24k,18k collection. I will be discontinuing the card if this info is correct

What I meant was if I move from Gold card to Platinum Travel as my main card then the points from MRCC will need to move in to 1 account led by Platinum travel and then 24K and 18k might not be available.

If you want to get rid of this then go for Gold Card instead. The combination of Gold and MRCC and give 24k points every year if you simply spend 1.44 Lakhs for monthly spends with some discipline.

Sid, Awaiting your feedback pls. Thanks, Vamsi

Me: Hi Vamsi, I enjoyed driving Maruti Alto last few years. Shall I now upgrade to Baleno or maybe Ciaz? 🙂

It’s quite tough to answer just with little inputs, so I skip such queries.

That’s why I have the credit card consultation service. It ideally takes about 30 mins to 1hr for beginners to understand the game and arrive at a sweet strategy that they can really make use of.

I understand that not everyone may afford the fee, in which case, I suggest to go through each reviews and comments which will help you find the answer easily. So many lovely contributors have shared advices generously that you can make use of.

using this card for three years now cool points- just above 7 % rewards if annual fee taken into consideration not so cool points – 1.obligation to spend 4 Lakhs on a not so acceptable card 2.rewards of 34000rs Taj vouchers make you think and spend more on a lavish vacation = more expenses I am planning to get rid of this card when it approches renewal

Amex is back with the same old trick now !

Please mention this very clearly, those who are using the referral links, ensure that, they need to provide the same address as that of Aadhar. They pull out the address from Digi Locker.

If different address, then they take this as an opportunity to reject it, and advise the user to re-apply again.

Funny thing is, when they again apply, it will state ” After careful consideration, we are sorry to let you know that we will not be able to approve your application ”

This is the exact wordings they will get.

Then, after a cooling period of 30-45 days, Amex’s different sourcing team would contact these people and approve the card

This was those agents get their internal referral benefits, then fees , and then avoid giving refferal bonus to us (8000 points) .

I know that you (even me) a bug fan of Amex, but this is the bitter truth on how Amex India behave unprofessionally in India. They will find a small mistake to reject the application and contact those rejected ones later and approve the same application with same documents which was submitted earlier! Shame on Amex India.

I have experienced this for 6 friends earlier and even today same thing happened with another friend, will wait for another 3 months and see if they will contact him and approve the application, then I will sue them up 🙂

Thanks for sharing it Arun. Will update accordingly.

I’m aware that they were using this follow up system excessively in the past but now without the proof I doubt if they can still do it. But yes, very useful info for those who need smooth & fast approval apart from the additional rewards.

Hey Sid, i have been using CC from last 3 years and my highest limit is 5L. Credit score is good having no negative remarks. But the problem is I have started working 3 months ago and my package is 4LPA😅. Can I apply for this card?

Hey Siddharth, You are amazing! Thank you for such amazing reviews and offers that you bring about. I have 2 questions- 1. Does AMEX allow us to hold multiple cards of AMEX? As in, if I take travel card now, tomorrow AMEX MRCC offers Lifetime free, I can opt for that as well while holding Travel card? 2. I am a HNI based on my income as of now for HDFC(not a salary account though). I have recently opened bank account with them. I don’t have any cards with them, how do I get LTF offers on cards with them?

1 – Yes. With Amex, you can hold multiple cards and lower variant will be free for you. So if you have plat travel and MRCC both, MRCC will be free. 2- Chase your RM .

My RM doesn’t try at all. All he does is goes by bank policy. He says I cannot get offer on DCB as LTF, I cannot have 2 credit cards with HDFC in future as there is no policy. He’s not ready to believe that people have gotten these things. I am not sure what to do really, seems my RM is worthless

Change your account to different hdfc branch.

State reason “not happy with RM or particular Branch services, so moving a/c to other Branch” (another area/town/city)

I have done this, but not for credit cards. (Got enough sorry calls from RM and BM and got things done)

I don’t want different branch RM to also do the same. How do we make sure that my new branch and RM do have powers to make it happen?

I have got an offer for upgrade but no renewal fee waiver and with my 2-3lakh a year spend on MRCC, i don’t think upgrade is good for me. Since I use IDFC first select card more now because of it’s straight forward rewards and generous lounge access, and Amazon pay card for amazon purchases, even MRCC 1.5lakh spend to waive renewal fee is sometimes hard to come by. Amex really need to add more benefits than removing them to keep their cards trendy.

Hi Sid, no post from u for long time now even when many new cards has been come out from different bank, Ur post and guidance was helpful all the time so request you to share ur views info abt new cards and/or other useful things abt existing cards. #flywithsid

Thanks Sid. Glad that I read your article. Got 60k points credited for past 3 years as well, thanks to you.

Keep sending great stuff!

Hi Sid, Are you sure we can transfer milestone rewards to a transfer partner like Marriott? The signup page mentions the following: 1. Spend Rs. 1.90 lacs in a Card membership year and get 15,000 Membership Rewards points redeemable for Flipkart vouchers or Pay With points option in Amex Travel Online worth Rs. 4,500

2. Spend Rs. 4 lacs in a Card membership year and additionally get 25,000 Membership Rewards points redeemable for Flipkart vouchers or Pay With Points option in Amex Travel Online worth Rs. 7,500.

Thanks, Pankaj

Very much doable.

I just logged into my account and have the following offer:

“Upgrade and unlock benefits worth ₹45,000. Get a ₹1,000* Amazon voucher and 10,000* Membership Rewards® Points as a special offer to upgrade. Additionally, enjoy benefits of ₹45,000* and more on your upgraded Card.”

Full fee of Rs.3500+GST to be paid and spends of 15000/- within 90 days of issuance

Which is better – your referral or the above

FYF (or) Pay fee & get equivalent benefits. It’s a personal choice I would say!

Please clarify how you get 0.5 and 1.0 on Cash Credit and Taj Vouchers, respectively. I think the rate has been revised downwards as cash credit seems to have been revised to 0.25 now. Even Amazon and Flipkart vouchers are at 0.25.

Dear @Siddhart and @Arun Murugan,

I think I have become a victim of their bait and switch tactic as well. 😐

I applied for Amex MRCC card using Siddharth’s link on 25th Nov 2022. The VKYC was done on the same day.

The girl who did my VKYC told me that, “the address that you have mentioned on the application form, is slightly different than the one that is there on your Aadhaar card”. I informed her that, “that is the case because the layout of the fields to input address is weird on the application form”. She asked me, “If you wanna use the address that is mentioned on the Aadhaar card?” I told her yes.

For Employment Verification, on the application form, they required my Work Email Address. I didnt provide that coz my company’s policy is very strict. We are not allowed to provide that. The VKYC girl told me that, i would have to upload my Salary Slips using the link that i received on my Email. I did that on 25th Nov itself, plus on 26th Nov, i uploaded my bank statement as well as a rep from customer service told me that i would have to do that as well, that the VKYC girl didnt mention.

Today is 4th Dec, its been almost 9 days and they havent completed my Employment Verification yet, even though i have provided all the documents that they asked for. Whenever i call them, they give me different email addresses. I have sent an Email asking for an update but i am yet to receive a response.

What should i do?

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Could you explain what you meant by “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.”

I already have MRCC applied from Sid’s referral link in Jan 2020 Am enjoying subsequent year reduced fee due to referral Am interested in Plat travel. My query is how can I get plat travel as FYF (as I have existing MRCC card). Can I call and apply directly or use fresh application from referral link ? Please advise .

Yes, Plat travel FYF is possible via above links. MRCC doesn’t affect this app.

do supplementary card holders het lounge access?

Sid, Will I get the Taj Experiences E-Gift Card worth Rs. 10,000 if I apply with your referral link. As I understand its a welcome offer and usually not given on FYF cards. Please clarify.

You’re right.

Is the 10k Taj Experiences E-Gift Card on 4 lakh spends every year or first year only?

Taj vouchers can be earned on 4L spends every year

Which card you recommend in terms of rewards MRCC or Travel Platinum?

Travel plat for spending of 4lac+ Mrcc for 1-2l spends

Sid, so on spending 4 lakhs on this card, we get in total 30,000 INR Taj vouchers (including the 10k milestone benefit one)?

Also, is there a limitation on number of Taj vouchers that can be used during a stay?

– Yes

– Not known to me but it’s better to stick to ~5 or less at a time whenever possible.

Hi Anirban, Thr is no limit on the number og vouchers that can be redeemed in one go. Once i have used 11 vouchers amounting to rupees 110000 in total.

It’s not a 8.5% return Siddharth, you’ve got to factor in the annual charges also.

Although a great card earlier i think it’s lost its Sheen in recent past

Still a great card I would say!

Most do get at least 50% off on renewal when one hits 4L spend, also there maybe spend challenges to get 100% waived off.

Ideally we’ve to look at only one fee at a time. But even in worst case we get a healthy ~7% which is great!

i JUST APPLIED FROM YOUR REFERRAL LINK BUT I GOT THIS MESSAGE. CAN YOU FIND OUT THE REASON ?

Thank you NILESH! for applying for the American Express® Platinum Travel Credit Card. Application Reference No. ***** After careful consideration, we are sorry to let you know that we will not be able to approve your application.

Nilesh, You’re trying to apply for a 3rd “credit Card” Amex issues only 2 Credit Cards & 1 Charge Card per person.

Before applying, I had already cancelled one card. Then I applied using your link. Now they are saying you have to wait 90 days before applying. They did not mention anything like this before I cancelled the card.

Hi Siddharth, I recently purchased health insurance via Amex and did get reward points for it. I guess no reward points are awarded for buying insurance from any other portals or vendor. Cheers!

As a supplementary card holder of the platinum reserve, can I apply for this in my own name without closing the reserve?

Insurance offer is rolled out today on my Travel card, 5 membership rewards per 100 spend, up to 10000 rewards.

But why would anyone go for it? 🙂

Even I received offer 5 MR for every 100 spent on insurance. Unfortunately I have paid all my insurance from other card. Too late.

Hey since how long is the system of Calling Up for Bonus rewards going on? As I have not called for the same at all.

Can I request them to credit the bonus rewards for last 3 years?

Hi Siddharth,

I am new to the credit card world and have to say it was an amazing review. To give you a background, I’m 30 and have an annual salary of 24LPA. My annual spending is around 2-4L, and on an avg, my monthly spending is ~20K. I wish to generate Reward points that can help me with free/cheap airline tickets or gift vouchers on Flipkart/Amazon.

I request you to tell me which card would be suitable for me, Amex MRCC/ Platinum Travel/Axis Magnus/ Axis Vistara Infinite/ Axis Atlas. Your recommendation would be much appreciated

The spends vis-a-vis your salary is quite low though that is a personal thing but you may want to look into it to optimise your usage of cards. Given the information AMEX MRCC should be your best bet !

Applied for Amex Plat Travel card via Apply Now link of this post on 21 Dec. Digilocker Aadhar verification done instantly. VKYC done within minutes. Received mail regarding approval of card on 22 Dec. Received card via Bluedart today on 25 Dec. This is some speed ! Thanks for the referral link Sid !

Has anyone with an AMEX Indian card been able to apply for an AMEX US card? would be interested to know if yes , how can it be done

You have an option in netbanking to transfer your card to another country although I haven’t tried it. Else, you can call Cc.

I received AMEX card in UK based on my Indian Platinum Travel card.

