Guide: American Express Platinum 10Xcelerator programme

AMEX Platinum Cards don't earn great miles- unless you're at a 10Xcelerator merchant, in which case how does 7.8 mpd sound?

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.ย 

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:ย 

  • 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:

For cumulative spend โ‰คS$16,000 in a calendar year
  • The usual base 2 MR points per S$1.60 spent (0.78 mpd)
  • An extra 8 MR points per S$1.60 spent (3.13 mpd)
  • An extra 25 MR points per S$4 spent (3.9 mpd)
For spending >S$16,000 in a calendar year
  • The usual base 2 MR points per S$1.60 spent (0.78 mpd)
  • An extra 8 MR points per S$1.60 spent (3.13 mpd)

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.ย 

10Xcelerator merchants

Sol & Luna, a 10Xcelerator merchant

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

Beauty and Cosmetics
  • Maison 21G
  • Sabon
Fashion and Accessories
  • ba&sh
  • Brunello Cucinelli
  • CA4LA
  • Fred Perry
  • Manolo Blahnik
  • Moschino
  • RABEANCO
  • Repetto
  • Stone Island
Dine and Wine
  • Flutes Restaurant & Bar
  • Grand Cru
  • Kei Hachi
  • Kyoten
  • Malt & Wine Asia
  • PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay
  • PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering
  • Venchi
1-Group
  • 1918 Heritage Bar
  • 1-Atico
  • Bee’s Knees
  • Bee’s Knees Urban
  • Botanico
  • Kaarla
  • Monti
  • Oumi
  • Sol & Luna
  • The Summerhouse
  • UNA
  • Wildseed Bar
  • Wildseed Cafe
Home and Lifestyle
  • Absolute Sound
  • B1 Florist
  • Blissfulthots
  • Leica
  • Masterpiece Insurance by Chubb
  • Miele
  • My Cyber Insurance by Chubb
  • My Gadget Insurance by Chubb
  • Okamura
  • Royal Albatross
  • Samsonite
  • Steinway Gallery
  • Silky Miracle
  • The Hearing Solution
Watches and Jewellery
  • Jewellery Protect Insurance by Chubb
  • Hublot Boutique
  • IWC
  • L’Atelier
  • Lee Hwa Jewellery
  • Malmaison
  • Montblanc
  • Niessing
  • Panerai
  • Piaget
  • Roger Dubuis
  • Tag Heuer
  • The Hour Glass
  • Watches of Switzerland
  • Zenith

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.ย 

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.ย 

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.ย 

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.ย 

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 yearย 

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

Conclusion

If you need to buy a grand piano…

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.ย 

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.ย 

Which 10Xcelerator merchants do you visit the most?

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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Jem

Hi Aaron, does the 10x also apply to overseas outlet of the listed merchants?

Jem

Ah I see, thanks

Nick

Hi Aaron, there’s a minor spelling error in both of the Parkroyal Collections listed. The Ts and Is are swapped around. Just an FYI

Tim

the brand mix of the 10x list is quite broad, in the sense there are good brands, and also expensive but “cold door” brands, and then also cheap things.

Jon Choo

Woah sianโ€ฆ Harvey Norman is out.

Jarnytha

just swipe $16k for watches in january every year to get the most(points) out of it

CK Khoo

HOURGLASS !!!

Craig

Does it allow purchasing from the merchant using their online shop in their website or only instore?

Lateralus

Hi Aaron, first off, thanks for doing what you do. New reader and subscriber, and have learned so much from your work. Question: I’m planning a big purchase (>16K) at one of the 10Xcelerator merchants. Considering the AMEX Platinum Charge card. If I don’t use all the wine/dine/spa vouchers โ€“ is it still worth it to pay the 1.7K annual fee for Platinum Charge just for the 7.8mpd? Would the cheaper Platinum (but only earning 3.47mpd for 10X) card be more suitable? Finally, does the 10Xcelerator points still apply if I’m new-to-bank, and signing/claiming the sign-up bonus for either AMEX… Read more »

Last edited 6 months ago by Lateralus
Lateralus

Thanks for the fast reply, super helpful. Good to know that 10xcelerator is evergreen. For example, does that means you get both the welcome offer bonus miles (by hitting the min spend + paying annual fee), and in addition, the 7.8mpd on the same spend?

ben

is leica still on the list? does not appear so from amex website

Jack

Hi Aaron, for Blissfulthots, did you purchase the flowers at the physical store or online? If online, they are asking for the Amex card plat card number and expiry date. Is it trusted to provide ? Can you share your experience with it?