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Introduction
In 2018, I told my wife that I was planning to apply for a credit card with a S$1.7k annual fee. She looked at me in disbelief when I told her it was good value for money.
Four years on, given that my wife suggested that I write this article, it’s safe to say that she’s finally a convert…
The Entry Criteria for Amex Platinum Cards
Amex offers 3 different credit cards within its Platinum series. As one can imagine, the entry requirements and annual fees vary, but so do the benefits. Amex no longer publishes annual income requirements (replacing it with an “internal assessment” of the card applicant) but we have listed the last known official criteria in the image below.
The elusive Amex Centurion Card is by invite only and we have also included it below for completeness. We do enjoy a full family portrait.
In this article, we will be focusing on the Amex Platinum Charge Card and discuss if it’s truly worth the S$1,744 annual fee (spoiler: we think it is).
Article Summary
1) Amex Platinum Charge Card’s benefits
2) Valuation of the benefits
3) Ad hoc card promotions and events
4) Referral Link for S$100 Statement Credit
Appendix: 3 things to do once you receive the Amex Platinum Charge Card
The InvestQuest View:
The Amex Platinum Charge Card is ideal as a lifestyle card, with its plethora of travel and dining benefits. Outside of the published benefits, we have also had a positive experience with ad hoc offers, member events and gifts, dished out by the Amex team. We believe that it’s easy to extract about S$4.3k in value in the first membership year and over S$3k in value for subsequent years, which more than justifies the S$1,744 annual fee.
Bonus Tip: Another perk of the Amex Platinum Charge Card is the preferential conversion rate for Amex reward points (into airmiles/hotel points), compared to the Amex Platinum Reserve Card or Amex Platinum Card. Hence, individuals who are currently hoarding Amex reward points in these two other cards may find it worthwhile to upgrade to the Platinum Charge Card, as Amex reward points may be pooled and redeemed at the preferential rate.
1) Amex Platinum Charge Card’s benefits
Amex practices a one annual fee policy. This means if you hold two Amex Platinum cards (i.e. Amex Platinum Charge Card + Amex Platinum Reserve Card), you would only need to pay the annual fee of the more expensive card, while receiving the benefits of both cards!
However, do note that the “one annual fee policy” only applies for legacy holders of the Platinum Charge Card who had received their Platinum Reserve Card prior to 1 November 2022, and not for new incoming Charge Card holders. We list selected benefits of both cards below.
Above was a summary. Below, we’ve given a little more elaboration of the key benefits of the Amex Platinum Charge Card & the Amex Platinum Reserve Card.
Travel Benefits
Most Important
- Complimentary one night stay at participating hotels (see full list here, local options include Fullerton Hotel and St Regis)
- S$200 flight credit (activated after S$600 is spent on SQ/Scoot website or app)
- Unlimited airport lounge access (for principal/supplementary cardholders, and 1-2 guests per card depending on lounge rules)
- The Centurion Lounge
- International American Express Lounges
- Priority Pass (Enrolment required, for one supplementary card holder only)
- Delta SkyClub
- Plaza Premium
- Complimentary hotel loyalty program upgrades (for principal/supplementary card holders)
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
- Hilton Honors Gold Status
- Radisson Rewards Gold Status
- Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) Discovery Platinum Status
Less Important
- Complimentary car rental loyalty program upgrades
- Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status
- Avis President’s Club status
- Fine Hotel and Resorts (FHR) booking privileges
- Early check-ins, late check-outs
- Daily breakfast for two people
- US$100 amenities credit (varies by property)
- Room upgrade where available
- The Hotel Collection booking privileges (for bookings of two or more consecutive nights)
- Up to USD$100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities
- Room upgrade where available
- Access to International Airlines Program (IAP)
- Discounted airfares for premium classes on participating airlines (see details here)
Dining Benefits
Most Important
- S$50 Tower Club Dining Voucher (1 x S$50 voucher)
- S$400 dining credit (S$200 to be used in Singapore and S$200 overseas, see full list of participating restaurants here)
Less Important
- Access to Amex Love Dining program
- Up to 50% off at participating restaurants (see full list here)
- Access to Amex Chillax program
- Complimentary welcome drink at participating bars (see full list here)
- S$100 Restaurant Jag Dining Voucher (1 x S$100 voucher)
- $50 Matera Dining Voucher (1 x $50 voucher)
Lifestyle Benefits
Most Important
- S$400 lifestyle credit (activated after S$600 spend at selected spas and Grand Cru Wine Concierge physical shop, see list of participating shops here)
- S$204 entertainment services (S$17 per month rebate for Netflix, SPH media, Audible etc, full list of vendors here)
- Complimentary access into Tower Club, and the use of its facilities (club website)
- Complimentary Comoclub C5-tier membership upgrade (bypassing $50k qualification spend for 1st year, see summary of member benefits here).