I got Amex card in Canada based on my Amex card in India.

Hey Sid. I’ve been using this card for 4 years now. Two quick points: 1) Reward after hitting 4L is not attractive. So, I use HDFC regalia after hitting 4L. But regalia has been downgraded so much in recent years that I’m thinking about getting some other secondary card. 2) I’ve never been offered Annual fee waiver despite high spends. Do you contact customer service and request for it?

I currently hold an MRCC card and upgraded to a platinum travel card. Do I have to pay the annual fee for both cards considering if not reaching the spending threshold?

Wondering if AMEX would come up with 22 rewards point offer around republic day time…

Mostly the taj hotel rates on thier website is inflated by 30 percent so actual value of 10k voucher is 7k only.

One trivial question, are emi transactions also considered in milestone. Ex., (30k – split as 10k for 3 months) will this be added as 30k in the milestone ?

Thanks Sid. Glad that I read your article. Got 90k points credited for past 4 years as well, thanks to you.

Great article thanks. Had a quick question. You’ve said that Fuel, insurance and utilities are excluded spends. I’m assuming these are just for base reward points. Or do they no count towards the 1.9L and 4 L milestones as well.

It will be counted for milestone targets.

Has anybody noticed that amazon on its app have stopped taking amex card , I tried booking flight and railway tickets and it didn’t showed my amex card and when manually put the cards details and it’s says this type of card is not accepted. Strange

better way is to buy Amazon voucher from amex gyftr

I have a smart earn cc and the platinum travel cc. I have earned reward points on both. Its not making sense to keep the smart earn card, if I close it, will I lost on points? is it worth keeping smart earn if I already have the platinum travel cc?

Which Rent payment app accepting this card..?

Housing.com, i was able to unlock my milestones with a few txn’s

Does rent get covered in utilities? Also are rental spends counted towards milestone benefits?

Hi Mukund, You cannot use Amex card for making rental payments. Even if you make the payment through any rental payments app, you wont get any RP’s as it gets counted under utilities.

Where do you guys spend on Amex cards to reach milestone… Now that Cred Education fee payment thru Amex is stopped

Is the 0.5 conversion on marriot and taj still there? Don’t see it anymore. They have changed it to 0.25? Can you confirm?

Hi Siddharth, I currently hold this card – Amex Platinum Travel. I have been getting upgrade intimation to the Platinum Reserve. Should i upgrade to the reserve or stick to the travel? On a separate note, I have chosen not to upgrade to Platinum Metal Charge as of now, maybe later.

Hi Sid, I transferred 60k points to marriot and then to UnitedMilage. Currently there is offer going on for every 60k points transfer we will get 10k miles extra. Current transfer ratio is 3:1. So total I got 30k miles. Is it good transfer or bad one?

Essentially that’s 2:1 and it’s indeed good value with United.

Hi brother, I have a question related to amex platinum travel supplementary card.

will the supplementary card holder get separate login details and can see the transactions made by him/her and be able to pay outstanding on his/her card? Or only primary card holder can see the transactions made by supplementary card and only primary card holder has option to pay the outstanding?

Will the supplementary card holder get separate login details and can see the transactions made by him/her and be able to pay outstanding on his/her card? – Yes

has anyone got the complete fee waiver on amex platinum, i got complete waiver on MRCC

if we don’t get the complete waiver, then the card is too costly and no point in upgrading

I called Amex today and spoke to their customer care about the best way to utilize points, and they said either Flipkart vouchers or Taj vouchers. I asked if there’s any other hotels, they said no. So I’m confused about the Marriott thing now.

Marriott comes under “points transfer” and not as vouchers.

Also, the rewards section on the app shows, only Taj and shows the conversion rate as Rs 250 for every 1000 points, which is vastly different from this article. Am I the outlier, or is this the standard now?

Conversion rate is correct as you mentioned. However, if you go for Taj vouchers you will get 18k/24k gold under Rewards Redemption option.

Noticed a rounding off, for 376 spent, the RPs credited were 8, not 7.

There is strange rule in Amex that they need the applicant to have address proof document on current address. My all documents ( Aadhar, PAN Voter ID or Passport) have my permanent address and I stay away from home town due to job reasons. Hence they rejected my credit card and refusing to allow me to apply for it. What could be a possible way out for the same ?

It is easy to change Aadhar address. Change it. Apply for the card. Change it back again

Does one earn rewards point on rental transactions with this card ?did not see it as an exclusion

Amex is pretty notorious here, they should credit points automatically.

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.

Good review as always and yes we need reviews of Taj properties as you share of other properties you’ve visited.

The design has changed now. This is an amazing card and has no rigid monthly milestones like MRCC. On renewal last time I got the option of 50 per cent fee waiver or 10,000 RPs on paying the full fee. I opted for the latter.

Thanks Siddharth, the post helped me in getting ~1.2L points from previous years as I was unware of bonus points addition can be done only manually.

American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card

American Express is globally known for its range of premium credit cards. In India, American Express has only one offering in the travel category – The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card, which is among the most premium AmEx Credit Cards. It comes with attractive welcome benefits and plenty of milestone benefits in the form of Membership Rewards Points, which can be redeemed not just for travel-related expenses like booking air tickets, hotels, and cars on the Amex Travel Online portal but also for shopping vouchers at online shopping sites, and e-vouchers on American Express’s online shopping portal.

Apart from the welcome and milestone benefits, you earn 1 Membership Rewards Points for every ₹50 spent using the card (with a few exceptions). This card is perfect for those who frequently travel as it offers Taj vouchers on achieving spends, complimentary airport lounge access, and useful memberships like Priority Pass.

If you apply for the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card through Card Insider, you can get 2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards points. Apply now to earn bonus points along with a limited edition playing cards set by Manish Malhotra.

Joining Fee

Renewal fee, best suited for, reward type, welcome benefits, movie & dining.

Up to 20% discount at select restaurants.

Rewards Rate

1 Membership Rewards Points/₹50 spent

Reward Redemption

Membership Rewards Points can be redeemed for online shopping vouchers, INSTA rewards for offline purchases, and transfers to various flight and hotel loyalty programs

Complimentary Airport Lounge Access and Priority Pass

Domestic Lounge Access

2 Domestic Lounge Access Every Quarter (8 Each Year)

International Lounge Access

Access With Free Priority Pass Membership Worth USD 99

Insurance Benefits

Spend-based waiver, rewards redemption fee, foreign currency markup.

3.5% of the transaction amount

Interest Rates

3.5% Per Month (Annually 42%)

Fuel Surcharge

No fuel surcharge at HPCL fuel stations for transactions of up to Rs. 5,000, 1% surcharge on transactions above Rs. 5,000

Cash Advance Charges

3.5% of the transaction amount subject to a minimum charge of Rs. 250.

Welcome Gift of 10,000 Membership Rewards Points.
1 Membership Rewards Points for every Rs. 50 spent.
Rewards Points-based Milestone benefits on reaching milestones like expenditure of Rs. 1.9 lakh / 4 lakh in a membership year.
Complimentary Taj Stay voucher on expenditure of Rs. 4 lakh in a membership year.
8 domestic airport lounge access every year (max 2 per quarter).
0% convenience fee at all HPCL fuel stations across India.

AmEx Platinum Travel Card Features and Benefits

Being one of the premium credit cards issued by American Express, the Platinum Travel Card offers some great privileges across different categories, especially travel. To understand all the features and benefits of this card in detail, refer to the detailed information provided further in the article:

You get 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points as a welcome benefit, which can be redeemed on e-commerce websites like Flipkart for shopping e-vouchers from Amex’s store and for payment towards your card’s statement balance under the Cash + Points scheme. You get this welcome benefit only if you spend at least ₹15,000 in the first 3 months of the card’s issuance.

Milestone Benefits

If you spend ₹1.9 lakh in a year, you are entitled to 15,000 Membership Rewards Points worth up to ₹4,500 (for redemption against Flipkart voucher or Pay with Points on AmEx Travel Online).
Expenditure of ₹4 lakh entitles you to 25,000 Membership Rewards Points worth up to ₹7,500 (for redemption against a Flipkart voucher or Pay with Points on AmEx Travel Online) and an additional Taj Stay Voucher worth ₹10,000.

Travel Benefits

It’s a travel card, so it comes with plenty of travel benefits like 8 domestic lounge access (2 per quarter) and complimentary membership of Priority Pass, with USD 99 waived off (however, a usage fee of USD 35 is payable for every lounge visit under the Priority Pass benefit) for the international lounge.
The Membership Rewards Points can be spent for hotel/flight/car bookings on the Amex Travel Online portal.
Expenditure of ₹4 lakh also entitles you to a Taj Stay voucher worth ₹10,000, which can be used at the Taj, SeleQtions, and Vivanta hotels.

Movie and Dining Benefits

You get up to a 20% discount on your dining bills at select partner restaurants on payment via the Platinum Travel Card. Apart from this, American Express frequently comes up with attractive offers on food delivery portals like Swiggy and Qmin.

Fuel Surcharge Waiver

You need not pay any fuel surcharge at any HPCL fuel stations across India for transactions up to ₹5000. However, a surcharge of 1% is payable for all transactions greater than ₹5000.

AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card Rewards

Every ₹50 spent using the AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card earns you 1 Membership Rewards Points. Certain categories would not be eligible for earning rewards, such as spending on fuel, insurance, utilities, cash transactions, and EMI conversion at the point of sale.

Rewards Redemption

The Membership Rewards Points can be redeemed on popular e-commerce websites (like Flipkart) by purchasing e-vouchers from Amex’s online shopping portal, INSTA purchases at offline stores, and making credit card bill payments under the Cash + Points scheme.
Amex’s Membership Rewards Points can also be transferred to other air miles and hotel loyalty programs like Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club, Club Vistara, Emirates, Skywards, Etihad Guest, Finnair Plus, Qatar Privilege Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, Virgin Points, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.

AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card Charges

Annual Fee: The annual renewal fee of the AmEx Platinum Travel Card is ₹5,000 per annum; however, the first year’s annual fee (joining fee) is just ₹3,500, while the renewal fee is applicable second year onwards.
Interest Rate: If you are not able to pay off your American Express Platinum Credit Card bill on time, an interest rate of 3.5% per month is applicable on the due amount.
Foreign Currency Mark-up Charge: A mark-up fee of 3.5% of the transaction amount is applicable on all foreign currency transactions made with this Credit Card.

Advantages of AmEx Platinum Travel Card

Attractive Milestone Benefits: The AmEx Platinum Travel Card provides very attractive milestone benefits to cardholders- 15,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points on an annual expenditure of ₹1.9 lacs and 25,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points on the expenditure of ₹4 lacs in a year. Apart from the Bonus Membership Rewards Points, you get 3700 Regular Membership Points. You also get complimentary Taj Stay vouchers worth ₹10,000 with the card.
Complimentary Domestic Airport Lounge Access: This credit card offers 8 complimentary lounge access per annum (max 2 per quarter) at domestic airports across India- which is a decent number of lounge visits for a sub-premium travel credit card.
Movie and Dining Discounts: Although this credit card is a travel credit card, you also get a discount of up to 20% at partner restaurants across the country.

