American Express is widely known for excellent customer service worldwide. Historically, one major obstacle for many applicants in India has been the limited service area — primarily metros and a few South Indian cities.
Amex was unable to issue new cards in India from May 2021 until the Reserve Bank of India allowed it to resume operations on 24 August 2022. After that approval, American Express restarted accepting applications, this time with a modest expansion: several additional cities were added to their eligible service area.
This expansion was logical: during the 16-month pause, many customers moved to competitor cards. Reopening with a larger footprint helps Amex regain market share.
New Cities
The following cities were confirmed as newly serviceable after the RBI clearance:
- Bhopal
- Bhubaneshwar
- Ernakulam
- Vijayawada
- Lucknow
- Ludhiana
- Nagpur
- Nashik
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Mysuru
- Cuttack
- Visakhapatnam
This list is based on a conversation with an Amex representative and could vary slightly.
In addition to these cities, some nearby suburbs or satellite towns were confirmed as serviceable — for example, Mohali, Panchkula and Zirakpur are covered along with Chandigarh. Similar sub-city additions may exist but were not fully listed by the executive.
Note: Even within serviceable cities, certain PIN codes may be excluded. If your PIN code is blacklisted, card issuance is typically considered on a case-by-case basis, which is common practice across many banks.
My Application Experience
I wanted an Amex card for years but was unable to apply because my city wasn’t in their service area. When Amex reopened applications in September 2022, I waited for referral offers, since Amex runs attractive referral programs in India.
When a First Year Free referral campaign became available, I applied for the Amex Membership Rewards Credit Card (MRCC) via a referral link on 25 November 2022. The offer included the first year free and a reduced renewal fee in subsequent years.
After initial VKYC, Amex requested income proof — Form 16 or two months’ latest payslips — and two months of bank statements. I received an approval email on 14 December and the physical card on 16 December.
The approval timeline was longer than typical Amex standards, which often take about a week or less. The delay might be linked to the expanded service area or other operational factors.
Bottom Line
Traditionally, many foreign banks and premium issuers such as American Express, Citibank, HSBC and Standard Chartered limited card issuance to major cities. This restriction made it difficult for otherwise eligible customers who lived outside those locations to obtain their cards.
If you were waiting for Amex to become available in your city, and you now live in one of the newly added locations above, you can now apply. This expansion opens the door for many who were previously excluded.
That said, obtaining an Amex card still requires having valid address proof within their serviceable area. The shift to remote work after COVID means many people no longer have office addresses in metros, which complicates eligibility for some applicants.
Hopefully American Express will continue to expand its service area to accommodate more customers across India.