Less Important
- Complimentary parking at Great World City (Fri – Sun only)
- Golfing privileges
- Amex regional golf program privileges (see full list here)
Welcome Gift & Amex Points
Super Important – Bonus Statement Credit & Amex Points – Valid for card approvals till 15 January 2025.
- For incoming Platinum Charge Card holders: Earn S$900 Statement Credit + Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 Luggage, for the 1st membership year.
- Member Get Member Bonus: S$100 statement credit, upon at least S$1 spending within first month of card membership.
- Welcome Gift: $800 statement credit + Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 Luggage, upon spending at least S$8,000 within first six months of card membership.
Most Important – Enhanced “Earning Rate” for Amex Points
- Enhanced Amex points for spending at Platinum 10Xcelerator Partners
- 20 Amex points for every S$1.60 spent (equates to 7.81 miles per S$1), for the first S$16k of cumulative spending in a calendar year at these shops
- 10 Amex points for every S$1.60 spent (equates to 3.91 miles per S$1), for spending in excess of first S$16k in a calendar year at these shops.
- Earn 5 Amex Points for every S$1.60 spent with Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Scoot (equates to 1.9 miles per S$1).
- Earn 2 Amex points for every S$1.60 spent (equates to 0.78 miles per S$1), for other spend.
Most Important – Enhanced “Conversion Rate” for Amex Points
- Preferential Amex points conversion rate of 400 points to 250 miles (Amex Platinum Credit Card / Amex Platinum Reserve Card conversion rate: 450 points to 250 miles)
Amex Platinum Reserve Card Benefits
Reminder: Amex practices a one annual fee policy (but only for legacy Platinum Charge Card holders who have received their Platinum Reserve Card before 1 November 2022). This means if you hold two Amex Platinum cards (i.e. Amex Platinum Charge Card + Amex Platinum Reserve Card), you would only need to pay the annual fee of the more expensive card, while receiving the benefits of both cards!
There are some overlapping benefits with the Amex Platinum Charge Card, such as access to Tower Club, participation in the Amex Love Dining and Chillax programmes.
But there are also benefits with tangible value, such as:
- Complimentary 1 night stay at participating Frasers Hospitality hotels (see full list here)
- Complimentary Cat & the Fiddle Cake during birthday month (with free delivery)
- Complimentary bottle of wine at Napoleon Food & Wine Bar (no spend required)
- 2 x Complimentary bottles of wine at Grand Cru (no spend required)
Remember, the above is not an exhaustive list! In the next section, we will try to ascribe a value for the most important benefits of having an Amex Platinum Charge Card.
2) Valuation of benefits
In our opinion, it’s easy to extract about S$4.3k of value from the Amex Platinum Charge Card in the first membership year, and over S$3k of value for subsequent years. The breakdown of how we reached these figures is shown in the below table.
Cardholder tip: When the card’s annual fee is due in subsequent membership years, cardholders can call up the Amex hotline to request for a “card retention bonus”. The bonus typically starts at 20k points, but high card spenders may be offered up to 60k points .
In fact, we think our valuation is conservative
Overall, our valuation of the card benefits errs on the conservative side because of two reasons:
- We have only included the card’s official benefits. In Section 3, we cover some of the ad hoc benefits that could potentially add further value to the cardholder.
- We only included the benefits that we found most useful. Some individuals may find good use in the other benefits. I can think of 3 examples.
- You are a patron of some of the Platinum 10Xcelerator Partners (such as IWC, Hourglass, Piaget etc), and are able to benefit from the enhanced points accrual rate of 7.81 miles per S$1 spent.