Drawbacks of the AmEx Platinum Travel Card

Reward Rate: The AmEx Platinum Travel Card earns you 2 Membership Rewards Points per ₹100 spent with the card. Since the maximum monetary value of 1 Membership Rewards Point is ₹0.5, the maximum reward rate that you can get with an AmEx Platinum Travel Card is 1%. However, you get a 3x reward rate on purchases made via the American Express Reward Multiplier Portal .
No Complimentary International Airport Lounge Access: Regarding international airport lounge access, the Platinum Travel Credit Card offers no complimentary lounge access at international airports. However, the card does provide a complimentary membership of the Priority Pass lounge access program (worth USD 99) for international airport lounge access. Lounge access under the Priority Pass membership that you get with the Platinum Travel Card is chargeable- USD 27 per visit per guest.
No Insurance Benefits: While most travel credit cards offer a complimentary comprehensive insurance cover with travel-related insurance benefits like personal air accident cover, insurance against loss/delay of check-in luggage, loss of travel documents, etc., you do not get any insurance benefit with this Card.

Who Should Apply for American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card?

American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is the right credit card for you if-

You do not want to compromise your travel experience as the AmEx Platinum Travel Card offers complimentary Taj Stay Vouchers to the cardholders on achieving certain stipulated spend milestones.
You are a frequent domestic traveler as the card entitles you to 8 complimentary airport lounge access at domestic airports across India.

You should look for a better option if-

A direct reward rate is more important than add-on privileges like complimentary hotel vouchers.
You are a frequent international flyer as American Express Platinum Credit Card entitles you to Priority Pass membership. You do not get any complimentary international airport lounge access with the card.
You want a travel credit card with a lower markup fee on foreign currency transactions.

Credit Cards Similar to AmEx Express Platinum Travel

Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card is a credit card similar to the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card in terms of the benefits that it offers. The following table gives a comparison between the two credit cards-

AmEx Platinum Travel Card Eligibility

The income and age-based eligibility criteria for the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card are as per below-

Must be a resident of India.
Applicant should be above the age of 18.
Both salaried and self-employed individuals should have an annual income of ₹6 lakh or more.
For self-employed individuals, the company should have been trading for the past 12 months.

How to Apply for AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card

You can apply for an American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card online. The application procedure is effortless. Just click on the “Apply Now” button to get started. You need to provide a few documents, including identity proof like a PAN card and income proofs like ITR or salary slips, and submit your application online. American Express officials will contact you if any additional documents are required. If your application is successful, you’ll receive your card within 15 days.

AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card Review

Although the annual fee of the American Express Platinum Travel credit card is slightly on the higher side (₹5,000 after the first year), it is a decent credit card for people with wanderlust and for those frequent fliers who travel on business trips. Apart from the travel benefits, the card also offers some shopping benefits, so it might also fit the needs of someone who loves to shop online.

What do you think about this card? Do let us know in the comments if you’re an existing user or have used this credit card. Feel free to comment and let us know about your experience with the card.

For places outside India, If I use the Amex Platinum, is the lounge access free or not? Can you please also confirm Whether Infinia and Magnus provides free access for priority pass lounges outside india?

Outside India lounge access shall be chargeable, Priority Pass membership shall be waived but lounge access still charged. Infinia and Magnus do offer complimentary airport lounge access outside India.

American Express Platinum Travel: One of the best Travel Credit Cards in India

March 18, 2023 by Ajay 8 Comments

Unlike other card-issuers, who provide enhanced rewards on booking travel with your “travel credit cards”, American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card focuses on providing rewards which enable you to experience travel.

On an ongoing basis, the Card provides you with 1 Membership Reward (MR) point for every INR 50 spent on the Card. There are exceptions, though, such as spending on fuel, insurance, and utilities, which do not earn any MR.

If you shop via the Rewards Multiplier portal , Amex offers additional points. In this case, the points rewarded can go up to three times the usual points received for using the Card.

Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card does have more exciting offers like milestone benefits, which can be easily achieved and provide bumper rewards. When you spend INR 1.9 Lacs on the Card in a membership year, you are automatically credited with 7,500 threshold MR bonus points.

Additionally, when you spend a further INR 2.1 Lacs on the Card (a total of INR 4 Lacs in a membership year), you are credited an additional 10,000 threshold MR points and receive a Taj Hotels Gift Voucher worth INR 10,000.

You can also call on the American Express Helpline or use the chat function to get yourself a further milestone bonus of 7,500 MR points on spending INR 1.9 Lac per annum and 15,000 MR points on completing spends worth INR 4 Lacs in a year on the Card.

Summing things up, on spending INR 4 Lacs in a membership year, you will then earn 8,000 Membership Reward points (calculated basis of 100% of the amount spent by you on eligible categories throughout the entire year) and 40,000 Membership Reward points as a bonus, totalling up to 48,000 Membership Reward points. When you redeem these MR points for Taj Vouchers, you get INR 24,000 worth of vouchers (at the redemption value of INR 0.5 per MR converted).

This is over and above INR 10,000 worth of Taj Vouchers, which you receive on spending INR 4 Lacs anyway. So, you get INR 34,000 worth of value from using this Card in a year (assuming you hit both spending milestones). Those INR 34,000 vouchers are usually good for two nights at most Taj properties across India.

But even if you don’t want to use the MR points for Taj vouchers, you can convert them into Marriott Bonvoy points at 100:100 conversion or 1000:900 conversion to Hilton Honors points and use them for hotel stays. Alternatively, you can transfer them to the frequent-flyer program of leading airlines with Asia Miles, Club Vistara, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates skywards, Etihad Guest, Qatar Privilege Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

A recent change has made spending on this Card even more beneficial. Your Membership Rewards points no longer expire, which means you can accumulate even more MR points and then use them for a more extensive travel plan rather than using them on an annual basis. Not just this, the Card also has options towards spending these MR on booking air tickets using the Amex Travel website or converting them into Flipkart vouchers to purchase goods with them.

Amex also offers eight complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per year (limited to two complimentary visits per quarter) on this Card across nine cities, making it worthwhile for those who occasionally travel by helping their pre-flight experience.

In a nutshell, the Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card gets you benefits worth over INR 30,000 rewards every year, all of which are oriented towards travel. You can use the rewards for a family trip or getaways with friends every year or accumulate the rewards to plan one long trip every few years.

The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is available for INR 3,500 fee for the first year, and you get an additional 10,000 bonus MR points (on spending INR 15,000 on the Card within 90 days). Alternatively, you can get the Card through the Member Get Member programme . You get it free for the first year and a bonus of 2,000 MR points (on spending INR 5,000 on the Card within 90 days).

This article is published in partnership with American Express India.

More from Live from a Lounge

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

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The best ways to fly to India with points and miles

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

India is a top destination for many travelers. You can occasionally find flight deals to India, especially if you are patient and have flexible travel dates. If you find a good flight deal, you may want to use a credit card travel portal to book your flights .

Otherwise, you may want to redeem points and miles for flights to India . This guide will discuss some of the top airline loyalty programs to use when booking award flights between the U.S. and India.

Whether you are booking paid flights or award flights, remember to consider booking positioning flights in the U.S. and India. Doing so may unlock more award options or better pricing. Let's get started.

Related: Best credit cards for airport lounge access

ANA Mileage Club

If you're looking to book a round-trip award, booking with ANA Mileage Club may be a good option. ANA is a member of the Star Alliance but also partners with some airlines outside Star Alliance, including Etihad Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

You can redeem ANA miles to fly round-trip between North America and Asia (which includes India) at the following rates:

Economy : 55,000 to 70,000 miles on ANA-operated flights; 80,000 miles on partners.
Premium economy : 84,000 to 99,000 miles on ANA-operated flights; not available on partners.
Business : 100,000 to 115,000 miles on ANA-operated flights; 136,000 miles on partners.
First : 195,000 to 210,000 miles on ANA-operated flights; 240,000 miles on partners.

You'll still pay these rates even if you fly one-way. So you'll only want to consider ANA Mileage Club if you plan to book a round-trip award.

For example, here's an economy round-trip award operated by Singapore Airlines that you can book for 80,000 ANA miles plus 84.30 Singapore Dollars (about $64):

However, taxes and fees are a lot higher on ANA-operated awards. Here's a premium economy round-trip award operated by ANA that you can book for 94,000 ANA miles plus 817.90 Singapore dollars (about $618):

If you need to earn ANA miles to book your award, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio or Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio (with 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred).

Related: Quick Points: Book mixed-cabin awards with ANA Mileage Club to stretch your miles

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is another option for flights between the U.S. and India.

You can redeem for flights on Virgin Atlantic, although the taxes and fees are often too high for this to make sense. For example, consider the following off-peak awards from New York to Mumbai via London:

The award costs jump higher for Virgin Atlantic-operated awards on peak dates, though. Combined with the high taxes and fees, these awards won't appeal to most travelers.

You can also redeem Virgin points according to off-peak and peak zone-based charts for long-haul flights operated by Air France and KLM. Here's the pricing you should see for one-way awards between the U.S. and India operated by Air France or KLM:

Economy : 28,000 points off-peak to/from eastern U.S., 38,000 points peak to/from eastern U.S., 31,000 points off-peak to/from central or western U.S. and 41,000 points peak to/from central or western U.S.
Premium economy (only on Air France): 56,000 points off-peak to/from the eastern U.S., 76,000 points peak to/from the eastern U.S., 62,000 points off-peak to/from central or western U.S. and 72,000 points peak to/from central or western U.S.
Business : 110,000 points off-peak to/from eastern U.S., 120,000 points peak to/from eastern U.S., 122,500 points off-peak to/from central or western U.S. and 132,500 points peak to/from central or western U.S.

But in practice, the rates you'll see for awards operated by Air France and KLM on the Flying Club website may not match the award chart rates. For example, these awards operated by Air France and KLM cost 27,000 points (1,000 points less than we'd expect).

If you want to earn Virgin points , you can leverage the following transferable currencies:

American Express Membership Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio.
Citi ThankYou Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio (if you have the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) or the Citi Prestige® Card , which is no longer open to new applicants).
Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio.
Bilt Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio.
Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio (with 5,000 bonus points for every 60,000 points transferred).
Capital One miles at a 1:1 ratio (to Virgin Red ).

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: When and how to book Delta awards with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Flying Blue

The Flying Blue program is another option for award flights between the U.S. and India. One-way awards between the U.S. and India start at 35,000 miles in economy, 65,000 miles in premium economy and 95,000 miles in business.

For example, we could book the one-way KLM-operated economy award that costs 27,000 Virgin points plus $219 (see the previous section) for 35,000 Flying Blue miles plus $125.

Finding business class awards at the starting rate of 95,000 miles can be challenging. But you can easily check award pricing by cabin around your desired travel dates by looking at the bar above the results. Unfortunately, as you'll see in the one-way business class award example below, the taxes and fees are rather high on business class awards.

If you want to earn Flying Blue miles , you can transfer any of the following transferable currencies:

Capital One miles at a 1:1 ratio.
Citi ThankYou Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio (if you have the Citi Premier Card or the Citi Prestige Card ).
Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio (with 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred).
Bilt Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio to either Air France or KLM (both of which use Flying Blue as their loyalty program).

