American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card

The American Express Platinum Reserve credit card is the second most premium offering from Amex in India. It is positioned just below the super-premium Platinum Charge. The Plat Reserve has a joining fee of Rs 5000 and annual fee of Rs 10000. We get 1 MR point per Rs 50 spend and Rs 6000 worth of shopping vouchers as milestone rewards. The Plat Reserve also gets complimentary domestic airport lounge access.

American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card Eligibility

Unlike other credit card issuers, Amex has some of the simplest eligibility criteria for its credit cards. To apply for an American Express Platinum Reserve credit card we need:

CIBIL Score: 750+
Annual Income: Rs 6 Lakh+

Fees and Charges

There is no annual fee waiver criteria for the Amex Platinum Reserve card. But, you can always negotiate with Amex to get some retention benefit in lieu of the fee. To get the welcome benefit, spend Rs 25,000 within 90 days of card issuance.

Regular Rewards

This is the same reward rate that other Amex cards like MRCC, Platinum Travel and Gold Charge get. Considering the fee point of the Plat Reserve, Amex should have given the Gold Charge feature where we earn 1 MR point on fuel and utility spends too. It is surprising that Plat Reserve misses out on that.

The above reward rate is determined based on the assumption that we will transfer out MR points to Marriott Bonvoy. In this case, we can get a value from 50 paise to Rs 1 for our MR points.

Milestone Rewards

Instead of bonus MR points for milestone spends, Amex goes with a GV approach for the Plat Reserve. We are sure the cardholders would appreciate a good MR points milestone benefit as the spend target is set high.

Calendar Month Milestone: Get Rs 500 gift voucher on spending more than Rs 25,000 ~2% return. Enrolment is mandatory. Gift Voucher options are Flipkart, BookMyShow, BigBasket, MakeMyTrip, Myntra, PVR Cinemas, Shoppers Stop
Annual Milestone: Get a Taj stay voucher worth Rs 10,000 when you spend Rs 5 Lakh in a membership year and pay the annual fee of Rs 10,000.

Amex Platinum Reserve gets 3X on Reward Multiplier

American Express Platinum Reserve credit card gets 3X on Reward Multiplier.

Standard Reward Rate: 1 MR point/Rs 50 ~1% to 2%
3X Reward Rate: 5 MR points/Rs 50 ~3% to 6%

Here’s another strange difference. The Platinum Reserve is a premium credit card as per Amex website but it gets just 3X on Reward Multiplier while Gold Charge gets 5X.

Complimentary EazyDiner Prime Membership

The American Express Platinum Reserve credit card gets EazyDiner Prime membership. We need to call the helpline and ask them to enrol our card into the benefit.

EayzDiner Prime will get you 25% to 50% discount at participating restaurants
2000 EazyPoints as joining bonus
2X EazyPoints on EazyDiner spends

Taj Epicure Plus Membership

The Taj Epicure Plus membership is a stripped down version of the Epicure memberships we can buy directly from Taj. There are no free nights but we get some of the benefits. Enter your card details on this portal to enroll.

25% discount on food & beverage for dine-in and takeaway
25% discount on Qmin food deliveries
20% discount on Jivas Spa treatments
20% discount on Salon experiences
Complimentary celebration cake (500 gms) in birthday month
One-time access to the pool with Lunch & Wine at Rs 3000+GST
Happy Hours 1:1 at Taj Club valid twice
20% discount on stay valid twice

Complimentary Airport Lounge Access

Domestic Airport Lounge Access: 3 visits per quarter. Check this list for eligible lounges.
International Airport Lounge Access: Not Available

Fuel Surcharge Waiver

American Express Platinum Reserve credit card gets a 0% convenience fee for HPCL fuel pumps. This is valid for all transactions of value less than Rs 5000. So, you can potentially use your Amex Plat Reserve card at HPCL fuel pumps to hit the milestone. You will not get regular MR points but you will get the milestone bonus.

Other Benefits & Charges

Fuel Surcharge Waiver: Not available except at HP fuel pumps
Foreign Currency Markup: 3.5%+GST ~4.13%

Rewards Redemption

There are multiple other options for redeeming the MR points on the Amex Platinum Reserve credit card on the go. These include electronics, luxury and lifestyle products, fashion accessories, and instant gift vouchers for various brands. We can even pay for transactions or book travel using MR points. The MR point value in these options is around 25p per point.

But, you can also redeem your MR points for the Platinum Travel collection or the 18K/24K Gold collection if you have the Platinum Travel or Gold Charge/MRCC. All MR points get pooled into a single account.

Transfer to Airlines/Hotel Loyalty Programs

Amex MR points are also one of the most versatile ones when it comes to using them for airline and hotel loyalty programs. We get multiple transfer partners. But, the most valuable one is Marriott Bonvoy with its 1:1 transfer ratio.

Is the Amex Platinum Reserve worth it?

The most rewarding credit cards from Amex are MRCC, Platinum Travel and Gold Charge. These three are also fondly referred to as the ‘Amex Trifecta’ by credit card enthusiasts. When it comes to rewards, the Platinum Reserve is behind these three cards.

The USP of the Platinum Reserve was the Centurion Lounge access. Previously, we could access these coveted lounges with Plat Charge as well as Plat Reserve. Amex took away this benefit from the Plat Reserve a couple of months back.

Considering the annual fee of the Plat Reserve, it is time for Amex to re-evaluate the benefits to make it a better offering.