| Update: This offer has been extended till 31-Jul-20 |
With restaurants set to reopen for dining-in during Phase 2, I’m sure a lot of us are making plans to paint the town red.
Here’s where AMEX Love Dining benefits can come in useful, with up to 50% off the bill at more than 25 restaurants and hotels including Si Chuan Dou Hua, Wooloomooloo, The Capitol Kempinski and the St Regis.
If you don’t already have an AMEX Platinum card, here’s a way of getting one for less.
Get a S$150 CapitaVoucher upon approval for the AMEX Platinum Credit Card
From now till 31 July 2020, Milelion readers will receive a $150 CapitaVoucher when approved for an AMEX Platinum Credit Card, with no minimum spending required.
Assuming you’re able to hit the sign-up bonus as well, you should be able to more than cover the first year’s annual fee, with Love Dining and Chillax benefits the icing on the cake.
| Benefit | Approx. Value |
| S$150 CapitaVoucher | S$150 |
| 25,000 bonus MR points (for spending S$6,000 in Months 1-3) | S$250 (@ 1.8 cpm) |
| 25,000 bonus MR points (for spending S$6,000 in Months 4-6) | S$250 (@ 1.8 cpm) |
| Total Value | S$650 |
| Annual Fee | S$321 |
How it works
Simply sign-up through the link below by 31 July 2020, and receive approval no later than 15 August 2020.
Apply for the AMEX Platinum Credit Card here
Pay the full annual fee of S$321 in the first statement, and you’ll receive a $150 CapitaVoucher, mailed to you within 10 weeks of approval.
The offer is open to anyone who has not cancelled an American Express Platinum Credit Card within the last 12 months (it’s fine if you cancelled a Platinum Reserve or Platinum Charge).
The full T&Cs can be found here.
Key Features: American Express Platinum Credit Card
 Apply Here | |||
| Income Req. | S$80,000 p.a | Points Validity | No expiry |
| Annual Fee | S$321 | Min. Transfer | 450 points (250 miles) |
| Miles with Annual Fee | None | Transfer Partners |
|
| FCY Fee | 2.95% | Transfer Fee | None |
| Local Earn | 0.69 mpd | Points Pool? | Yes |
| FCY Earn | 0.69 mpd | Lounge Access? | No |
| Special Earn | 3.47 mpd at EXTRA merchants | Airport Limo? | No |
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
The AMEX Platinum Credit Card carries an annual fee of S$321, and an income requirement of S$80,000.
| ⚠️ Although AMEX has raised the minimum income requirement, people have reported getting approved at the old S$50,000 threshold, similar to how the AMEX Platinum Charge officially has a S$200,000 income requirement, but in practice will accept applications with S$150,000 |
Cardholders who are approved by 31 July 2020 and spend S$12,000 in the first 6 months of approval will receive a total of 65,000 Membership Rewards points, split as follows:
| MR Points | Miles | |
| Base points for S$12K spend | 15K | 8.3K |
| Bonus points for S$6K spend in M1-3 | 25K | 13.9K |
| Bonus points for S$6K spend in M4-6 | 25K | 13.9K |
| Total | 65K | 36.1K |
The bonuses in Months 1-3 and 4-6 are independent; you can spend S$6,000 in each period to get both, or S$6,000 in either period to get one. Bonus points will be credited to your account within 8-10 weeks after the spending threshold is met.
To be eligible for the sign-up bonus, cardholders must not have cancelled an American Express Platinum Credit Card in the 12-month period before application. However, there’s no restriction on holding other American Express cards. You must pay the S$321 annual fee to receive this sign-up bonus.
The following transactions will not count towards eligible spending for the purposes of sign up bonuses:
| a) Charges processed and billed prior to the Enrolment Date or charges prepaid on any Card Account prior to the first billing statement for that Card Account following the Enrolment Date; b) Cash Advances and other cash services; c) Express Cash; d) American Express Travellers Cheque purchases; e) Charges for dishonoured cheques; f) Finance charges – including Line of Credit Charges and Credit Card interest charges; g) Late payment and collection charges; h) Tax refunds from overseas purchases; i) Balance transfer; j) Instalment plans; k) Annual Card fees and Membership Rewards fees; l) Pay portion billed for a “Pay + Points” rewards, where the Card Member uses points along with paying a specific amount to redeem the reward; m) Amount billed for purchase of Membership Rewards points to top-up your points balance; n) Purchase and top-up charges for EZ-Link Cards using American Express Cards; o) Bill payments and all transactions via SingPost SAM kiosks and mobile app (with effect from 1 March 2020); p) Payments to insurance companies (except payments made for insurance products purchased through American Express authorized channels) (with effect from 1 March 2020); q) Payments to Singapore Petroleum Company Limited (SPC) service stations (with effect from 1 March 2020); r) Payments for the purpose of GrabPay top-ups (with effect from 1 March 2020); s) Charges at merchants or establishments that are excluded by American Express at its sole discretion and notified by American Express to you from time to time. |
The main transactions to take note of here are insurance, SPC, and GrabPay transactions. All other transactions (including charitable donations, interestingly enough), will be eligible.
Outside of the sign-up bonus, the earn rate of 2 Membership Rewards points (MR points) per S$1.60 (0.69 mpd) means this isn’t a card you get for miles. Instead, the AMEX Platinum Credit Card is more of a benefits card.
Love Dining and Chillax Benefits
All AMEX Platinum cardholders get access to the Love Dining program, which offers up to 50% off dining at selected 5-Star hotels and restaurants. The discount is only valid for dine-in, but thankfully that won’t be an issue once Phase 2 starts.
 | |
| Restaurants | |
|
|
| Hotels | |
|
|
What I particularly like about Love Dining is that it’s not 1-for-1, it’s 50% off. With 1-for-1, you only get the cheaper item free, and everything else you buy is at the regular price.
With 50% off, you save on everything (except drinks)- appetizers, mains, desserts. No more feeling compelled to order a more expensive item because your partner did, and at more expensive restaurants, the savings can easily add up to S$100+ per visit.
AMEX Platinum cardholders also enjoy 1-for-1 drinks with Chillax. Bars will initially not open during Phase 2, but bars within hotels (e.g Anti:Dote, Conrad Lobby Lounge) are allowed to operate.
 | |
|
|
Conclusion
AMEX doesn’t offer the first year free on Platinum cards, so this promotion is one of the cheapest ways to get access to both the sign-up bonus and the Love Dining benefits.
Remember to submit your application by 31 July to be eligible.
I assume those with Plat Charge Card but not Plat credit card are not eligible for this offer? 😢
not much point if you have plat charge already- this is for those who don’t have the plat charge and want love dining benefits, but don’t fancy paying $321 for the plat credit card.
I applied for the Amex plat cc on Monday using the older, general promo link. Would I still be eligible for this promo?
if you applied using the link here you’ll be eligible for the MGM bonus, which offers 15,000 bonus MR points when you spend $1K within the first 3 months.
those who sign up via this current promotion don’t get the 15k bonus points, only the regular sign up bonus.