AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or 50% off annual fee plus Samsonite luggage

From now till 2 December 2024, get a Samsonite luggage and a choice of 88,000 MR points & S$100, or S$900, with a new AMEX Platinum Charge, whether you're a new or existing AMEX customer.

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.

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

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
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.

⚠️ 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 Ascend
Apply
36,800 bonus miles + S$50 credits S$1,000 (in FCY) in 30 days
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card
Apply
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:

❌ Qualifying Spend Exclusions

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;
b) Cash Advances and other cash services;
c) Express Cash;
d) American Express Travellers Cheque purchases;
e) Charges for dishonoured cheques;
f) Finance charges – including Line of Credit Charges and Credit Card interest charges;
g) Late payment and collection charges;
h) Tax refunds from overseas purchases;
i) Balance transfer;
j) Instalment plans;
k) Annual Card fees and Membership Rewards fees;
l) Pay portion billed for a “Pay + Points” rewards, where the Card Member uses points along with paying a specific amount to redeem the reward;
m) Amount billed for purchase of Membership Rewards points to top-up your points balance;
n) Bill payments and all transactions via SingPost (e.g. SAM kiosks, mobile app, online portal);
o) Payments to insurance companies (except payments made for insurance products purchased through American Express authorized channel);
p) Payments to Singapore Petroleum Company Limited (SPC) service stations;
q) Payments for the purpose of GrabPay top-ups;
r) Payments to utilities merchants (with effect from 12 February 2021);
s) Payments to public/restructured hospitals, polyclinics and other public/restructured healthcare institutions and facilities (with effect from 1 October 2022);
t) Charges at merchants or establishments that are excluded by American Express at its
sole discretion and notified by American Express to you from time to time.

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

💳 AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers
(New-to-AMEX)

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

Existing customers

💳 AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers
(Existing AMEX customer)

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:

💳 Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
Frequent Flyer Programme Conversion Ratio
(AMEX: Partner)
400:250
450:250*
asia miles logo 400:250
british airways logo 400:250
400:250
evaair logo 400:250
400:250
enrich logo 400:250
qantas logo 400:250
thai airways logo 400:250
1,000:1,000
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 enjoy S$1,354 of annual statement credits, plus free hotel stays, dining vouchers, airport lounge access and more

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).

The AMEX Platinum Charge first-year sweet spot

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
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!

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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QT

is it 60 or 180 days as per website? – For New & Existing American Express Card Members ✔ 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.

KKzai

In order to get the rewards mentioned above, we need to pay for annual fees too right?

Jay

How are said statement credits credited? Like is it with certain brands only or.. how do we redeem them?

Jay

Oh so it comes as credit and we can lessen our bill with it. Ok thanks!

Jay

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 🤣

Gordon Goh

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?

Gordon Goh

Awesome! I managed to get the Ascend card approved! Waiting for it to arrive now 😃

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?

Kai

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.

Kai

I just checked with their CS, it’s just the normal 2MR. thanks and just clarifying

Flo

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 »

Anthony

I take it that paying for my road tax and season parking renewals are allowed? Thanks in advance.

Darren

Hi Aaron, I have a question – in the T&Cs it states to “Pay the Full Annual Fee of S$1,744 (incl. of 9% GST) in the first statement”. Does this mean we have to pay the annual fee in the first month or first year (as per usual)? And if it is the latter, when will we get our promo benefits like the MR points and luggage?

Thanks!

J Y

If cancelled my plat charge card in Jan, would I still be eligible for the offer?

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