It’s time to renew my American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card, so I contacted Amex customer care to ask about a renewal fee waiver. I was informed that fee waivers for this card have been restricted following changes introduced with the new redemption options.
Credit Card Renewal
Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card Renewal
It appears Amex is investing heavily in airline voucher benefits (IndiGo/SpiceJet) and other perks tied to this card. Given those costs, the issuer earns relatively little even from cardholders who spend around Rs. 5 lakh a year, so a full waiver based solely on that level of spend is no longer common. Instead, Amex is offering renewal-fee waivers that require surrendering Membership Rewards (MR) points.
- 75% waiver – deduct 7,500 MR points (2017–2018 offering)
- 100% waiver – deduct 10,000 MR points (2018 offering)
I chose to give up 10,000 MR points for a 100% waiver of the renewal fee. Ten thousand points is a significant amount, but I accepted it for several reasons:
- I wanted to retain the high credit limit on the card.
- The Taj vouchers tied to this product are unique and valuable to me.
- Amex travel offers consistently provide strong value, which keeps the card worthwhile.
- The new redemption options, while changed, still make the card attractive enough to keep.
To extract the most value from this card, use the travel offers whenever suitable and aim to maximize milestone and bonus benefits.
Requirement for Waiver (June 2018 Update)
I renewed the card again this year using 10,000 points and escalated the matter through customer support to explore whether a waiver could be granted purely based on annual spend. After persistent inquiries, I learned the current threshold: you must spend Rs. 15 lakh or more in a year to be eligible for a renewal-fee waiver on the Platinum Travel Card (as of June 2018). This threshold may change over time.
Bottom Line
Amex’s renewal-fee waiver policy has become stricter, and obtaining a waiver will likely become more difficult going forward—especially for the Platinum Travel Card. Over the past two years Amex has invested in a new points redemption and booking system, and it appears funds previously used for waivers are being redirected to cover those expenses.
Therefore, the Platinum Travel Card makes sense if you can either spend significantly on the card or consistently extract high value from its travel, cashback, and bonus-point offers. If you can’t, you may struggle to realize the card’s benefits fully.
Were you able to get a renewal-fee waiver on any Amex cards? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below.