Last month, American Express launched a new set of welcome offers for the AMEX Platinum Charge, which are open to both new and existing AMEX cardholders.
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| AMEX Platinum Charge | ||
| Offer 1 | Offer 2 | |
| Welcome Offer | 88,000 bonus MR points + S$100 credits + Samsonite luggage | S$900 credits + Samsonite luggage |
| Min. Spend | S$8,000 spend in 180 days |
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All new applicants will receive both a Samsonite luggage bag and a S$100 statement credit, with an additional choice of either 88,000 bonus MR points or a further S$800 statement credit.
This means that you could potentially get more than half off the first year’s S$1,744 annual fee, plus a Samsonite bag thrown in for good measure. With all the other benefits on offer, it’s almost impossible not to come out ahead in the first membership year.
AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer
 AMEX Platinum Charge |
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| Apply | ||
| Offer 1 |
Offer 2 | |
| Pay S$1,744 Annual Fee | – | – |
| Spend S$8,000 (First 180 days) |
88,000 MR points + S$100 credits + Samsonite luggage | S$900 credits + Samsonite luggage |
| Base Points from S$8,000 (@ 2 pts/S$1.60) |
10,000 MR points | 10,000 MR points |
| Total Spend | S$8,000 | S$8,000 |
| Total Return | 98,000 MR points + S$100 credits + Samsonite luggage | 10,000 MR points + S$900 credits + Samsonite luggage |
American Express is offering new-to-AMEX and existing AMEX customers a choice of two welcome offers for the AMEX Platinum Charge.
| โ ๏ธ Exclusion |
| If you cancelled a principal AMEX Platinum Charge in the past 24 months, you are not eligible for this (or any) welcome offer. |
This means that if you don’t have any American Express cards just yet, you should not be applying for the AMEX Platinum Charge as your first American Express card. Instead, get approved for a different card first, fulfill the welcome offer, then apply for the AMEX Platinum Charge.
Here’s a reminder of the new-to-AMEX offers on other AMEX cards.
| Card | New-to-AMEX offer | Min. Spend |
 AMEX KrisFlyer AscendApply |
36,800 bonus miles + S$50 credits | S$1,000 (in FCY) in 30 days |
 AMEX KrisFlyer Credit CardApply |
15,900 bonus miles + S$50 eCapitaVoucher | S$1,000 (in SGD or FCY) in 30 days |
AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offer 1
Customers who apply for an AMEX Platinum Charge and receive approval from 1 October to 2 December 2024 will receive:
- 88,000 bonus MR points
- S$100 statement credits
- Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25
A minimum spend of S$8,000 within 180 days of approval is required, which will earn a further base reward of 10,000 MR points.
AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offer 2
Customers who apply for an AMEX Platinum Charge and receive approval from 1 October to 2 December 2024 will receive:
- S$900 statement credits
- Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25
A minimum spend of S$8,000 within 180 days of approval is required, which will earn a further base reward of 10,000 MR points.
Which offer should you take?
When deciding between Offers 1 and 2, the choice boils down to whether you prefer 88,000 MR points (55,000 miles) or S$800 statement credits.
Based on my personal value of a KrisFlyer mile, 55,000 miles are worth S$825, so it’s marginal to me- I could see arguments either way. Keep in mind that MR points can be converted to other airline and hotel programmes as well (see below), so the value would could be higher or lower depending on what you choose.
It’s also worth noting that if you choose Offer 2, more than 50% of your first year’s annual fee is covered already, before even taking into account the value of the luggage. Once you factor in the S$1,354 annual statement credits (of which you can use two sets in the first membership year), it’s almost certain you’ll come out ahead.
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 was carved out for the AMEX Platinum Charge.
If you plan to use CardUp to meet the minimum spend, do note that there are certain restrictions on AMEX payments. However, there’s also a ongoing offer that reduces the admin fee to as low as 1.8%, which is a great way to meet the minimum spend for the welcome offer.
CardUp x AMEX promo: Buy miles from 1.36 cents, meet welcome offer minimum spend
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 gifts will be awarded within 10 weeks of meeting the spend threshold.
