American Express has been heavily marketing the AMEX Platinum Charge over the past year and increasing the welcome offers considerably.
Based on what we’ve seen, it looks like the best-possible offer maxes out at around 132,500 MR points, with additional sweeteners occasionally added in the form of eCapitaVouchers, Dairy Farm vouchers or luggage.
We’re now seeing something slightly different from AMEX, with a set of new offers which run from now till 30 June 2024.
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| New-to-AMEX customers | Existing AMEX customers | |
| Welcome Offer 1 | 132,500 bonus MR points | 85,000 bonus MR points |
| Welcome Offer 2 | 62,000 bonus MR points + S$500 statement credits | |
| Min. Spend | S$6,000 spend in 60 days | |
If you’re a new-to-AMEX customer, the main offer is mostly the same: it’s still 132,500 bonus MR points with a minimum spend of S$6,000 in 60 days, though there’s no additional sweetener for this period.
However, an alternative offer has now been launched too: 62,000 bonus MR points + S$500 statement credits with the same minimum spend of S$6,000 in 60 days. My guess is that this is aimed at those whose main obstacle to test-driving the AMEX Platinum Charge is its hefty S$1,744 annual fee.
If you’re an existing AMEX customer, I certainly hope you took advantage of the excellent promotion we saw in April and May where the welcome bonus was upgraded to 127,500 MR points, matching the new customer offer. Unfortunately, that opportunity is now past, and the offer has reverted to the usual 85,000 bonus MR points.
AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer
 AMEX Platinum Charge |
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| Apply New Customer Offer 1 or Existing Customer |
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| Apply New Customer Offer 2 |
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| New Customers |
Existing Customers | ||
| Offer 1 | Offer 2 | ||
| Spend S$6,000 (First 60 days) |
132.5K points |
62K points + S$500 | 85K points |
| Base Points from S$6,000 (@ 2 pts/S$1.60) |
7.5K points | ||
| Total Spend | S$6,000 | ||
| Total Return | 140K points |
69.5K points + S$500 | 92.5K points |
| S$1,744 annual fee must be paid | |||
American Express is offering two different sign-up offers for the AMEX Platinum Charge, depending on whether you count as a new or existing customer.
New-to-AMEX
| โ Definition |
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New-to-AMEX customers are defined as those who:
There is no “timeout period” for a customer with a recently-cancelled card to be considered new (provided the cancelled card is not a principal AMEX Platinum Charge). However, all approvals are subject to internal review. The AMEX Platinum Charge is a distinct product from the AMEX Platinum Credit Card and AMEX Platinum Reserve. |
New-to-AMEX customers who apply and get approval by 30 June 2024 will receive:
- 132,500 bonus MR points or 62,000 bonus MR points + S$500 for spending S$6,000 within the first 60 days of approval
- 7,500 base MR points (based on S$6,000 spend @ 2 MR points per S$1.60)
All in all, that’s 140,000 MR points or 69,500 MR points + S$500 for S$6,000 of spend.
Should you choose 132,500 bonus MR points or 62,000 bonus MR points+ S$500? It boils down to how much you value a mile. The trade-off is 70,500 MR points (44,063 miles) for S$500, which values 1 mile at around 1.13 cents. I personally would not take anything less than 1.5 cents per mile, so I’d recommend the 132,500 bonus MR points offer instead.
Existing customers
| โ Definition |
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Existing customers are defined as those who:
The AMEX Platinum Charge is a distinct product from the AMEX Platinum Credit Card and AMEX Platinum Reserve. |
Existing AMEX customers who apply and get approval by 30 June 2024 will receive:
- 85,000 bonus MR points for spending S$6,000 within the first 60 days of approval
- 7,500 base MR points for spending a total of S$6,000 (@ 2 MR points per S$1.60)
All in all, that’s 92,500 MR points for S$6,000 of spend.
What counts as qualifying spend?
Qualifying spend refers to all online and offline retail purchases, whether in Singapore dollars or foreign currency.
It excludes the following transactions:
| โ Qualifying Spend Exclusions |
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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; |
For the avoidance of doubt, CardUp, private and non-profit hospital bills, charitable donations, education, and anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend. While American Express added charitable donations and education to its exclusions list on 1 October 2023, an exception has been carved out for the AMEX Platinum Charge.
Do note there are certain restrictions on AMEX payments with CardUp, as summarised in the article below.
Spending by both principal and supplementary cardholders will be combined when determining whether the minimum spend threshold has been met.
When will bonus MR points be credited?
All bonus MR points will be credited within 12 weeks of meeting the spend threshold.
Any questions about the crediting of bonus points should be directed to American Express.
Terms & Conditions
The T&Cs for this offer can be found here.
Do note that out of the total bonus figure, 5,000 MR points come from the MGM referral programme. You’ll find those T&Cs on the landing page.
How does this compare to previous offers?