Related: This month's Flying Blue Promo Rewards

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan award prices follow region-based award charts . The U.S. is in the North America region and India is in the Atlantic region. However, most one-way awards between the U.S. and India have a distance of 6,001 to 8,000 miles and hence are priced as follows:

Economy : 55,000 to 80,000 points for Air Canada-operated flights; 55,000 points for partner-operated flights.
Premium economy : 70,000 to 100,000 points for Air Canada-operated flights; not offered on partner-operated flights.
Business : 85,000 to 200,000 points for Air Canada-operated flights; 90,000 points for partner-operated flights.
First : 120,000 to 225,000 points on Air Canada-operated flights; 130,000 points on partner-operated flights.

However, if you combine Air Canada-operated flights with flights operated by partner airlines, you may see different pricing.

Aeroplan's rates are higher than what you'll find with other programs, especially once you consider the partner booking fee.

But, if you want to add in a stopover or have inflexible travel dates, you may find that the Aeroplan program is best for your trip to India. I had little trouble finding partner awards pricing as expected from major cities in the U.S. to major cities in India.

If you need to earn Aeroplan points for an award, you could use the Aeroplan® Credit Card . However, if you need points more urgently, you could leverage the following transferable currencies:

Related: Complete guide to Aeroplan's stopover and routing rules

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles can be a good way to book Star Alliance awards between the U.S. and India. You can book round-trip promotional awards on Turkish Airlines or its partners between the U.S. and India at the following rates:

Economy : 68,000 miles.
Business : 105,000 miles.
First : 154,000 miles.

You can also book a one-way promotional award for half the cost in miles of a round-trip award. There's plenty of economy award availability on Turkish Airlines-operated flights from the U.S. to India for 34,000 miles plus $128.80 one-way.

You can also find some availability on Star Alliance partners. For example, here's a one-way business class award on an Air India-operated flight from New York to Delhi for 52,500 miles plus $277.90.

If you want to earn Turkish miles to book an award, you can transfer Capital One miles at a 1:1 ratio, Citi ThankYou Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio (if you have the Citi Premier Card or the Citi Prestige Card ), Bilt Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio and Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio (with 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred).

Related: 10 things to know about flying Turkish Airlines

Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles is another option you could use if you want to fly Star Alliance airlines between the U.S. and India.

You'll usually find one-way Star Alliance awards between the U.S. and India for 47,000 miles in economy, 90,000 miles in business and 120,000 miles in first.

But one interesting part of the Avianca LifeMiles program is how it prices mixed cabin awards. For example, you could pay just 3,330 miles more to fly Air India business class instead of economy class from Hong Kong to Delhi on the following award.

If you want to earn Avianca LifeMiles, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio, Capital One miles at a 1:1 ratio, Citi ThankYou Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio (if you have the Citi Premier Card or the Citi Prestige Card ) and Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio.

Related: Can't find award availability with Avianca LifeMiles? Don't give up until you try this trick

United MileagePlus

United MileagePlus offers reasonably priced economy awards between the U.S. and India on most dates. On most dates, you'll find one-way economy awards for 46,800 miles plus modest taxes and fees. For example, here's a calendar view of economy awards from Austin, Texas, to Delhi:

You'll likely end up on Air India if you're looking for the least-expensive one-stop routing:

But keep an eye out for other Star Alliance carriers, such as LOT Polish:

United MileagePlus awards between the U.S. and India are often expensive in premium cabins. So unless you have a lot of United miles , you'll likely want to utilize other programs if you want to fly in premium cabins. Here's an example of some of the least expensive business and first class awards I found between New York and Delhi:

If you want to earn United miles , you have multiple options. For example, you can use a United credit card or transfer rewards from Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio, Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1.1 ratio (with 5,500 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred) and Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.

Related: 6 things you need to know about United Airlines MileagePlus

Alaska Mileage Plan

Alaska Mileage Plan provides some nice options between the U.S. and India. Based on Alaska's new simplified award chart , you'd expect to see one-way awards starting at the following rates between the U.S. and India:

Economy : 42,500 miles
Premium economy : 55,000 miles.
Business : 65,000 miles.
First : 80,000 miles.

But in practice, you may find less-expensive awards when you search on Alaska's website. For example, here's a Japan Airlines-operated economy award from Seattle to Bangalore for 35,000 miles plus $31.

And here's a Japan Airlines-operated business award from New York to Delhi for 60,000 miles plus $30.

Alaska Mileage Plan may be very appealing if you want to build a stopover into your one-way award. For example, you can book the same Japan Airlines itinerary shown above with about a week stopover in Tokyo for the same number of miles and just slightly higher taxes and fees.

The primary downside of redeeming Alaska miles is the difficulty you may face in earning Alaska miles . That said, you can earn miles through Alaska credit cards , the Alaska Mileage Plan shopping portal and by transferring rewards from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio (with 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred).

Related: Maximizing redemptions with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

American AAdvantage

Finally, American Airlines AAdvantage provides some good options between the U.S. and India. You can fly one-way awards that involve American's partners between the U.S. and India at the following rates:

Economy : 40,000 miles.
Premium economy : 62,500 miles.
Business : 70,000 miles.
First : 115,000 miles.

You'll usually see reasonable taxes and fees if you avoid British Airways-operated flights. Also, American's large network within the U.S. makes it easy to connect within the U.S. at the start or end of your award.

It's relatively easy to find economy awards involving American's partners for 40,000 miles each way. For example, here's a one-way economy award on Qatar Airways-operated flights from Los Angeles to Bengaluru for 40,000 miles plus $41.80:

And here's a one-way business class award on Finnair-operated flights from Dallas to Mumbai for 70,000 miles plus $12.30:

The biggest downside of American Airlines AAdvantage awards is that it can be difficult to earn American miles . But you can earn miles through American Airlines credit cards , Bask Bank and the AAdvantage shopping portal . Plus, you can transfer rewards to AAdvantage from Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 ratio and Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio.

Related: Maximizing redemptions with American Airlines AAdvantage

Bottom line

This guide discussed various ways to redeem points and miles for flights to India. The best program for you will depend on various factors, including award availability, what points and miles you currently have and how you want to fly.

Booking flights is just the start of your trip planning. Luckily, you can also redeem hotel points in India — and there are some excellent properties to consider. For example, Hyatt's Alila Fort Bishangarh near Jaipur is spectacular. You can stay at the world's only Category 1 Park Hyatt in Chennai . And the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Agra offers views of the Taj Mahal from its roof-top infinity pool.

If you don't want to plan what to do in India once you book your flights, Elsewhere (owned by TPG's sister brand, Lonely Planet) may be able to plan the perfect trip for you.

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The Guide to the AmEx Travel Portal

Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.

Table of Contents

Who can use the American Express Travel portal?

Benefits of booking travel on amex travel, how to book travel in the portal, is travel insurance included when booking through amex travel, downsides of booking via amex travel, final thoughts on the amex travel portal.

The American Express Travel portal is similar to many other online booking sites in that it allows you to purchase flights, hotels and other travel reservations. The main difference is that only those who hold an American Express card can use it.

Certain cards come with additional perks for booking in the portal. For instance, some AmEx cards allow travelers to earn extra points for bookings, receive a 35% points rebate, pay for a portion of the reservation with points, get room upgrades and more. Terms apply.

Here's a look at what the AmEx Travel portal offers and how to use it to maximize your benefits.

American Express Travel flights, hotels and other reservations are available for American Express cardholders. Depending on which American Express card you have, you may earn additional points on your reservation or unlock additional features. Terms apply.

For example, The Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders earn 5x points on flights booked directly with an airline or through AmEx Travel and 5x points on prepaid hotels booked through AmEx Travel. They also have access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts collection through the travel portal. Additionally, American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders can book room reservations with The Hotel Collection . Terms apply.

★ LIMITED TIME OFFER : Bonus points + up to $100 back

For a limited time, the American Express® Gold Card has a richer welcome offer for new cardholders. The offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24. Terms Apply. Get the full details here .

Here are eight reasons why booking with AmEx travel could be a good idea.

1. Earn up to 5x points

When you book flight through the AmEx Travel portal, your credit card may earn additional points for the purchase. In addition, prepaid hotel reservations through the AmEx travel portal also earn extra points. These are a few of the cards that offer a bonus when making reservations through AmEx travel:

The Platinum Card® from American Express

on American Express' website

• 5 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 spent per year.

• 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

• 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 4 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per year).

• 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year).

• 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.

• 2 points per $1 on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases made through American Express Travel.

• 3 points per $1 on eligible travel purchases.

• 3 points per $1 on restaurants worldwide.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

• 2 points per $1 on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year.

• 1 point per $1 on purchases above $50,000 in a calendar year.

» Learn more: AmEx Membership Rewards: How to earn and use them

2. Pay for reservations using Pay with Points

With American Express Travel, flights, hotels and more can be paid for with points instead of cash. Members can even choose to pay a portion of the trip with points and the rest with cash. Once your reservations have been booked, the full amount of your trip will be charged to your American Express credit card, and then a credit will be posted for the points redeemed within 48 hours.

You must redeem at least 5,000 points in order to use Pay with Points. Points are redeemed at a value of 1 cent per point when booking flights or making Fine Hotels & Resorts reservations. Other eligible travel receives only 0.7 cents per point. NerdWallet values Membership Rewards points at 1.2 cents per point if you take advantage of transferring to and booking through travel partners, so the redemption rates in the travel portal are significantly below our ideal value.

If you need to cancel your reservation, you'll receive a statement credit on your card for the cash equivalent. Members who would rather have the unused Membership Rewards points returned to their accounts must contact American Express customer service at 800-297-3276. Terms apply.

3. Upgrade flights with points

Eligible flights booked with cash can be upgraded using your American Express Membership Rewards points. You'll receive 1 cent per point credit towards the cost when upgrading a flight with points (which is again below our AmEx point valuation ).

To upgrade your flight with points, select your airline and provide your reservation details in the AmEx travel portal. You will be notified if your flight is eligible or not. If your flight is eligible, you can submit an offer to the airline for the upgrade. The airline will accept or reject your bid between one and five days of your flight's departure and you'll receive a decision via email.

If your upgrade offer is accepted, the points will be deducted from your account. Your statement will show a charge and a credit for the corresponding points.

» Learn more: You can now use AmEx points to bid on flight upgrades

4. Discounted international flights through AmEx IAP

Platinum cardholders have access to discounted flights through International Airline Program (IAP) , which allows members to book first, business and premium economy at a discount on select airlines and routes. Plus, you'll receive 5x Membership Rewards points on the booking when using your The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express to pay for the flight. Terms apply.

There are 25 airlines that participate in this program. You can book refundable and nonrefundable tickets for up to eight passengers through the IAP. Tickets can be paid with your card, points or a combination of the two. You will have to pay a $39 nonrefundable ticketing fee, however the discount received on these tickets should outweigh the fee.

5. Cancel For Any Reason insurance

CFAR is shorthand for an insurance policy that allows you to cancel your trip for any reason whatsoever and receive a refund. In May 2022, AmEx launched its own version of CFAR coverage for airfare booked through the travel portal using an AmEx card.

This feature, called Trip Cancel Guard, will get you up to a 75% reimbursement on nonrefundable airfare costs, provided you cancel at least two calendar days out from your departure. You'll need to purchase Trip Cancel Guard coverage at the point of booking and if you cancel, whether through the airline directly or through AmEx Travel, you can request reimbursement online or over the phone.

» Learn more: The guide to Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) travel insurance

6. 35% points rebate with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

When The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholder book flights using points through the AmEx travel portal, they can receive up to 35% of their points back . The benefit is available on first or business class flights on any airline and all economy flights with their chosen airline. This benefit provides up to 500,000 points back per calendar year.

