For the past year, we’ve seen American Express heavily marketing the AMEX Platinum Charge by increasing the welcome offers considerably. These have gone as high as 132,500 MR points, with additional sweeteners like eCapitaVouchers or luggage occasionally thrown in.
That said, we all knew that it couldn’t last forever, and indeed the latest sign-up bonus features a higher minimum spend with a lower bonus component- at least for new-to-bank customers.
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| New-to-AMEX customers | Existing AMEX customers | |
| Welcome Offer | 93,000 bonus MR points |
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| Min. Spend | S$8,000 spend in 60 days | |
New-to-AMEX and existing AMEX customers will now receive 93,000 bonus MR points with a minimum spend of S$8,000 in the first 60 days.
For new-to-AMEX customers, this is a big cut from the previous offer of 132,500 bonus MR points with a minimum spend of S$6,000. For existing AMEX customers, the size of the bonus has increased (it was previously 85,000 MR points), but so too has the minimum spend, which like the new-to-AMEX offer used to be S$6,000 too.
Hopefully you’ll have already jumped on one of the previous offers we saw in the past months!
AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer
 AMEX Platinum Charge |
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| Apply New Customers |
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| Apply Existing Customers |
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| New & Existing Customers |
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| Spend S$8,000 (First 60 days) |
93,000 points |
| Base Points from S$8,000 (@ 2 pts/S$1.60) |
10,000 points |
| Total Spend | S$8,000 |
| Total Return | 103,000 points |
| S$1,744 annual fee must be paid | |
American Express is effectively offering the same welcome offer for both new-to-AMEX and existing customers (existing customers will need to sign up via this link to get an extra 5,000 MR points via MGM, otherwise your offer will be 5,000 MR points poorer than the new-to-AMEX offer).
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 23 July 2024 will receive:
- 40,000 bonus MR points for paying the S$1,744 annual fee
- 5,000 bonus MR points for applying via The MileLion and spending S$5,000 within the first 60 days of approval
- 48,000 bonus MR points spending S$8,000 within the first 60 days of approval
- 10,000 base MR points (based on S$8,000 spend @ 2 MR points per S$1.60)
All in all, that’s 103,000 MR points for S$8,000 of spend.
Existing customers
| โ Definition |
|
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 23 July 2024 will receive:
- 40,000 bonus MR points for paying the S$1,744 annual fee
- 5,000 bonus MR points for applying via MGM and spending S$5,000 within the first 90 days of approval
- 48,000 bonus MR points spending S$8,000 within the first 60 days of approval
- 10,000 base MR points (based on S$8,000 spend @ 2 MR points per S$1.60)
All in all, that’s 103,000 MR points for S$8,000 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.
For the extra 5,000 MR points not mentioned in the above document, refer here (new-to-AMEX) or here (existing AMEX customer)
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.
New customers
| ๐ณ AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers (New-to-AMEX) |
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| Date | Min. Spend | Bonus MR Points |
| Current | S$8,000 | 93,000 |
| 30 May-30 Jun 24 | 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 |
| 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$8,000 | 93,000 |
| 30 May-30 Jun 24 | 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 |
| 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 (the section on the welcome bonus will be out of date, but all the other information is otherwise current).
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.
Also be sure to sign up for an A/C card to enjoy additional AMEX offers, which can save you money or earn extra MR points.
Conclusion
| AMEX Platinum Charge |
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| Apply New Customers |
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| Apply Existing Customers |
The latest AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer features up to 93,000 bonus MR points with a minimum spend of S$8,000. This marks an increase in the minimum spend and a cut in the maximum bonus compared to the previous offer.
If you’re willing to wait, it’s definitely worth seeing if a better offer comes along later this year, though the increase in minimum spend has me concerned (since unlike welcome offers, AMEX changes minimum spend much less frequently).
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!
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