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• American Express

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card

The Platinum Reserve credit card is the second most premium credit card that American Express offers, only next to the Platinum card, which is a Charge Card (Charge cards have a variable credit limit). Looking at the benefits that it offers, from Taj Epicure membership to the Hotel Collection program, one might consider it a travel credit card. However, it offers many other benefits, including exclusive dining benefits, complimentary golf, and movie vouchers.

Apart from all these benefits, AmEx cards are known for their brand value. Many prefer AmEx cards over Visa and MasterCard just for that reason. Here, we’ve covered in detail all the features and benefits this card offers. Read on to find out whether it fits your needs.

Joining Fee

Renewal fee, best suited for.

Travel | Dining | Shopping |

Reward Type

Reward Points

Welcome Benefits

Movie & dining.

BookMyShow Vouchers Worth Rs. 1,000 on Achieving Monthly Spends and Complimentary Membership of EazyDiner Prime

Rewards Rate

1 Membership Reward Point for every Rs. 50 spent with the card except for spends on fuel, utilities, insurance, cash transactions, and EMI conversion at Point of Sale.

Reward Redemption

Membership Rewards Points redeemable for online shopping vouchers, INSTA rewards for offline purchases, transfer to various flight and hotels loyalty programs and for making credit card bill payments under the Cash + Points scheme.

Complimentary Priority Pass, Accor Traveller, Taj Epicure Membership

Domestic Lounge Access

12 complimentary domestic lounge visits (limited to 3 per quarter)

International Lounge Access

Two Free Visits Via Priority Pass

2 complimentary rounds of golf per month at 32 premium golf destinations in India with a 100% waiver on the green fee.

Insurance Benefits

Air accident cover worth Rs. 1 crore, purchase protection against loss, damage, or burglary of any item purchased using the card

Spend-Based Waiver

Annual Fee Waiver on Spends of Rs. 10 Lakh in a Year

Rewards Redemption Fee

Foreign currency markup.

3.5% of the transaction amount

Interest Rates

3.5% per month

Fuel Surcharge

Waived at HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 5,000, 1% surcharge on BPCL and IOCL stations and 2.5% surcharge at all other fuel stations.

Cash Advance Charges

3.5% of the advanced amount, subject to a minimum amount of Rs. 250.

• 11,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points as a welcome gift.
• 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs. 50 spent with the card (except fuel, insurance, utility, EMI conversions).
• Monthly Flipkart/BookMyShow or other brands vouchers as milestone benefits.
• Complimentary (limited) visits to domestic airport lounges and a complimentary Priority Pass membership.
• Complimentary membership of Taj Epicure.
• 2 complimentary rounds of golf every month at 32 premium golf courses across India.
• Dining offers with complimentary membership of EazyDiner Prime.
• 24×7 American Express concierge service.
• Air accident insurance cover worth Rs. 1 crore.
• For frequent flyers, this card offers 12 domestic lounge visits and a Priority Pass membership.
• You would get 11,000 Membership Reward Points on the realization of card joining fees.
• Although the joining fee is Rs. 5,000, the annual fee chargeable from the second year is Rs. 10,000.

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card Rewards

You earn 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs. 50 spent with this card with the exception of spends on fuel, insurance, utilities, cash transactions and EMI conversion at Point of Sale. 3X Reward Points while shopping through the AmEx Rewards Multiplier .

Reward Redemption:

• The Membership Rewards Points earned on the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit card can be redeemed for purchasing e-vouchers from American Express’s online shopping portal, INSTA purchases at offline stores, and also to make credit card bill payments under the card issuer’s Cash + Points scheme.
• Membership Reward Points can also be transferred to airlines and hotel loyalty programs like Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club, Club Vistara, Emirates, Skywards, Etihad Guest, Finnair Plus, InterMiles, Qatar Privilege Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, Virgin Points, Marriott Bonovoy and Hilton Honors.
• The monetary value of the Membership Reward Points varies for different modes of redemption.

Welcome Benefit

You get 11,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points as a welcome benefit on the expenditure of Rs. 30,000 within 90 days of the card issuance, subject to the realization of the joining fee.

Milestone Benefits

• You can choose between Flipkart, BookMyShow, or other brand vouchers worth Rs. 1,000 on the expenditure of Rs. 50,000 in a calendar month.
• Taj stays voucher worth Rs. 10,000 on the expenditure of a minimum of Rs. 5 lakhs in a membership year (subject to realization of the annual membership fee).

Travel Benefits

• 12 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits (limited to 3 per quarter) to partner airport lounges across India.
• Complimentary Priority Pass Membership for international lounge access at 1200+ VIP lounges across 120+ countries around the world. Two visits to the international lounge are complimentary via Priority Pass, while additional visits are chargeable.
• Complimentary Taj Epicure Membership that gives you special privileges, including a 10% discount on stays, late check-outs, and unlimited validity of Taj InnerCircle Points.
• Complimentary Accor Plus Traveller Membership which offers up to 50% off on dining at over 1,400 participating Accor hotel restaurants, early access to Accor hotel sales, access to exclusive member events, and more.
• USD 100 hotel credit and a complimentary room upgrade at luxurious hotel chains, including Hyatt & Hilton Hotels, under the Hotel Collection program.

Movie Benefits

You can choose between a movie or shopping voucher worth Rs. 1,000 on a minimum monthly expenditure of Rs. 50,000. The following shopping brands are included for redemption Flipkart, Shoppers Stop, Myntra, Big Basket, PVR, and MakeMyTrip.

Dining Experiences

• Complimentary Taj Epicure Program with exclusive benefits on dine-outs at bars, restaurants, and spas across Taj, SeleQtions, and Vivanta Hotels, including 50% discount on first three dining transactions, 2 room upgrade vouchers, and happy hours from 6 PM to 8 PM at participating bars.
• Complimentary membership of EazyDiner Prime , which entitles you to benefits like a minimum of 25% off on Prime restaurants, and complimentary drinks with every booking.

Golf Privileges

• Two complimentary rounds of golf every month at 30+ of the top golf destinations in India with a 100% waiver on the green fee. This benefit is unlocked on making spends of Rs. 50,000 and above in the prior two months.
• Primary and add-on card members can also get golf lessons at a discounted price.

Concierge Service

You get a global 24×7 Platinum concierge service with this credit card. You’ll get assistance regarding-

• Delivery of flowers and gifts
• Booking movie tickets,
• Arranging a round of golf,
• Booking a spa session with participating partners,
• Dining reservations
• You can avail of the American Express concierge service by dialing 1800-180-1030 or 1800-419-1030.
• Personal air accident cover worth Rs. 1 crore (applicable only in case of loss of life).
• Purchase protection in case an item (purchased via the credit card) is stolen due to burglary or damages or breaks due to fire, earthquake, flood, storm, cyclone, etc., within 60 days of purchase. In such a case, the amount paid may be refunded.
• Both these insurance benefits are provided in partnership with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited.
• No fuel surcharge is applicable at HPCL fuel stations for transactions of up to Rs. 5,000 (1% surcharge applicable thereafter).
• 1% fuel surcharge applicable at BPCL and IOCL filling stations (subject to a minimum surcharge of Rs. 10).
• 2.5% fuel surcharge at all other filling stations (subject to a minimum surcharge of Rs. 10).

Zero Liability Protection

The cardholder is not liable for any fraudulent transaction made with the card if the loss of the card is reported within three days. Otherwise, the liability of the cardholder is limited to a maximum of Rs. 1,000.

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card Eligibility

Eligibility for this credit card as per the table below-

American Express Customer Care

American Express has a dedicated helpline for their Platinum Reserve credit card customers. You may dial 1800 180 1030 (toll-free), 1800 419 1030 (toll-free), or 0124-280 1030 to report the loss of your card or in case you need assistance. These numbers are operational 24×7.

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card Review

Look at the travel-related benefits that this card offers. You might find a resemblance between the Platinum Travel card and this one, with the former offering similar benefits at half the annual membership fee. The reward rate for both cards is also similar. So, if travel benefits are all you need from your credit card, you might consider the Platinum Travel card instead.

If you’re looking for a premium credit card packed with all kinds of benefits, including some exclusive travel privileges , this card is worth looking at. If we leave behind the extra travel benefits that this card offers, it is in direct competition with HDFC’s Infinia and ICICI’s Emerald credit cards. If you’re one of those people for whom the AmEx logo increases the worth of their wallet, you can pick this one without a second thought. It’s not a bad deal, at least as far as premium cards are concerned specifically with the additional dining benefits and complimentary memberships. Let us know in the comments what you think of American Express’s premium offering and what benefits you seek in a high-end credit card.

Dont purchase. It’s a complete waste of money. There are many better cards than this.

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Delta Reserve vs. AmEx Platinum: Platinum is Tops for Most Air Travelers

Anisha is a former personal finance writer for NerdWallet. She has worked for Silicon Valley startups as well as in the public sector and has contributed to publications including Technorati and Women Grow Business. She studied applied mathematics and economics at Brown University.

Erin is a credit card and travel rewards expert at NerdWallet, based in Baltimore, Maryland. She has spent nearly two decades showing readers unique ways to maximize their investments and personal finances. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Erin worked on dozens of newsletters and magazines in the areas of investing, health, business and travel with Agora Publishing. Her love of travel led to a passion for credit card and loyalty rewards to subsidize trips, and she thrives on teaching others how to harness the power of credit card rewards. When she's not writing or editing, Erin is planning her next adventure for her family of four using points and miles. Erin recommends this card as the cornerstone for all travelers looking to build up their rewards portfolio - see it here.

Jae Bratton is a writer for the credit cards team at NerdWallet. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Wake Forest University and a master’s in English from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Before writing for NerdWallet, Jae spent 13 years teaching English and journalism. Her writing has been published in newspapers, blogs and an academic journal. Jae is based in North Carolina.

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Frequent flyers who want to travel in comfort and style — and who aren’t dissuaded by high annual fees — will likely find their needs satisfied by a premium travel card . And two of the best on the market right now are the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express .

Both options come with hefty annual fees, but cardholders can make up the cost by taking advantage of the cards' generous perks. It may be easier to do so with The Platinum Card® from American Express , though, and its $1,500 in annual credits.

Redemption choices are also more varied and valuable with the AmEx Platinum, which allows Membership Points to be transferred to 20 travel loyalty partners. By contrast, miles earned with the Delta Reserve are only good for flights on Delta and its partners.

You’ll also gain access to more airport lounges with AmEx Platinum, a feature that looks even more enticing in light of Delta’s recent restrictions on its Sky Clubs: As of Feb. 1, 2025, Delta Reserve cardholders will receive 15 lounge visits per year rather than unlimited access — unless they can spend $75,000 a year on the card.

» SEE: Delta overhauling SkyMiles program, Sky Club Access in 2024

on American Express' website

$650 . Terms apply

$695 . Terms apply.

Earn 95,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.

Earn 1 mile on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.

5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

2 points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked with American Express Travel.

1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

$240 Resy credit, doled out in $20 monthly credits. Enrollment required.

$120 rideshare credit, doled out in $10 monthly credits. Enrollment required.

$200 annual Delta Stays credit for prepaid hotel and vacation rentals booked through delta.com.

Either a $100 Global Entry credit every 4 years, or an $85 TSA PreCheck credit every 4.5 years.

First checked bag free.

$200 hotel credit.

$240 digital entertainment credit, doled out in $20 monthly credits. Enrollment required.

$155 Walmart+ membership credit.

$200 airline fee credit.

$200 Uber Cash. 

$300 Equinox credit, enrollment required..

$189 CLEAR Plus credit.

Up to $100 in statement credits for Saks Fifth Avenue purchases, up to $50 twice per year, enrollment required. 

$300 SoulCycle at-home bike credit.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is a traditional credit card, unlike The Platinum Card® from American Express , which was originally introduced as a charge card. However, they function in the same way since American Express launched its Pay Over Time feature that charges users interest to maintain a balance on the card.

Why The Platinum Card® from American Express is better for most people

Most of the annual credits that come with The Platinum Card® from American Express are meant to accommodate the frequent traveler. For instance, cardholders receive $200 a year for hotel bookings, $200 a year for airline fees like checked-bag fees and a fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Cardholders may or may not get much use out of some of the other perks, such as an annual $300 toward an Equinox gym membership. Overall, though, the menu of credits is broad enough to satisfy many people.

» MORE: Making the most of American Express Platinum’s credits

Redemption options

Purchases made with The Platinum Card® from American Express earn highly versatile Membership Rewards points. These points can be transferred to 17 airline and 3 hotel partners . Better still, they are worth more than the 1:1 transfer rate with a few airlines and hotels.

American Express's website has calculators that allow you to see how much your Membership Rewards points are worth when transferred to each of the loyalty partners.

» MORE: AmEx Membership Rewards: How to earn and use them

Lounge access

If you’re paying the three-figure annual fee for The Platinum Card® from American Express , it’s reasonable to expect a luxurious travel experience. You’ll likely find it in one of the more than 1,400 airport lounges that you’ll have access to when you carry the card. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card cardholders do get unlimited access to American Express Centurion Lounges when flying Delta, in addition to Delta SkyClub visits.

Why you might want the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Companion certificate.

The Delta Reserve will be most rewarding for those who prefer to fly with Delta. Perhaps the biggest draw is the annual companion certificate that’s good for a round-trip flight within the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. To redeem the companion ticket, you and your guest must travel in the same fare class — so if you choose to travel in first class, you get one first-class ticket free.

Your plus-one can also accompany you into the Delta Sky Clubs. Delta Reserve cardholders get four one-time guest passes every year.

Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. To earn an unlimited number of visits each year, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more the previous year. To earn unlimited visits in 2025, you’ll need to spend this amount between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24.

Discount on flights

Delta Reserve cardholders get a benefit dubbed TakeOff 15 , a 15% discount on Delta flights booked with Delta SkyMiles. This discount will be shown and applied automatically at booking. That means a 50,000-mile flight would only cost you 42,500 miles at checkout. You don't need a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card in order to get that 15% discount, though: Any Delta co-branded card that charges an annual fee also gives 15% off on award flights.

Elite status

If you care about earning elite status on Delta, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is the only card of the two that helps you toward that goal. Cardholders earn $2,500 in Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD), giving a head start toward status each qualifying year. The spending you do on your card gives a status boost, too: You'll earn 1 MQD for every $10 spent.

» MORE: The complete guide to Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program

Which card should you get?

For Delta lovers, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is the clear choice over The Platinum Card® from American Express . The Delta companion pass is a rare commodity offered with only one other card: the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card .

However, travelers who aren’t wedded to Delta and who enjoy the best amenities should opt for The Platinum Card® from American Express . It beats the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card in terms of lounge access by, well, a mile. And the annual credits such as a $240 digital entertainment credit toward popular streaming services make The Platinum Card® from American Express even more appealing.

» MORE: How to pick a premium travel card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

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DISTINCTLY YOURS EVERY DAY

With the american express ® platinum reserve sm credit card, enter an enhanced realm of privileges with the american express ® platinum reserve sm credit card., a card made distinctly for you, where every experience is tailored to your lifestyle choices., enjoy benefits worth ₹80,000 * on shopping, dining, travel and more. calculate now.

GETTING STARTED,

TAP INTO POSSIBILITIES

Scan the QR code to download American Express® App.

Scan the QR code to download the Amex Experiences App.

Click here to activate your Card. 

Discover the power of your Card, set it up now

Activate your Card and select a PIN via any the following ways:

The American Express ® Mobile App

Download the American Express® App.

• Enter Card Details. 
• Create User ID and Password.
• Set a PIN of your choice and Activate your Card.

If you already have the Amex App, log in and go to Account’ tab and select ‘Activate and Add Card to your Account’ option.

American Express ® Online Account

• Register for online services at americanexpress.co.in/activate
• Set a PIN of your choice and activate your Card.

Register and enjoy the ease of managing your account anytime, anywhere.

• View your Account balance and pay your bill online
• Set up SMS and email alerts to help keep up to date
• Register for special offers and updates
• View, change or unlock your PIN. Know more.
• Track your Membership Rewards ®  points balance

In case of any query, call the  helpline number  printed on the back of your Card.

Manage your Card, your way

Your Card statement

Once you register for Online Account Services, you can easily access your Card Statement. To ensure your payment due date is set to one convenient for you, please contact Customer Services to discuss changing the date your statement is sent each month. If your Account is currently overdue for payment, please make the payment before requesting any change.

You can pay your Card bill through any of the following ways:

• Online Funds Transfer: NEFT
• Online Payment : Debit card powered by Rupay; UPI/BHIM-UPI; UPI QR Code/BHIM-UPI QR Code
• Recurring Direct Debit/NACH

Account Alerts

Stay on top of your Account with our wide range of alerts – from balance updates, real-time transaction alerts to payment due date reminders .

You can do this by logging into your account and setting up the alerts of your choice.

You can also set up push notifications through the Amex App.

Card replacement

If your Card is lost, stolen, damaged or not received you can order a replacement Card for yourself or your additional Cardmembers on your Account by calling up Customer Care. Know more

A world of privileges at your fingertips

Download Amex Experiences App

Explore your Card's exclusive benefits and offers effortlessly with the Amex Experiences App.

Book golf sessions with the App

You can also unlock Golf benefits through the App. Here's how:

• Visit 'Golf' and click on "First time registration" to create your profile on Golftripz.
• You will receive your login credentials via email.
• If you have registered already, you can begin to make bookings using the Amex Experiences App.
• You can also view the status of your bookings or cancel a booking via the App.

Back to top

JOURNEYS UNLOCKED,

UNWIND IN STYLE

Every departure with world class lounges.

12 complimentary domestic lounge visits

Enjoy 12 complimentary visits in a year (limited to 3 visits per quarter) to domestic airport lounges across India.

2 complimentary international lounge visits

Avail 2 complimentary visits in a year to international airport lounges using your Priority Pass TM .

Click below to enrol your Basic American Express® Platinum Reserve Credit Card into the Priority Pass program.

1,400+ lounges with complimentary Priority Pass

Enjoy the Priority Pass TM Membership worth US$99 complimentary with your American Express® Platinum Reserve Credit Card and access 1,400+ VIP lounges across 100+ countries.

Click below to enrol your Basic Platinum Reserve Credit Card into the Priority Pass program.

Find participating lounges here .

Experience more with luxurious stays

Complimentary Accor Plus Traveller Membership

Enhance every experience around the world at 1,000+ hotels like Fairmont, Sofitel, Pullman and more across 20 countries in Asia Pacific.

Get Accor Plus Traveller Membership worth ₹10,000 + GST complimentary with your Credit Card.

• Up to 50% off on dining at over 1,400 participating Accor hotel restaurants across Asia Pacific, plus 15% off on drinks in Asia.
• Up to 50% savings with exclusive member offers and hotel packages at more than 1,000 participating Accor hotels in Asia Pacific.
• Members' Rate at minimum 10% off the best available public room rate Elite membership status with a bonus of 20 Status Nights in ALL - Accor Live Limitless, Accor's global lifestyle loyalty programme.
• Early access to Accor hotel sales.
• Access to exclusive member events such as celebrity masterclasses, unique wine and dine experiences and more.