For the sake of comparison, here’s a summary of the recent welcome offers we’ve seen for the AMEX Platinum Charge.
| โ ๏ธ Important Note |
| When comparing offers across time periods, you should factor in that American Express added $1,204 of annual statement credits in Feburary 2023, and a further S$150 fashion credit in April 2023. This makes the first year more lucrative (because you enjoy two sets of statement credits), but has led to a commensurate fall in the number of bonus points on offer. |
New customers
| ๐ณ AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers (New-to-AMEX) |
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| Date | Min. Spend | Bonus MR Points |
| Current | S$6,000 | 132,500 |
| 9-29 May 24 | S$6,000 | 127,500 + S$350 voucher or Samsonite luggage |
| 1 Apr-8 May 24 | S$10,000 | 137,500 |
| 1-31 Mar 24 | S$6,000 | 127,500 + RC stay |
| 29 Jan – 28 Feb 24 | S$6,000 | 132,500 + S$200 voucher |
| 27 Sep 23- 28 Jan 24 | S$6,000 | 132,500 |
| 12-26 Sep 23 | S$8,000 | 60,000 + Samsonite luggage |
| 5-11 Sep 23 | S$10,000 | 100,000 |
| 1 Aug to 4 Sep 23 | S$15,000 | 95,000 |
| 4-31 Jul 23 | S$15,000 | 115,000 |
| 1 Jun to 3 Jul 23 | S$15,000 | 100,000 |
| 1 Feb to 31 May 23 | S$15,000 | 95,000 |
| 3 Nov 22 to 31 Jan 23 | S$20,000 | 110,000 |
| 2-31 Oct 22 | S$20,000 | 175,000 |
| Spending time periods may not be the same across all offers; refer to the respective articles for the full details |
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Existing customers
| ๐ณ AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers (Existing AMEX customer) |
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| Date | Min. Spend | Bonus MR Points |
| Current | S$6,000 | 85,000 |
| 5 Apr-29 May 24 | S$6,000 | 127,500 |
| 29 Feb – 4 Apr 24 | S$6,000 | 80,000 |
| 29 Jan – 28 Feb 24 | S$6,000 | 85,000 |
| 12-26 Sep 23 | S$8,000 | 60,000 |
| 5-11 Sep 23 | S$8,000 | 60,000 |
| 1 Aug to 4 Sep 23 | S$10,000 | 70,000 |
| 4-31 Jul 23 | S$10,000 | 70,000 |
| 1 Jun to 3 Jul 23 | S$10,000 | 55,000 |
| 1 Feb to 31 May 23 | S$10,000 | 60,000 |
| 3 Nov 22 to 31 Jan 23 | S$20,000 | 110,000 |
| 2-31 Oct 22 | S$20,000 | 140,000 |
| Spending time periods may not be the same across all offers; refer to the respective articles for the full details | ||
What can you do with Membership Rewards points?
AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders can convert MR points to airline miles or hotel points at the following rates:
| ๐ณ Membership Rewards Transfer Partners | |
| Frequent Flyer Programme | Conversion Ratio (AMEX: Partner) |
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400:250 |
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450:250 |
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400:250 |
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400:250 |
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400:250 |
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400:250 |
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400:250 |
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400:250 |
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400:250 |
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400:250 |
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1,000:1,000 |
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1,000:1,250 |
Do note that AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders receive a preferential conversion rate of 400 points = 250 airline miles, compared to regular cardholders who get 450 points = 250 airline miles.
Membership Rewards points do not expire, and all conversions are free of charge.
AMEX Platinum Charge: Key benefits
AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders can enjoy benefits such as:
- S$1,354 of dining, entertainment, lifestyle, travel and fashion credits each calendar year
- COMO Club C5 membership with S$260 of annual birthday vouchers (valid for both principal and supp. cards)
- Unlimited airport lounge access for the cardholder + 1 guest
- Priority Pass Lounges
- Centurion Lounges
- International American Express Lounges
- Delta SkyClub Lounges
- Plaza Premium Lounges
- One complimentary hotel night every membership year
- Tower Club access
- Tower Club & assorted dining vouchers
- Access to the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts programme, which offers perks such as free breakfast, room upgrades (subject to availability), a US$100 experience credit and guaranteed late check-out
- Hilton Honors Gold status, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, Pan Pacific DISCOVERY Platinum status & Radisson Rewards Premium status
- American Express Love Dining
- American Express Chillax
- Platinum Golf privileges
The S$1,354 of statement credits are split into:
- S$150 fashion credits at Mr Porter and NET-A-PORTER (disbursed as S$75 per six-month period)
- S$200 dining credits at participating local restaurants
- S$200 dining credits at participating overseas restaurants
- S$400 lifestyle credits at participating retail partners
- S$204 entertainment credits for news or music streaming services (disbursed as S$17 per month)
- S$200 airline credits for Singapore Airlines or Scoot
For more details on how to use them, refer to this comprehensive guide.
Because your first membership year will overlap with two calendar years, you can enjoy two sets of credits in your first membership year (except the entertainment credits, which are disbursed on a monthly basis), regardless of whether you choose to renew your card from the second year onwards.
This creates what I call the “first year sweet spot”, where the value you get is significantly more than the annual fee. To understand this better, check out the guide below.
In order to get maximum value, be sure to share the AMEX Platinum Charge’s benefits with friends and family. Two supplementary cards are free for life, and enjoy perks such as Como C5 membership, complimentary lounge access, hotel elite status, Tower Club access and AMEX Love Dining & Chillax.
Conclusion
| AMEX Platinum Charge |
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| Apply New Customer Offer 1 or Existing Customer |
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| Apply New Customer Offer 2 |
The latest AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer features 132,500 bonus MR points/62,000 bonus MR points + S$500 for new-to-AMEX customers, with existing customers getting 85,000 bonus MR points.
If you’re a new customer, I reckon the 132,500 bonus MR points offer is better, though you should be aware that we might see other campaigns later this year which throw in some additional vouchers or luggage as an added incentive too.
An AMEX Platinum Charge is no small investment, so be sure to read my repository of articles to learn how you can get the most out of your card!
