American Express has refreshed the sign-up bonus for the AMEX Platinum Credit Card, which is valid for applications and approvals between 1 July and 31 August 2021.
New cardholders will now receive a staycation at the Fullerton Hotel, which replaces the previous gift of S$150 Love Dining credits. The spending requirement remains the same.
New Offer: Staycation at Fullerton Hotel
Customers who apply and get approval for an AMEX Platinum Card between 1 July and 31 August 2021 will receive the following:
Hotel Offer | ||
Spend | Reward | |
Pay Annual Fee | N/A | 25K pts |
Milelion Bonus | S$2K | 12K pts |
Months 1-3 | S$5K | Fullerton stay |
Base Points | 6.25K pts (S$5K @ 2 pts per S$1.60) |
|
Total Spend | S$5K | |
Total Points | 43.25K + Fullerton stay |
All cardholders will receive 25,000 MR points when they pay the (non-waivable) first year’s annual fee of S$321.
Milelion readers will also earn 12,000 MR points when they spend S$2,000 in the first 3 months of approval. Should they spend a further S$3,000 (i.e. S$5,000 total), they’ll receive a one-night stay at the Fullerton Hotel (Premier Courtyard Room), with breakfast included.
Fullerton Hotel Staycation Review
This means your total haul (including the base points) could be 43,250 MR points and a Fullerton Hotel staycation for S$5,000 of spending.
This offer is open to both new and existing AMEX cardholders, so long as they have not cancelled an AMEX Platinum Credit Card in the past 12 months.
The full T&C of this offer can be found here.
Alternative Offer: 80,000 MR points
If it’s MR points you’re craving, there’s a separate offer for applications received by 31 July 2021 and approved by 14 August 2021.
80K Points Offer | ||
Spend | Reward | |
Pay Annual Fee | N/A | 20K pts |
Months 1-3 | S$5K | 60K pts |
Base Points | 6.25K pts (S$5K @ 2 pts per S$1.60) |
|
Total Spend | S$5K | |
Total Points | 86.25K pts |
Applicants will receive 20,000 MR points when they pay the first year’s annual fee of S$321. Those who spend S$5,000 in the first 3 months of approval will earn a further 60,000 MR points.
Do note the stricter eligibility criteria for this offer. Applicants must not hold an existing principal AMEX credit card now or in the past 12 months (excluding corporate cards and those issued by DBS/UOB).
Because of this, my advice would be that interested applicants leverage their new-to-bank status for another sign up offer (like the KrisFlyer cards) before taking the Fullerton Hotel staycation offer with the AMEX Platinum Credit Card, since that’s available to both new and existing AMEX customers.
The full T&C of this offer can be found here.
What counts as qualifying spending?
Regardless of which offer you take, the minimum spend can be met with any purchases of eligible goods or services which post to your account within the first 3 months after approval.
American Express has published a list of excluded spending categories here, but the key ones to note are:
- GrabPay top-ups
- Insurance
- SPC transactions
- Utilities
For the avoidance of doubt, hospital transactions, donations, and anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend.
Enjoy AMEX Love Dining and Chillax benefits
The Love Dining program is one of the biggest draws of the AMEX Platinum Credit Card, allowing members to save up to 50% at more than 30 restaurants and hotels, including Si Chuan Dou Hua, Wooloomooloo, Conrad Centennial and the St Regis.
The full list of restaurants can be found below:
Restaurants | |
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Hotels | |
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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 upscale restaurants, the savings can easily add up to S$100+ per visit.
AMEX Platinum cardholders also enjoy 1-for-1 drinks and special offers with Chillax.
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Conclusion
While a Fullerton Hotel Premier Courtyard room is worth nowhere near the S$600 that AMEX lists on their website, that plus 12,000 MR points is a decent return for S$5,000 spend (especially since you don’t need to be new-to-AMEX to qualify).
The 25,000 MR points received for paying the S$321 annual fee are worth approximately S$250 (based on 1.8 cents per mile), and you can see the balance as the cost of Love Dining/Chillax. If you enjoy eating and drinking outside, it should be relatively easy to cover your cost.
Hi Aaron, are the TnCs attached supposed to be the same for both offers? Also for offer 1, it sounds like it is okay to only meet $2K spending for milelion 12K MR bonus and forfeit the Fullerton staycation.
sorry- updated the T&C of the staycation offer: https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/sg/campaigns/pdfs/platinum-credit-card.pdf
yes, you do not need to spend $5k if you dont want to. if you just want the MR points bonus, you can spend $2k and stop.
Hi Aaron, do you know if holding an AMEX corporate card through your employer counts as holding a principal AMEX card and would exclude someone from the bonus? Thanks, Nigel
Nope, it does not
Hi Aaron, looks interesting as I’m trying to build up more miles for my trip coming up end of the year. How to get the milelion bonus of 12,000 MR? Is there any code to enter in the application form?
Use this referral link : https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/campaigns/milelion.html#platinum-grcc
thanks for replying on behalf of Aaron ๐
I’ll apply through the referral link.
No worries! And remember, the Crispy, Tender, and Juicy Chicken McCrispy at McDonald’s helps towards your $2000 spend for the extra 12,000 MR! Try now at any McDonald’s outlets.
๐๐
thanks for replying on behalf of Aaron ๐
I’ll apply thru the link
applying via this link will work: https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/campaigns/milelion.html#platinum-grcc
Thanks Aaron. Applied yesterday. All good
Is the offer applicable to existing holders of Amex Platinum RESERVE credit card?
yes. so long as you don’t hold an AMEX platinum credit card now or in the past 12 months, you are eligible.
Sad to say. They cancelled my Reserve Plat CC without any notice; upon Plat CC approval. Not nice of Amex. Spoke to their supposed RM. It is like taking away half-drank Latte if customer order additional Cappacino drink.
AMEX has a policy that you can only hold the plat cc or reserve cc, but not both. kind of like their policy re kfcc and kfa.
they probably should have made that clear to you at the time though.
39.5K MR points for $2K spend seems like the much better offer
Hi if I just receive my new platinum charge card and now get this card, would I still be eligible for the promo staycation and MR given that I only pay the platinum charge card annual fee
you will need to pay the $321 AF on the platinum credit card for those offers.
Hi Aaron, In order to get the Fullerton staycation , I must pay the annual fee ?
yes
As it excluded insurance payment, do you think paying insurance through cardup will work?
woohoo.
cardup does not process under the insurance mcc.
it open up opportunity for people who want a cheap Fullerton stay ($130) ๐