For detailed Terms and Conditions refer here

Please note that Cardmembers already enrolled for Taj Epicure Plus till 30 April 2024 will automatically be enrolled for Accor Plus Traveller, the membership details will be shared on the registered email address within 30 business days.

$100 hotel credit & more with the hotel collection.

With a $100 hotel credit and a room upgrade, The Hotel Collection offers a world of luxurious comfort from trusted brands like Hyatt & Hilton Hotels.

(A minimum of two consecutive nights booking is required to avail the credit.)

Complimentary Taj Epicure Plus Membership

Get Taj Epicure Plus Membership worth ₹10,000 + GST complimentary with your Credit Card. Unlock a fine life and exciting discounts across Taj properties.

• 20% off on Best Available Rate for Room/Suite stay at Taj Palaces. Applicable on direct bookings, for stays lasting up to five consecutive nights, twice a year.
• 20% off on Best Available Rate for Room/Suite stay. Applicable on direct bookings on room/suite stay for unlimited consecutive nights, twice a year.
• 20% off on Best Available Rate for Room/Suite stay at Taj Safaris. Applicable on direct bookings, for stays lasting up to five consecutive nights, once a year.
• 25% off on food & beverage. Applicable on dine-in & takeaway at participating restaurants across hotels for up to 10 persons.
• 25% off on Qmin food deliveries ordered via the Qmin mobile application.
• 20% off on Spa Treatments at Jiva Spas across participating hotels.
• 20% off on Salon Experiences at participating salons across hotels.
• Complimentary celebration cake in member’s Birthday month 1/2kg.
• One-time access to the pool, with set Lunch & Wine at a special price of 3,000 3  + taxes.
• Happy hours (1:1) at Taj Club at Taj Hotels (at select Taj Hotels).

Effective 1 November 2023, Cardmembers enrolling into Taj Epicure Plus will receive the updated Epicure Plus benefits. Already enrolled Cardmembers will retain their current membership benefits* until their membership is up for renewal.

ELEVATED LIFESTYLE,

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

Unfold grandeur with a choice of benefits.

Complimentary EazyDiner Prime Membership

Savour the finest at select premium restaurants with the EazyDiner Prime Membership worth ₹3,000 + GST, complimentary with your Card.

• Assured 25% to 50% off at premium restaurants and bars
• Joining Bonus of 2,000 EazyPoints
• Earn 2X EazyPoints and redeem them for free meals faster
• Preferential reservations for Prime members dedicated 24hour VIP line for Prime members
• Dedicated 24-hour VIP line for Prime members, accessible at 7861004400 .

For detailed Terms and Conditions refer here .

On clicking 'Enrol Now', you will redirected to a third party website.

Unlock access twice a month to 30+ golf courses

As an avid golfer, gear up for an exclusive golfing experience at iconic golf courses across the country.

• Enjoy complimentary access twice a month to 30+ lush green courses in India on spending ₹50,000 3 on your Card two months prior. This access comes without a green fee, so you can perfect your swing and learn from the best!
• Golf lessons are available to you and your Supplementary Cardmembers at discounted rates.
• Your Cardmembership makes it easy for you to book your next trip to the greens with an online portal. Share your details to help us create your profile and start booking. You will receive your login credentials via email. Once your profile is ready, you can log in to your account anytime you want to make a golf booking.

If you have registered already, you can begin to make bookings using the Amex Experiences App . You can also view the status of your bookings or cancel a booking via the App.

MAXIMISE MOMENTS,

MULTIPLY REWARDS

Unlock points at every step of the way.

11,000 bonus points as Welcome Gift

• Use your points for Gift vouchers from leading brands like Amazon, ITC and more.
• Transfer points to airline and hotel loyalty programmes like Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and more. 
• Pay with points at your favourite brands online and in-store.
• Redeem your points to pay eligible Card charges.

Up to ₹12,000 vouchers on spends of ₹50,000

Spend ₹50,000 or more in a calendar month and earn ₹1,000 5  voucher every month.

You can redeem across a host of India’s most popular brands like Flipkart, BookMyShow, MakeMyTrip & more.

100% fee waiver on spending ₹10,00,000

Get 100% * annual fee waiver on spending ₹10,00,000 6 in a membership year.

Your world, redefined with bonus rewards

1 Membership Rewards® point for every ₹50 spent

• With no expiry and no cap on how many points you can earn, your Membership Rewards ® points are all yours to indulge. It's easy to earn and flexible to use, so you never have to compromise!
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards® point for every ₹50 7  spent.

3X points on 50+ brands via Reward Multiplier

Travel with your points.

Take off in some of the world's best airlines like British Airways, Air India, Singapore Airlines, and more without having to transfer your rewards points to any frequent flyer programme.

Pay Card charges with points

Use your Membership Rewards ® points to pay your Card charges with Select and Pay.

Shop with your points

Insta vouchers from 100+ brands.

Choose from a wide selection of shopping categories and redeem your points for e-vouchers from Amazon, Myntra and more.

EVERY BENEFIT,

WITH POWERFUL BACKING OF AMEX

Reserved for the select few.

100+ offers across categories

Explore an exclusive selection of offers on brands you like to shop across categories like retail, travel, dining and more with your American Express® Card.

Terms and conditions apply

Places to use your Card

Your Cardmembership opens up the world to you with your Card being accepted online, on your street and all over the world. You can use your Card for practically anything and everything, across purchases such as:

• Entertainment

Saving your new American Express Card details at your favourite online retailers is the most convenient way to quickly make purchases online. Check out faster whenever you shop online at places like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Uber, Swiggy, Paytm, Big Basket, BookMyShow and many more

Use your Credit Card for your next big buy. Discover special EMI offers on home appliances, electronics, travel and more.

Invite your friends on a rewarding journey

Nominate a loved one to get an add on Card

Add a loved one to your account by giving up to 4 Supplementary Cards at no additional cost.

Nominate your parents, siblings, spouse, or any other companion and enjoy the below benefits of your membership together.

• Earn points faster * with spend made on Supplementary Cards.
• Achieve your spend milestones quicker with Supplementary Cards.

Apply for a Supplementary Card online:

• Log in and click on ‘Account Management’ to apply
• Nominate for a Supplementary Card by filling the form
• Inform the applicant about the link sent on their email ID

Refer a friend & earn up to 1,50,000* bonus points

Invite your friends to the rewarding world of American Express ® by referring them for a Card of their own.

On every approved referral, you earn 8,000 * bonus Membership Rewards ® points, up to 1,50,000 * bonus points in a calendar year.

Here’s how it works:

• Refer friends by sharing the unique referral link
• Let your friends apply for the Card that suits them best
• Get rewarded when your friend’s Card application gets approved

Peace of mind with Platinum Care

Platinum Concierge Services

Platinum Concierge brings you the world on a platter and at your doorstep. You can call the Platinum Concierge for:  

• Delivery of flowers and gifts to someone special
• Booking movie tickets
• Arranging a round of golf or even booking a rejuvenating spa session at participating partners
• Dining reservations   Please call Platinum Concierge Services on 0124-6736660/ 1800-419-1030 (Toll free from MTNL, BSNL landlines) - press option 1 for Card Assistance or 3 for Concierge.

Purchase Protection

If an item is stolen due to burglary or damages or breaks due to fire, earthquake, flood, storm, cyclone, etc. within 60 days of purchase, it can be refunded*. 

• Claim to be intimated within 30 days of date of loss to ICICI Lombard by customer. 
• Cover is valid for 60 days from the date of purchase.  ICICI Lombard Toll Free No :- 1800 2666  *Exclusions : Loss or damage to Gold or Silver articles, watches or jewelry or precious stones or medals or coins or curios, sculptures, manuscripts, rare books, plans, models, designs, deeds, bonds, bills of exchange, bank, treasury or promissory notes, cheques, money, securities, stamps, collection of stamps, business books or papers due to burglary is not covered. 

Platinum Assist

Enjoy 24x7 services for all Card related assistance.

When calling from a mobile or from overseas, call any of the following numbers:

• Toll free number : 1800-180-1030 / 1800-419-1030 (From MTNL, BSNL landlines) - press option 1 for Card Assistance or 3 for Concierge. 
• Gurgaon : 0124-6736660

Emergency Card Replacement

In case your Card is lost, stolen or damaged, just notify Platinum Assist while in India or the American Express Travel Service Offices or Network Locations if you are travelling overseas. You will receive a Replacement Card within 2 business days, free of charge, anywhere in the world.

Air Accident Insurance of ₹1 Crore

You, as the Basic Cardmember, are automatically insured against loss of life in an air accident for up to    ₹1 crore when you purchase your air ticket with your Platinum Reserve SM  Credit Card. This benefit is brought to you by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company. Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply.

Please do send your Insurance Nomination Form if not sent already.

Download  Insurance form 

We’ve got your back

Fuel Waiver

0% surcharge 8  for HPCL transactions less than ₹5,000.

Zero Lost Card Liability

Provided that the Cardmember has acted in good faith, his liability to American Express arising out of any unauthorised use of the Credit Card shall be nil if American Express receives the report within 3 working days of the fraud. If the fraud is reported beyond 3 working days then the maximum liability of the customer will be limited to ₹1,000.

American Express Insurance Services

Together with our partner, ICICI Lombard, we have developed a value for money proposition for you. ‘Comprehensive Protection Plan Plus’* - a plan that covers you from all aspects of your insurance protection needs. For more information e-mail us at [email protected].

 *Insurance underwritten by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited. Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation. The premium paid is tax deductible under Section 80(D) of the Indian Income Tax Act.

Interest Rates and Other Charges

Interest rates may vary from time to time. At any given point, the current rates will be displayed in your Statement of Account/Most Important Terms and Conditions.

Contactless Payment

Your American Express Card may be enabled for contactless payments. To see if your Card is contactless, look for the contactless symbol network on the front and back of your Card. To make a Contactless purchase, touch your Card on the front of the specially marked American Express Contactless reader. For purchases of less than ₹5,000*, you will not need to enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN) or sign. To know more visit here .

*Please be advised that few of our merchant terminals are still undergoing the upgrade process, to support Contactless Transactions upto ₹5,000, without PIN authentication. We regret inconvenience, caused, if any, during this transition period. 

If you don't have the American Express® Platinum Reserve SM Credit Card

Terms and conditions.

• Authorization for an amount of Rs. 2 will be taken for Card Validation purpose. The Cardmember will enjoy 12 complimentary visits every year (limited to 3 times per quarter). The 12 months period is defined as January 1 to December 31 of every year.
• Cardmember exceeding the 2 complimentary visits would be charges as per the prevailing rates; currently US$35 per person per visit. This is an enrollment based benefit.
• Effective 1 May’24, Cardmembers can avail up to two (2) complimentary access to Golf courses every month for every Rs. 50,000 spends made using your Platinum Reserve Credit Card in the previous to previous calendar month. Eg. Spend at least Rs. 50,000 in a May’24 using your Platinum Reserve Credit Card, Onwards the First calendar date of next to next month i.e. Jul’24 book your Golf Round as per the applicable process. 
• Welcome Gift is available only in the 1st year on payment of the annual fee and on spending Rs. 30,000 within 90 days of Cardmembership.
• Effective 1 May 2024, upon reaching spend milestone of Rs. 50,000 respectively in a Calendar month you can avail a voucher worth Rs.1,000 of any of the available brands. If you are already enrolled in the Monthly Voucher benefit, you will not be required to re-enroll. For details click here . Starting 11/10/2022, instead of receiving a Voucher for BookMyShow or Flipkart, we’ll send you a unique gift code you can redeem for a Voucher of your choice when you reach the spend milestone in a calendar month.
• Eligible spends do not include cash advances, express cash transaction, draft made from the account, balance transfer, fees and is net of any returns.
• Please note that your expenses made on fuel*, insurance, utility^ payments and cash transactions will not earn you Membership Rewards points. 

*Fuel includes petrol, diesel, CNG from Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs)

^Utility services include providers of household/domestic electricity, gas and water. These providers can be government departments and agencies including local, state, municipal organisations; public housing societies and apartment associations.

 8. 1% fee per transaction is applicable for all HPCL transactions on and above Rs. 5,000, 1% of the transaction value subject to a minimum of Rs.10 + applicable taxes, will be charged as convenience fee at fuel stations operated by the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies BPCL and IOCL, 2.5% of the transaction value subject to a minimum of Rs.10 + applicable taxes, will be charged as convenience fee at fuel stations of all other Oil Marketing Companies (except HPCL, BPCL and IOCL).

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• Credit Cards

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card vs. Amex Platinum Card [Detailed Comparison]

Christine Krzyszton

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Table of Contents

Chase sapphire reserve card vs. amex platinum card — overview, welcome offers, lounge access, hotel and rental car program elite benefits, earning power, redeeming points, annual fees and adding additional users, statement and shopping credits, rideshare benefits, travel protection and insurance, shopping protections, food delivery benefits, additional benefits offered by both cards, final thoughts.

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Most frequent travelers appreciate the value of a premium travel rewards credit card. Having the ability to relax in an airport lounge, receiving an upgraded hotel room, and earning travel rewards make the value of having such a card clear.

Two of the best premium travel rewards credit cards available are The Platinum Card ® from American Express  and the Chase Sapphire Reserve ® . Both cards are loaded with travel benefits and earn flexible points that, when redeemed for travel, deliver good value.

If you do some research, you’ll likely find that one of these cards is a better fit for your travel preferences and spending patterns. Both cards are equally impressive premium travel rewards cards, so how do you decide?

Let’s take a look at both cards, comparing benefits and earning power. These comparisons will help paint a clearer picture of which card may be a better fit for you.

Before diving into each card’s attributes, let’s start with a high-level overview comparison of the  Chase Sapphire Reserve card  and the  Amex Platinum card .

While welcome offers change periodically, they can be a large factor when selecting which card to apply for.

Here’s a snapshot of current offers and pricing for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and the Amex Platinum card:

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve ®  is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access , with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025
• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority PassTM Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck ®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Member FDIC
• APR: 22.49%-29.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees:  None

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with  no credit score impact.

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection ® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card ® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: CLEAR ® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 year period for TSA PreCheck ® application fee for a 5-year plan only (through a TSA PreCheck ® official enrollment provider), when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.
• APR: See Pay Over Time APR

American Express Membership Rewards

Hot Tip:  Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 125k (or 150k) points with the Amex Platinum. The current public offer is 80,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

While welcome bonuses are only 1 element in the cards’ offerings, looking at the long-term value, in addition to the welcome bonus, allows you to pick a card that’s going to work best for you beyond the first year.

One of the benefits of a premium travel rewards credit card is complimentary airport lounge access to lounges worldwide .

Without this benefit, it’s not unheard of to see rates of $50 per person for a day pass or $700 for an annual membership. Given that paid access to these lounges can be expensive, the value of complimentary lounge access can be quite substantial.

Here’s a comparison of lounge access between the 2 cards :

Amex Platinum Card

The  American Express Global Lounge Collection includes:

• Centurion Lounges (both in the U.S. and international locations)
• Delta Sky Club (when flying Delta the same day)
• Escape Lounges — The Centurion Studio Partner
• Plaza Premium Lounges
• Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment)
• Select Lufthansa Lounges (when flying with Lufthansa Group on the same day)
• Select Virgin Clubhouses

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

• Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club (via Priority Pass)
• Priority Pass lounges
• Chase Sapphire Terrace

Both cards provide complimentary access for the cardholder to all of the card’s associated lounges. Additionally, both cards also allow 2 additional guests, at no charge, to most lounges.

The Priority Pass lounge network consists of over 1,400 locations worldwide. However, a drawback is that Priority Pass can limit access for guests, and even for cardholders, at certain peak times.

When it comes to complimentary lounge access, the Amex Platinum card not only offers access to more than 1,400 lounges worldwide with Priority Pass but also to several additional lounge networks, including the prestigious Centurion Lounges .

Bottom Line: With access to over 1,400 airport lounges worldwide across several lounge networks, including the exclusive Centurion Lounges, the Amex Platinum card provides greater lounge access benefits than the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. 

Hotel Program Elite Status

If you frequently stay at hotels, you know the value of an upgraded hotel room, late checkout, complimentary breakfast, and many of the other perks that come with having hotel elite status. Having complimentary hotel elite status as a credit card benefit can significantly boost your experience if you stay often at the participating hotels.

• Hilton Honors Gold status upon enrollment
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status upon enrollment

In addition to elite status with Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy, the Amex Platinum card also offers special benefits with American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts that include:

• Room upgrades
• Daily breakfast for 2 guests
• Early check-in and late checkout (when available)
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• A unique property amenity (such as a spa, or food and beverage credit) worth a minimum of $100

Additional hotel benefits are available when booking a least a 2-night stay at The Hotel Collection :

• Up to $100 room credit to spend on dining, spa, and resort activities
• Upgraded room (when available)

Chase partners with the Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection to offer these benefits when booking directly through the Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection at one of over 900 properties worldwide.

• Breakfast for 2
• Upgraded room when available
• Property amenity

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders receive similar benefits at Relais & Chateaux and Ennismore  properties as well.

Rental Car Program Benefits

• National Emerald Club Executive Club status
• Avis Preferred Plus status
• Hertz President’s Circle  status
• Audi on demand  benefits and discounts
• Avis Preferred benefits and discounts

Bottom Line: The Amex Platinum card comes out ahead by offering complimentary elite status with hotel and rental car partners . Cardholders receive Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status. Rental car benefits and elite status are similar on both credit cards. 

The Amex Platinum card clearly excels in providing airport lounge access and hotel program elite status. However, the Amex Platinum card is challenged in earning power by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card given you can earn more points in more ways with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card .

The first difference that stands out is that you can only earn big on the Amex Platinum card if you purchase flights directly through an airline or if you purchase flights and prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you’re going to earn 3 points per dollar spent on all travel regardless of how you purchase.

Here’s a sample annual spending scenario:

• $5,000 in flights purchased from an airline
• $3,000 in non-prepaid hotels purchased directly through a hotel’s website
• $2,000 in dining
• $2,000 in other travel expenses

Based on this spending mix, you will have earned 32,000 Membership Rewards points with the Amex Platinum card and 36,000 Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. This calculation is based on the assumption that flights were qualifying purchases earning 5x points per dollar with the Amex Platinum card.

If all hotel purchases were qualifying bookings (prepaid hotel purchases made through AmexTravel.com), you would earn 44,000 Membership Rewards points versus 36,000 Ultimate Rewards points .

A downside to note when booking hotels through AmexTravel.com is that hotel elite status benefits typically do not apply.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, however, you’ll have the flexibility to make travel purchases from any provider . Plus, the broad definition of travel puts more of your purchases into the 3x bonus earning category. For example, purchases such as train tickets, car rentals, parking, tolls, ferries, and much more are included in the travel definition for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Both cards offer the option to earn rewards points on affiliated Amex and Chase no-annual-fee cards, then transfer and redeem with travel partners for potentially greater redemption value.

