American Express has revealed some major changes to the AMEX Platinum Charge, which will come into effect from 1 January 2026.
If you weren’t a fan of the finicky system of Platinum statement credits, then I guess I have good news for you: American Express will be scrapping the Local Dining, Entertainment and Fashion credits, collectively amounting to S$554, or 40% of the existing S$1,354 total.
Replacing this is a new benefit called Table for Two, which offers a free meal for two persons, six times a year, at a list of participating restaurants. There will also be a new perk called Private Platinum Spaces, “member-only spaces created for comfort, connection and memorable experiences”.
Teetotalers may be upset to know that the current Lifestyle credit will be revamped as the Platinum Wine credit, which, as the name suggests, can only be spent on wines. On the plus side, the Overseas Dining credit will now be awarded as a single S$200 annual credit, though you will have to wait till at least March 2026 to use it.
Changes to AMEX Platinum Charge statement credits
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| 💳 Platinum Statement Credits |
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| Credit | 2025 | 2026 |
| Local Dining |
S$100 per 6 mo. | Removed |
| Entertainment |
S$17 per mo. | Removed |
| Fashion |
S$75 per 6 mo. | Removed |
| Overseas Dining | S$100 per 6 mo. | S$200 per yr. |
| Lifestyle |
S$200 per 6 mo. (min. S$300 spend) |
S$200 per 6 mo. (min. S$300 spend) Renamed as Platinum Wine |
| Airline | S$100 per 6 mo. (min. S$300 spend) |
S$100 per 6 mo. (min. S$300 spend) |
From 1 January 2026, the AMEX Platinum Charge will eliminate the following Platinum statement credits (annual value in brackets):
- Local Dining (S$200)
- Entertainment (S$204)
- Fashion (S$150)
The total loss here amounts to S$554, or roughly 40% of the existing total. Existing credits can be used until 31 December 2025.
There will also be some adjustments to the remaining credits.Â
Overseas Dining credit
The Overseas Dining credit will be consolidated into a single S$200 annual credit, instead of the current S$100 credit issued once every six months. No minimum spend is required, and you can use it over one or more transactions (e.g. S$140 at Restaurant A, S$60 at Restaurant B).
This is a positive change, as it allows you to spend the entire credit at one shot without having to plan two separate overseas trips per year. However, the new credit will only be available for registration from 2 March 2026 onwards, so those travelling in January or February are out of luck.
You can find the list of participating restaurants here. For the avoidance of doubt, there will be no Overseas Dining credit covering the period of 1 January to 1 March 2026.Â
Lifestyle credit
The current Lifestyle credit, which can be spent on spa treatments or wines will be revamped as the Platinum Wine credit.
This will be valid for purchases of wine through the Platinum Wine Website powered by Vivino. I’m not sure if this will be the same as the current Platinum Grand Cru portal, which is infamous for its mark-ups over the regular Grand Cru site, so we’ll have to see.
The credit will continue to be worth S$400 per year, split into 2x S$200 credits, each with a minimum spend of S$300 in a single transaction.
Airline credit
There is no change to the Airline credit, which will continue to be disbursed as S$100 per six-month period, valid with a minimum spend of S$300 in a single transaction with Singapore Airlines or Scoot.Â
Table for Two
From 2026, AMEX Platinum Charge cardmembers will be eligible for a complimentary meal for two people, once every two months.
These meals will be bookable through the AMEX Experiences app from 1 January 2026 onwards, and cardholders can choose from the following categories (AMEX descriptions below):
- Chic Restaurants: Indulge in exclusively curated multi-course set menus at stylish venues for refined occasions
- Buffets: Perfect for those who love variety, with indulgent spreads at renowned hotels
- Cafes: Relax in trendy cafes with a specially designed selection featuring two sides, two mains, two desserts and two drinks- ideal for casual catch-ups
Members will be able to select the date and time of their preference based on the restaurants’ capacity. To pay, they will scan a QR code provided by the restaurant using the AMEX Experiences app to redeem the benefit.Â
While the full roster has not yet been announced, HighHouse, VUE and Colony at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore have been mentioned.
