Guide: American Express Platinum 10Xcelerator programme

While the American Express Platinum cards pack some solid benefits (especially if your weapon of choice is the AMEX Platinum Charge), they’re not exactly good choices for day-to-day spend. 

Cardholders earn just 0.69 mpd (0.78 mpd for the AMEX Platinum Charge) on general spending, a miserly haul compared to the 1.2-1.6 mpd from other general spending cards, or 3-6 mpd with specialised spending cards.

But there’s one exception: the 10Xcelerator programme. This is a specially curated group of merchants which offer bonus Membership Rewards (MR) points to American Express Platinum cardholders, increasing the earn rate to as high as 7.8 mpd.

Here’s how it works.

How does 10Xcelerator work?

Card	Earn Rate	Cap
AMEX Platinum Charge	7.8 mpd	S$16K per calendar year; 3.9 mpd after
AMEX Platinum Reserve	3.47 mpd	N/A
AMEX Platinum Credit Card	3.47 mpd	N/A

When spending at 10Xcelerator merchants, AMEX Platinum Credit Card and AMEX Platinum Reserve Cardholders will earn 3.47 mpd: 

• The usual base 2 MR points per S$1.60 spent (0.69 mpd)
• An extra 8 MR points per S$1.60 spent (2.78 mpd)

AMEX Platinum Charge Cardholders will earn 7.8 mpd on the first S$16,000 spent, and 3.9 mpd subsequently:

Do remember that the AMEX Platinum Charge enjoys a preferential conversion rate of 400 MR points = 250 airline miles, versus 450 MR points = 250 airline miles for the Platinum Credit Card and Reserve. 

10Xcelerator merchants

The following merchants are currently participating in the 10Xcelerator programme. 

The more astute of you may have noticed that these aren’t exactly everyday merchants. There’s a lot of fancy jewellery and watch stores (the preponderance of which is no doubt a contributing factor to the unhealthy levels of watch fetish demonstrated in the AMEX Platinum Charge chat), posh fashion boutiques, premium electronics and high-end restaurants on this list. You know, the kind of merchants whose margins allow them to offer the 10Xcelerator earn rates. 

Realistically speaking, most cardholders will be patronising only a handful of these outlets, and even then just a few times a year. If you’re in the market for an expensive watch or just really like Fred Perry shirts, I suppose the bonus points are just the icing on the cake. 

As for me, the merchant I use the most is Blissfulthots, my go-to solution for anniversary, birthday, and sorry-i’m-so-stupid flowers.

FAQs

Q: Do I earn the 10Xcelerator bonuses when I use mobile payments?

A: Yes, the bonuses apply regardless of whether you tap the physical card or use it with a mobile wallet. 

Q: Do I earn the 10Xcelerator bonuses when I use Kris+ or PayPal?

A: No. These bonuses are awarded based on merchant description, and Kris+ and PayPal modify it. You need to make payment directly to be eligible.

Take special care when shopping online, because some 10Xcelerator merchants (e.g. Grand Cru) use online payment aggregators, rendering the bonuses inapplicable. You can refer to each merchant’s description on the 10Xcelerator page to see which payment methods qualify. 

Q: (For AMEX Platinum Charge) Do supplementary cardholders enjoy their own 10Xcelerator cap?

A: No. Transactions made on supplementary cards will still be eligible for 10Xcelerator bonuses, but the S$16,000 calendar year cap is shared with the principal cardholder.

Q: How are 10Xcelerator points calculated?

A: Here’s an example of 10Xcelerator in action for a S$129.25 transaction at Monti with the AMEX Platinum Charge

This transaction earned a total of 1,600 MR points, broken down as follows:

• 160 MR points (80 + 80), awarded under the AMEX Platinum Charge’s standard 2 MR points per S$1.60 rate
• 640 MR points, awarded under the bonus 8 MR points per S$1.60, uncapped
• 800 MR points, awarded under the bonus 25 MR points per S$4, capped at S$16,000 per calendar year 

In other words, you’ll see four different line items for a single transaction. 

Conclusion

American Express Platinum cards shouldn’t be your first option for day-to-day spending, but if you cross paths with a 10Xcelerator merchant, they suddenly become a much better choice. 

That’s all the more so because MR points are one of the best points currencies in Singapore- they don’t expire, there’s no conversion fees, and you can convert them to 12 different airline and hotel programmes. 

Which 10Xcelerator merchants do you visit the most?