Bottom Line: While both cards have good earning potential, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has the edge as more categories earn 3 points per dollar spent. Only prepaid hotels and flights purchased from AmexTravel.com and flights purchased from the airline receive elevated 5x earnings on the Amex Platinum card. 

Fortunately, both cards offer good value when redeeming for travel, transferring points to travel partners, and offering additional redemption choices.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s redemption rate of 1.5 cents per point results in great value when redeeming for inexpensive flights via the Chase Travel , for Pay Yourself Back qualifying purchases, and also when transferring to select airline partners for premium flights.

With 17 airline transfer partners, there are more options for premium-cabin award redemptions with the Amex Platinum card versus the 11 airline transfer partners with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

When we look at hotel redemptions, transferring Ultimate Rewards points earned on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to hotel partner World of Hyatt shines as a sweet spot. Free nights at Hyatt start at 3,500 World of Hyatt points, and with a 1:1 transfer ratio, you would need just 3,500 Ultimate Rewards points for a free Hyatt hotel night.

Bottom Line: With the wide variety of airline transfer partners, Membership Rewards points edge out Ultimate Rewards points for premium flight award redemptions. However, Ultimate Rewards can result in good value for inexpensive fares via Chase Travel.

While the Amex Platinum card’s annual fee is higher at $695 , you can add authorized users at $195 per card ( rates & fees ). The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has an annual fee of $550 , and authorized users can be added for $75 each.

Regardless of which card you select, if you can utilize the offered benefits, you’ll receive value far beyond the cost of either annual fee.

One of the card benefits that can directly offset the cost of a credit card’s annual fee is the credits you receive after making specific purchases.

• Up to $200 airline incidental fee credits
• Up to $200 in Uber Cash
• Global Entry  or TSA PreCheck application fee credits
• Up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit
• Up to $189 annual CLEAR Plus credit
• Up to $300 annual Equinox credit
• Up to $240 digital entertainment credit
• Up to $200 prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays
• Up to $155 Walmart+ credit
• $300 SoulCycle bike credit
• Up to $300 statement credit for travel purchases each cardmember year
• Global Entry, NEXUS , or TSA PreCheck   reimbursement
• Complimentary Instacart+ membership (activate by July 31, 2024), plus up to $15 per month in Instacart statement credits after activating your Instacart+ membership

If you spend money on checked baggage and other airline incidental fees, use streaming services, or shop at Saks, you’ll find value with the Amex Platinum card.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s up to $300 travel credit, however, is much easier to utilize because airline tickets, hotels, taxis, and more are considered travel purchases.

Bottom Line: When we compare statement/shopping credits, the Amex Platinum card offers more total value. However, you must use all of the benefits to maximize the value. The $300 credit on travel purchases offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card may be much easier to utilize given Chase’s definition of travel is quite broad. 

The Amex Platinum card includes up to $200 Uber Cash , split up into up to $15 increments each month (except December which gets up to $35 in credit). This is added to your Uber account as Uber Cash and can be used towards any Uber ride or Uber Eats delivery in the U.S.

Likewise, you’re automatically enrolled in Uber VIP (available only in select cities) when you add your Amex Platinum card to your Uber account. This gives you access to exclusive discounts and UberX VIP and Uber Black VIP rides. When you select this option, you’re only paired with the highest-rated drivers in your city at no additional cost.

These benefits only apply to the card’s primary cardholder and  not any authorized users.

Lyft purchases earn 10 points per dollar spent (through March 31, 2025) when they’re charged to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card — this means that a $10 ride would earn 100 Ultimate Rewards points!

Cardholders also receive  complimentary Lyft Pink All Access for 2 years  as well as 50% off the price of membership for the third year.

Hot Tip: Are you considering both of these credit cards? Be sure to consider the reasons you may (or may not) want 2 premium credit cards before deciding.

It’s nice to experience luxury travel benefits, but occasionally, things do go wrong. When they do, you may turn to your premium travel rewards credit card for coverage and assistance.

Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is known for its comprehensive travel benefits , including primary rental car insurance and limited medical/dental coverage. The Amex Platinum card offers cardholders travel insurance benefits like complimentary emergency transportation and evacuation with no stated limit but does not offer roadside assistance or baggage delay.

When comparing shopping protections and benefits, both cards offer similar coverage:

• Purchase Protection — Qualifying items are covered on both cards for damage up to $10,000, with a maximum of $50,000 per year (up to 90 days from the purchase date for the Amex Platinum card and up to 120 days from the date of purchase for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.)
• Extended Warranty — Both cards offer an additional year of manufacturer’s warranty protection; the Amex Platinum card offers an additional year on warranties of 5 years or less, whereas the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers an additional year on warranties 3 years or less
• Return Protection — Coverage provided on both cards for up to 90 days from the purchase date; $300 per item on the Amex Platinum card and $500 per item on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card

Bottom Line: While one does not select a premium travel rewards credit card based solely on shopping-related protections, it is good to know that both cards offer similar shopping coverage . 

As previously mentioned, the Amex Platinum card receives up to $200 in Uber Cash that can be used towards any Uber Eats delivery or Uber ride in the U.S.

The card offers a free DoorDash DashPass subscription so long as it’s activated by December 31, 2024. This subscription is usually $9.99 monthly and includes free delivery and discounted service fees on select DoorDash orders over $12. There’s also a $5 monthly DoorDash credit available.

You will find the following benefits offered on both the Amex Platinum card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card:

• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Neither card charges a foreign transaction fee
• VIP Access to Events — The Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s “Reserve Experiences” and the Amex Platinum card’s “By Invitation Only” benefits offer unique experiences available exclusively to cardholders
• Member Concierge Services — Each card has its own concierge service to assist with travel planning, booking event/dining reservations, and arranging VIP access to special events

Both cards are designed for the frequent traveler, but which card is best for you depends on which benefits you deem most important.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card focuses more on overall earnings, significant redemption values, and travel-related protections and insurance.

The Amex Platinum card has strengths that center on luxury travel benefits with elevated earnings narrowed to specific travel purchases. The card provides valuable no-stated-limit emergency transportation or evacuation benefits that can provide peace of mind when traveling.

Both cards offer the flexible option of transferring points to travel partners for the potential of even greater value for your points. There is no clear winner or loser here as both cards offer tremendous value for the right frequent traveler. The card that fits your spending patterns and benefit preferences and has protections/insurance you can use will be the best choice.

*No Preset Spending Limit on an American Express card means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.

For the Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance benefit of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, the maximum benefit amount for Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is $10,000 per Covered Trip and $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance benefit of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the Baggage Insurance Plan benefit of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Covered Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier Vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an Eligible Card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked Baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per Covered Trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each Covered Person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the Trip Delay Insurance benefit of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, up to $500 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 6 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the Premium Global Assist Hotline benefit of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, you can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Plus, we may provide emergency medical transportation assistance and related services. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. If approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

For the Purchase Protection benefit of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, Purchase Protection is an embedded benefit of your Card Membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect Covered Purchases made on your Eligible Card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Coverage Limits Apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the Extended Warranty benefit of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, when an American Express ® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the Return Protection benefit of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, with Return Protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express ® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card is better, the amex platinum card or the chase sapphire reserve card.

The best card for you will depend on your spending mix and your travel benefit preferences.

If you enjoy luxury travel benefits and spend a lot on flights and prepaid hotels you will realize the most value with the Amex Platinum card.

If you spend more on overall travel in general, in addition to hotels and flights, you may earn more rewards overall with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. This is because travel, such as tours, cruises, train travel, taxis, and more are included in the broad travel definition of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Dining purchases also receive 3x earnings.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card also offers lounge access (but to a drastically lesser extent than the Amex Platinum card) and a very strong collection of travel protections and insurance.

Each card offers tremendous value for the right frequent traveler.

Which points are worth more for travel, Membership Rewards points or Ultimate Rewards points?

The value of your rewards points, when redeemed for travel, will depend on how the points are redeemed.

One option is to transfer your points to airline or hotel programs; both programs allow you to do this.

Value will vary based on the airline or hotel program. American Express has more transfer partners but Chase has partners like World of Hyatt that also provide excellent redemption value.

Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for up to 1 cent per point towards travel with Amex Travel and Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed at 1.5 cents per point for travel through the Chase Travel portal.

Chase Ultimate Rewards can be worth more when redeemed through Chase Travel. Membership Rewards may be worth more when redeemed with the right airline transfer partner.

Which credit card has the best airport lounge access?

The Amex Platinum card offers access to more properties and to higher-end lounges than the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

The Amex Platinum card’s complimentary lounge access is valid for several lounge networks including Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, Plaza Premium Lounges, and more.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers lounge access to Priority Pass lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club only.

Which credit card has the best car rental insurance?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card provides primary car rental coverage while the Amex Platinum card offers secondary coverage.

Secondary coverage means that you must first file a claim with your own auto insurance before coverage kicks in.

Additional terms and conditions apply but the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers better coverage.

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Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, detailed content for UP.

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Key takeaways

• The Platinum Card® from American Express is a versatile travel rewards and benefits card powerhouse that allows you to add an authorized user to your account for $195.
• The annual fee for an authorized user is high, but could still be worth it if you take into account the card’s benefits and savings authorized users can enjoy.
• An Amex Platinum authorized user can get many of the same perks as the main cardholder, including exclusive access to The American Express Global Lounge Collection and The Hotel Collection.

The Platinum Card® from American Express is arguably one of the top luxury travel rewards credit cards available. Packed with travel credits and elite status perks, the card is a popular choice for both road warriors and infrequent travelers alike who want to upgrade their travel experience. While the $695 annual fee is high, the value of the benefits can make it worthwhile if you take advantage of them properly. Plus, you can add authorized users to your account for $195 each.

A $195 fee is still steep for an authorized user account, but Amex Platinum authorized users get access to unparalleled travel benefits, including dedicated and shared statement credits and lounge access . If you’re considering adding an authorized user to your Platinum Card, here’s everything you need to know about how to do it and what benefits you’ll be extending to that lucky individual.

Benefits of being an Amex Platinum authorized user

Amex Platinum authorized users get access to a slew of benefits in exchange for the $195 annual authorized user fee. Those benefits include:

Airport lounge access

Hilton honors and marriott bonvoy gold elite status, rental car elite status.

• Special discounts
• Minimum of 100 points awarded on every rental
• Expedited service
• Complimentary upgrades
• 50 percent bonus points for every dollar spent
• Up to a 20 percent discount on standard rates at participating locations
• Guaranteed upgrades in the U.S. and Canada when booking full-size through luxury vehicles
• Earn a free rental day after six credits (as opposed to seven for non-elites)
• Access to Executive Area, where you can choose any full-size car and only pay the midsize rate
• No second driver fees

Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit

$200 airline fee credit, shopping, travel and entertainment credits.

• $300 Equinox credit
• $240 digital entertainment credit
• $200 hotel credit (requires a minimum two-night stay for bookings with The Hotel Collection)
• $200 Uber Cash (for rides or Uber Eats)
• $189 CLEAR Plus credit
• $155 Walmart+ credit
• Up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit
• $300 Soul Cycle At-Home Bike Credit

ShopRunner membership

Amex offers, amex fine hotels & resorts, the hotel collection, how to maximize the use of an amex platinum authorized user.

Once you’ve added an Amex Platinum authorized user to your account, you can take steps to maximize the perks you both get. For starters, authorized users can help you meet large spending requirements for and earn Membership Rewards faster. Considering the current spending requirement on this card for those who want to earn their new card member offer is $8,000 within the first six months of card membership for 80,000 Membership Rewards points, an authorized user can come in handy.

You can meet that requirement by charging about $1,335 in monthly expenses to the card, but you might want to get your bonus faster. Perhaps you’re saving up for a summer vacation, or you want to get a head start on booking holiday travel. The sooner you meet that spending requirement, the sooner you’ll have those 80,000 Membership Rewards in your account.

By adding an authorized user to your account, you can reach your spending goals faster and maximize the rewards points you earn.

Should you consider giving your authorized user a Companion Platinum instead?

If you want to add a loved one to your Amex Platinum account as an authorized user, you likely won’t run into any issues. As long as an authorized user doesn’t already have bad credit and is over the age of 13, they will likely be accepted.

However, you don’t have to make them an authorized user to add them to your account — you can give them a Companion Platinum instead. Adding an authorized user to your Amex Platinum Card still costs $195 per year, while issuing a Companion Platinum is free. If you’re adding an authorized user simply to earn more points or manage expenses, you might want to consider giving them a Companion Platinum instead.

It’s also important to note that being an authorized user also does not count towards the Amex once-per-lifetime rule . That rule impacts welcome bonus eligibility, and since authorized users do not receive a welcome bonus, they can still qualify for their own Amex Platinum bonus down the line.

How to add an authorized user to your Amex Platinum Card

You can add an authorized user to your Amex Platinum Card over the phone or online. Doing so online is fast and straightforward. Here are the steps:

• Log into your American Express account.
• Click on “account services” on the main navigation.
• Select the “manage additional card members” tile.
• Click “add someone to account.”
• If you have multiple American Express cards, select the Platinum Card on the next page.
• Enter the authorized user’s full name, email address, Social Security number, date of birth and home address.

The bottom line

Amex Platinum authorized users receive many of the same benefits as primary cardholders, including the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, airport lounge access, elite status and more. It costs $195 to add an authorized user to your Amex Platinum Card. However, you can choose to give your authorized user Companion Platinum instead, without paying a fee but also without all the Platinum perks.

You should also determine whether your potential authorized user would be better off applying for a travel rewards card or other rewards card of their own.

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The Platinum Card from American Express benefits guide

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American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card Review

By Shiba Behera Latest Updated November 10, 2023

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If you want many benefits under one roof like dining, health, travel, and many more, you should go for American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card. In addition to it, it also avails to enjoy complimentary things like discounts on health care packages, lounge access, and many more.

Let’s jump into the detailed review to know more about the card.

Key Highlights 

In this article

It has some fun dining and Elite lodging elements, AmEx Lounge access, higher limits, Golf and Wellness benefit, and special offers.

• You can get 1 reward point on every Rs.50 expense.
• You can redeem points from over 500 merchant establishments.
• It gives you a voucher of Rs.6,000 for 1 year to enjoy online shopping and movies.

You can get on every Rs.50, 1 membership reward point. But points are availed on insurance, fuel, cash transactions, and utilities.

What makes This Credit Card Better from Other Credit Cards?

So, with this card, it is a little different. Usually, credit cards are conceptualized as having benefits as rewards to use whenever needed, which helps to save money. But this card is not constructed as a reward credit card like Smartearn but as a lifestyle credit card Like platinum travel credit card or charge credit card . This makes it different from other cards and also a little better.

Who Should Opt For This Credit Card?

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card has such things that rarely any other card would offer. The things like Membership Benefits, Online Fraud Protection, Lost Card Liability, Contactless Payment, Exciting Offers and Reward Benefits, Emergency Card Replacement, Premium Concierge Service, and Online Fraud Protection. For more you can also check out mobikwik Blue American Express credit card.

All these benefits are not just to attract people, but they do offer to their customers. So, to enjoy all these benefits and to have fun, you should opt for this American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card.

Features & Benefits

I. welcome benefit.

You can get a bonus of 11,000 membership of reward points with this card. You can access this welcome gift only when you spend R.30,000 in 3 months and pay your joining fee in the first year of your card membership.

ii. Lounge Access

You can enjoy free access with American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card at all domestic and Delhi airports.

iii. Multiple Reward Redemption

With the below things, you can redeem your reward points.

• To pay a credit bill, you can accumulate points for paying.
• From 500 merchant establishments, you can redeem your points.
• You can also book your flight tickets by using your membership reward points.

iv. Fuel Benefit

If you use HPCL fuel stations, you will get a fee waived off up to Rs.25,000, but no charge will be taken. But transactions above Rs.25,000 0.3% fee will be charged.

v. Premium Hotel Membership

You get an option of enjoying the luxury of the hotel and resorts, as this card includes the booking privileges, including the Taj SeleQtions Vivanta Hotels.

vi. Dining Privileges

All across the world, you can have extra dining privileges at all the partnered restaurants and merchants.

vii. Bonus Vouchers

You can get a voucher for 1 year of Rs.6,000 to enjoy online shopping and movies.

viii. Golf Benefits

With your American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card, you can get access to the top 32 Golf courses in major Indian cities.

ix. Healthcare Benefits

You can benefit from healthcare from Fortis Healthcare, Max Healthcare, and Medical Concierge.

• A priority Pass is given, which will give you the priority to access the airport lounge whenever your travel takes you wherever. There will be no consideration of your class of travel or through which airline you flew. The member can access all the facilities inside the lounge.
• For instance, your accident occurs in the air, this membership gives you advance safety insurance of Rs.1 crore.
• From AmEx, you get a Platinum concierge. The luxurious benefits include household management to chauffeur services, pet care, sourcing tickets for events, movies, concerts, senior citizen care, and many more.
• In segregation business expenses, 1 extra account handling card, from 4 supplementary add-on cards.

Fees & Charges

Eligibility & documents required.

• The cardholder should be above 18 years of age.
• The cardholder should have Rs.6 Lakhs income every year.
• The credit history of the cardholder should be good.
• The cardholder should have a credit card from at least 1 bank.
• The cardholder should be a citizen of India.
• If the cardholder is self-employed, the company should be active for more than 12 months.
• The cardholder should be Bhopal, Surat, Mumbai, Vadodara, Jaipur, Goa, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Vizag, Ernakulam, Hyderabad, Guntur, Chandigarh, Indore, Bhubaneshwar, Kanchipuram, or Vijayawada.

How To Apply For The Card?

If you are ready to apply for this card, then follow the below steps: –

• To on this website https://www.americanexpress.com/in/credit-cards/platinum-reserve-credit-card/ to gear up your process.
• Then it leads you to the page to give details like residential city, income, occupation, and many more. After that, you may proceed further.
• Then it will lead you to the list of credit cards, their select American Express Platinum Reserve Travel Credit Card.
• There you can check the eligibility for your chosen card, but you will have to add details.
• After your eligibility is checked and matched with it, proceed by filling the detailed form.
• After this, you will be told for documentation, for that you will have to wait for the call from the company and decide the time and place.
• Then to collect the documents from your located place and time, an agent will come to you and collect the necessary documents.
• After they collect the documents, the company will go through all your information, and if it matches their policies, the credit card will be issued for you.

1. How much is the Annual Fee on this American Express Platinum ReserveCredit Card?

2. how much is the foreign transaction mark-up fee on this american express reserve credit card, 3. has american express platinum reserve credit card given access to use the lounge, 4. will i be charged extra if i use my american express platinum reserve credit card overseas, similar cards, some of the suggested travel credit cards.

