I recently applied for the American Express Platinum Charge Card and here is a concise account of my application and unboxing experience.
Application Process
I upgraded from a Gold Charge Card to the Amex Platinum by submitting a simple upgrade form. The whole process, from submission to having the physical card in hand, took 11 days.
From the date of the CIBIL enquiry to receiving the card it was only five days, which is typical for existing American Express cardholders.
Shipment
The metal cards are now manufactured in India rather than being shipped from Singapore, so delivery is faster. If you live in or near Delhi, deliveries may be quicker because many Amex shipments originate from Noida or Gurugram.
Note: If you haven’t received shipment details within three days of the CIBIL enquiry, contact support to follow up.
Unboxing
American Express updated its card packaging design in late 2020. The new cover is a darker grey compared with the previous lighter shade—a subtle move that brings the Platinum aesthetic closer to black.
Here are some photos of the cover:
Opening the box reveals the card and the rest of the contents:
The card is no longer housed in wooden packaging as some earlier primary cards were. It comes in a sturdy cardboard holder that held the card tightly—I needed tools and some force to extract the metal card, which felt like digging metal out of the earth.
That said, the tight fit felt overengineered and diminished the initial moment of excitement. The interior design also includes empty slots reserved for supplementary cards; since I didn’t order any supplementary cards, those empty spaces reduced the “wow” factor. A different interior layout for primary-only shipments or placing supplementary cards beneath the primary card would be preferable.
Beneath the card you find the paperwork and a benefits booklet. The benefits catalog is colourful and concise: it’s essentially a stack of leaflets wrapped together, which is a neat, compact format.
The Card
The card design matches the earlier Singapore-shipped versions, but one small detail stood out: my card number, CVV and other codes followed aesthetically pleasing patterns—simple, memorable sequences like XXYY or XYZ. An Amex support agent suggested it was luck, but I appreciated having an easy-to-remember set of digits.
I’ve seen similar “pretty” numbers on other premium products, such as a Club Vistara ID issued with an Axis Vistara Infinite card. It’s unclear whether premium accounts get special numbering, but it’s a welcome touch if it happens.
Priority Pass
If your new card includes airport lounge access via Priority Pass, note that the physical Priority Pass card ships separately from Hong Kong and typically takes 3–4 weeks to arrive. You can, however, activate the digital Priority Pass immediately if you need access sooner.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the upgrade and delivery process was smooth and completed in 11 days, which is impressive. The outer packaging looks polished, but the interior presentation lacks a strong “wow”—particularly the empty supplementary slots and the overly tight card housing.
A small, personalized surprise like a branded wallet or cardholder would enhance the unboxing experience; some issuers include such items with new cards and it leaves a memorable impression.
That concludes the unboxing. What do you think of the Amex Platinum packaging? Share your impressions in the comments below.