However, as with all AmEx credits , it's not as straightforward as you may hope. You will have to designate the airline for the 35% rebate and the airline must be the same as the one chosen for the $200 airline incidental credit .

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

7. Fine Hotels & Resorts

The Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. (Photo by Sally French)

Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) is a collection of resorts and benefits available only to Platinum Card members. There are over 2,000 properties worldwide that participate in this program. When making reservations with Fine Hotels & Resorts for one night or more, you'll receive the following benefits:

$200 statement credit provided once per year.

Noon check-in (when available).

Room upgrade upon arrival (when available).

Daily breakfast for two.

Guaranteed 4 pm late checkout.

Complimentary in-room WiFi.

Unique property benefit valued at least $100.

These benefits rival those that many travelers receive when booking directly with hotels to obtain elite status perks. Some locations also offer a last-night free benefit, depending upon when you make your reservation. And some of the best hotels to book using FHR credits offer especially-unique amenities.

For example, many theme park fans consider Loews Portofino Bay Hotel as the best FHR hotel in Orlando . That's because — on top of all the above benefits — guests receive complimentary Universal Express Unlimited ride access, which allows you to skip the lines inside the Universal theme parks .

8. The Hotel Collection

The Loews Sapphire Falls at Universal Orlando falls under The Hotel Collection. (Photo by Sally French)

AmEx Gold and Platinum cardholders receive elite status-level perks at more than 600 hotels worldwide. When you stay for two nights or more, you'll receive a $100 resort credit and an upgrade upon arrival (when available). In addition, you can use your AmEx Membership Rewards credit card to book and pay for your reservation entirely or partially with your points.

While you can book travel over the phone with an agent, it is often quicker and more convenient to make your reservations through the AmEx Travel portal.

Here's how to book travel in the American Express travel portal:

Go to americanexpress.com/en-us/travel/ .

Select flights, hotels, flight + hotel, cars, or cruises.

Enter your travel dates, cities and other relevant information.

Choose options based on your trip.

Pay with your American Express credit card, points, or a combination.

Since you need an American Express card to make reservations through AmEx travel, you may already hold a card that offers complimentary travel insurance . If you don’t get travel insurance perks through your AmEx card, you can purchase Trip Cancel Guard through when making your booking.

Trip Cancel Guard works similarly to CFAR in that it allows you to cancel your trip for any reason whatsoever and get up to a 75% reimbursement of your travel costs as long as the cancellation is made two full days before your trip.

What is the AmEx Travel cancellation policy?

When you book travel through the American Express travel portal, you may be eligible to cancel your reservation within 24 hours and get a full refund. However, the cancellation policy is determined by the airline.

As such, AmEx instructs travelers to refer to the cancellation policy on the itinerary or reach out to customer service with any questions. Terms apply.

There are many appealing reasons why travelers want to book reservations with the AmEx travel portal. However, there are some downsides as well. These are some of the most common reasons why you shouldn't:

Low value for your points. Redeeming points through the AmEx travel portal yields a value of 1 cent per point or less. That's at least a 50% reduction compared to our value of Membership Rewards points.

Complicated customer service. Resolving flight or hotel reservation issues becomes more complicated when you book through a third party such as AmEx travel. The airline or hotel blames the booking agency and may not immediately resolve the problem in some instances. However, providers have no scapegoat when you book direct.

No hotel elite status benefits or loyalty credits. Most hotels require you to book directly to receive elite status benefits, stay credits or earn points. For travelers looking to take advantage of their elite status or earn status for the next year, booking AmEx travel hotel reservations is not a good idea.

Despite the above policy, hotels booked through Fine Hotels & Resorts allow you to earn elite night credit and earn loyalty perks associated with your elite status level on any hotel reservations — regardless if you book in the portal or not.

The AmEx travel portal offers numerous benefits for all American Express cardholders. If you have a Membership Rewards credit card, you can pay for all or part of eligible travel reservations using your points.

And any portion that you pay with your Membership Rewards card can earn up to 5x points. AmEx Travel also offers two hotel collections that provide additional perks similar to elite status benefits.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

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American Express Travel: Your Guide to Booking Flights, Hotels, Car Rentals, & Cruises

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American Express Travel: Your Guide to Booking Flights, Hotels, Car Rentals, & Cruises

Key takeaways, what is amextravel.com, why should you use amextravel.com, booking flights with amextravel.com, amextravel.com hotel programs, flights+hotel packages, rental cars, amextravel.com insiders, final thoughts.

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American Express Travel is an online travel portal where you can book hotels, flight deals, cruises, and car rentals.
AmexTravel.com offers incredible customer service, and certain credit cards can earn double points or more for booking through the website.
The Fine Hotels & Resorts program provides Platinum and Centurion cardholders with amenities like daily breakfast, late checkout, and complimentary Wi-Fi.

American Express is best known as a credit card issuer, but the company also offers other products and services, including travel booking and planning using AmexTravel.com.

While AmexTravel.com is available for anyone (not just cardmembers), holding an Amex card can definitely help you get extra value when using the program.

Here’s a look at what AmexTravel.com is, what services it provides, what the cost to use, the best ways to use it, and when it’s worth using!

At its most basic, AmexTravel.com is an online travel booking portal (or “online travel agency”) just like Expedia , Kayak , and Orbitz .

You can use it to book a whole trip or just a flight, hotel (or flight + hotel packages), rental cars, or even cruises. If you’d like extra assistance from a customer service agent, you can book by phone as well.

Flights booked through the portal can be subject to small fees. However, sometimes the benefits can make these fees worth it, and they’re waived for holders of the Platinum Card ® from American Express .

There are also a few “sub-categories” that fall under the AmexTravel.com umbrella, including the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts .

The main reason to book with AmexTravel.com is the incredible customer service . If you run into any problems during your trip (like delays, cancellations, over-bookings, etc.), you can connect with a live travel agent by phone 24/7 who will work with you to find a solution.

Additionally, if you hold an Amex credit card that earns Membership Rewards points, you can often earn 2x points or more by using it to pay for travel services booked through AmexTravel.com.

Hot Tip: If you use your Amex Platinum card , you can earn 5x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or with AmexTravel.com.

Fees for Using the Portal

Anytime you book a flight through AmexTravel.com (either on its own or as part of a package), you’ll pay a fee of $6.99 for domestic flights and $10.99 for international flights .

These fees are waived if you have the Amex Platinum card and are logged into your account.

If you choose to book a flight by phone rather than online, there’s an added $39 phone service fee .

If you make changes to your flight, there’s a $39 reissue fee in addition to whatever fee the airline charges. This only applies to advance changes, not changes due to problems like canceled flights .

Below, we’ll take a look at how to use AmexTravel.com to book flights, hotels, vacation packages, rental cars, and cruises.

Searching for Flights

Searching for flights with AmexTravel.com is similar to other online travel agencies. You can search by city or by specific airport, select your departure and return dates, and click whether you want to search for lower fares within 3 days of your chosen dates.

On the results page, American Express lists the most relevant Delta result at the top highlighted as a “featured airline.” The featured airline is followed by the lowest available fares.

When you scroll down, you can use the controls on the left sidebar to filter the results by the number of stops, departure/arrival times, airline, or even specific flight number.

By default, flights are displayed in price order starting with the lowest, except for a featured Delta flight at the top (when available). At the top of the search window above the results, all available airlines are shown, as well as the lowest available price with each airline.

American Express Travel Flight Search Filters

Insider Fares

Depending on your search, you may see a blue tab labeled “Insider Fares Available” above some of the airlines listed at the top of the search window.

These are discounted fares, and they only apply if you pay for the entire flight with Membership Rewards rather than cash. Note that cash prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.

If you’re logged in and have enough Membership Rewards points to cover the entire flight, you will be able to see these discounted fares.

For example, in the below search, you’ll see an example of an Insider Fare available for purchase. The Insider Fare offered a slight discount rather than just matching the cash price in points with each point worth 1 cent (more on that below).

American Express Travel Membership Rewards Points Insider Fares

The difference can be fairly minimal. In the JFK-ATL example above, the discount was from 25,259 Membership Rewards points to 24,120 — changing the value from 1 cent per point to about 1.05 cents per point .

Amextravel.com charges a fee to book, but they bundle this into the displayed price. The fee is $6.99 per domestic ticket or $10.99 per international ticket. These fees are waived as a benefit of the Amex Platinum card , just make sure you’re logged into your Amex account when booking.

Hot Tip: AmexTravel.com now offers Trip Cancel Guard coverage that you can add when purchasing flights via AmexTravel.com whether paying with an American Express card, with Membership Rewards points using the Pay With Points option, or a combination of both. It provides for reimbursement of up to 75% of the cost of the non-refundable prepaid flight expense, penalty and change fees caused by the cancellation, or the amount of any expired vouchers/flight credits received for the canceled flight. Coverage is applicable when your flight is canceled for any reason and is valid until 2 full calendar days prior to your trip’s originally scheduled departure date.

When searching several different flights across different online travel agents, we found similar results to the below example each time.

To compare prices, we searched multiple online travel agents and portals using the same search parameters: departing John F. Kennedy-New York (JFK), arriving at London-Heathrow International (LHR), round-trip, 1 traveler, economy, and nonstop on specific dates.

We selected the lowest-priced nonstop flight available through AmexTravel.com: a Finnair flight operated by Oneworld partner , American Airlines.

When searching on AmexTravel.com, the flight was $595.86. This breaks down to $133 in base fare and $462.86 of government, airline, and American Express-imposed fees.

We received the same search results when we replicated this search on Finnair’s U.S. website, Kayak, and Orbitz.

In a second search, we looked for a domestic round-trip from Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) to Los Angeles International (LAX) on the same dates. This flight was priced at $199.40. Keep in mind, you would usually see this rate plus the $6.99 Amex booking fee, but again, this is waived for Amex Platinum cardholders.

American Express Travel Delta Phoenix Los Angeles

When cross-referencing this itinerary on Delta’s website, we found the same price listed for a regular economy fare of $199.40. However, there was a basic economy option that was a bit cheaper, which was not available through AmexTravel.com.

Other online travel portals, including Orbitz and Kayak , listed the same price.

This means, if you’re already set on the specific itinerary you want to fly, booking through AmexTravel.com can often cost the same as booking directly with the airline, or through a third party . This assumes you receive waived booking fees for being an Amex Platinum cardholder.

However, what if you’re just looking for the cheapest flight on a particular day? If you do a general search for a route on set dates, will AmexTravel.com find the same rates as other portals? In our experience, the answer is no.

In our example search, here are the lowest available regular economy non-stop flights we could find between New York (any airport) and London (any airport) when searching the same set of dates on a few different websites (sorted by price ascending):

*Including a $10.99 AmexTravel.com booking fee.

The reason for these results is likely due to the fact that the Amex portal doesn’t include some low-cost carriers like Norwegian, so travel portals that do will often win on price.

Even excluding the low-cost carriers, though, other portals like Expedia and Orbitz were able to offer lower fares by about $15.

That said, AmexTravel.com was able to find about the same fares you would find when booking directly with an airline.

Hot Tip: If you hold The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express you can get a 35% rebate on select flights when you pay with points through AmexTravel.com.