This card is not something special from other cards, but the only best quality about this card is that you can get a platinum credit card at a minimum cost. You will not find any other platinum credit card on this annual fee, and you should opt for this card for once at least.

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Find the best credit card for you

The 6 best chase travel credit cards of 2024, chase issues some of the top travel credit cards that earn airline miles, hotel points and flexible travel rewards..

If you're looking for a travel credit card , one of the top card issuers to consider is Chase. The best Chase credit cards offer valuable travel perks and earn flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. For brand loyalists, Chase also issues co-branded credit cards for airlines and hotels such as Marriott and United.

To help you choose the best Chase travel credit card for your situation, CNBC Select analyzed travel cards issued by Chase, weighing each card's perks and costs (see our methodology for more information on how we choose the best Chase travel credit cards).

Best Chase travel credit cards

• Best for beginners:   Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Best for no annual fee: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for business owners: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Best for premium benefits: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Best for IHG stays: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
• Best for Southwest flyers: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Best for beginners

Chase sapphire preferred® card.

Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, and $50 annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Regular APR

21.49% - 28.49% variable on purchases and balance transfers

Balance transfer fee

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee

Credit needed.

Excellent/Good

Terms apply.

Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review .

• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Travel℠
• Transfer points to leading frequent travel programs at a 1:1 rate, including: IHG® Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy™ and World of Hyatt®
• Travel protections include: auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance and trip delay reimbursement
• No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.
• $95 annual fee
• No introductory 0% APR

Who's this for? The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a reasonable annual fee, a versatile rewards program and a generous welcome bonus . This makes it a beginner-friendly option if you're looking for your first travel card.

Standout benefits:  The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns Ultimate Rewards points. You can redeem them for one cent each for things like cash back or gift cards. If you use Ultimate Rewards points to pay for travel you book through Chase Travel℠ , the value bumps up to 1.25 cents per point. You can also transfer Chase points at a 1:1 ratio to over a dozen partner travel programs, including United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards and World of Hyatt.

[ Jump to more details ]

Best for no annual fee

Chase freedom unlimited®.

Enjoy 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; and 3% cash back on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

0% for the first 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers

20.49% - 29.24% variable

Intro fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars

Member FDIC. Terms apply.

Read our Chase Freedom Unlimited® review.

• No annual fee
• Rewards can be transferred to a Chase Ultimate Rewards card
• Generous welcome bonus
• 3% fee charged on foreign transactions

Who's this for? The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is ideal if you want a card with no annual fee and a high rewards rate for everyday purchases. It's also excellent to pair with another Ultimate Rewards® card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred , as you can convert your cashback into fully transferrable Ultimate Rewards® points.

Standout benefits : The Freedom Unlimited is technically a cash-back credit card , but it can be much more if you pair it with a Chase card that enables transfers, such as the Sapphire Preferred . This allows you to transfer the rewards you earn with your Freedom Unlimited to all of Chase's transfer partners, which can greatly boost the value you receive with this no-annual-fee card .

Best for business owners

Ink business preferred® credit card.

Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in select categories each account anniversary year (travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines), 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

21.24% - 26.24% variable

Good/Excellent

Read our Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card review.

• Free employee cards
• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase TravelSM
• 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs
• Generous welcome bonus worth up to $1,000
• No introductory 0% financing offers for purchases or balance transfers

Who's this for? The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is great if you're a business owner who wants to earn flexible travel rewards thanks to its generous bonus spending categories.

Standout benefits: The Ink Business Preferred earns 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 in combined purchases you spend each account anniversary year on shipping, advertising (social media and search engines), travel and internet, cable and phone services. That's a large number of useful bonus categories for businesses that can help you amass a hoard of Chase Ultimate Rewards points quickly.

Best for premium benefits

Chase sapphire reserve®.

Earn 5X total points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

22.49% - 29.49% variable

5%, minimum $5

Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review.

• $300 annual travel credit for travel purchases
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit up to $100 every four years
• Priority Pass™ Select lounge access at 1,000+ VIP lounges in over 500 cities worldwide
• Points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Travel℠
• Special benefits at The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
• Complimentary year of Lyft Pink membership
• High annual fee, but it can be offset by taking advantage of all the card’s perks
• No introductory APR
• Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $1,469
• Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $3,346

Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus

Who's this for? The Chase Sapphire Reserve is ideal if you have a strong credit score and want premium perks like airport lounge access and built-in travel protections.

Standout benefits:  With the Chase Sapphire Reserve , you'll get an up to $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card. This credit automatically applies to eligible travel purchases, from airfare and lodging to public transit and parking fees, so it's incredibly easy to use. You can also enroll for unlimited access to 1,300+ Priority Pass™ airport lounges .

Best for IHG stays

Ihg one rewards premier credit card.

Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts, 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants, 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases

Earn 140,000 Bonus Points

21.49% - 28.49% variable

• Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier card member
• One reward night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide
• Fourth reward night when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay.
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 every 4 years
• No annual travel credits
• Estimated points earned after 1 year: 173,089
• Estimated points earned after 5 years: 365,446

Who's this for? The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a perfect fit if you frequent IHG hotels because of its brand-specific perks. However, it also provides enough value that even the occasional guest can benefit from having this hotel credit card .

Standout hotel benefits: For every account anniversary, you'll receive a free night award valid at IHG hotels that cost up to 40,000 points. You can also top off this award if the night costs more than 40,000 points. If you want to book a room that costs 55,000 points, you could still use your award and pay the 15,000-point difference. This benefit alone can be valuable enough to justify paying the card's annual fee.

Best for Southwest flyers

Southwest rapid rewards® priority credit card.

Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare; 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming. 1X points on all other purchases

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Foreign transaction fees

• Southwest upgraded boarding on up to 4 tickets per year
• 7,500 bonus points on each account anniversary
• $75 Southwest annual travel credit
• 4 upgraded boardings per year when available
• $149 annual fee
• No special financing offers

Who's this for?  If you love Southwest's consumer-friendly policies such as free checked bags and no change or cancellation fees, you'll appreciate the additional perks that come with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card .

Standout benefits: Having the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card makes earning the Southwest Companion Pass easier because the points you earn (including the welcome bonus) count toward qualifying and you get a 10,000 qualifying-point boost every year. The Companion Pass is incredibly valuable because it allows you to bring a guest on any Southwest flight for the cost of taxes and fees.

More on our top travel credit cards

It can be easy to justify paying the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card's annual fee if you consider the value of the points you'll earn and its ongoing benefits.

• 5X points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 5X points per dollar on Lyft rides through Mar. 31, 2025
• 3X points per dollar on dining
• 3X points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
• 3X points per dollar on select streaming services
• 2X points per dollar on all other travel purchases
• 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Notable perks

Many of the Sapphire Preferred's benefits offer a fixed value that in total, more than offsets its annual fee. These perks include:

• Up to $50 in annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel℠
• 10% points boost every card anniversary
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership for at least one year when you activate by Dec. 31, 2024 (normally costs $9.99 a month or $96 for an annual plan)

This card also has an extensive list of insurance benefits. Eligible purchases qualify for:

• Trip delay reimbursement
• Primary rental car collision coverage
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Roadside dispatch
• Travel accident insurance
• Travel and emergency assistance services
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection

You'll also have a range of redemption options for the rewards you earn. You can use Chase points to receive cash back at a rate of one cent per point and to pay for travel you book through Chase Travel℠ at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. If you want to unlock further value, the Sapphire Preferred also allows you to transfer Chase points to airline and hotel loyalty programs such as  Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards , Air Canada Aeroplan, IHG One Rewards,  Marriott Bonvoy and more.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a great card to pair with other Chase cards because it earns a minimum of 1.5% cash back on all purchases and has no annual fee.

• 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 5% back on Lyft rides (through March 2025)
• 3% back at drugstores
• 3% back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services)
• 1.5% back on all other purchases

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on all purchases up to $20,000 spent in the first year.

When you open a new Freedom Unlimited account, you'll receive a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months from account opening on new purchases and balance transfers. After that, a variable 20.49% to 29.24% APR applies. The intro balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount of each transfer with a $5 minimum (applies to transfers you make in the first 60 days of opening the account). Once the intro balance transfer fee expires, the fee increases to 5% of the amount you transfer or $5, whichever is greater.

You can also take advantage of the following built-in coverages:

• Rental car collision insurance (secondary in the U.S.)

The Freedom Unlimited is a cash-back card, but if you have another Chase card that allows points transfers, you can move your rewards to that card and transfer them. That makes this card a great partner with cards like:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Having the option to convert your rewards into airline miles or hotel points, gives you a wider range of options to maximize the value you receive.

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a versatile business card with an unusually generous intro bonus offer.

• 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
• 3X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases in these categories each account anniversary year: shipping, advertising (with select social media sites and search engines), travel, internet, cable and phone services
• 1X points on all other purchases

Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

There is no additional fee for adding employee cards and there are no foreign transaction fees . You and the employees you add to your account can take advantage of a range of insurance benefits, including:

• Rental car insurance (primary when renting for business purposes)
• Cell phone protection

The Ink Business Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points, which you can redeem for cash back, travel gift cards and more. These points are worth one cent each for redemptions like cash back or gift cards . The value increases by 25% (1.25 cents per point) if you use your points to book and pay for travel through Chase Travel℠. With this card, you also have the option to transfer points to any Chase travel partner at a 1:1 ratio. These partners include Marriott Bonvoy, Emirates Skywards , Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and more.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has everything you should look for in a luxury travel card including generous statement credit benefits, airport lounge access and a robust list of shopping and travel protections.

• 10X total points per dollar on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠*
• 10X points per dollar on Lyft purchases through March 2025
• 10X total points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 (earn a maximum of 50,000 total points through March 2025)
• 5X total points per dollar on flights purchased through Chase Travel℠*
• 3X points per dollar on other travel*

*After the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually

The Sapphire Reserve has a significant $550 annual fee, but it also has lots of benefits that provide more than enough value to make the annual fee worth it. You can take advantage of:

• Up to $300 in annual travel credits
• Unlimited Priority Pass lounge access for you and up to two guests (normally costs $469 for free visits with a $35 guest fee)
• Up to $100 in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus fee credit once every four years
• Two years of complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership (worth $199 a year) when activated by Dec. 31, 2024
• At least one year of complimentary DashPass membership when activated by Dec. 31, 2024
• $5 in DoorDash credit each month through Dec. 31, 2024

If you're fed up with paying extra to insure a trip or receive additional warranty coverage for big purchases, the Sapphire Reserve provides many of these benefits automatically. Eligible purchases are covered by:

• Return protection
• Trip interruption/cancellation insurance
• Baggage delay protection
• Emergency medical and dental insurance

The Sapphire Reserve gives you access to the same travel partners as other Chase cards, but it comes with an increased redemption value when you use points to pay for travel booked through Chase Travel℠. With these redemptions, your points are worth 50% more or 1.5 cents per point. Of course, it's always possible you can receive a higher value per point by transferring your rewards to programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan or Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and booking costly flights.

This card has no foreign transaction fees.

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card will make your next IHG stay more rewarding and comfortable because of its bonus points on IHG purchases and IHG Platinum elite status perk.

• 10X points at IHG hotels and resorts
• 5X points on travel
• 5X points at gas stations
• 5X points at restaurants
• 3X points on all other purchases

Earn 140,000 points after spending $3,000 on the card in the first three months from account opening.

If you value IHG One status, you'll appreciate the automatic Platinum status you'll receive just for having the card. You also have a path to earning IHG Diamond status after spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year. On top of that, every year you keep the card you'll receive a free night award valid for rooms that cost up to 40,000 points, and you can top off the award with extra points to book a more expensive room.

By having this card, you can indirectly boost the value of your IHG points because of its fourth-night free benefit. When you use points to book an IHG stay of at least four consecutive nights, the fourth night is free. There is no limit to how often you can use this benefit, so the savings can be massive.

The card also comes with statement credit offers and other perks, including:

• A 20% discount on IHG points purchases
• Up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash each year ($25 deposit twice per year)
• Up to $100 every four years in application fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS
• Earn a $100 statement credit and 10,000 IHG points after spending $20,000 on your card in a calendar year

It also has no foreign transaction fees and insurance benefits such as purchase protection and trip cancellation/interruption coverage.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card can help you fast-track your journey to earning Southwest A-List elite status.

• 3X points on Southwest purchases
• 2X points on hotel and rental cars booked through Southwest
• 2X points on local transit
• 2X points on internet, cable and phone services

Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card has the highest annual fee of any Southwest consumer credit card but has the most valuable benefits. Every year, you'll receive a $75 Southwest travel credit and 7,500 bonus points (worth roughly $97). If you can fully utilize both offers, you'll more than offset this card's annual fee.

Having a Southwest card is one of the best ways to fast-track your way to earning a Southwest Companion Pass. The points you earn from spending with this card and from its welcome offer both qualify toward earning a Companion Pass. You also receive a 10,000 qualifying-point boost every calendar year.

Earning Southwest status is also easier with this card. You will earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for every $5,000 you spend annually, and there is no limit on the number of TQPs you can earn. You can also take advantage of 25% back on inflight purchases and four upgraded boardings every year (when available).

This card comes with travel and purchase protections such as roadside dispatch, rental car damage waiver, purchase protection, extended warranty protection, lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance and travel accident insurance.

Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.  Sign up here .

Chase travel credit card application rules

Chase has several additional application restrictions, some of which are card-specific. The first rule typically applies to any Chase credit card you apply for and is known as the Chase 5/24 rule . The way it works is that you're unlikely to be approved for a Chase card if you've opened five or more cards from any bank in the past 24 months.

There are also specific restrictions for these cards:

IHG One Rewards credit cards

You aren't eligible for a personal IHG One Rewards card if you currently have any personal IHG One Rewards card. You also aren't eligible for a personal IHG One Rewards card if you've earned an intro bonus offer from any personal IHG One Rewards card in the previous 24 months.

The same limitation applies to the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card . You aren't eligible for an IHG One Rewards business card if you currently have and IHG One Rewards business card or if you've earned an intro bonus from and IHG One Rewards business card in the previous 24 months.

That said, if you open an IHG business card, you can still qualify for a personal IHG card and vice versa.

Southwest credit card application rules

Chase currently issues three personal Southwest credit cards and two Southwest business credit cards. You can have one personal Southwest card and one business Southwest card at a time. However, you aren't eligible for a new personal Southwest card if you currently have a personal Southwest card or have earned a new card member intro bonus from a Southwest personal card in the previous 24 months. The same rule applies to Southwest business cards, you aren't eligible for a Southwest business card if you currently have one or have earned a Southwest business card intro bonus in the previous 24 months.

Marriott Bonvoy credit card application rules

Both Chase and American Express issue Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards . These hotel credit cards have complicated restrictions and waiting periods based on what cards you have, have had and when you earned previous Marriott Bonvoy card welcome bonuses. This makes it important to carefully review each card's specific terms before applying because even having an Amex Marriott card could impact whether you're eligible for a new cardmember bonus

Chase Sapphire credit card application rules

If you want to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® , the rules are more restrictive compared to other Chase cards. If you currently have or have had any Sapphire card in the last 48 months, you aren't eligible for any version of the Sapphire card.

It is possible to call and product change between the cards if you already have an account. So you could upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve to take advantage of its increased perks or downgrade to the Sapphire Preferred if you want to pay a smaller annual fee.

World of Hyatt credit card application rules

You won't qualify for the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card or World of Hyatt Credit Card if you currently have that card or have earned a welcome bonus from that card in the past 24 months. However, having a personal Hyatt card won't restrict you from opening a Hyatt Business card and vice versa.

United credit card application rules

Chase and United Airlines have partnered to issue several personal and business credit cards. The additional application guidelines are the same for all Chase United credit cards. For most United cards (personal or business), you aren't eligible for a specific card product if you currently have that exact card or have earned an intro bonus from that card in the past 24 months.

One exception is the United Club℠ Infinite Card , which you won't qualify for if you currently have any United Club card or if you have earned an intro bonus from any United Club card in the previous 24 months.

Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our  credit card marketplace  or get personalized offers via  CardMatch™ .

Pros and cons of Chase travel credit cards

Chase travel credit cards rank among the top credit cards for all sorts of travel. It issues several co-branded airline and hotel credit cards. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are also some of the most valuable and useful travel points you can earn.

However, you typically need a higher credit score to qualify for the best Chase travel cards. As valuable as the rewards may be, the miles and points you earn can be complicated to redeem to maximum value.

Pros of Chase travel credit cards

• The miles and points you earn can be used to book high-value travel like business-class tickets or luxury hotels
• Some premium Chase cards offer luxury perks like airport lounge access or automatic elite status
• Many of these cards have exceptionally valuable welcome bonuses, with the best offers worth more than $1,000

Cons of Chase travel credit cards$

• Redeeming travel rewards for the highest value can sometimes be a complicated endeavor
• Most of these travel cards have annual fees and the cards with the best perks have the highest annual fees
• To qualify for the best Chase travel card, you'll typically need a higher good to excellent credit score

What does Chase count as a travel purchase?

Whether a transaction falls under the travel category depends on how Visa and Mastercard classify that merchant. However, Chase lists a large range of category classifications as travel, including airlines, hotels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, campgrounds, trains, buses, taxis, ferries, tolls, parking and discount travel sites.

Do Chase credit cards have travel protections?

Many Chase credit cards have travel insurance benefits including trip delay reimbursement, rental car coverage, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and more. However, the specific protections vary by card. Check your card's benefits guide to confirm what specific coverages you have and the fine print.

What hotels are partners with Chase?

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to the following hotel loyalty programs: Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards and World of Hyatt. Chase also issues co-branded hotel credit cards for all three brands.

Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best Chase travel credit cards.

Our methodology

To determine which Chase travel credit cards offer the best value, CNBC Select analyzed Chase's travel card offerings based on a range of features. We considered rewards (e.g., cash back, points and miles), annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cash back).    We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.  

When choosing the best Chase travel cards, we focused on relevant features, such as cards that are widely accepted internationally and provide consumers with bonus rewards on travel spending. We prioritized additional perks that may be useful when traveling, such as travel protections and elite status benefits. 

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of  credit cards ,  banking  and  money , and follow us on  TikTok ,  Facebook ,  Instagram  and  Twitter  to stay up to date.

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American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card Review by Manish

My first credit card from the Amex stable was the Platinum Travel card . When I was contemplating applying for my second card from American Express two years ago, the obvious choice was the Jet Airways American Express Credit Card. The other alternative, the Gold Charge Card was ruled out as I am basically not a fan of charge cards, as I believe there is nothing like a no limit card. A charge card is basically a card with a dynamic limit based on past usage and payment patterns, where the issuer has already set a limit to what you could charge, but only the card holder is not aware of the same.