Any questions about the crediting of bonus points should be directed to American Express.
Terms & Conditions
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 & Gifts |
| Current | S$8,000 | 88,000 + Samsonite luggage + S$100 or Samsonite luggage + S$900 |
| 6-30 Sep 24 | S$8,000 | 131,000 + S$100 eCV |
| 24 Jul – 5 Sep 24 | S$8,000 | 131,000 |
| 1-23 Jul 24 | 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 |
| 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 & Gifts |
| Current | S$8,000 | 88,000 + Samsonite luggage + S$100 or Samsonite luggage + S$900 |
| 6-30 Sep 24 | S$8,000 | 120,000 + S$100 eCV |
| 24 Jul – 5 Sep 24 | S$8,000 | 120,000 |
| 1-23 Jul 24 | 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 |
| 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 |
| *This is the only partner with a 450:250 ratio, thought there’s little reason to transfer MR points to HighFlyer in the first place | |
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 Sky Club 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.
Guide: AMEX Platinum Charge annual S$1,354 statement credits
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 |
The latest AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer gives new cardholders a Samsonite luggage, plus 88,000 bonus MR points & S$100 statement credit or S$900 statement credit.
The offers are the same regardless of whether you’re a new-to-AMEX or existing customer, though the former should get approved for a different AMEX card first before applying for this one in order to take advantage of two welcome offers.
An AMEX Platinum Charge is no small investment, so be sure to weigh the cost and benefits carefully before you apply!
is it 60 or 180 days as per website? – For New & Existing American Express Card Members โ Receive S$100 Statement Credits on top of your welcome offer with annual fee payment and min. spending of S$8,000 within 180 calendar days of Card approval.
180 days. have updated the post.
In order to get the rewards mentioned above, we need to pay for annual fees too right?
How are said statement credits credited? Like is it with certain brands only or.. how do we redeem them?
It’s basically Cashback. Spend it on whatever you want
Oh so it comes as credit and we can lessen our bill with it. Ok thanks!
I missed the 350 dollars voucher in May promotion. They emailed me a shortQ redemption email on july 15, redemption expired on 14 Aug. No SMS, no phone call, no reminding. And only till today, i found it in junk mails after i called customer service to check when the voucher would send out ๐คฃ
Hi Aaron, thank you for your comprehensive article!
Would like to find out more about your advise on applying for another card example KrisFlyer Ascend Card before applying for the Platinum Charge Card.
Must I fulfil the minimum spend criteria of $1,000 then wait for the Welcome gift to be credited before I apply for the Platinum Charge Card?
Or I can immediately apply for the Platinum Charge Card as an existing AMEX Cardholder with Welcome Offer once, I obtain the KrisFlyer Ascend Card?
all that matters is approval date. get the amex kfa approved first, then apply for plat charge
Awesome! I managed to get the Ascend card approved! Waiting for it to arrive now ๐
For the platinum card, will I still be entitled to the extra $100 Statement Credit or $100 eCapitaVouchers when I sign up with a referral link as an existing Amex cardholder?
Hi Aaron,
I see a double point credit in my plat charge account. For many transactions. May I check if that means I am getting 2x miles? For example 1.56 mpd instead of 0.7 I think. I cannot see them announcing this double point promotion anywhere. Only in my statement.
I just checked with their CS, it’s just the normal 2MR. thanks and just clarifying
Hi Aaron, I read the terms and conditions of the extra 100$ via MileLion. It states though, under General clause 8, that if applied through the affiliate link you have, the member will NOT be eligible for the Welcome Offer! That means 100$ credit through your link but none of the welcome offers? Is that a mistake on the T&Cs? Or did I misread something? You may want to edit your article as well, as you mention 900$ credit but the Amex site is 800$. You should say 800$ + 100$ more via MileLion. That might even bring you more… Read more »
you’ll still enjoy the usual welcome offers if you apply via milelion.
I take it that paying for my road tax and season parking renewals are allowed? Thanks in advance.