American Express announced changes to redemption options for the American Express Platinum Travel Card on May 9, 2017. These new options went live on June 9, 2017. For a short period some cardmembers saw a 2:1 redemption as direct cash credit to their statement, but those exceptions appear to have ended. Below I summarize the changes and offer an assessment of how they affect value and flexibility.
New Redemption Options on American Express Travel Card
Redemption Options on Amex Platinum Travel Credit Card
#1 SpiceJet Vouchers
According to an American Express representative, Indigo has stopped offering voucher partnerships, so Amex switched to SpiceJet as the airline voucher partner. The published redemption value remains the same under this partner change. While SpiceJet expands regional connectivity and benefits from initiatives like the UDAN scheme, its onboard product and airport operations may not match the expectations of many premium cardholders who are used to full-service carriers and main terminals.
If you choose the SpiceJet voucher route, the effective reward rate for a yearly spend of ₹400,000 is approximately 7.5% (this excludes the card joining fee).
- Effective reward rate on ₹4,00,000 spend: 7.5% (joining fee not included)
#2 American Express Domestic Travel
Amex has launched a dedicated travel portal for India at www.amexindiatravel.com. The site functions like other OTA-powered loyalty portals and closely resembles Cleartrip’s interface, offering flights and hotels. It appears Cleartrip handles back-end operations for this type of partner portal, similar to how other banks use white-label OTA engines for loyalty redemptions.
This new option is useful because it removes the restriction to a single airline and lets cardholders book flights across carriers and hotels. That flexibility comes at a modest cost to the reward rate — roughly a 1% reduction compared to the single-airline voucher option. However, because bookings through the portal are revenue tickets, you may still earn airline frequent-flyer credits (for example JPMiles on Jet Airways) when applicable, which can offset some of the reduction in reward value.
For hotels, redeeming through the portal makes the most sense when booking chains that do not accept other coupon discounts or when the portal rate is competitive with other OTAs.
- Effective reward rate on ₹4,00,000 spend: 6.5% (joining fee not included)
Final Words:
If you were used to redeeming points on Indigo and preferred that option, you can continue to redeem travel value via the Amex travel portal, though the partner airline may have changed. The card’s reward structure remains strong, and for many users it continues to be one of the more valuable travel-focused credit cards available in India given the redemption rates and benefits it offers.
What do you think of the new redemption options — satisfied or disappointed? Share your thoughts in the comments.