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card

The Amex Jet card was looking attractive with an earn rate of 6 JP miles for every Rs. 100 spent. As I was about to apply, came the news of devaluation in October 2014 not only in terms of mileage earnings but also of stripping of reward points on spends on fuel, insurance and utility spends. Since a significant proportion of my expenditure came in these categories, and since I also held a premium Jet (Amex version) card from ICICI (with a much lower annual fee, better renewal benefits & similar reward structure) where I could keep earning JP miles on these categories too, I decided against applying for the Jet AmEx card.

It was then that the AmEx representative suggested to me the Platinum Reserve Card. On initial study, the reward points on this card did not look any different from the Platinum Travel card (without the milestone benefits and with higher annual fees). However, after delving deeply about the other benefits and considering the various perks involved, I decided to apply for this card and use it for a year at least.

However, I am satisfied with the card, reasons include the unrivaled AmEx customer service and periodic offers thrown in like,

• Amex BookMyShow Vouchers
• 3% cashback on fuel

which somehow compensates the poor reward structure on the card. It is the topmost credit card in the AmEx hierarchy.

Features of American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card

Joining Benefits:

A welcome rewards of 11,000 membership points which partially compensates the first year fee.

Joining Fee: Rs. 5,000 + ST

Lounge access:

The American Express Platinum Reserve card offers 12 complimentary visits annually to the American Express Lounges at Delhi & Mumbai Airport. The only other cards which allow access to these privileged lounges is the Platinum charge card & the Jet AmEx Card. (At that time when I had applied, there was no complimentary access on the platinum travel card , which has been recently introduced, and that still does not include access to the Amex Lounges)

Golf benefits:

If you are a golf connoisseur, this card is for you. You not only get complimentary access (green fee waiver) to leading golf courses, but also golf lessons at select courses. Details on the AmEx website.

Taj Inner circle & Epicure Plus membership:

This card gives you complimentary Gold Tier membership to Taj Inner Circle & Epicure Plus, where you get 25% off on all your dining expenses at the Taj group along with discount and upgrade vouchers. The only other cards which provide this complimentary membership are the HDFC Infinia & Regalia , Citi Prestige , AmEx Platinum Charge Card, ICICI Diamant, Kotak Signature Royale (1 st year only on the paid version), the Yes First Exclusive and the newly launched Axis Reserve Card.

• The cost of this membership on a standalone basis is Rs. 9,750 + ST.

Other Elite Memberships:

Complimentary gold tier membership of the Trident Privilege & Preferred group of hotels and complimentary additional night stays at the Oberoi group of Hotels.

Other Benefits on Amex Platinum Reserve Credit Card:

• Special offers like Taj Vouchers, spend based, from time to time (not advertised though)
• Special healthcare & discounts from Max healthcare, Fortis Healthcare & Texas group
• Platinum concierge from AmEx
• Priority Pass
• Air accident insurance of Rs. 1 crore
• Apart from 4 supplementary add on cards, 1 additional account card for segregating business expenses.

However, to summarize the annual fee of Rs. 10,000/- may seem on the higher side, though that is also dependent on your spend and payment patterns. This is basically a lifestyle card and not a rewards card.

CardExpert Rating: 4/5 [yasr_overall_rating]

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118 thoughts on “ American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card Review by Manish ”

Ah finally! Precise review. Thanks a lot mate!

Very incisive review. Thanks.

This card is worth it for Amex lounge and Golf green fee waiver alone. If you even hit the sticks twice a year you cover the cost. Plus, Amex lounges are infinitely better experience than Plaza lounges, which have become no better than a McD environment since every card seems to be offering complimentary access to them these days.

For the uninitiated, Amex platinum “Do Anything” concierge is unbelievable. If you’ve used Visa Infinite concierge, multiply the efficiency by 100. They found my gf’s phone which she did not even know where she forgot (on flight or in Uber). They did the tracking top to bottom, delivered the phone to our home.

That’s unbelievably interesting about Do Anything Concierge thing!

It’s not available on Platinum Reserve Card. Its for Platinum Card only.

It is available for platinum reserve also. They will take all the same requests as the platinum card, except any travel/booking related requests.

Awesome! Didn’t expect such a service from a concierge.

How much do they charge for such conceirge services

wanted to know if there is a way to check the points required for First Collection Rewards

I wanted to apply for this card and I have been told by Amex Customer Care that I can only hold 1 amex credit card and other credit card has to be co-branded like Jet or MMT. Can anyone confirm if they have both Platinum Reserve as well as Platinum Travel cards.

You can have 2 Credit cards + 1 charge card.

It’s 1 Credit + 1 Co-Branded + 1 Charge

Hi, Can you confirm is the card still offers 1 night stay complimentary part of the deal? as i didnt see under the benefits.

Hi Mr. Bawa,

yes the platinum reserve is still offering 1 night stay complimentary on booking of 2 nights stay at Oberoi

BR Rohit Tandon

Does this card offer any spending based bonus points or offers?

after a lot of thinking i have applied for this card just for the Taj epicure membership which is 13500+taxes as my membership has expired. although i did a mistake i think of applying through agent where i could have earned refereal credits. The first year fees can be recovered as per the agent through 11000 welcome points and 5000 each for 2 supplementary card which he said is applicable only if i apply from him. so i took the risk. I am planning to close my Platinum travel card in this renewal and transfer its limit to this card.

Ah Man, you should have applied it during March to take advantage of bonus points on add-on cards.

But the RM has told that i will get 5k om suppl now also.

AFAIK, its revised to 2k or so.

Also is the card worth. This is the only card i am thinking a lot as reward structure is bad. Sorry for multiple posts.

Add-on offer + SPG transfers makes the card work, for now.

Is it worth every year to pay around 15k for Taj Membership ? When I went through the card features , there is nothing mentioned regarding Taj Epicure Membership I am seeing only the below content Enjoy complimentary Silver Tier membership to Taj InnerCircle and get Late Check Out*. 10% discount on room redemption rate.

Click on the details and the links will take you to platinum reserve website which mentions every features in details. There it is mentioned taj epicure membership under dining tab.

Mouli i think the card fees is repaid in terms of 1.if you go just to the bars in taj during happy hours and use 1+1 offer which i have conformed, so in 1 visit u can save around 1k for 1 round of drinks. So in 10 visits u save 10k + 25%back as points. 2. Those who play golf then the payback period can be as short as 2-4 weeks as in metros the green fee is around 2k.

For second year i may or may not review depending on the offer at that time. There is no other card except yes exclusive that gives the membership.

I have purchased the Epicure membership, Thanks Prashant for the inout

Is there any restriction for 1+1 during the happy hours ? Shall I take my friend and still avail the 1+1 ? Should the billing be done by 8 or the last order should be by 8 and still we can be in the bar after that? Is it applicable only for beverages or for food that we order in the bar too? Sorry for putting lot of questions

Thanks, Mouli

Hi. 1+1 is irrespective of number of persons and any number of rounds of drinks ordered. Its only on alcohol and not food. Billing has to be closed by 8. We generally order and close bill by 8 and sit till late and enjoy the drinks 😀. Cheers

Thanks Prashant for your valuable input , shortly I am going to use 1+1 Really 1+1 alone justifies paying 15k for Epicure Membership !!

@Prashant Gupta,

Very good choice, go ahead with the Platinum Reserve Card. I was initially taken back after I got the card that was it worth 10k every year but now i feel it was a very good decision. AMEX keeps running special discounts sales, offers only on Platinum Charge, Centurion and Reserve Cards every now and then. Currently they are running a 25% flat discount on Taj Hotel Bookings over the lowest market available rates.

AMEX considers Reserve Card with the same tier as Platinum Charge & Centurion Cards. I feel this is one of their Premium Cards.

They also offer you two room upgrade vouchers and discounts on F&B on their Silver Membership.

Thanks Jay for sharing your inputs. Also i think 1 night free stay voucher which is part of the epicure membership will not be given with this card as this is not a directly paid membership.

Can you confirm if the offer is still valid ??

25% discount.

Cheers, Kiran

I checked the Taj 25% rate. Its room only rate. Most other websites have rates with free breakfast. I think the most honest hotel rates credit card offers are prestige one night free and smart buy (33% with black)

Nope, they don’t offer a free night voucher with Amex Based silver membership

What’s the maximum limit available on the Reserve card??

Any have this info?

Max limit that can be approved by Amex is only Rs. 8 lakhs but, the Reserve card has another secret benefit where depending on your usage and payment patterns, the system will allow you to use over the limit. My card has a limit of Rs. 2.4 lakhs but I can use it for approx Rs. 5.5 – 6 lakhs.

” #Max limit that can be approved by Amex is only Rs. 8 lakhs” Nikhil I dont agree… I recently applied for my first amex card…. plt. reserve through their ongoing promotion offer of first year free through their airport sale point… and amex approved my card with 9L + limit….I think basically its depends on your income proof/ITR… nothing else….their is no rigid written rule in terms of max limit..

Received this today, some nice add on and changes:

Important information about your American Express® Platinum ReserveSM Credit Card.

Dear Cardmember, We are pleased to let you know that we have added new benefits to your American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Cardmembership to complement your discerning tastes and make your journey more enjoyable. WHAT’S NEW Enjoy movie vouchers or online shopping vouchers worth Rs.6,000 per year* Beginning 1st September, 2018, enroll and get monthly vouchers worth Rs.500 per month from either BookMyShow or Flipkart when you spend Rs.25,000 or more in a calendar month. You can choose either partner (BookMyShow or Flipkart) at the time of enrollment* to enjoy this privilege. To enroll for vouchers from BookMyShow#, please click here or To enroll for vouchers from Flipkart#, please click here Experience dining with EazyDiner Prime Enjoy complimentary membership to one of the most premium dining programmes in the country. Enjoy up to 50% off at over 450 premium restaurants along with a 24-hour VIP line and more. You can also enjoy a complimentary drink with every booking at over 100+ restaurants and more. To enroll for EazyDiner Prime membership, please click here Receive hotel credit worth up to Rs.5,0001 (USD 75) with The Hotel Collection The Hotel Collection includes curated properties from premium hotel chains such as Hyatt and Hilton Hotels, available through the American Express® International Travel website. Get hotel credit worth up to Rs.5,0001 (USD 75) to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities, and a room upgrade (if available), when you book a stay of 2 or more nights at over 500 hotels through American Express International Travel website. WHAT’S CHANGING We also wanted to let you know about a revision to the lounge access programme available on your Card. Beginning 23rd September, 2018, you will enjoy 12 complimentary lounge visits to 33 domestic airport lounges in India, limited to 3 times per quarter**. To view the list of lounges you can access, please click here You will continue to enjoy complimentary Priority Pass membership worth $99 every year. We hope you enjoy the value and convenience these changes bring along with them. Sincerely,

Cool. Certainly helps to increase the reward rate. Thanks for sharing!

Will write a separate article on it shortly.

I wanted to know what is the INR value of 1 reward point earned on the AMEX platinum CHARGE card? incase 1 goes for redemption / cash back.

Hi Siddharth,

Can you review Amex platinum card in India? I wonder why fees is 50k in India whereas it’s 400$ or so abroad?

When you Visit International lounge through priority pass, how much are you charged on the card? Is Amex lounges available in all airports? Is it only international ?

Lounge access charges are i think USD27 or 31. There are only 2 amamezez lounges in india which can be accessed.

What is the reward rate on this card?

Hi Siddharth, I have been following cardexpert for some time now, Great work. I have read almost all of your posts. I came across an american express kiosk at bengaluru airport (domestic departures) and they are offering the platinum reserve credit card at zero annual fee for the first year, and free thereafter if we spend over 5 lac annually (only if applied through airport kiosks).

Yes, this airport offer is for new customers & not existing Amex Cardholders.

Airport offer also applicable for existing customers, yesterday I applied for platinum reverse and got also got email confirmation regarding offer. Sales person told there won’t be credit check, if existing Amex holder is still working in same MNC and resident address also same as existing card.

I checked there concierge. For domestic travel (+hotels), they say book on mmt. For international travel , book directly on amex.co.in/travel They don’t take requests for transfers from airport to hotel etc, but can book self drive car on there website. I asked them a week back to suggest an itinerary for upcoming travel like places to see/eat etc and they said today that they are still working on it.

That is hard for me to digest, honestly. I thought Reserve shares at least travel line with Amex Plat. The travel line with Plat is great. Just a few weeks back I lost my key to apartment, as my spare key is with my relative 40 kms out, I called Plat travel line while actually driving. I asked them to find me a place to crash, they suggested a Hilton nearby. I said cheaper, I just need a bed to crash. He found me a FabHotel but said he cannot book. As soon as I said I’m driving, he said hold on, called the hotel (or maybe Fab customer support), got me a booking and got back to me that he has booked it for me and I should just go to hotel and pay, and that I should get an email from Fab. I mean, this isn’t even a hotel that is on the Amex system. It took me under 5 minutes. At 2 AM. Talk about “having your back.”

Yes, for domestic economy booking they do suggest to book directly through Amex Travel online but that’s because concierge booking takes back and forth and economy pricing fluctuates in that while.

There is a reason why Reserve is being given out for free. In all possibility it is a watered down offering now.

For this lack of proper concierge, I was thinking Citi Prestige is a better card from second year. Even though fees is double, they kind of cover the fees through Taj/ITC vouchers and 10K miles whereas Amex reserve doesn’t give anything and I don’t play golf either. Amex travel portal also has very few options of hotels. Citi also gives 100% cash back on eazy diner, along with PP for addons also, limo etc, whereas Amex reserve doesnt seem much useful. There 25%off on Taj was useful I think for business travelers maybe but not for holidays as it was without breakfast and not much difference in rates.

As people have said, Citi Prestige concierge is great. Any thoughts on this, just from concierge point of view (without bringing in real Amex platinum here in comparison :)?

Citi Prestige concierge is great. Not Amex Plat great, but not by much, and you won’t find the difference unless you’re asking something really out of the way. They have successfully got me into fully booked clubs within minutes while I stood outside and called them, they can pretty much book anything for you just like Amex. One good thing about Citi’s offering is that if you use the concierge enough, you seem to be getting the same guy every time you call (for the most part), and that makes life easy.

And yes, Reserve is a pretty useless card when compared to Prestige. Prestige is fully comparable to Amex Plat actually. It costs less because it comes with fewer sticker perks. But the service is actually better than Plat for card related stuff — for example, Citi has a proper Prestige line, a group of customer service folks specifically for Prestige. Plat does not have Platinum line in India till now, and I regularly get BS information from Amex customer reps about the card.

Go for Prestige. You will love it.

Is there a separate Plat Travel line? Isn’t it the same Amex customer care for all cards except the top end?

Gkcards, I’ve been contemplating the exact same thing. I do use golf on plat reserve, but citi prestige has that too. I’ve used the reserve concierge a few times with varying degrees of success. * They were unable to get me a last minute table at courtyard marriott BLR. When pressed, they said they don’t have tie ups with any restaurants in India except taj. This was a shocker for me. * they took more than a week to get back to me on advice/research on booking elephant safari in the NE. * I had an unusual last minute request, but they politely declined saying they need 24 hours to work on it.

While the concierge of plat reserve is much better than that of diners black, I think it might be inferior to that of the plat charge card. Amex says its the same concierge service and same company, but I’m not sure how sincere they are when handling requests from reserve customers as opposed to the platinum customers.

Can someone comment on quality of usual and unconventional concierge requests with plat charge card (Amex guy?) or the citi prestige concierge.

They haven’t yet got back on my itinerary request yet, and its been almost 10 days. I would say one part of DCB concierge is great, which is booking assistance for flights and hotels. Of course its same as what’s available on site, it helps sometimes when the site doesnt work. Amex reserve simply says do it online, which has far far less options than DCB.

Will use reserve or should I say keep it for a year and cancel it. Maybe go for Prestige as AmexGuy said. But I love DCB for points.

> “Amex says its the same concierge service and same company”

Nope. They seem to have lied to you to sell the card. While the concierge comes from Aspire Lifestyle, it is very different. Aspire provides a range of different service levels — the appalling Diners and Yes Bank concierge is Aspire too.

Plat/Cent actually share the same concierge, with Cent getting an additional RM. I regularly get emails from them with Centurion branding. 😀 But this version of concierge is trained to provide services like Platinum Emergency line, there is no way Reserve shares this. I used to think maybe travel line is same among all 3 cards. Apparently not.

> “I do use golf on plat reserve, but citi prestige has that too.”

Nope, it does not. Citi Prestige local golf has obscene (sometimes 3) minimum flight requirements. If you already know 2 club members, great. But you don’t get that minimum flight of 1 on weekdays and 2 on weekends that you get with Amex. I’d save the Prestige golf slots to use them internationally. For local clubs, Amex is the king. You only get 3 free/ year on Prestige, and then 1 for every 50K spend.

> “Can someone comment on quality of usual and unconventional concierge requests”

For Citi — I mostly call them to get into clubs on Fridays and Saturdays, regardless of their stag policy. More often than not, they get me in. Apart from that, I call them for hotels, due to 4th night free benefit. They are as efficient as Plat. I book 2 free limo rides every year. Very efficient there too. I once booked on short notice which is technically against terms, but the guy was still able to check and book as it was still available.

For Plat — I don’t even know where to start. They are great assisstance while travelling, arranged liquor on short notice at house parties, medicine delivery when I was sick, I sometimes make them sit and find the cheapest beer deal I can get after work. Then there are courier pick ups, last mile assistance, document delivery that they can arrange. Visa assistance is right on the money, but that is more travel desk’s doing. They once got me a bottle of Yamazaki at like 8K lesser price than market, and delivered it next day to my home. I don’t use them for restaurant booking unless its for free wine because I’m a sucker for offers, but apparently they are good in that area. You might wanna read how they got out a Plat cardmember and his friends during Nepal earthquake. There is also medical assistance where you simply call Amex and they arrange for just about everything to get you into hospital.

That said, I know people who claim to have terrible experiences with both Prestige and Plat in this regard. So I guess it depends on your requests too. Most people start out by asking them to book economy fares and lash out when they fail to do so. The best way to know is to get and use the card and see if they can provide what you’re looking for. 🙂 Amex will remind you full money, and Citi will refund pro-rata if you decide to give up the card.

What Plat misses out is on is that there is no dedicated customer care team for it. Prestige, on the other hand, has a separate Prestige line.

Thanks AmexGuy. Yesterday I asked them for Prestige in morning and it was approved by evening. I have PM for many years now and Citi account over a decade.

Since you took Prestige in Dec, note an important fine print — the 2 complimentary airport meet and greet are per calendar year not card membership year. Meaning, you got 2 of them to use within December or you’d lose them. You’ll get 2 fresh ones in Jan. So make sure you use them this month if possible. 🙂

Thanks for this info. I am travelling with family, and this is per person. As we are 3 ppl, I will have to pay $100 extra, so didn’t avail. But have booked the airport transfer, is that also per calendar year? I feel meet and greet is more tailored for business travelers who travel solo than family travelers. Any trick which can be used here for meet and greet? Airport transfer again is limited to 40kms, which I feel is less as Bangalore airport is far from city.