- You travel frequently on premium cabin classes (premium economy or higher), and can utilize the International Airlines Program (IAP) for discounted fares.
- You decide to cancel your monthly gym membership, and use Tower Club’s gym instead.
Okay, let’s start! Below, we cover the valuation for some of the key benefits in greater detail!
S$400 Dining, S$400 Lifestyle, S$204 Entertainment, S$200 Airline Credit, S$150 Fashion Credit (S$1.35k valuation)
The statement credits would be broken down into five categories, which includes:
- S$400 in dining credits, comprising of S$200 for use with local participating restaurants and S$200 for use with participating restaurants overseas (see full list of participating restaurants here)
- S$400 in lifestyle credits applicable with minimum spend at participating lifestyle retail partners. (activated after S$600 spend, see list of participating shops here)
- S$204 in entertainment credits in a year for your monthly streaming or news services (S$17 per month rebate for Netflix, SPH media, Audible etc, full list of vendors here)
- S$200 in airline credits, activated after S$600 is spent on SQ/Scoot website or app
- S$150 in Fashion credits, for use at Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter. S$75 credit per semi-annual period
We have still assumed a S$1,350 valuation for simplicity. Do note that enrolment on your Amex online portal is required to enjoy the benefit of these statement credits.
1 Night Stay at 5-Star Hotel (S$400 valuation)
Every year, cardholders are entitled to 1 Night’s stay at participating hotels (see full list here). At the minimum, you would be able to do a local staycation at either St Regis (Executive Deluxe Room), or Fullerton Hotel (Premier Courtyard Room).
A $400 valuation would be relatively conservative in my view, given these hotels are pricing above $500 in the post-covid world.
Cardholder tip: For local staycations, my preference would be St Regis. St Regis’ Executive Deluxe room is more spacious (52sqm) compared to Fullerton’s Premier Courtyard Room (39sqm). There’s also a better chance of getting a room upgrade at St Regis, as you would at least have a Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status (more on this card benefit later).
Hotel Loyalty Program Upgrades (S$300 valuation)
Cardholders get complimentary status upgrades to their hotel loyalty programmes, and this benefit applies to supplementary card holders as well. The below lists the participating loyalty programs and which major hotel chains belong to each.
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status: Ritz-Carlton, St Regis, JW Marriott, W Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Le Meridian, Westin, Renaissance Hotels, Four Points, Aloft
- Hilton Honors Gold Status: Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, Doubletree, Hampton, Canopy
- Radisson Rewards Gold Status: Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn
- Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) Discovery Platinum Status: Pan Pacific, Parkroyal, Capella, Anantara, Kempinski
- [Unpublished Benefit] Ascott Star Rewards Platinum Status: Ascott, Citadines, Lyf, Oakwood
This benefit is really tricky to value, as it depends on how frequently you travel, the probability of you getting a room upgrade and the various benefits you might be entitled to with an elite loyalty status, which could include perks such as free breakfast, early check-in and late check-out.
The most rewarding upgrade I have had, which I imagine to be once-in-a-lifetime, was an upgrade to Hilton Singapore’s Presidential Suite that retails for S$2k+ per night. This happened in 2019, and I was surprised that it was offered to someone with just a Hilton Gold status (Diamond status is above Gold). And of course we had to take a video of the room.
How much did that staycation cost? A mere S$300 nett. I had originally booked a King Hilton Executive Suite at ~S$500 nett (when Hilton was having a 20% discount), and stacked on an ad-hoc Amex Platinum Charge Card promotion (S$200 off for S$500 spend at Hilton).