There are actually 3 programs offered for booking hotels:

The Hotel Collection

Fine Hotels and Resorts
AmexTravel.com booking (standard)

What Is The Hotel Collection?

The Hotel Collection is a program through AmexTravel.com only available to holders of certain cards:

The American Express ® Gold Card and the American Express ® Business Gold Card

The Amex Platinum card and the Business Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Centurion card

Perks of The Hotel Collection

When you book a hotel through The Hotel Collection, you get certain perks including:

Room upgrade at check-in (if available)
Up to a $100 hotel credit for on-site amenities like the restaurant, bar, room service, or spa
Ability to use Pay With Points on prepaid reservations
3x Membership Rewards points for Amex Gold cardholders on prepaid bookings
5x Membership Rewards points for Amex Platinum cardholders on prepaid reservations
Up to $200 credit each year towards prepaid hotel reservations with either The Hotel Collection (2-night stay) or Fine Hotels and Resorts with select credit cards

Usually, American Express guarantees that any hotel booked through AmexTravel.com will have the lowest publicly-available rates (prepaid rates only), but this rule does not apply to bookings through The Hotel Collection per the terms & conditions . Be certain to check multiple booking options to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

Rooms have to be booked through AmexTravel.com. That means that if you book directly through the hotel or another service, you won’t get the perks, even if the hotel is a part of The Hotel Collection and you pay for the stay with your American Express card.

Further, you must stay a minimum of 2 nights , and you cannot book consecutive stays within 24 hours of each other.

The good news is that these benefits are available for up to 3 rooms per stay . So if you book 3 rooms for family members, you’ll get a total hotel service credit of up to $300.

Hotel Points and Elite Benefits

Typically, you won’t earn points through a hotel loyalty program if you book through a third party, and this includes the AmexTravel.com portal.

Further, you won’t get any elite benefits that you might otherwise be entitled to if you have status with that hotel chain.

Bottom Line: The Hotel Collection is potentially useful if you’re planning to pay with your eligible Membership Rewards-earning card. This comes at the expense of hotel-specific elite benefits, including points and elite credits in any hotel loyalty program.

American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts

What is the fine hotels and resorts program.

AmexTravel.com runs a second hotel program called Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR). It can be a little bit confusing since it sounds like it would overlap with the Hotel Collection, but that’s not the case.

The Fine Hotels and Resorts program is exclusive to Amex Platinum cardholders (personal or business) , as well as those with the invitation-only Centurion Card .

FHR includes different hotels and resorts than The Hotel Collection, with minimal overlap. The FHR collection tends to be more geared toward leisure travelers who wish to book stays at higher-end properties.

Perks of Fine Hotels and Resorts

Booking hotels through the Fine Hotels and Resorts collection entitles you to a handful of potentially valuable perks, including:

Early noon check-in (when available)
Room upgrade on arrival (when available)
Daily breakfast for 2 people
Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
Complimentary Wi-Fi
A unique amenity valued at $100 or more; examples include a property credit, dining credit, spa credit, or similar amenity

Unlike The Hotel Collection, rooms booked through Fine Hotels and Resorts are not all prepaid. In fact, most are standard rates that you’ll pay for at the end of your stay when you check out. In comparing several properties, including the Park Hyatt in Chicago, we found rates identical to the non-prepaid rates when booking directly through the hotel.

However, keep in mind that the hotel may directly offer prepaid and early-purchase options which may be much cheaper, though you won’t benefit from the Fine Hotels and Resorts perks.

There are fewer terms with Fine Hotels and Resorts than with The Hotel Collection. You must book through AmexTravel.com/FHR to receive the benefits .

As with The Hotel Collection, if you book directly with the hotel or through a different travel agency or portal, you won’t be able to claim FHR benefits even if it’s a participating hotel. Other terms vary by property.

Good news here! Unlike stays booked through The Hotel Collection, stays through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts count as “qualifying rates” for hotel loyalty programs. That means if you’re staying at a hotel that’s part of a loyalty program, you’ll be able to earn points and receive the relevant benefits if you hold elite status.

Hot Tip: Want to know about the differences between these programs? Dig into our dedicated guide on the differences between the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels & Resorts .

Standard Hotel Booking

Searching hotels.

Searching for hotels at AmexTravel.com works more or less the same as with flights. You enter your city, dates, number of rooms, and guests. You can check a box to have properties from The Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts displayed at the top.

Of course, if you’re interested in booking through either of those programs, you could also just book on their dedicated pages.

By default, search results are ranked by “recommended,” which seems to be decided by an algorithm factoring in price, location, and reviews.

Terms vary by the specific hotel and rate you book, so make sure to read the fine print.

The site can be a bit confusing when trying to compare prices since American Express doesn’t include all taxes and fees in the price displayed (while some hotel websites do).

For example, we searched for a 4-night stay at the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill. American Express quoted an average of $337/night, which should make the total stay around $1,348. When you go to book, though, the total with fees is $1,625.

While it initially looks more expensive to book directly with Hyatt (where the cost is quoted at $404/night), that price includes all taxes and fees , so you’ll actually pay $1,611, or $14 less.

Our search for the Marriott Regent Park yielded similar results. It’s listed at $233/night in the search function, which implies the total to be $932.

In reality, once you click through, the total is $1,120. Booking directly with Marriott, rates are listed at $261/night, but that includes taxes and fees — for a total prepaid rate of $1,080.

For the 2 hotels in question, here’s how total prices compared through different portals (sorted by price ascending):

In both tickets, AmexTravel.com was within a few dollars of the other online travel agencies, which were all more expensive than booking directly through the hotel’s website.

Similar to The Hotel Collection, rates booked through AmexTravel.com aren’t eligible for elite benefits or hotel loyalty points.

Bottom Line: Like most other online travel portals and agencies, prices can vary between AmexTravel.com and the hotel’s direct booking channel. You won’t get elite benefits or hotel points, so it might be worth booking directly if those are valuable to you.

Like with many online travel portals and even airline websites, you can book packages that include flights and hotels through AmexTravel.com. Usually, the point of booking these packages is to get a discount, special perks, or promotions.

Searching for Packages

The search window for Flights+Hotels is simple: input airports (or cities), dates, number of travelers, and rooms. Results are listed in a recommended order by default just like when searching for a standard hotel.

Terms vary by the specific package you book, so make sure to read the fine print !

As with standalone flight reservations, AmexTravel.com charges a fee to book Flights+Hotel packages: $6.99 per domestic ticket or $10.99 per international ticket .

Again, these fees are waived for holders of the Amex Platinum card or the Centurion card.

In the results field, a total starting price per person is listed, including all taxes and fees with the cheapest flight option. American Express also lists how much you’re saving with the package, although this is missing for some hotels.

American Express Travel Flights+Hotel Package

Once you select the hotel, you can customize your flight. The total price changes based on which flight you select.

In a sample search, we chose the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, and picked the cheapest nonstop flight: British Airways flight, which was Newark Liberty International (EWR) to LHR and London-Gatwick (LGW) to JFK. The package came to $1,446 per person, or $2,892 total.

Compare Flights+Hotel to Booking Separately

Annoyingly, AmexTravel.com doesn’t show a breakdown of hotel and airfare costs and fees; instead, it just displays a total per person.

For comparison, you can search the flight and hotels separately. We tried searching for the flight first on the same day.

We found Finnair flights operated by American Airlines for $660 per person — an option that wasn’t offered as part of the package (although with the booking fee, the flights should have been $671). When we filtered the search to British Airways only, it showed a ton of options for $671.

Searching hotels next, we again chose the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill’s lowest prepaid rate. It was listed as $337 per night for 1 room (plus taxes and fees), for a total of $2,031. For the 2 flights and the hotel, that comes to a total of $3,351, or $1,675.50 per person.

In this case, booking the trip as a package saves almost $460, even though the search results page didn’t highlight any savings specifically.

The main downside to booking a package is that you have less flexibility. Say you want to change hotels for part of the trip or maybe stay with a friend for the last few days. This isn’t an option because you must book a single hotel for the entire time between your flights. It can also make solutions harder to find if there are any problems — although the AmexTravel.com customer support should make up for that.

Bottom Line: If you’re using AmexTravel.com and your plans allow for the lack of flexibility, you might be able to save a lot of money with a package. Just make sure to compare the listed price to booking everything separately. Note that you can’t book a package retroactively: you have to book the flights and hotel at the same time.

AmexTravel.com also offers a rental car booking service. You can make reservations from rental stations at airports and elsewhere.

To search for rental cars, simply enter an airport or city . You can also click a button to search near a specific address.

Results are shown in a handy grid format, with each column showing a different rental company, and each row displaying the pricing for a different category of car (economy, compact, midsize, and so on).

American Express Travel Car Rental Search Results

Bookings of up to 4 days are charged a daily rate, while bookings 5-7 days are charged on a weekly basis. There are specific rates for weekends and weekdays, as well as monthly options, with specific details varying by the rental agency.

In several sample searches, prices were generally consistent with other online travel agencies — though sometimes lower by $1-$2/day. Prices were identical to booking with the rental company directly.

Bottom Line: Renting a car through AmexTravel.com doesn’t get you any benefits above what you’d receive for paying with your credit card, such as the collision damage waiver for paying with your Amex Platinum card. However, the convenient search page makes it a great option for comparing multiple prices at once.

AmexTravel.com also offers tools to book cruises . In addition to letting you search for cruises all over the world, AmexTravel.com periodically highlights special offers on cruises, usually in the form of credits to use onboard.

Searching for Cruises

To search for cruises, you need to enter the region you want to travel in, the cruise line(s) you want to travel with (or search all available lines), the month you’re planning the trip for, and the approximate length of the cruise you want.

Results are shown in order, from the lowest-priced option to the highest . Note that this is based on the lowest available rate; hovering over any result will show all available cabin types and the corresponding prices.

Under each result, the information shown includes the port of departure/return, date of departure, and ports visited.

Hot Tip: Wondering what to pack for your time at sea? Check out our ultimate cruise-based packing list — it’s printable and complete with tons of tips and advice!

Cruise rates booked through AmexTravel.com were within $1-2 of rates found on other online travel agents and websites . We found identical prices on the various cruise company websites — though each online travel portal and cruise line offers different promotions, so it might be worth comparing them.

For example, during a sample search for a weeklong Caribbean cruise in December, we found that Royal Caribbean was offering a $50 onboard credit if you booked directly.

Special Offers

On the search results page, you might notice a tab labeled “Special Offers.” Those offers are generally onboard credits, but can also include discounts or other special features. If you aren’t committed to a specific cruise line, these are often worth exploring.

Cruise Privileges Program

Those with the Amex Platinum card have special access to the Cruise Privileges Program . Like the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, this is only available on specific cruises, although it’s more limited than FHR.

It includes onboard credit (often higher than otherwise offered) and a special onboard amenity, like complimentary dinner for 2 or a bottle of premium champagne.

Bottom Line: It can be worth booking a cruise through AmexTravel.com, especially if there are special offers. Make sure to compare different booking sites , though, as some may have better or exclusive promotions.

AmexTravel.com offers a feature called Travel Insiders. When you use the program, American Express connects you with a travel expert who can help you plan an itinerary based around your desired destination. Fees vary based on location, length of the trip, and details of the itinerary.