Airport transfer and meet and greet come from same quota. So yes, you have 2 of those as well till Dec. If you don’t want meet and greet service or isn’t available on your airport or terminal, you can still at least use airport transfer component of it.

As AmexGuy said, concierge of prestige/plat/reserve is managed by Aspire Lifestyles, but the level of service you get depends on card type. I guess usual requests will be what’s listed like table reservations, courier, flowers etc, and that probably all can do. It’s the unusual/unlisted requests where the difference would come – like safari in NE, emergency requests etc

how much do they charge for all these services, this would be good thing to know as well?

Thanks a ton for the detailed insights, Amex guy.

Just out of curiosity, which city are you based out of? Also when you ask plat concierge to run you errands, which service do they use? I personally use dunzo a lot so I wondered if it is better than that. Dunzo does require a lot of your involvement like directions, instructions, payment etc.

I got the plat reserve for free for a year thanks to a special offer for my company and I’m reaping the benefits effectively for free. For example Green fees at prestige golf shire is 5000+ for weekends and I get that for free. And you can avail this 4 times a month! Perhaps I’ll opt for the citi prestige in the following months.

I’m based out of Gurgaon. Plat uses different service depending on area I guess. Can’t really tell because delivery guys work for multiple companies. Once a guy showed up with my medicines in Amazon Prime Now clothing. Perhaps he works for a company that Amazon contracts with. But I’ve never asked which company sent them, perhaps I will next time.

Dunzo arrived in Gurgaon a few months back. I’ve heard great things about it from Bangalore folks, but it seems way too much work. I still am yet to get a proper order delivered through them. Got very close once but it took them forever to assign a person that it was easier to just cancel and order from Swiggy. Plat concierge is definitely a better experience than Dunzo. I mean, for a month they could not send login OTP to Jio numbers, so definitely not a company I’ll associate with customer service.

If you Golf, then giving up Reserve would be unwise, especially if you have a corporate offer. As such, Reserve and Prestige is a great combination of cards to have.

Dunzo is good in Bangalore, have tried twice. Got the stuff in less than an hour, which was great.

Hey Amex Guy. Is there a difference between Corporate Platinum Charge Card and the Personal One? The fees for Corporate is 29k which is almost half of personal but in terms of benefits is there a difference?

Yes! Corporate Plat (which I used to have because they gave 25K voucher on 29K fees) is a significantly watered down version — no dining memberships, no hotel memberships, no 3X on forex, no golf, no Plat emergency, no IAP. The only things it shares with Personal is travel desk (without offers), FHR, PP, and earning rate. You cannot even access the Centurion area in Mumbai lounge with it.

The only feature it has over Personal is Boingo. But then, Corp Gold gets it too.

Amex guy, are u talking about clubs in India? So they put u on the guest list?

Depends on the club. For some clubs, they put you on guest list. For others, they get you in but you have to visit and ask to talk to guest relations person who knows to let you in. Either way, you are in.

If you are a single man, this is a key perk to have.

Tip for people flying from Bangalore airport: Amex has set up 2 kiosks in the lounges (Above ground floor and plaza premium). They are giving an amazing offer on platinum reserve card and I applied for it. The first year membership is free and waiver of annual fee if the spends are more than 5l from 2nd year onwards. That’s a super offer for this card as per me. These terms and conditions were sent to me in writing over an email.

They do have some offer running for amex travel platinum too, but since i have that already i did not bother.

Same benofita are given online as well

Amex guy What kind of clubs are you talking about? Yes I’m single

Hold your horses Ram. I don’t think they are “Gentlemen Club” :-p

Got an offer today: spend Rs50k and get Rs2.5K flipkart voucher.

I have not used the card for a long time.

Cool. So you can get 3k Voucher by combining it with Monthly Vouchers Programme.

Oh…i forgot about that. Thanks. Donno i will be using the card or not. I hope i do. Lets see.

Hey Sid there’s a change in the Amex Reserve cards benefit – —————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Sub : Important update about the Golf Programme on your American Express® Platinum ReserveSM Credit Card.

Dear Nihar Ranjan Das, We’re writing to let you know about a change in the Golf Programme on your American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card. Currently, your Card gives you complimentary access to 32 golf courses in India, four (4) times in a calendar month. Starting 30th March, 2019, your access is being changed to two (2) times in a calendar month. To view the complete list of 32 accessible golf courses, please click here Introducing an upgrade under the Hotel Collection We are happy to let you know about a delightful upgrade under the Hotel Collection. The hotel credit has been raised from USD75 to USD100. You can now spend up to USD100 on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities under the Hotel Collection, when you book a stay of 2 or more nights at over 600 hotels through the American Express International Travel website. You can also enjoy a room upgrade under this programme, should one be available. Click here to visit the American Express International Travel website. Click here to view the Most Important Terms and Conditions. We hope you make the most of these benefits. Sincerely, American Express Banking Corp. Terms and Conditions apply American Express Banking Corp.

Thanks for sharing. Got to explore how to maximise the upgrade/$100 benefit.

Hi Thought this might interest a few. Had a long chat with Amex Sales Manager yesterday. Was amazed by his knowledge, friendliness and forthrightness for starters. Some take aways 1. Every March Amex relooks at its offerings across various cards. 2. Platinum Reserve will not have Amex wellness benefits soon. 3. In fact some dumbing down of Plat Reserve seems to be in the works so that it doesn’t seem too valuable than the now almost defunct Jet Amex. 4. 50% off on Oberoi suites + 3/4 nite free offer they seem to be testing for Plat Charge. 5. A citi prestige plat charge (Amex variant) at 55k annual fees was introduced last Dec apparently. It has all prestige and most Plat charge benefits. The card will be offered only to new citi gold customers with an initial savings account funding of 25L. (Wonder if this is the card which some responders here and on another blog kept us in suspense about 🙂 6. He persuaded me to go for Plat Charge for a year atleast, instead of Plat Reserve ( I was trying to get a bargain for Jet having compelled me to close to Jet Amex). 7. He spoke of even getting a second year Plat charge waiver for a customer with annual spends of 10L only… When the customer wanted to close the card. (Possibly a high profile customer) 8. He has definitely made me think closely about Plat Charge! 9. Airport Amex desk today offered Plat Reserve free for first year without joining bonus RP of course. Same offer as Plat Travel. Wonder if that too is indicative of the devaluation of Plat Reserve?

I guess then the best cards to have are, especially for people like me who dont have business travel, Diners black and Amex platinum travel, and 1 visa/master like Yes Exclusive, unless there are specific needs. YFE will take care of lounge access, DCB 10x will kind of take care of movies. YFE is free, DCB will waive fees based on spends or otherwise they will give equivalent points. So only 5k need to be paid for amex plat

That 5K too could get waived of, just like it did this year for me 🙂

On what basis do they waive off that, spend based (how much) or you say you want to cancel, or just ask if they can waive off renewal fees? I heard they offer it lifetime free for many companies

“5. A citi prestige plat charge (Amex variant) at 55k annual fees was introduced last Dec apparently. It has all prestige and most Plat charge benefits. The card will be offered only to new citi gold customers with an initial savings account funding of 25L.”

I didnt understand it. Is Amex launching a co-branded card with Citi ? Is it even possible ? Citigold requirement is 75 lacs. 25 lacs will get Priority I guess

“7. He spoke of even getting a second year Plat charge waiver for a customer with annual spends of 10L only… When the customer wanted to close the card. (Possibly a high profile customer)”

From what i read on the forum , if your spending is north of 50 lacs Amex might contemplate a waiver.

If all this is true, please get this in writing from the Amex SM as this seems too good to be true.

It’s a no big deal for someone spending 50L in a year just on cards to pay a fee of 70k.

Amex will never give this in writing for the plat charge as this depends on a case by case basis. When I used to work there, I’ve seen plat charge card holders who spend more than 1 cr a year but no waiver. The retention team usually give around 2-3 Lakh points as compensation instead which mostly makes up for more than what you pay as annual fees. Their policy for the reversal of annual fees is very dynamic for almost every card and changes every ~1-2 years.

Placed request for closure of Plat Reserve card. Just to have relationship with Amex i was offered gold credit card which is lifetime free.

Gold CC LTF with Plat travel you mean?

I only had Plat Reserve which i am closing. Now i will be having gold cc ltf.

I already have Gold charge and MRCC on my wife’s name.

The retention team is authorised to provide Ltf gold cc (no benefits at all) for almost anyone who is closing their final amex cards. This ensures that you are still privy to the various amex and merchant offers but no card based benefits.

i was also given ltf gold everyday spend card from amex.

being LTF i still closed it, because the cards rewards structure is sad

I too closed reserve card, was not using it anyways. Have rewards card LTF

Holding Plat Reserve for the last 1 yr, not much value that I find , only the T3 Delhi Amex lounge and T2 Mumbai lounge along with 500 monthly Flipkart voucher on spend of 25 K are to talk of, else everything is very placid . Not one card where you put 5 L business to seek waiver of fees . Not good even from miles transfer perspective. It is easier to earn miles through the MRCC.

Can supplementary card holders also access the amex lounges ? Are those visits also part of the quota of 12 for the year ?

No . Only primary care holder gets the lounge access. 3 per quarter within India only.

I got approved for the Platinum Reserve Credit Card and its on the way home but its limit is only 2.5Lac 🙁

My ITR is near 50lac and CIBIL is around 790 but still such a low limit? Customer care says its starting limit for everyone is that true? I have to do a payment of 7lac to Taj in Nov will a letter from my side be enough to get the limit raised or will I need to use it 3-6months?

They would need 6 months gap to touch the credit limit again. Yes, Amex always starts with low limit.

What is their Charge Card policy?

Would I get a 8+lac limit on a American Express Platinum Card for which I am eligible and can apply along with my current card?

What are your limits for AMEX cards?

Amex is flexible if you can prove that you have the funds to pay off the card dues. You will have to call & ask them to bump up your limit as a one time thing and send your latest bank statement to prove that you can pay off the 7L. The customer care is good, they may bump it up for you. Cheers!

I did call and resubmited my ITR & Statement both are in high double digits yet again was given the Amex always starts with low limit excuse but they did budge after my several mails to top people and gave a Rs.5000 increase to my limit. Yes thats right after almost 20 emails to top management I got limit increased from 2.50 to 2.55 😛

So sadly enough the Taj bill was paid with HDFC Regalia.

Get a Citi Prestige or HDFC infinia to pay for Taj, those points have a better value compared to one on reserve or better get a platinum charge card

I downgraded from DCB to Regalia because of addon card priority pass and had to pay the bill with Regalia. I tried for Citi Prestige but I could not get it on a fresh application 🙁

Does HDFC allows downgrades?

HDFC considers Regalia, DCB, Infinia and Privilege to be the super-premium categories. you can interchange within these 4 and its not considered downgrade.

Could someone provide insights into Concierge requests and cost/charges associated with it. I understand AMEX Plat is marketed as ‘do anything concierge’ however I would like to understand if one is paying for it other than the Annual Fee.

It is just a marketing gimmick.

Is spending around 40-50k per month enough to increase the limit on the card after 6 to 12 months?

I have used paytm, online shopping, etc and came to the realization that I cant use more than 40-50k per month on this card because its not accepted everywhere. This month’s bill will come to around 46k.

Followup on this its been 6 months now ‘Still 2.5lac limit’ and I am spending 40-50k every month and today I had called up customer care for limit increase to which they replied that all requests for limit increase will be entertained after 3rd May and to call after that date.

Other than this I tried to load 1.6Lac under paytm 3x wallet offer but the transaction did not go thru. My KYC in paytm is done and I did not understand why it did not work.

Does this card still provide gold tier membership to TIC? Or is it Shang Jade which then provides TIC gold? Asking this because platinum charge card gives tic silver. Thanks.

Platinum gives you Shang Jade which matches to a Taj Gold. Not even the Citi prestige gets you a Taj Gold.

Shangrila jade is on amexcharge or reserve. I think it’s on charge platinum

now, amex reserve is giving silver taj and second year 10k without any gift or points etc etc. not worth 10k every year

It is surprising that AMEX does not give any renewal benefits on its cards. After all they charge the annual fee every year. Why is it then that bonus is given only for joining and not on renewal ? It is high time customers force Amex to change some of its policies. Their reward rate and acceptance is also poor. In most cases, you have to wait for their reward offers to get good reward rates. These offers are entirely on the whims of AMEX.

I wonder why this card is there in Amex portfolio or why will a customer take this from second year? Rather take Citi Prestige which is slightly lesser fees than reserve (excluding 10K voucher and 2500 points) and gives 4th night free and priority pass

Its due for a refresh.

Got MRCC as a companion card for this but with a limit of 2.9lac 😛

My Reserve can’t get a LE because of ITR/Low spending of 40-50k per month but a new companion membership card gets a limit more than the highest CC Amex has. My Reserve still stuck at 2.5lac and just to clear the air I asked the CC if they can cancel my companion membership card lateron and shift the limit to my Reserve to make the limit 2.5+2.9 to which they agreed but I still rather just get those sweet 1k points every month.

BTW The Platinum Concierge is not stable now a days at all and it took them hour’s to book a hotel in Shimla but took min’s for the same in Manali. The LE process has also gone to the dogs for now can still cancel the new companion membership card later on and get a bump on the Reserves limit.

I got a call from AMEX to go for Platinum reserve card also the executive said that on second year renewal you will be asked if you want to go ahead. Also the executive said that if you are not willing to pay 10k you can ask to drop golf benefits and thos card will be free to you. Not sure if this is true

I had tried to use a similar formula had negotiated a lot but to no avail thats when they suggested that I apply for the Platinum charge card “Had already received an invite for it” and make the reserve card a companion to that and the fee will be refunded on a pro-rata basis.

It’s time to update the article after the complimentary membership of Accor traveler

Yes, Will do a separate review with updated benefits in a while.

Good morning,

Your user review of the American Express Platinum Reserve card, is most commendable.

I do have a question though. You mentioned that this card allows the holder entry into the airport lounges operated by American Express. However, no mention of this benefit is found anywhere on the website of American Express India. Moreover, there are PDF files which mention the various lounges which can be accessed using this card. Those lounges are operated by other vendors and not by American Express.

So sir, can you say with certainty that American Express Platinum Reserve Card allows access to the lounges operated by American Express? It would be very helpful if you could kindly clarify this aspect.

With thanks, Regards,

They revoked that benefit on Reserve recently.

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American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card Review

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card

Welcome Benefits

Fees & charges, eligibility criteria, milestone benefits, how will you redeem these monthly e-vouchers, info regarding emi transactions, how to redeem, airport lounge access, fuel surcharge waiver, dining delights.

• Taj Epicure Plus Membership
• EazyDiner Prime Membership

Zomato Pro Membership ( Surprise Addition )

Supplementary cards.

• Zero Lost Card Liability

Welcome to our comprehensive American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card review! 

You’ve landed on the right page if you’re searching for the ultimate credit card to elevate your rewards game. This review will explore all the remarkable perks and exclusive benefits of being an American Express Platinum Reserve Cardholder.

So, sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and get ready to find out if this premium financial companion is the perfect choice for you.

Rest assured, our  easy-to-understand  and  reader-friendly  article will guide you through all the essential information, making your decision-making process a breeze no matter which language you speak.

Let’s dive in!

• 1st Year Fee:  Rs 5,000 + GST
• 2nd Year Onwards:  Rs 10,000 + GST
• Best For  Travel | Dining | Shopping
• Unique Feature:  If you spend 5 Lakhs a year with your card, you’ll score a sweet Taj Stay voucher worth 10,000! You can use it at any Taj, SeleQtions, or Vivanta Hotel.

Currently, an offer is going on to get an American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card with ”  No 1st Year Fee “. Also, you will earn 2,000 Membership Reward Points.

• Complimentary 1-year membership of Taj Epicure Plus.
• Complimentary 1-year membership of EazyDiner Prime.
• Welcome Gift of 11,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points.
• If Salaried/Self-Employed:  You should have an annual income of Rs. 6 Lacs or above.
• If Self-Employed:  The company has been trading for more than 12 months.

A few other important criteria are:

• You should be over 18 years of age.
• You should have an Indian or multinational bank’s savings or current account in India.
• You should have a good credit history and no payment defaults.
• You should have a permanent residential address in India.

There is important information regarding availing of any American Express Credit Card.

American Express Credit Cards are currently issued to residents of Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Indore, Coimbatore, Chandigarh/Tricity, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Nasik, Trivandrum and Mysuru

Benefits of Spending Rs 5 Lakhs in a Membership Year

Get a Taj stay voucher worth Rs. 10,000 upon spending Rs. 5 Lakhs within one year of card membership while paying the annual fees of Rs. 10,000 on your card.

Monthly Voucher Programme

Simply spend Rs 25,000 or more in a calendar month, and get a unique gift code worth Rs 500. This gift code can be redeemed at various popular brands in India.

It is mandatory to “enrol” in the programme to avail of this monthly benefit.

Once you get the e-voucher, please be mindful of its usage conditions:

• The e-voucher Redemption must be completed in a single session.
• The e-voucher promo code will expire after 90 days from the date of issuance.
• The e-voucher promo code can only be redeemed for e-vouchers from the following brands: Flipkart, BookMyShow, Shoppers Stop, Myntra, Big Basket, PVR, and MakeMyTrip .
• The validity of the e-voucher promo code cannot be extended.
• Eligible card members should visit the link within 90 days of receiving the promo code.
• Enter the promo code (provided by American Express on your registered email ID) and your registered mobile number, then click on “Get OTP”.
• Submit the OTP and provide your choice of brand and delivery details.
• Double-check the accuracy of your delivery details before clicking on “Redeem”. The selected brand e-voucher will be sent to the email address and mobile number provided in the previous step.

Rewards Programme

As a cardholder, you’ll earn 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs. 50 you spend (excluding fuel, insurance, utilities, cash transactions, and EMI conversion at the point of sale).

Utilities: electricity, water and gas bills

Fuel: petrol, diesel, CNG from Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs)

Utility Services: providers of household/domestic electricity, gas and water. These providers can be government departments and agencies including local, state, and municipal organizations, public housing societies and apartment associations.

I will try to give some important info regarding EMI transactions:

You can earn Membership Rewards® Points

All EMI transactions made through American Express® SafeKey and any post-purchase EMI conversions.

You can’t earn Membership Rewards® Points

Any EMI option selected from a merchant’s website, such as online shopping with Amazon or Flipkart, and any EMI option selected at a merchant’s terminal, such as a Chip and PIN transaction at a Croma retail store, etc.

You can redeem your reward points for more than 500 travel, dining, accessories, and more options. With the convenient’ Pay with Points’ feature, you can use your Membership Rewards Points to pay for your flights.

Additionally, you can use your Membership Rewards Points to cover your Card charges, providing added flexibility through Select and Pay.

We’ve all been there — long layovers, crowded terminals, and noisy surroundings. However, when you have the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card, you can wave goodbye to those discomforts.