Unlimited Airport Lounge Access (S$360 valuation)
Cardholders are entitled to unlimited airport lounge access (for principal/supplementary card holders, and 1-2 guests per card depending on lounge rules). Participating lounges include:
- The Centurion Lounge
- International American Express Lounges
- Priority Pass (Enrolment required, for one supplementary card holder only)
- Delta SkyClub
- Plaza Premium
While it is not uncommon to be offered airport lounge access (even for entry level credit cards), three features make the Amex Platinum Charge stand out:
- Unlimited lounge access
- Guesting privileges for both principal and supplementary cardholders (less common feature even among premier-tier credit cards)
- Access to The Centurion Lounge (most consider it several notches above the typical priority pass lounge, so you can expect above average food + alcoholic drinks including cocktails and champagne. Some locations may even offer complimentary massages, manicures, shower facilities and gaming consoles)
To estimate the value of this lounge access benefit, we could look at what a Priority Pass membership costs (see image below). The “Prestige” tier, which allows for unlimited lounge access, currently retails for US$469 per year and it doesn’t even come with guesting privileges.
Personally, I would value the airport lounge benefit at S$360. Assuming I used the lounge four times a year with no guests, and valued each visit at S$30, this would mean the annual value to me is S$120. As two supplementary cardholders would also be entitled to this benefit, I would value this benefit at S$360.
Welcome Gift & Amex Points (Up to S$900 for 1st Year, S$188 for subsequent years)
For incoming Platinum Charge cardholders, in order to receive S$900 of Statement Credit + Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 Luggage, you need to get a referral from an existing card member. The breakdown is as follows:
- Member Get Member Bonus: S$100 statement credit, upon at least S$1 spending within first month of card membership.
- Welcome Gift: $800 statement credit + Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 Luggage, upon spending at least S$8,000 within first six months of card membership.
Do note that you will also be receiving the base points (0.78125 miles per S$1 spent) for the above spending.
Amex points have very flexible uses, including a conversion into frequent flyer miles, hotel loyalty points, gift vouchers or to offset credit card expenses. It’s also worth noting that Amex points do not expire.
The current welcome gift is pretty decent insofar as it already offsets more than half of the card’s annual fee. To recap, earlier welcome gifts for new cardholders had typically included some Amex Points + the likes of a 1 Night stay at Fullerton Bay Hotel, an OTO Quantum Advanced Massage Chair (retails at S$3,480), a 48″ Omnidesk Pro 2020 (retails at S$840), 60-80k Amex Points (equivalent up to 50k airmiles), and before that it was 2 Nights Stay at a High End Hotel (we personally redeemed ours for 2 nights at Banyan Tree Bali, which was then retailing at S$800 per night).
1 Nights Stay at Frasers Hotels (S$150 valuation)
While this is not an explicit benefit of the Amex Platinum Charge Card, legacy cardholders may rely on Amex’s “one annual fee policy” and apply for a “free” Amex Platinum Reserve Credit Card with its entitled benefits.
One such benefit would be a complimentary 1 night stay at participating Frasers Hospitality hotels (see full list here). Higher value options include Frasers Suites Geneva and Fraser Suites Harmonie Paris.
3) Ad hoc card promotions and events
Outside of the official benefits mentioned earlier, we have enjoyed ad hoc offers, member events and gifts, dished out by the Amex team. These ad hoc benefits have not been factored into the valuation of the card’s benefits, covered earlier in Section 1.
Extra free stuff we’ve gotten:
- One night’s stay at the Outpost Hotel in Sentosa in 2019.
- S$500 and S$300 of statement credit for grocery shopping in 2020 and 2021 respectively, given the understanding that much of the card’s benefits would be underutilized during this period.
- S$350 of dining credit in 2021, across a very decent list of participating restaurants.
- Statement credit for spending at certain hotels, stackable with in-house hotel promotions and the Amex Love Dining program. This typically appears a few times per year and examples include:
- Hilton Group: Spend S$400, get S$120 back
- Marriott Bonvoy: Spend S$400, get S$100 back
- Hyatt: Spend S$300, get S$75 back
- Millennium Hotels: Spend S$500, get S$100 back
Extra stuff we’ve won:
- Apple Airpods, iPad and one night Conrad stay playing the pinball machines at Platinum Avenue Pop-up Booth in 2023.
- Mont Blanc Pen, Ruinart Champagne and TWG Gift Set playing the Christmas Claw Machine in 2022.
- Yamazaki 12 Year Whiskey during the virtual Platinum af’FAIR 2021.
- 3 bottles of Krug Champagne during the virtual Platinum af’FAIR 2020, winning 3 of 5 virtual games during the fair.