AmexTravel.com can be a very useful tool when booking flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, or rental cars. In many cases, it may not offer the best rate options , but it’s worth comparing to other booking sites and airlines or hotels directly.

If you have an American Express card that offers access to the Hotel Collection or Fine Hotels and Resorts, the perks can be very worthwhile.

Additionally, the extra Membership Rewards points you earn by booking through AmexTravel.com can be valuable, as long as the price is right.

Aside from the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts, the real value of AmexTravel.com is in the customer service provided. Booking a trip on your own is easy — dealing with problems when they arise can be less so!

If you book through AmexTravel.com, you’ll have easy access to someone who can help you get on a new flight, find a new hotel, or manage whatever other issues come up day or night. So if you’re looking to have that extra support, then AmexTravel.com might be a great choice for you!

The information regarding the Centurion ® Card from American Express was independently collected by Upgraded Points and was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Business Gold Card, click here .

American Express Cash Magnet Card – Full Review [2024]

UP's Bonus Valuation

This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

American Express Travel Review [2024]: Worth the hype?

Heard about the amazing perks and benefits that Amex cardholders have through Amex Travel? Whether you're already a cardholder or if you're looking to sign up, definitely check out all of the perks of Amex Travel before you choose to book with them!

Editor's Note: This is a review of American Express' Travel Platforms, not specifically the credit cards. This review is independently written and was not sponsored by American Express.

Are you an American Express cardholder planning to book a trip soon? You might want to take a look at the Amex Travel portal in preparation for your vacation.

American Express cardholders and non-cardholders alike have access to this booking portal, but American Express cardholders can receive travel benefits like room upgrades, resort credit, and more by booking through Amex Travel.

Plus, cardholders can use Membership Rewards Points to cover all or part of their booking on Amex Travel!

However, it's important to note that the Amex Travel portal might not be the best option for every traveler. Some drawbacks include the barrier to entry and the low points-to-dollar conversion for travel services booked on the site.

Keep reading to learn more about the Amex Travel portal and whether we think it's worth using to book your next trip!

What is Amex Travel?

AMex Travel , also known as American Express Travel, is a travel booking portal that allows users to book travel, including flights, cruises, and hotel stays. It's an additional service portal that American Express Credit Card Holders get to use as part of their membership.

Cardholders can redeem American Express Membership Rewards Points directly to use on travel bookings. It is a convenient way to redeem points for travel directly in the portal rather than having to transfer points to a partner airline or hotel group.

How does Amex Travel work?

First things first, only American Express cardholders can use the Amex Travel portal to redeem points to book travel.

If you have an American Express branded credit card and Membership Rewards points ready to use, you're good to go. Otherwise, you'll still be able to use the site, but you won't be able to apply points to your booking or reap the benefits of certain cardholder-only programs.

Amex Travel is simple and easy to use and has a clean interface that allows users to quickly find what they're looking for on the platform. Users can book travel directly in the Amex Travel portal by using American Express Membership Rewards Points, a credit card, or both.

Travel services available on the Amex Travel portal include flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and vacation packages.

How can I book a trip through Amex Travel?

The ease of use and simple user interface make booking travel on Amex Travel an enjoyable, stress-free experience.

All you need to do to book a trip through Amex Travel is:

Log into your American Express account.
Search for the trip type you want to book, like flights, hotels, cruises, etc.
Apply points to your booking at check-out.
Book the trip!

American Express Credit Cards

Depending on which American Express card or cards you have, you get access to certain perks when booking travel through the Amex Travel portal.

These are the two most popular travel-related American Express Credit Cards, which besides the Centurion no-limit invite-only card, contains the best Amex point rewards and benefits system!

American Express Gold Cardholders

The American Express Gold Card is the affordable credit card options if you're looking for great reward points for a cheaper annual fee. The Amex Gold Card's annual fee comes to $250, which includes

Up to $120 Uber Cash (U.S.)
Up to $120 dining credits
Access to the Hotels Collection
Other Insurance & general perks!

With the 3x amount of points earned on travel and 4x amount of points earned on groceries, this card is a great place to start if you're looking to build up travel reward points for your next travel getaway!

American Express Platinum Cardholders

The American Express Platinum card, Amex's flagship credit card, receives tons of travel-related credits that can then be used when booking through the Amex Travel Portal. Coming in at a $695 annual fee, it's easily to be discouraged for signing up for such an expensive credit card.

However, the travel benefits that comes with the Amex Platinum card are incredible, which includes but are not limited to:

Up to $200 annual airline credits
Up to $200 Uber Cash (U.S.)
Up to $200 hotel statement credits on Fine Hotel + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings
Up to $189 Clear statement credits
Global Lounge Collection
Complimentary Hilton Honors + Marriott Bo
Bonvoy Gold Elite
and more non-travel credits!

If you travel frequently, we recommend you take advantage of the huge benefits that comes with the Amex Platinum credit card!

American Express Travel Benefit Programs

The hotel collection.

The Hotel Collection is a select American Express membership perk that allows specific cardholders to book participating hotels through Amex Travel portal to receive exclusive benefits, using cash or points.

In order to gain access to The Hotel Collection, you'll need to have access to the following Amex credit cards:

American Express Gold Card + Business Gold
American Express Platinum + Business Platinum
American Express Centurion Card

Here are all of the benefits Amex card holders can receive with access to the hotels Collection Program:

Pay-With-Points
Exclusive deals on lower rates for hotel bookings or reservations
Room Upgrade upon check-in when staying 2 nights or longer
up to $100 in hotel credits, which can be used to spend on dining, spa and other eligible activities when staying 2 nights or longer
5x Membership reward points for Platinum cardholders, 2x membership reward points for Gold cardholders on prepaid reservations or bookings.

The Fine Hotels & Resorts Program

The Fine Hotels & Resorts program, also known as "Amex FHR" or "FHR," has a suite of benefits such as daily breakfast for two, guaranteed 4pm check-out, complimentary WiFi, and room upgrades when available.

The Fine hotel & Resorts program is only available for American Express Platinum cardholders and above.

When booking through the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, you'll also receive a $100 experience credit for services at the spa or food and beverages at the hotel–note that this benefit varies based on the property.

The FHR program is entirely different from the Amex Travel Portal, so points and credits aren't guaranteed in this program. Be sure to check up on whether your points count towards the FHR program with Amex Travel's representative before booking!

Cruise Privileges Program

American Express Platinum cardholders also have access to the Cruise Privileges Program in the Amex Travel portal.

Platinum Card and Centurion Card Members can receive amenities like $100-$300 in onboard credit, as well as 2x points per dollar spent per booking when using the Amex Travel portal. These benefits are available on sailings of five nights or more and may include additional perks specific to each cruise line.

Platinum Destinations Vacations

Platinum Destinations Vacations is another perk of using the Amex Travel portal as an American Express Platinum cardholder. Cardholders can receive up to 2x points per dollar spent on a qualifying independent or escorted vacation package through Amex Travel.

Additional Amex Travel Benefits

Another key benefit of booking travel through the Amex Travel portal is that users can receive additional points on bookings when using their American Express credit card.

American Express Platinum cardholders can earn 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels, and American Express® Gold cardholders can earn 3x points on flights. American Express® Green cardholders can earn 3x points on all travel. If you're looking to rack up more American Express Member Rewards points, this is a quick way to do so.

For a comprehensive list of all available benefits associated with the Amex Travel portal, visit the Amex Travel website .

Is Amex Travel worth it?

Amex Travel is an easy-to-use, convenient travel booking portal, but it might not be a good option for travelers looking to get the best value for their American Express Membership Rewards points.

While always changing, the points-to-dollar conversion rate has historically yielded less value than transferring points to partner programs like Delta or Marriott. This is worth noting because better value often means you'll get more out of the points you accrue.

Further, you aren't guaranteed to earn loyalty points with outside partners since Amex Travel is a third-party booking service.

For travelers looking to enhance their loyalty status, booking directly with the hotel group might make more sense. For airline miles, you might still be able to earn loyalty points or miles with the airline when booking through Amex Travel.

Be sure to check with the airline before booking if you aim to receive miles for your flight. Note that basic economy fares, whether found on Amex Travel or another website, are sometimes not eligible for earning miles or enhancing your loyalty status.

Something important to note is that a fee is added using the service, which is built into the cost of a ticket. This fee is unavoidable and can be higher if you call to book as opposed to using the online booking platform. The fees are waived if you have the Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card, or the Centurion Card.

For travelers considering convenience as their main priority in the booking process, Amex Travel makes it easier than ever to book a trip.

Overall, Amex Travel is worth checking during the booking process to compare prices and points conversions on flights or hotels you might be interested in.

However, for the budget traveler or the points-and-miles traveler, Amex Travel might not be worth it to use while booking your next vacation because of the low redemption value of American Express Membership Rewards points in the portal.

If you're an American Express cardholder and want to earn more Membership Rewards points when booking travel, Amex Travel is a great option. If you do not have any American Express credit cards, there is no real advantage to using Amex Travel compared to any other third-party booking service.

Our Rating: 4.1/5

Easy to use
Pay with Points
Hotel benefits for Gold & Platinum Members
Additional points per dollar spent on travel
A pricer option for higher-end hotels and resorts
Must be a Amex cardholder member to access
Not guaranteed to earn loyalty points with travel providers
Additional Amex Travel fees

Book travel and plan with Pilot!

Now that you're considering redeeming some of those travel points or even alternative platforms for your travels, it's time to start planning your trip!

If you're looking to relax before your flights, we've previously reviewed Priority Pass and LoungeBuddy as potential options. Whatever you choose, be sure to use Pilot for all of your travel plans.

Disclosure : Pilot is supported by our community. We may earn a small commission fee with affiliate links on our website. All reviews and recommendations are independent and do not reflect the official view of Pilot.

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Accor Hotels

Get discounts at Accor Hotels with your American Express Card.

Offer Period :

The offer is valid from 23 September 2024 to 31 December 2024.

*By clicking on Enrol now, you will be directed to a 3rd party website

Offer Terms & Conditions

American Express Terms & Conditions

This offer is valid for all American Express Consumer and Corporate Cardmembers whose accounts are valid and in good standing. An American Express Cardmember ("Cardmember") for the purpose of this offer means a person holding a card issued by American Express® Banking Corp. in India.
This offer is not valid for American Express Cards issued by a third party bearing the name or trademark or service mark or logo of American Express ("Network Cards ") issued in India.
This program is being offered by the participating service establishment only and shall be valid for the period mentioned in the offer.
All the offers in this program will be fulfilled at the merchants’ end only.
This offer is being made purely on a “best effort” basis. Cardmembers are not bound in any manner to participate in this offer and any such participation is purely voluntary.
American Express is neither responsible for availability of goods/services nor guarantees the quality of the goods/services and is not liable for any defect or deficiency of goods or services so obtained/availed of by the Cardmembers under this offer. Any disputes regarding the quality of goods/services availed shall be taken up with the merchant/service establishment directly. American Express shall have no liability whatsoever regarding the same.
American Express shall not be liable whatsoever for any loss/damage/claims that may arise out of use or non-use of any goods or services availed by Cardmember under this offer.
American Express reserves its absolute right to withdraw and/or alter any of the terms and conditions of the offer at any time without prior notice.
Nothing expressed or implied in the program shall in any way waive or amend any of the terms and conditions of the existing Cardmember agreement with the Card issuer.
To receive this offer, purchase should be charged in full to the American Express Card. No cash alternative is available.
Any disputes arising out of and in connection with this program shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Delhi only.

