American Express has launched a Charge up! draw, which offers AMEX Platinum Credit Card members the chance to win their share ofย one million Membership Rewards points plus various Dyson products.ย
Cardmembers will earn chances through their year-end spending, with bonus chances awarded upon meeting certain thresholds.
AMEX Charge Up! Draw
From 2 November to 31 December 2020, AMEX Platinum Credit Card members will earn one lucky draw chance with every transaction of at least S$20.ย Qualifying transactions exclude those which do not earn Membership Rewards points– the key ones to note here are insurance, GrabPay top-ups, and SPC transactions.ย
No registration is required, and all cardmembers are automatically eligible to accrue chances. Cardholders will receive a one-time bonus as they charge additional qualifying transactions to their cards:
- 5 qualifying transactions: 3 bonus chances
- 10 qualifying transactions: 10 bonus chances
These bonuses are either/or- if you charge 10 transactions, you’ll receive 10 bonus chances (not 10+3). Supplementary cardholders will also earn chances through their spending, which accrue to the principal cardholder.ย
A total of 45 winners will be chosen to split the following prize pool.
| Prize | Quantity |
| 200,000 Membership Rewards points | 5 |
| Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer | 20 |
| Dyson Pure Cool Me Purifier Fan | 20 |
The draw will be conducted on 18 January 2021, and each principal cardholder is entitled to a maximum of one prize. Winners will be notified within seven business days of the draw. The full T&C can be found at the bottom of this page.ย
Is it worth spending with the AMEX Platinum Credit Card?
The AMEX Platinum Credit Card is not exactly what you call a points-earning powerhouse. Cardholders earn 2 Membership Rewards points per S$1.60 spent either locally or abroad, which works out to 0.69 mpd.
| ๐ For a limited time, you can get S$250 of Lazada vouchers when approved for an AMEX Platinum Credit Card, which offsets the S$321 annual fee to yield a nett cost of S$71. That’s an excellent price to pay for Love Dining + Chillax benefits if you ask me. |
Needless to say, you could earn a lot more by putting your spending on another card. Even if you’re not talking 4 mpd opportunities, the average general spending card would earn 1.1-1.4 mpd, double that of the AMEX Platinum Credit Card.
But there are situations where spending on this card would make sense.ย If you’re using Love Dining or Chillax benefits, for example, you’ll have to pay with this card. Likewise, if you’ve just been approved and want to unlock your sign-up gift, you’ll need to put at least some spending here.ย
As a reminder, new cardholders who spend at least S$5,000 in the first 3 months of approval will receive a Samsung 24โ FHD Monitor + j5create USB HD Webcam (T&C here).ย
Conclusion
While it may not be enough to convince people to switch their general spending card, this lucky draw is the icing on the cake for those using their AMEX Platinum Credit Card for Love Dining/Chillax or sign-up bonuses.ย
200,000 Membership Rewards points are worth 111,111 airline miles, so it’s a very nice prize all things considered.