- 10k Amex Reward points and TWG teas at the Christmas Claw Machine in 2019. See below video for one of our many failed tries.
4) Referral Link for S$100 Statement Credit
Just so you know, this isn’t a sponsored post. And if you have read till here, you would have already sensed our genuine enthusiasm for this card.
If you feel that this card might be useful to you and wish to apply, do consider using our referral code. This would entitle you to S$100 of statement credit, upon spending at least S$1 in the first month of card membership.
Referral link for S$100 Statement Credit!
Again, the image below summarizes our valuation of the published benefits offered by the Amex Platinum Charge Card. Do feel free to tweak it to see if this makes sense for you!
The InvestQuest View:
The Amex Platinum Charge Card is ideal as a lifestyle card, with its plethora of travel and dining benefits. Outside of the published benefits, we have also had a positive experience with ad hoc offers, member events and gifts, dished out by the Amex team. We believe that it’s easy to extract about S$4.3k in value in the first membership year and over S$3k in value for subsequent years, which more than justifies the S$1,744 annual fee.
Bonus Tip: Another perk of the Amex Platinum Charge Card is the preferential conversion rate for Amex reward points (into airmiles/hotel points), compared to the Amex Platinum Reserve Card or Amex Platinum Card. Hence, individuals who are currently hoarding Amex reward points in these two other cards may find it worthwhile to upgrade to the Platinum Charge Card, as Amex reward points may be pooled and redeemed at the preferential rate.
Appendix: 3 things to do once you receive the Amex Platinum Charge Card
1) Enroll for Loyalty Program Upgrades
Recall that principal and supplementary cardholders are entitled to the following status upgrades:
- Marriott Bonvoy™ Gold Elite Status
- Hilton Honors Gold Status
- Radisson Rewards Gold Status
- Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) Discovery Platinum Status
- Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status
- Avis President’s Club status
For that to happen, you have to make the enrollment request via this webpage.
For Ascott Star Rewards Platinum Status match (which is an unpublished benefit), you would need to request for it via this link.
2) Priority Pass Application
While you can use your Amex Platinum Charge Card to access some lounges (shown within the Amex app), some lounges may still require a Priority Pass Card for entry.
The Priority Pass application form would be included in your Welcome Pack and you can apply for up to two Priority Passes (meaning that 1 of your supplementary cardholders would NOT get it). Supplementary cardholders can still use their Amex Platinum Charge Card to access a number of lounges, so the lack of a Priority Pass isn’t too big of an inconvenience.
3) Register for your Amex Online Account and enroll into the various ad-hoc promotions
Once you have entered your account’s Home Page, scroll down to the section on “Amex Offers” and enroll into the various ad-hoc offers that are available (see image below).
Some of the earlier mentioned benefits (Fashion Credit, Entertainment Credit, Lifestyle Credits etc.) would also require enrolment on this page.
Hello there,
I have been using the Amex KF Ascend Card and also the OCBC Voyage metal card.
Wondering if I should cancel my KF Ascend Card and upgrade to the Platinum Charge card.
Can’t really find comparison between KF Ascend and AMEX Platinum.
But what I know is, KF Ascend have better miles conversion.
Do you think I should keep my KF Ascend together with Platinum Charge card or cancel KF?
Hi Weilun,
Personally, I hold the KF Ascend Card, in addition to the Platinum Charge Card.
For the KF Ascend, apart from having to pay the first year’s annual fee, I have managed to waive the subsequent annual fees. Interestingly, I still managed to request for 8,000 airmiles as a retention bonus last month. So in fact, I have managed to extract some value from it at no extra cost.
In addition, I also occasionally login to the Amex app / website to “save” some of the ad-hoc offers. Having both the KF Ascend and Platinum Charge allows me to potentially “save” duplicates of the same offer, which I might want to use.
Hi there,
I am interested to apply Amex Platinum card via your referal link.
However, link seems to be broken and could you invite me your referal link via email?
Hi Keane,
Please use this referral link instead. Thanks for the heads up.
http://www.amex.sg/refer/wEILIOKHjx?CPID=100336931
Hey Keane,
Looks like the Amex website outage is still ongoing, will check back tomorrow if the referral link works.