One of its most desirable features is the  complimentary airport lounge access  that comes with being a cardholder, a treasure for frequent travellers.

Effective September 1, 2023 , access to domestic “The Centurion® American Express Lounges” in Delhi and Mumbai on your American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card will no longer be available.

For  international travel , you will get a complimentary membership of Priority Pass worth $99.

Exclusion in Priority Pass

• You must pay a usage fee of $35+GST for every international lounge visit.
• Only the “membership” is complimentary; the access fee is not complimentary.
• 0% convenience fee  on fuel purchases under Rs. 5,000 at HPCL Petrol Pumps!
• 1% convenience fee  on fuel purchases above Rs. 5,000 at HPCL Petrol Pumps.

If you relish wining and dining at the finest establishments, then the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card could be your passport to a world of culinary satisfaction.

With its Fine Dining, every meal becomes an opportunity to revel in an exceptional dining experience at premier restaurants around the globe.

Enjoy exciting discounts of up to 20% on the  selected restaurants .

‘Icing on Cake’ for Being a Platinum Reserve User

Luxury and hospitality go hand in hand with your American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card, thanks to the  complimentary Taj Epicure Plus Membership . This valuable perk unlocks a world of sophisticated experiences catering to discerning cardholders seeking nothing short of excellence in dining and hospitality at the renowned Taj Group of Hotels .

I got an email from Amex on 30th October 2023 informing me of updates in Taj Epicure Membership. Effective 1st November 2023, these updates were implemented.

As a Taj Epicure Plus member, you’ll enjoy exclusive benefits such as attractive room discounts, priority check-in, and late checkout.

The Complimentary Taj Epicure Plus Membership is available for 1 year.

And that’s not all – indulge your taste buds at participating Taj restaurants with enticing dining offers and personalized rewards earned through your annual card expenditure.

In our relatable and reader-friendly article, we’ll provide all the critical information to make the most of your Taj Epicure Plus Membership. Our human perspective ensures that understanding this coveted benefit will be a breeze no matter your language.

Prepare to enter the world of unparalleled luxury, comfort, and gastronomic delights with the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card. Stay with us as we continue exploring the remarkable advantages of this great card.

Contact Details ( Epicure Member Services )

• Phone:  1800 102 6080
• Email:   [email protected]
• Timings: Monday – Sunday, 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM (IST)

An exciting feast of flavours awaits you with your American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card! One standout perk is the  Complimentary EazyDiner Prime Membership  that comes with being a cardholder. It’s your ticket to the fast lane for discovering and booking the finest dining spots in town.

• Assured 25% to 50% discount at premium restaurants and bars.
• Joining Bonus of 2000 EazyPoints .
• Earn 2X EazyPoints and redeem them for free meals faster.
• Preferential reservations for Prime members.
• Dedicated 24-hour VIP line for Prime members, accessible at 7861004400 .

How to Enrol?

To enrol, please call American Express helpline no. 1800-419-1030

You have to follow these guidelines if you wish to avail EazyDiner membership:

• This is a prepaid membership only valid for Basic card members.
• The offer period is valid until February 29, 2024.
• The EazyDiner Prime membership lasts for 12 months from the date of enrollment. Effective May 1st, 2023, due to a policy change, card members will need to renew their membership annually.
• Card members must enroll in EazyDiner Prime membership on or before the offer end date of February 29, 2024. If a card member has already purchased an EazyDiner Prime membership before enrolling under this benefit, their membership will automatically be extended for the following year, provided they hold an active eligible American Express card.

Unfold the joy of premium dining experiences with the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card. Stay tuned as we continue to dish out the juicy details of this top-tier credit card.

A delicious culinary journey is within your reach with the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card! An exceptional benefit that cardholders will adore is the  Complimentary Zomato Pro Membership . It’s the perfect companion for those who love dining out at top-notch restaurants or enjoying gourmet meals delivered to their doorstep.

Surprise Addition !!

The membership was not part of the existing benefit. Amex recently added this membership to the Platinum Reserve Card.

The Amex team informed me through emails.

As a cardholder, you get four(4)  free  supplementary cards. After that, you must pay Rs 1500 + GST for each card.

Have you ever experienced that nerve-wracking moment when you can’t find your credit card? You can bid farewell to such worries with the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card.

One soothing feature of this card is the  Zero Lost Card Liability  benefit, offering you peace of mind in the face of unforeseen mishaps.

If you, as a card member have acted in good faith, your liability to American Express in the case of any unauthorized use of the Credit Card will be zero if American Express receives the report within 3 working days of the fraud. If the report is made after 3 working days, the customer’s maximum liability will be limited to Rs. 1000 .

Our comprehensive review deeply discussed the unparalleled benefits of the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card. From exquisite dining experiences and top-notch hospitality to convenient delivery services and a reliable security feature, this card is an outstanding companion for your lifestyle preferences.

To recap, the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card enhances your day-to-day life with features like:

• Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
• Dining Benefits
• Zomato Pro Membership
• Customer Service ( Unmatched in India )

Embrace the world of luxury, comfort, and peace of mind with the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card. Treat yourself to a life of grandeur as you enjoy the unmatched perks this exceptional card brings to the table.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to elevate your lifestyle and experiences – apply for your American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card today!

Please read the other posts:

• American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card Review
• American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card Review

What dining experiences can I expect with the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card?

The card welcomes you to an exquisite dining experience. You also get complimentary access to Taj Epicure Plus, EazyDiner Prime, and Zomato Pro memberships, offering discounts and exclusive benefits at top restaurants.

Does this credit card offer airport lounge access?

The American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card offers complimentary airport lounge access. Specific terms and conditions may apply and can differ between airports.

What are the eligibility criteria for the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card?

Typically, American Express requires applicants to be at least 18 years old, have a good credit history, and meet income requirements. Read our blog for more details.

What benefits do I get with Taj Epicure Plus Membership?

Taj Epicure Plus Membership offers benefits like room discounts, priority check-in and late checkout, dining offers, and personalized rewards at the Taj Group of Hotels.

How does the Zero Lost Card Liability work?

With Zero Lost Card Liability, you won’t be held responsible for any fraudulent charges made on your card from the moment you report your card as lost or stolen to American Express.

Does the American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card offer a fuel surcharge waiver?

Yes, cardholders can avail of a fuel surcharge waiver. However, the offer may be subject to specific terms and conditions, including a maximum monthly waiver cap.

About The Author

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Vote for your favorite rewards credit card!

USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

A good rewards credit card offers users greater flexibility on how they earn and redeem points, with no need to fly the same airline, stay in the same hotel chain, or rent from the same car company on every trip. We asked a panel of miles-and-points experts to tell us their favorite general rewards credit cards, and we need you to help us pick a winner. Vote for your favorite card once per day until voting ends on Monday, July 29 at noon ET. We'll announce the 10 winning credit cards on Wednesday, August 7.  Read the official  Readers' Choice rules .

A good rewards credit card offers users greater flexibility on how they earn and redeem points, with no need to fly the same airline, stay in the same hotel chain, or rent from the same car company on every trip. We...   Read More

Best Rewards Credit Card Nominees

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American Express Business Gold Card

The American Express Business Gold Card features a 70,000-point sign-up bonus with qualifying purchases. Cardholders also have the chance to earn four points per dollar on the two categories (out of six possible categories) where your business spends the most each billing cycle.

American Express Gold Card

The American Express Gold Card offers cardholders with excellent credit several perks and benefits, including the chance to earn three points per dollar spent booking flights directly from airlines and four points per dollar spent at grocery stores and restaurants (including takeout and delivery). The card also comes with a $120 annual dining credit and $120 in Uber Cash.

American Express Green Card

The American Express Green Card comes with a 40,000-point sign-up bonus after qualifying purchases and no foreign transaction fees. Cardholders earn three points per dollar spent on dining (including takeout and delivery), transit, airfare, hotels, and car rentals. Other perks include a $189 CLEAR Plus credit and $100 LoungeBuddy credit.

American Express Platinum Card

While the Platinum Card from American Express has a higher-than-average annual fee, it can be well worth it, thanks to perks like a 125,000-point sign-up bonus (after qualifying purchases), $200 airline fee credit, $15 worth of Uber rides or Eats orders each month, $189 CLEAR Plus credit, and the chance to earn five points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines and on prepaid hotels.

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Bank of America Premium Rewards Visa

With the Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card, cardholders earn 60,000 bonus points with qualifying purchases, 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining and 1.5 points per dollar on everything else. Other perks include up to $200 in travel statement credits, travel insurance protections, and no foreign transaction fees.

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Bilt Mastercard issued by Wells Fargo

Designed for convenience and flexibility, Bilt cardholders enjoy rewards without any annual fee and earn points for everyday purchases, including rent. Those points can be redeemed for flights, hotels, car rentals, and experiences, or you can transfer them to a number of loyalty partners like IHG One Rewards and United MileagePlus.

Blue Business Plus from American Express

New cardholders with Blue Business Plus from American Express can earn 50,000 rewards points with qualifying purchases in the first three months. And the card nets users 2 points per dollar spent on business purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year.

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Capital One Savor

Capital One Savor offers unlimited 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, as well as popular streaming services, and 3% cash back at grocery stores. New cardmembers enjoy a $300 bonus with qualifying purchases. The card also comes with nice benefits, such as no foreign transaction fees and 24/7 complimentary concierge service.

Capital One Venture Rewards

Venture Rewards cardholders earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases. When paired with an attractive 75,000-mile sign-up bonus (after $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months), a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and flexible redemption options, it becomes a great all-around card for frequent travelers who want a simple and effective way to earn miles.

Capital One Venture X Rewards

With the Capital One Venture X Rewards card, your travel will earn you big benefits. Within the first three months of membership, a bonus of 75,000 free miles is rewarded to members that spend $4,000. Earn two times the miles for all purchases, five times the miles on every flight booked with Capital One Travel, and 10 times the miles on hotels and rental cars booked with Capital One Travel. 

Capital One VentureOne Rewards

With the Capital One VentureOne Rewards card, cardholders earn unlimited 1.25 miles per dollar on all purchases, as well as 20,000 bonus miles with qualifying purchases — all with no annual fee. Plus, you can earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

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Chase Freedom Flex Mastercard

Generous cash-back rewards are available if you carry a Chase Freedom Flex Mastercard, including rotating bonus categories that offer higher cash-back rates. Another great perk is the lengthy introductory 0% APR period for balance transfers and purchases, helping you save on interest charges. This card also provides valuable purchase protection benefits, such as extended warranty coverage and purchase protection against damage or theft.

Photo courtesy of Chase

Chase Freedom Unlimited Visa

Chase Freedom Unlimited cardholders earn 5% cash back on travel through Chase Travel, 3% on restaurants, and 1.5% on all purchases. There's no annual fee, and the card comes with a $200 cash-back bonus offer on $500 of purchases in the first three months. Even better, the cash-back rewards don't expire.

Photo courtesy of Chase Ink

Chase Ink Business Premier

The Chase Ink Business Premier credit card provides valuable travel and purchase protections, including trip cancellation/interruption insurance, rental car insurance, cell phone protection, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection. Cardholders also earn 2% to 5% cash back on every purchase, and points that are redeemed through Chase Travel have a boosted rate of 25% more value.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Sapphire Preferred offers perks like a 60,000-point sign-up bonus, no foreign transaction fees, and the chance to earn 5 points per dollar spent on travel through Chase Travel. Cardholders enjoy 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases. Points can be converted one-to-one with several loyalty programs, including United and Southwest.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a 60,000-point sign-up bonus, plus a $300 annual travel credit, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, no foreign transaction fees, and 3 points per dollar spent on travel and restaurants worldwide. Cardholders get 50% more value when they redeem points through Chase Travel.

Photo courtesy of Maca and Naca / E+

Citi Strata Premier Card

The Citi Strata Premier card earns cardholders an annual $100 hotel credit, plus 3 points per dollar spent on travel, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations. That's in addition to 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals, and experiences booked through CitiTravel.com. Points can be transferred to partners like TrueBlue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

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Discover it Cash Back

Discover it cardholders earn 5% cash back on rotating categories like gas stations, Amazon.com, restaurants, and grocery stores, plus 1% back on all other purchases. Discover matches the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, and cash-back rewards never expire.

Quicksilver from Capital One

Quicksilver from Capital One offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, a $200 sign-up bonus, no annual fees, and no foreign transaction fees. With rewards that don't expire, it's a great low-fee, low-maintenance option for cardholders who value simplicity.

Photo courtesy of pixelfit // Getty Images

Wells Fargo Autograph Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers several standout perks to keep their customers in motion. Cardholders enjoy three times the points in many purchasing categories including gas, travel, restaurants, and transit. That's in addition to access to 24/7 concierge services, assisting you with various requests such as event tickets, reservations, and special experiences.

About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best .

The Experts

Cheryl maguire.

Cheryl Maguire holds a Master of Counseling...   Read More

Cheryl Maguire holds a Master of Counseling Psychology degree. She is married and the mother of twins and a daughter. She writes about travel, mental health, science, and parenting. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, AARP, NatGeo, The Washington Post, Success Magazine, Parents Magazine, and many other publications. She is a professional member of ASJA and an active member of SATW. You can find her on X at @CherylMaguire05.

Cindy Greenstein

Cindy Greenstein is a mother of three young adults...   Read More

Cindy Greenstein is a mother of three young adults and a credit-card points expert who loves to travel for free. During her more than 20 years of marriage, she has used credit card points to travel the world while rarely paying for airline flights and hotel rooms. Some of her five-figure travel savings include trips to Aspen ($26,000); Greece ($23,000) and London ($15,000). Her favorite credit cards for point accumulation include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture X and American Express Gold. Cindy—an attorney and former certified public accountant—founded The Points Mom to share her credit card rewards-program expertise with family friends and small business owners who don’t have the time to learn how to maximize their points. Her services include one-on-one consultations, group consultations, speaking engagements, and reward-program tutorials. She provides the latest offers as well as tons of tips and tricks on Instagram at thepointsmom_ . When Cindy pays for travel or hotels, she is strategic about the credit cards that she uses. For example, on her trips she pays with the card that will earn her the most rewards, gets her the closest to elite status and offers her the most lucrative benefits.

Travel Mom Squad

Alex, Pam, and Jess are the women behind Travel...   Read More

Alex, Pam, and Jess are the women behind Travel Mom Squad. They are a trio of moms (and one is grandma) who love to travel the world for nearly free, thanks to credit card points and miles. Learning how to leverage credit card points and miles has allowed them to have incredible travel experiences they never imagined were possible. They've traveled to places like Hawaii, Greece, Africa, Italy, Mexico, Bora Bora, and more all for nearly free Using their knowledge of credit card points and miles, they teach others how to do the same so they can see the world for nearly free as well! Find them at  travelmomsquad.com , Instagram , or their podcast . 

10Best Editors

USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,...   Read More

USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.

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Credit cards

Here’s what I wish I’d known before canceling my Chase Sapphire Preferred

Allie Johnson

Ashley Barnett

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Robin Saks Frankel

Published 6:39 a.m. UTC July 4, 2024

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scyther5, Getty Images

During the heart of the pandemic, I logged into my Chase account and felt a jolt of surprise when I saw the $95 annual fee for my favorite travel credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . At the time, my only “travel” consisted of curbside pickup runs, so I decided to try to get my money back.

As a credit card journalist, I know you can often get an annual fee removed from your bill if you immediately call the card company to cancel or downgrade to a no-annual-fee card . So I called to change from my Chase Sapphire Preferred, not giving much thought to the travel benefits I’d lose. 

The Chase representative suggested I switch to the no-annual-fee Chase Sapphire card, a little-known card not available to new cardholders. I agreed to the product change and used the card without noticing much difference — until I took a long trip to South America and got hit with foreign transaction fees .

Here is my cautionary tale about downgrading a card without taking a full inventory of the benefits you’ll be losing — and how you can avoid making my silly mistake.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Welcome bonus.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Regular APR

Credit score.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Editor’s take

• Flexible points that can be transferred to 14 travel partners or redeemed through Chase Travel℠ at 1.25 cents each.
• $50 annual statement credit toward Chase Travel hotel bookings.
• Valuable travel protections.
• $95 annual fee.
• Category bonuses are limited and not competitive against other travel cards.
• Transfer partner list is limited compared to programs like Amex Membership® Rewards and Citi ThankYou®.

Card details

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• Member FDIC

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a winner for travel

Before I downgraded, my Chase Sapphire Preferred served as my go-to travel card for many years, with a solid slate of benefits that more than made up for the annual fee. Once I realized my mistake, I upgraded back to the card again because it’s one of the best travel credit cards on the market for moderately frequent travelers.

I don’t travel quite enough to justify a premium travel card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or The Platinum Card® from American Express , but the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a perfect fit for me. Why do I like the card so much?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has loads of travel and dining benefits, including:

• A solid welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
• A good rewards structure with bonus categories for travel and dining purchases.
• Excellent travel coverage, including trip cancellation/delay and delayed luggage coverage.
• Primary auto rental collision damage waiver in the U.S. and abroad.
• Purchase and extended warranty protection.
• No foreign transaction fees.

The card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points , one of the most flexible point currencies on the market. These points can be redeemed through the Chase Travel℠ portal or transferred to one of Chase’s airline or hotel partners for potentially better value.

The card served me well on many international trips, including vacations to Argentina and Spain with my husband and a solo language-learning trip to Guatemala. With its top-notch travel protections, I always used it to buy plane tickets and rent cars in the U.S. and abroad, enjoying the peace of mind that comes from having primary auto rental insurance coverage on a card.

And, in my international travels, I saved hundreds of dollars by not paying foreign transaction fees .

My silly mistake in downgrading my Chase Sapphire Preferred

When I downgraded my Chase Sapphire Preferred to the plain Chase Sapphire card, I had one thing on my mind: getting a credit back for my $95 annual fee.

Because this was 2020 and we were right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was barely leaving home, except to pick up groceries or stock up on cleaning products and hand sanitizer. International travel seemed like a distant memory.

For that reason, I didn’t ask the Chase representative much about what benefits I’d be giving up by trading my Chase Sapphire Preferred for the more basic version of the card. I didn’t ask about rewards earning rates, which are a little lower, and I definitely didn’t think to quiz her about foreign transaction fees. 

I got my money back, and I was happy with the downgraded card — until I got to South America and started using the card for dining out, groceries and other daily expenses.

My trip to Uruguay and getting surprised with fees

In late 2021, my husband and I were finally able to take a dream trip that got postponed by the pandemic: A year in Uruguay. We had both fallen in love with the tiny country, known for its beaches and sunsets, on a side trip from a previous Argentina vacation.

There was a flurry of activity to get ready for such a long trip, including getting our house ready for Airbnb guests, that credit cards weren’t top of mind. In fact, I forgot I had downgraded my Chase Sapphire card.