Six free meals a year sounds like a great perk, though it remains to be seen how many reservation slots are released. I really hope it’s not a Haute Dining by Citi Prestige kind of situation, where there’s a mad rush to snap up very limited slots- the last thing this card needs is more stress! Also, if you’re a single cardholder, now would be a very good time to start finding a +1.Â
Platinum Private Spaces
American Express will be introducing a new lifestyle concept called Platinum Private Spaces, though the eDM is light on details.
“The journey begins in Q1 with a wellness-inspired concept, bringing rejuvenation and balance to your lifestyle. Preview what’s next at The Platinum Store, reopening on 12 January at Raffles City Singapore- your first look at elevated privileges coming your way in 2026”
-American Express
For what it’s worth, I don’t think we’ll be seeing a return of a private club a la Nook and Platinum VIBES.
Rather, it sounds like they’ll be using the existing Platinum Store space at Raffles City to run different programming throughout the year.Â
What’s my take on the changes?
I cancelled my AMEX Platinum Charge back in October 2025, after being diagnosed with a bad case of Platinum Anxiety- the unshakable feeling that one might not be getting their money’s worth from a S$1,744 credit card.
If I knew about these changes earlier, would I have reconsidered? Probably not. Having fewer credits to manage certainly helps with the cognitive load, and I’m sure there will be those willing to trade S$554 for six free meals for two people each year. That said, we’ll need to see what kind of restaurants are participating (hopefully they won’t be Love Dining venues, which would diminish the value of the benefit because of the pre-existing discount of up to 50%) and how easy it is to secure slots. And while I’m personally fine with the elimination of spas from the Lifestyle credit, those who don’t drink alcohol will probably not be happy.
Besides, I’m more concerned about what we’re seeing from American Express elsewhere around the world:
- In Spain, lounge access for Platinum Cardholders was capped at 20x visits per year from 1 October 2024
- In Germany, American Express devalued points transfers from Membership Rewards to airlines on 1 August 2025
- In Australia, American Express devalued points transfers from Membership Rewards to airlines on 15 December 2025
- In the USA, American Express will devalue points transfers from Membership Rewards to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles from 3 January 2026
- In France, lounge access for Platinum Cardholders will be capped at 15x visits per year from 3 February 2026
- In Canada, Platinum Cardholders will be capped at 12x lounge visits per year from January 2027, unless they spend at least C$20K to unlock unlimited visits
There was already a hit to lounge access earlier this year, when the Priority Pass granted to the first supplementary cardholder was cut to eight visits. AMEX’s exclusion of non-lounge experiences also limits the scope for abuse, so I’m hopeful there won’t be any further changes.
I don’t have a good feeling about Membership Rewards points escaping 2026 unscathed though, given the devaluations we’ve seen elsewhere around the world.
Conclusion
American Express has announced some major changes to the AMEX Platinum Charge for 2026, with the removal of the Local Dining, Entertainment and Fashion credits, and the introduction of Table for Two and Platinum Private Spaces.
The Lifestyle credit will be reformulated as a wine-only benefit, while the Overseas Dining credit will be combined into a single annual credit, making it easier to use.
Table for Two sounds like the big draw here, and we’ll find out in about two weeks’ time the range of restaurants available, and how easy they are to book. Stay tuned.Â
What do you make of the changes to the AMEX Platinum Charge?
My wife and I were both going to cancel our cards this year, but saw that they had added Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru (Maldives) to the complimentary one night stay. That would have made a good deal, so we renewed our cards. However, when we redeemed our voucher forthe booking, Banyan Tree required us to pay USD200 each for the speedboat transfer (complimentary for other guests), which took a sizeable bite out of the benefit. It just illustrates how the card just keeps getting more complicated to use. I doubt we wil renew again.