Hi I also chose St Regis for my complimentary stay upon my card renewal. However Amex informed me that the complimentary stay using the Amex voucher is not available for points. When i asked St Regis for the invoice they also said they can’t retrieve it as it was paid using the amex voucher. Later in they also confirmed to Amex that then complimentary stay does not accrue points. Hence i’m curious how you managed to get points for the stay! I stayed there in May 2021.
Hi Nora,
Interesting the St Regis counter staff had verbally mentioned to me that the stay doesn’t accrue points.
However, points were still credited in my account and I had heard similar instances from others as well.
If you hadn’t linked your Marriott Bonvoy account for this stay, you can try to request for a retrospective stay claim and see if you get lucky!
just to share, I earned 4284 points for my stay in Feb (last month)
Thanks for all the tips here!
Jeremy
Thanks for the data point Jeremy.
On a side note, I just completed a stay at Fullerton Hotel using the 1N complimentary voucher but no points are awarded for Preferred Hotels loyalty program.
For the 10 x Platinum 10Xcelerator Partners, is the $16k limit bonus for each card (reserve and charge) which means you get $32k or it is limited to per account?
Hi Tyrion,
From my understanding, the S$16k limit applies to the Amex Charge Card’s 20x points.
For 10x points, there is no limit to either the Charge or Reserve card, so you would be indifferent.
You can scroll down to the bottom of this page for reference.
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/benefits/promotions/shopping/10Xcelerator/10Xcelerator.html
hello, the platinum charge card is no longer available, i clicked on your referral link and it linked me to platinum card which has sgd 1,712 member annual fee. Couple of perks are gone like the hotel stay.
Hi Nickey, The Platinum Charge Card is also known as The Platinum Card.
But do not confuse it with the Amex Platinum Credit Card.
For the Platinum Charge Card, the 1-night hotel stay perk is still ongoing (and you also get it when you renew your card subsequently). Here’s the link to the participating hotel list.
https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/sg/benefits/platstay_ver11.pdf
Hi. Thanks for the article. Very informative and thorough.
I’m considering Charge, but one thing that concerns me is the low base mileage earn rate (0.78mileage / 1$).
So my questions are..
1. Do you still use Charge as your main card after getting 115k MR points for spending 20k in the first 6 months?
2. If yes, what is the incentive for using Charge as your main card besides the retention bonus?
3. If no, do they penalize you for barely using Charge? E.g. no retention bonus
4. If Charge is not suitable as a main card, can you share some tips on ideal credit card portfolio? (In the article, you mentioned having kept KF Ascend. I’m curious what other cards you are also using to complement low Charge base rate)
Hey Jesse,
Thanks for the great questions.
Answer to #1 and #2: No, I don’t use Charge as my main card given the low base mileage earn rate as you mentioned (the main use case would be for spending across participating Platinum 10XCELERATOR partner brands, where the earn rate is 7.8mdp for first $16k calendar year spend and 3.9mpd for any subsequent spend).
Outside of that, my spending would be mainly on adhoc promotions that I manually save on the Amex app. For example, there was a recent “Spend $300, get $100 back for spending at Pan Pacific / Parkroyal Hotels” offer that I utilized by dining at Sichuan Dou Hua.
Overall, I spend quite little on my Charge Card, probably in the low 5-digit range.
#3) From my understanding, I have not heard of anyone not getting a retention bonus of at least 20k Amex points (12.5k airmiles equiv).
#4) I primarily use DBS Woman’s World Card (4mpd for online spend, capped at $2k per month), Citi Rewards (4mpd for online spend, capped at $1k per month), Citi Prestige (for the unique lodging benefit of pay 4-nights, get 1-night off, and also for the occasional ad-hoc dining events), Amex Highflyer Business Card (1.8mpd for general spend, it has very few spending exclusions so I use for expenses that would typically not earn any points by other credit cards, such as grab wallet top ups).
Hope this helps!
Thanks. It definitely helps.
Please expect your referral points soon =)
Happy new year!
Thanks for the referral and happy new year to you too!
I have the Amex Platinum Credit Card and considering upgrading to the Platinum charge card.
Would the referral link work for me too (ie somebody who already is a Amex card holder).