We got to Uruguay and settled into our apartment, hitting the local pet store to buy a bed and food for our dog, buying a bunch of household items and of course exploring the capital city of Montevideo as tourists. We visited museums, tasted Uruguayan wine and hit plenty of parillas — grill restaurants where Uruguay’s famous beef, cheese and vegetables are grilled to smoky perfection.

Unfortunately, each time we handed over our plain Chase Sapphire card, we were getting hit with foreign transaction fees since the downgraded card did not have the same “no foreign transaction fees” benefit as the Chase Sapphire Preferred. My October statement included two pages of foreign transaction fees ranging from 10 cents to $3.75. By the time I noticed the fees the following month, they totaled over $70 all told. 

I immediately called Chase and upgraded back to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. For me, the annual fee is worth it . Turns out, I ended up paying almost as much in foreign transaction fees as the price of the annual fee on the Sapphire Preferred card. I’ve kept the upgraded card ever since, and don’t intend to downgrade again.

I’m now getting ready for my next international trip, to Mexico, and I’ve learned from my mistake. The Chase Sapphire Preferred will be my go-to credit card for that trip. And I’m also shopping for a backup credit card with no foreign transaction fees since it’s a good idea to carry at least two no-foreign-transaction-fee cards in case one gets lost or stolen during a trip.

A good travel card can be a safety net when traveling. Here are 11 Chase Sapphire Preferred travel benefits you should know

Final verdict

It’s a good idea to do regular surveys of your credit card portfolio, looking at the annual fees, benefits and main purpose for which you use the card. 

Downgrading a card when you’re not getting enough value from the rewards and perks to make up for the annual fee can make more sense than canceling the card. 

By downgrading, you keep your credit line with the card issuer, which can help to keep your credit strong. That’s because the available credit you have on any given card affects your credit utilization , the amount of available credit you’re using, and thus your credit score.

But it’s important to make sure you won’t be losing an important benefit you rely on, and to fully understand what your new downgraded card does — and doesn’t — offer, especially before you take it on a major international trip.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Allie is a journalist with a passion for money tips and advice. She's been writing about personal finance since the Great Recession for online publications such as Bankrate, CreditCards.com, MyWalletJoy and ValuePenguin. She's also written personal finance content for Discover, First Horizon Bank, The Hartford, Travelers and Synovus.

Ashley Barnett has been writing and editing personal finance articles for the internet since 2008. Before editing for USA TODAY Blueprint, she was the Content Director for an international media company leading the content on their suite of personal finance sites. She lives in Phoenix, AZ where you can find her rereading Harry Potter for the 100th time.

Robin Saks Frankel is a credit cards lead editor at USA TODAY Blueprint. Previously, she was a credit cards and personal finance deputy editor for Forbes Advisor. She has also covered credit cards and related content for other national web publications including NerdWallet, Bankrate and HerMoney. She's been featured as a personal finance expert in outlets including CNBC, Business Insider, CBS Marketplace, NASDAQ's Trade Talks and has appeared on or contributed to The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, NPR, International Business Times and NBC, ABC and CBS TV affiliates nationwide. She holds an M.S. in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University. Follow her on Twitter at @robinsaks.

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What’s covered by credit card travel accident and emergency evacuation insurance?

MSN has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. MSN and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information and offers.

Many perks available from your credit cards are well-known and well-utilized. However, benefits such as trip cancellation insurance ,  delayed baggage insurance , lost baggage insurance , and  trip delay protection can quite literally save the day and justify paying an annual fee.

Today, we’ll explain a couple of lesser-known benefits that you hopefully won’t have to use but, if needed, can protect you from extreme financial hardship and ensure your family and loved ones are provided for if something happens to you. You can easily find the coverage and terms of any protection your credit card offers by doing a quick web search for the card’s updated benefits guide.

Travel accident insurance

Often called  common carrier insurance , this is a policy that pays in case of death, losing eyesight or losing a limb(s) while on a plane, train, ship or bus licensed to carry passengers and available to the public. A few cards also have travel accident insurance that offers protection for the entire duration of a trip (up to 31 days long) but pays out less than the common carrier insurance policies. To be eligible, you typically have to pay for the entire fare with the credit card.

Different credit cards have different payment tables for how much your beneficiary would receive in case of death, losing one limb, losing two limbs, losing sight in one eye or becoming legally blind. Coverage is also typically extended to authorized users on the account, spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children of the cardholder on trips paid for with the card.

By default, the beneficiaries in order of precedence are spouse, then children, then estate. You can submit a letter to the card issuer to establish another beneficiary.

Emergency evacuation insurance

In the past, when traveling to remote destinations like the Maldives  and Fiji, I bought  third-party emergency medical evacuation insurance , not realizing the cards I already had would have covered me. There are a few crucial aspects of emergency evacuation insurance offered by credit cards that you need to understand and follow so you don’t compound your medical situation with the stress of financial hardship:

• Everything must be approved and coordinated through a benefits administrator. This is who you or your companions should call when things first start looking like you’ll need assistance. Nothing that you decide to pay for on your own will be reimbursed.
• Evacuation does not mean repatriation. You won’t be evacuated back to the U.S. if you’re far overseas. Most policies state you’ll be moved to the nearest medical facility capable of proper care.
• Preexisting conditions may lead to your request for evacuation at the credit card provider’s expense being denied. Read your credit card’s full terms and benefits guide to see which exclude these conditions and the credit card’s definition of a pre-existing condition.
• The coverage is only for the cost of evacuation and medical care during transportation. You still need medical insurance to pay the doctors and staff who provide you care once you’re back on the ground.
• Some cards have country exclusions, so don’t expect to head into Syria or Afghanistan and rely on your credit card benefits administrator to get you to a hospital.

To get all the relevant information, make sure you download and read the entire section of the benefits guide pertaining to these coverages. Here are a few cards offering travel accident and/or emergency evacuation insurance.

Related: The best credit cards with travel insurance

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Amex Platinum card removed travel accident insurance in 2020. However, the card still offers one of the most generous emergency evacuation insurance of any card. There’s no cost cap and benefits are extended to immediate family and children under 23 (or under 26 if enrolled full-time in school). Best of all, you don’t even have to use the card to pay for the trip.

You must be on a trip less than 90 days in length and at least 100 miles away from your residence. A Premium Global Assist (PGA) administrator must coordinate everything to not incur any cost. The benefit will also pay economy airfare for a minor under 16 to be returned home if left unattended, pay for an escort to accompany that minor if required to get them home, and get a family member to the place of treatment if hospitalization of more than 10 consecutive days is expected.*

Other American Express cards offer access to the Premium Global Assist Hotline. However, anything they coordinate will be at your expense. Make sure you read your Amex card’s benefits guide carefully.

For more details, see our full review of the Amex Platinum .

Related: Your complete guide to Amex travel protections

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. If approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, cardmembers are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

Apply here: Amex Platinum

Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Cards

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers two different travel accident insurance benefits : common carrier travel accident insurance and 24-hour travel accident insurance. The former applies while riding as a passenger in, entering or exiting any common carrier. The latter applies any time during your trip — but you cannot be paid out on both the common carrier and 24-hour policies.

If you use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points  to book your trip, you are covered under the card’s benefits.

People eligible for coverage include “you, your spouse, your spouse’s or domestic partner’s children, including adopted children or stepchildren; legal guardians or wards; siblings or siblings-in-law; parents or parents-in-law; grandparents or grandchildren; aunts or uncles; nieces or nephews.” Chase pays up to $1,000,000 for a common carrier loss and up to $100,000 for a 24-hour policy loss based on the following table:

Some interesting exclusions with Chase that would prevent a payout include the insured person participating in a motorized vehicular race or speed contest, the insured person participating in any professional sporting activity for which they received a salary or prize money or if the insured person traveling or flying on any aircraft engaged in flight on a rocket-propelled or rocket-launched aircraft.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve also offers emergency evacuation insurance. If at least a portion of your or an immediate family member’s trip was paid for with the card, you’re eligible for up to $100,000 in emergency medical evacuation. Your covered trip must be between five and 60 days and be at least 100 miles from your residence. If you are hospitalized for more than eight days, the benefits administrator can arrange for a relative or friend to fly round-trip in economy class to your location. You can also be reimbursed for the cost of an economy ticket home if your original ticket cannot be used. In a worst-case situation, the benefit also pays up to $1,000 to repatriate your remains.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers the same travel accident insurance as the Reserve, except with lower payouts on the common carrier policy. The benefits pay up to $500,000 for a common carrier loss and up to $100,000 for a 24-hour policy loss based on the following table:

For more details, see our full reviews of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred .

Related: Your guide to Chase’s trip insurance coverage

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred

United Club Infinite Card

The top-tier United Club Infinite Card offers both travel accident insurance and emergency evacuation insurance. The travel accident insurance benefits pay up to $500,000 for a common carrier loss.

The card also carries the same benefit as the Chase Sapphire Reserve for emergency evacuation coverage, with up to $100,000 of coverage provided for evacuation.

For more details, see our full review of the United Club Infinite Card .

Apply here: United Club Infinite

Bottom line

We hope none of us perfectly ever have to worry about either of these policies, but it’s nice to have peace of mind if you or your family need emergency assistance. This reassurance is just one more reason to ensure one of these cards is always in your wallet when traveling. The benefit guides of all cards are updated regularly, so make sure you don’t toss them in the trash when updates show up in the mail and read the online guides for the latest terms and conditions.

Additional reporting by Emily Thompson and Stella Shon.

SPONSORED:  With states reopening, enjoying a meal from a restaurant no longer just means curbside pickup.

And when you do spend on dining, you should use a credit card that will maximize your rewards and potentially even score special discounts. Thanks to temporary card bonuses and changes due to coronavirus, you may even be able to score a meal at your favorite restaurant for free. 

These are the best credit cards for dining out, taking out, and ordering in to maximize every meal purchase.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

7 non-travel Amex Platinum benefits you should be using

Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

The Platinum Card® from American Express is a TPG favorite. We love the travel perks we get with it — like comprehensive airport lounge access, hotel and airline fee credits and travel protections.

But for all the reasons it makes travel easier, the Amex Platinum is far more than just a travel card. Cardmembers can receive over $1,500 in statement credits — many of which aren't travel-related — and enjoy a wide range of shopping protections that can help justify the card's $695 annual fee (see rates and fees ) even for infrequent travelers.

Let's take a look at some of the non-travel benefits that continue to make this card worthwhile to keep in your wallet.

$300 Equinox Credit

Equinox is an upscale chain of gyms in the U.S., Canada and London. When you charge the fees on your Amex Platinum Card, you'll receive up to $300 back via a statement credit annually on select Equinox memberships or a digital subscription to Equinox+ (the on-demand fitness app).

Enrollment is required. If you don't live in a city with an Equinox gym, you'll get the biggest bang for your buck when you use the credit for a digital subscription to Equinox+, regularly $39.99 per month.

Value: Up to $300 annually

Related: Your guide to using the Amex Platinum Equinox credit

$240 digital entertainment credit

The Amex Platinum offers a monthly up to $20 statement credit for select digital entertainment services. These services include Peacock., Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — or a Disney Bundle (which includes up to all three services), the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. If you already use any of these, this is a good benefit to have. Enrollment is required.

Value: Up to $240 annually

Related: How to use the Amex Platinum digital entertainment credit

Amex Platinum cardmembers get $15 in Uber statement credits each month, plus an extra $20 in December. The Amex Platinum must be added to the Uber app to receive the benefit.

And that credit doesn't just work for rides — it also works for food delivery and pickup through Uber Eats (for services in the U.S. only).

Value: $200 annually

Related: How to use your Amex Uber credits for rides and meals

American Express Platinum Concierge

Short on time? Don't feel like researching things such as restaurant reservations and other mundane tasks? Let the Amex Platinum Concierge help. Your card gets you access to a special phone service to assist you in booking top restaurants and events, as well as finding a perfect dinner spot or even delivering items on demand and other tasks.

Amex also has the Global Dining Access program powered by Resy, and cardmembers receive special access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants. You can also book high-profile chef dinners, curated culinary experiences, virtual cooking classes and pre-sales of Resy events.

Related: Amex exec details the future of Resy, including exclusive dining access and events for cardholders

Saks Fifth Avenue credit

Amex Platinum's Saks statement credit is available in the form of two up to $50 statement credits per calendar year. The first credit is valid from Jan. 1 through June 30, and the second is valid from July 1 through Dec. 31.

Anything that you purchase from Saks will automatically trigger the credit. And if you use an online shopping portal to shop at Saks, you'll double dip on earnings from your purchase.

Saks is known for luxury apparel or accessories, but you can still score a great deal on everyday essentials, especially when there's a sale. From scented candles to skincare, you can complete your shopping list using the Amex Platinum credit. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Value: Up to $100 annually

Related: Guide to maximizing online shopping portals

Walmart + Credit

Walmart+ provides free shipping on hundreds of thousands of items from Walmart with no minimum spending required. (Grocery deliveries require a $35 order minimum.) Each month you pay for a Walmart+ membership with the Amex Platinum, you will receive a statement credit for $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee (subject to auto-renewal).

You also get 10 cents off each gallon of gas at select gas stations, including Exxon, Mobil and Murphys. Additionally, streamers can rejoice, as a Walmart+ membership includes a complimentary standard Paramount+ membership . Enrollment is required, and Plus Up memberships are excluded from the credit.

Value: Up to $155 annually

Related: Guide to the Amex Platinum Walmart+ benefit

Purchase, return, and extended warranty protection 

Many credit cards offer purchase protection and extended warranty, and they're worth highlighting during tough economic times for the reassurance they offer cardmembers.

With the Amex Platinum Card, you'll get purchase protection* that covers purchases of up to $10,000 per incident against damage, loss or theft. A limit of $50,000 in total claims per card applies. Purchase protection benefits are limited to 90 days from the date of purchase. This is a fantastic benefit to have in case of loss, theft or accidental damage. Terms apply.

The Platinum card also offers 90 days of return protection **. If a retailer does not accept a return, Amex will refund the entire purchase price up to $300 per item, excluding shipping and handling fees. This particular benefit is limited to $1,000 per calendar year.

Finally, Amex Platinum's extended warranty coverage * offers one full year of coverage at $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per calendar year.

*Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

**Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details.

Related: Guide to the best credit cards to use for purchase protection

Adding up your Platinum credits

The key to getting value from the Amex Platinum is using the credits. But if you have the Platinum and can use these statement credits, you'll come out ahead of this card's $695 annual fee.

• Equinox credit: up to $300*
• Digital entertainment credit: up to $240*
• Uber Cash: up to $200*
• Saks credit: up to $100*
• Walmart+ membership credit: up to 155*
• Airline fee statement credit: up to $200*
• Prepaid hotel credit: up to $200
• Clear Plus membership credit: up to $189*
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit: up to $100
• Total annual credits = up to $1,684

*Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Bottom line

With an array of credits, Walmart+ membership, and shopping protections, the Amex Platinum card has plenty of non-travel benefits. These benefits can easily help offset the hefty annual fee. (see rates and fees ) And if you're new to the Amex Platinum, you can earn a generous welcome offer.

Apply here: Amex Platinum card

Check the CardMatch tool to see if you're targeted for a 125,000 or 150,000-point Platinum card offer (after meeting minimum spending requirements). These offers are subject to change at any time.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, please click here .

Chase Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass Restaurant Benefit Ends This Week

The benefit provided significant value for some cardholders.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Ends Benefit

Getty Images

Dropping this benefit most greatly impacts cardholders who don't have access to lounges at their home airports.

Key Takeaways

• Chase Sapphire Reserve previously included a Priority Pass restaurant benefit, which allowed cardholders and one guest to claim a credit at participating venues.
• Effective July 1, the card no longer includes the restaurant benefit.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve is not the first card to drop the Priority Pass restaurant credit, but a few credit cards still offer it.

Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders who enjoyed the card's Priority Pass restaurant benefit must now look for alternatives. This benefit allowed eligible members and guests to receive credits for menu items at participating airport restaurants, but expired effective July 1.

The change is a big blow to some cardholders who don't have access to lounges at their home airports. Fortunately, a few credit cards still have the benefit, which may lead some Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders to consider other cards.

What Is the Priority Pass Restaurant Benefit?

Chase Sapphire Reserve includes Priority Pass Select, with airport lounge access at more than 1,500 locations worldwide and credits at participating restaurants. (Enrollment required.) The restaurant benefit had allowed Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders and one guest to claim a credit of up to $28 for a total of $56 per visit.

Not all airport restaurants are in this program. However, Priority Pass members could find participating restaurants on the app and website. More than 30 restaurants at airports around the U.S. were eligible for the Priority Pass restaurant benefit. In some cases, Priority Pass restaurants have filled in gaps where no airport lounges are present. This allowed travelers to dine at a significant discount, if not for free.

What Does This Change Mean for Chase Sapphire Reserve Customers?

Chase eliminated the restaurant benefit for Chase Sapphire Reserve, and cardholder statements included the following notice: "As of July 1, 2024, you will no longer have access to restaurants, cafes, and markets participating in the Priority Pass Select network as part of the Priority Pass Select Benefit associated with your card. Access to Priority Pass Select's network of lounges and other select airport experiences is not impacted by this update."

Credit Cards With Priority Pass

Lee Huffman June 20, 2024

Although the restaurant benefit will no longer be part of the Priority Pass membership, there will be no change to lounge access or other offerings, such as spa treatments and gaming experiences.

Nevertheless, the loss of the restaurant credit can make the card much less valuable for frequent travelers.

The Unique Burial of a Child of Early Scythian Time at the Cemetery of Saryg-Bulun (Tuva)

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Pages:  379-406

In 1988, the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition (led by M. E. Kilunovskaya and V. A. Semenov) discovered a unique burial of the early Iron Age at Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva. There are two burial mounds of the Aldy-Bel culture dated by 7th century BC. Within the barrows, which adjoined one another, forming a figure-of-eight, there were discovered 7 burials, from which a representative collection of artifacts was recovered. Burial 5 was the most unique, it was found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, with a tightly closed lid. Due to the preservative properties of larch and lack of air access, the coffin contained a well-preserved mummy of a child with an accompanying set of grave goods. The interred individual retained the skin on his face and had a leather headdress painted with red pigment and a coat, sewn from jerboa fur. The coat was belted with a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles. Besides that, a leather quiver with arrows with the shafts decorated with painted ornaments, fully preserved battle pick and a bow were buried in the coffin. Unexpectedly, the full-genomic analysis, showed that the individual was female. This fact opens a new aspect in the study of the social history of the Scythian society and perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons, discussed by Herodotus. Of course, this discovery is unique in its preservation for the Scythian culture of Tuva and requires careful study and conservation.

Keywords: Tuva, Early Iron Age, early Scythian period, Aldy-Bel culture, barrow, burial in the coffin, mummy, full genome sequencing, aDNA

Information about authors: Marina Kilunovskaya (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Vladimir Semenov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Varvara Busova  (Moscow, Russian Federation).  (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Kharis Mustafin  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Technical Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Irina Alborova  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Biological Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Alina Matzvai  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected]

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