Accor Hotels- Stay Offer Terms and Conditions:

Offer 1: Get 15% off Inclusive of Breakfast on Best Available Rates when Cardmembers enroll as Member of ALL - Accor Live Limitless

Offer 2: Get 20% off Inclusive of Breakfast on Best Available Rates for Accor Plus MembersEligibility: All American Express Consumer & Corporate Cards Validity: From 23rd September 2024 till 31st December 2024 (Both dates included)

Steps to avail the offer:

1. The Cardmember(s) needs to go to the dedicated landing page https://all.accor.com/a/en/offers/meapac/amex-india-offer.html

2. Enroll as an ALL (Accor Live Limitless) member or as an Accor Plus Member

3. After becoming a member of ALL, Cardmembers needs to go to a private co-branded landing page that will have the private offer listed: all.com 4. Cardmember will be able to book from Amex Special rates. that are available only on the landing page.

5. The search bar locations would be limited to hotels in India.

6. Once a search is complete, the available properties would be listed with a “Special Offer” label (a special offer filter would also be present).

7. Once a hotel is selected, the rooms available to be booked will be labelled as “Special Offer”.

8. Once a room is selected, different rates would be listed including the 15% / 20% off “Special Offer”.

9. The offer details and terms and conditions would be listed with a mention that the payment must be done with an eligible American Express Card to avail the offer- at this stage a card will only be requested for guarantee.

10. While booking the hotel room the Cardmembers need to use their eligible American Express Card 11. When the Cardmember is at the hotel physically, they need to present and pay via their eligible American Express Card to avail the offer.

Offer Terms and Conditions:

The offer is applicable only on participating Accor Hotels based in India (refer to the table given below) and is subject to availability• Cardmembers need to enroll as an ALL (Accor Live Limitless) or Accor Plus Member to get the benefits.
Minimum nights stay required to avail the offer is 2 nights.
The maximum length of stay that can be booked under the offer is 9 nights.
The booking needs to be done 3 working days prior to the check-in date.
The applicable rates and brands on which the offer will be applicable will be mentioned on the landing page.
The booking and stay period need to be within the offer validity period.
The rate includes Breakfast.• The offer is applicable on the amount that is exclusive of taxes.
The offer can be availed multiple times during offer period.• Both Basic and Supplementary can avail the offer separately.
Cardmember needs to be present during stay at the property to be able to avail the offer.
The offer is not applicable on EMI transactions.• There is no maximum capping on the discounted amount under this offer.
There is no minimum spends required to avail the offer.
Cancellation Policy: The amount due is not refundable even if the booking is canceled or modified. For more information please click here :
Offer cannot be combined with other offer benefits.
For queries Cardmember can contact: https://help.accor.com/s/contact (24x7, All days)
The query would be responded within 5 working days
To check list of opted in hotels kindly click here

IMAGES

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Amex Travel Portal: Everything to Know
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Traveling to INDIA with our BABY!
Risk Leke Kathmandu 🇳🇵Pahucha Dia Land Cruiser Ko
Kind Indian pays for my drink

COMMENTS

Book Flights
For additional information, call the number on the back of your Card. American Express India Pvt. Ltd., Metropolitan - Saket, 7th Floor, Office Block, District Centre Saket, New Delhi - 110 017. Browse & Book your next flight through American Express Travel. Compare airline tickets choose your favourite seat & check in online.
American Express IN
American Express offers a wide range of Credit and Charge Cards with exclusive travel & lifestyle benefits. Apply for a Card now. American Express IN | Credit Cards, Rewards, Travel, Offers
American Express Platinum Travel Card
Rewards Programme. American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card rewards you in the following two ways: Earn 1 Membership Rewards Point for every2 Rs. 50 spent except for spend on Fuel, Insurance, Utilities, Cash Transactions and EMI conversion at Point of Sale2. • Spending Rs. 15,000 within 90 days of Cardmembership entitles you to a Welcome ...
Book Flights Simply
To modify a reservation, you can cancel and rebook your reservation on amextravel.com or by calling a representative of amextravel.com at 1-800-297-2977. To be eligible for the 3X Membership Rewards® points, any changes to an existing reservation must be made through the same method as your original booking.
American Express Offer: Enjoy 10X Rewards on Flight Booking
Promotional Offer: Get 10X Membership Rewards Points on each spend on your card at participating merchants. Centurion Card: Cardmember will receive 6 Membership Rewards points (Standard American Express Membership Rewards) and additional 54 Bonus Membership Rewards points for every INR 200 Spent on Centurion Card.
American Express Travel
Guaranteed 4pm check-out, daily breakfast for two, and more at 1,600+ luxury properties*. Elevated benefits at 1,000+ upscale hotels with a two-night minimum stay*. Learn how Platinum Card® Members can get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on select prepaid hotels*. Explore all the benefits of booking with American Express Travel.
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card Review (India)
CardExpert Rating: 5/5. American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card with ~8.5% reward rate is one of the highest rewarding Credit Card 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 ...
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card
AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card Charges. Annual Fee: The annual renewal fee of the AmEx Platinum Travel Card is ₹5,000 per annum; however, the first year's annual fee (joining fee) is just ₹3,500, while the renewal fee is applicable second year onwards. Interest Rate: If you are not able to pay off your American Express Platinum Credit ...
American Express Platinum Travel: One of the best Travel Credit Cards
The American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is available for INR 3,500 fee for the first year, and you get an additional 10,000 bonus MR points (on spending INR 15,000 on the Card within 90 days). Alternatively, you can get the Card through the Member Get Member programme. You get it free for the first year and a bonus of 2,000 MR points ...
Best Travel Credit Cards in India for 2024
Air India SBI Signature Credit Card is one of the best travel credit cards for Air India loyalists, with a basic reward rate of 4%, which can go up to 30% for Air India bookings. ... Also, being a travel credit card, the reward earning rate of 6% on day-to-day spends like groceries, dining, etc. is a decent benefit. Users can redeem the ...
Travel Customer Support
Plan your next holiday with the help of American Express Travel. View insider travel guides, sun to slope destinations, and one-of-a-kind properties from Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection. Browse general travel FAQ topics on Travel Insurance, Visas & Documentation and more. Take control of your travel with easy links and tips to ...
Thoughts on Amex in India? : r/CreditCardsIndia
Axis Magnus and Amex Plat travel card would be good for you. 1L on Magnus. And 50k on Plat travel until 4L milestone. Rest u can do again on magnus. Magnus has a base reward rate of 4.8%. With 1L milestone its 24% airmiles/hotel points return. 5X on travel edge. And can earn more via Grabdeals/giftedge.
Amex Travel Portal: Find The Best Deals
How To Use the Amex Travel Portal for the Best Hotel Deals. It's easy to do a standard hotel search on the American Express Travel portal and compare pricing to booking hotels directly or via ...
Everything you need to know about Amex Travel
Amex Travel is the booking portal for most American Express cards. You can book flights, hotels, rental cars and cruises through the site, and you can pay with points, cash or a combination of the two. How to book flights on the Amex Travel portal. To find flights on American Express Travel, visit this webpage. The flight booking process on the ...
The best ways to fly to India with points and miles
Business: 105,000 miles. First: 154,000 miles. You can also book a one-way promotional award for half the cost in miles of a round-trip award. There's plenty of economy award availability on Turkish Airlines-operated flights from the U.S. to India for 34,000 miles plus $128.80 one-way. TURKISHAIRLINES.COM.
AmEx Travel Portal: What You Need to Know
Here are eight reasons why booking with AmEx travel could be a good idea. 1. Earn up to 5x points. When you book flight through the AmEx Travel portal, your credit card may earn additional points ...
Travel Checklist
American Express India Pvt. Ltd., Metropolitan - Saket, 7th Floor, Office Block, District Centre Saket, New Delhi - 110 017. ... Business Platinum Travel Service or Centurion Travel Service, or American Express Travel Online with participating properties and are valid only for eligible Consumer and Business Gold Card Members, Consumer and ...
Best Ways To Fly to India on Points & Miles [2024]
Turkish Airlines Boeing 787-9 Business Class Middle Aisle Seats. Image Credit: Greg Stone. Turkish Airlines is also part of the Star Alliance and is another excellent way to fly to India using points and miles. Its Miles&Smiles program has that include some of the lowest award rates of any program.
Customer Service
Help With My Card. What are the annual fees that I need to pay? How do I report a lost or stolen Card? How can I enroll for EMI? View All FAQs
Platinum Travel Credit Card Benefits
Enjoy special cashbacks, discounts, and Bonus points when you travel, shop, dine or do a lot more with your American Express® Credit Card. Shopping made rewarding with 3X Bonus points. Shop with your favourite brands on Reward Multiplier and earn extra reward points every time you pay using your American Express® Card.
Amex Travel
At its most basic, AmexTravel.com is an online travel booking portal (or "online travel agency") just like Expedia, Kayak, and Orbitz. You can use it to book a whole trip or just a flight, hotel (or flight + hotel packages), rental cars, or even cruises. If you'd like extra assistance from a customer service agent, you can book by phone ...
American Express Travel Review [2024]: Worth the hype?
The American Express Gold Card is the affordable credit card options if you're looking for great reward points for a cheaper annual fee. The Amex Gold Card's annual fee comes to $250, which includes. Up to $120 Uber Cash (U.S.) Up to $120 dining credits. Access to the Hotels Collection.
American Express Accor Hotels
An American Express Cardmember ("Cardmember") for the purpose of this offer means a person holding a card issued by American Express® Banking Corp. in India. This offer is not valid for American Express Cards issued by a third party bearing the name or trademark or service mark or logo of American Express ("Network Cards ") issued in India.

Enjoy 10X Membership Rewards® points on booking

Offer Summary:

Terms and Conditions for American Express® RewardsXcelerator Program.

RewardXcelerator Terms and Conditions

Steps to avail the offer:

Offer Terms and Conditions:

American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card Review (India)

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American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card

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AmEx Platinum Travel Card Features and Benefits

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AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card Review

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American Express Platinum Travel: One of the best Travel Credit Cards in India

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The best ways to fly to India with points and miles

ANA Mileage Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Flying Blue

Air Canada Aeroplan

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

Avianca LifeMiles

United MileagePlus

Alaska Mileage Plan

American AAdvantage

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The Guide to the AmEx Travel Portal

Who can use the American Express Travel portal?

1. Earn up to 5x points

2. Pay for reservations using Pay with Points

3. Upgrade flights with points

4. Discounted international flights through AmEx IAP

5. Cancel For Any Reason insurance

6. 35% points rebate with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

7. Fine Hotels & Resorts

8. The Hotel Collection

What is the AmEx Travel cancellation policy?

How to maximize your rewards

American Express Travel: Your Guide to Booking Flights, Hotels, Car Rentals, & Cruises

Table of Contents

Fees for Using the Portal

Searching for Flights

Insider Fares

The Hotel Collection

What Is The Hotel Collection?

Perks of The Hotel Collection

Hotel Points and Elite Benefits

American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts

Perks of Fine Hotels and Resorts

Standard Hotel Booking

Searching for Packages

Compare Flights+Hotel to Booking Separately

Searching for Cruises