Hi AT, yes the referral link would still work.
Amex mentioned to me over phone that it would not work for existing Amex card members ie if the referee is an existing Amex card member, then the referral benefits are not applicable (neither the referrer nor the referee will get any benefits).
Hi, can you elaborate on AMEX “one annual fee” policy? I have the Platinum charge card for 2 years already and it’s the first time I heard about getting the Reserve card for “free”! Do you have to call and request for waiver of annual fee for the Reserve card each year?
Hi there!
I’m drawing an annual income of 150k/year in Singapore.
Understand that the requirement is 200k/year.
Based on your experience, do you reckon my chances of getting the card is low?
Thank you!
If you have an existing Amex card and have been spending on it and paying your monthly payments promptly, that would increase the chances.
Anyway no harm applying and if it’s not approved, can try going through a manual route via one of the Amex relationship officers. Happy to provide a link up for that.
Possible to provide me the link? Thank you:)))
Sure, will email you the contact of one of the Amex relationship officers.
Hi there,
Very informative and detail information, solve all questions I have about Amex Platinum.
I have use your referral link to register and would like them to expedite my application processing. Would you able to share the Amex relationship officer email to me?
Thanks Jeff. Have dropped you an email to follow up.
Hi Sir, thanks for this informative and detailed guide, signed up with your link and got approved.
Question: Do we still get Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) Discovery Platinum Status? I couldn’t find a way to upgrade on this, Can you advise me?
Hi Steven, thanks for using our referral link.
For the GHA Platinum status upgrade, do try using the below link.
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/benefits/the-platinum-card/pan-pacific-membership.html
Separately, if you haven’t signed up for the “free” Amex Platinum Reserve Card, you should try to do so asap and request for the fee waiver (given you already hold the Charge card). There has been some data points that Amex will no longer be providing the annual fee waiver for Platinum Reserve cards, for those who apply after 1 Nov 2022.
Thanks InvestQuest, that link works! Ohya, the CS actually asked me to apply so I did, thanks for the tips! Very helpful 🙂
Hi InvestQuest! I am new to Singapore, and interested in getting the Amex Platinum Charge card. Do you think the fact that I don’t have any credit card history in Singapore affects my chance of getting the card? (I meet the income criteria). Thanks!
Hey Mohit, I think your chances would be good if you have already met the income criteria.
Assuming you are rejected via an online application, I can pass you a contact to one of the Amex sales reps who can assist with a manual application.
Good luck!
Thanks for the reply! I appreciate it! 🙂
It seems like the income requirement is no longer 200k but 120k? Seems like a massive drop in exclusivity
Hi Ben, from my understanding, the $120k refers to the MAS requirement for a card having no preset limit (which is a feature of the Amex Platinum Charge Card).
The min income requirement is still at the discretion of Amex’s card approval team and I have heard of recent data points of rejections for >$120k income.
Conversely, it is possible to be invited by Amex to apply for the Amex Platinum Charge Card even when one’s income is below $120k, based on historical spending/repayment patterns and net worth.
The post is really informative..
one point is that the air and lodge credit need to used by January? Afraid cannot plan next year trip so early … if I manage to use it then have to change ticket and hotel later on, any issue with the credit? 😃 thanks. Personally I feel the new benefit from Feb next year looks less attractive than current one, as not not easy to use fully … but if can have old + new benefit if we get this card by Jan then definitely will be good 😊 👍
Thanks for the kind words Hub.
Yes, the air and lodging credit will need to be used by end-January, and you can make a flight/hotel booking that is for a later date.
Would suggest booking a flexible ticket/booking just in case you need to change your travel plans later on, in which case you would most likely just have to pay the incremental price difference and/or change of date fee without forfeiting the $400 credits.
This is a very informative post. Thank you.
I have a question about large purchases. Since the charge card does not have a spending limit, does it mean that someone can use it for large purchases? e.g. like a car? Would that work?
Hi Abe, thanks for the kind comment.
Just to clarify, the Charge Card does have a spending limit (it is just that it isn’t pre-set and the limit fluctuates based on your past spending and repayment patterns with Amex).
If you are planning to make a large purchase, there is a “transaction simulator” within the Amex online portal that allows you to check whether the transaction amount would go through successfully. But for any outsized purchases, I would also encourage calling into the dedicated Platinum Charge Card hotline to pre-empt the team. If the transaction amount is too large and your request to lift the transaction limit is denied, you can consider asking if prepaying your Amex Charge account prior to the purchases works.
For car purchases specifically, the auto dealership often limits the amount you can pay via credit card (as the dealership has to pay a transaction fee to Amex). Some dealerships allow larger amounts to be charged by credit card, if you cover the card transaction fee.
Hope this helps!
Thank you very much. You have been helpful. I’ve used your link to apply for the charge card.
Thanks Abe, am very grateful for that. Hope you have an enjoyable experience with the card benefits.
Your post in very informative.
I have a problem to use your referral link because I am existing basic Amex Platinum card holder. I called and asked AMEX consultant that in order to get referred by you for my card upgrades, I need to apply via her email and provide your name, email address and card number/IC. Then referrer can get $70 and referee can get $50 for existing upgrades plus the welcome bonus.
Could I PM you if you are comfortable?
hello you got upgraded to presidential suite for which hotel?any advice how to get such offer?
Hey James, it was purely by chance at Hilton Singapore. Extremely unusual that the hotel gave the upgrade to me when I was just holding Hilton Gold status.
Apart from loyalty status, if you are celebrating a special occasion and happen to mention it to the front desk, that may increase your chances for an upgrade.
Is 20k reward.point the maximum retention.bonus for the AMEX platinum charge card ?
Hi Navin, the retention bonus depends on a few factors (data points suggest it is tied to annual spending on the card, what you have been spending on and length of time you have been a Amex cardholder).
20k amex points is typically the standard retention offer.
But for individuals who clock a six-figure annual spend on the card, I would expect a 40-50k points retention offer. The highest I have heard of is 60k points as retention offer.
I have always been a no-frills cashback guy. If I do not want to play the miles game, will it still be worth it to convert all the welcome points to useful vouchers (E.g. NTUC / capitaland if they even have it)?
If you do prefer to redeem Amex points to offset your Amex card bill, it translates to a 0.6% “cashback card” (this assumes you are NOT spending at Amex 10Xcelerator Partners, where you are getting 6% cashback-equivalent instead).
Redeeming Amex points to offset your credit card bill would still be preferred compared to redeeming $50 NTUC vouchers using Amex points (where you are getting 0.56% cashback in vouchers) or redeeming $50 Capitastar vouchers (where you are getting 0.55% cashback in vouchers).
Your article is really helpful. Its the best review for Amex Platinum Charge card. I have just applied it using your link. Hope it gets approved soon since I used Singpass and it didnt require me to attach more docs.
Thanks for your kind words Mansoo!
Thank you for the super detailed review of the card. Can i confirm, if i were to sign up with the intention of spending 10k for the sign up bonus, would the MRs stack if i were to spend the 10k at a amex 10xcelerator partner?
Hi Eugene, yes they are stackable. You would be eligible for both the sign up bonus points and still earn the 7.81 miles per dollar for the first $16k/year spent per calendar year at the 10xcelerator partner (and any incremental spend above $16k would earn 3.91 miles per dollar).
This post is really useful! I’m currently holding a KF ascend card. Amex send an invitation for me to apply for platinum charge card. I did and it arrived just today. I called customer service office to seek advice if I should terminal the ascend card. She told me to keep both. Should I do so? Given that I need to both for two cards annual fees.
Hi Zen,
I hold the KF Ascend card as well. From personal experience, the first year’s annual fee cannot be waived but I have always managed to waive annual fees for subsequent years (just that you would not get the airport lounge vouchers or 1 night Hilton hotel voucher).
If the annual fee is waivable, I would keep both cards because Amex does run ad-hoc offers from time to time (which you would have to manually register for in your online account portal). For offers that you might want to use more than once, saving the same offer on both cards allows you to enjoy the same promotion twice.
Hi InvestQuest,
It is still possible to get your referral after getting the card? Would your RM able to perform ‘magic’?
Hi James, sorry to say that we don’t get a dedicated RM for this card and my thoughts are that chances are very slim of that happening.