AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (2024)

American Express has unveiled its latest set of welcome offers for the AMEX Platinum Charge, and there’s a choice of two options this month.

AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (1)
AMEX Platinum Charge
Offer 1Offer 2
Welcome Offer88,000 bonus MR points + S$100 credit + Samsonite luggageS$900 credit + Samsonite luggage
Min. SpendS$8,000 spend in 180 days

All new applicants will receive both a Samsonite luggage bag and a S$100 statement credit, with a choice of either 88,000 bonus MR points or a further S$800 statement credit. The minimum spend remains the same as before at S$8,000 in 180 days.

What’s interesting this month is that American Express is offering the same welcome offer to both new-to-AMEX and existing AMEX customers.This means that if you don’t have an American Express card yet, you should not apply for the AMEX Platinum Charge as your first card.

Instead, get approved for a different card like the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend or AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card first, fulfill that welcome offer, then apply for the AMEX Platinum Charge.

AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer

AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (2)AMEX Platinum Charge
Apply
Offer 1
Offer 2
Pay S$1,744 Annual Fee
Spend S$8,000
(First 180 days)
88,000 MR points + S$100 credits + Samsonite luggageS$900 credits + Samsonite luggage
Base Points from S$8,000
(@ 2 pts/S$1.60)
10,000 MR points10,000 MR points
Total SpendS$8,000S$8,000
Total Return98,000 MR points + S$100 credits + Samsonite luggage10,000 MR points + S$900 credits + Samsonite luggage

American Express is offering new-to-AMEX and existing AMEX customers a choice of two welcome offers for the AMEX Platinum Charge.

⚠️ Exclusion
If you cancelled a principal AMEX Platinum Charge in the past 24 months, you are not eligible for this (or any) welcome offer.

Offer 1

Customers who apply for an AMEX Platinum Charge and receive approval from 1-31 October 2024will receive 88,000 MR points, S$100 statement credits and a Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 when they spend at least S$8,000 within 180 days of approval.

On top of this, they’ll also receive 10,000 MR points as a base reward for spending S$8,000.

Offer 2

Customers who apply for an AMEX Platinum Charge and receive approval from 1-31 October 2024will receive S$900 statement credits and a Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 when they spend at least S$8,000 within 180 days of approval.

On top of this, they’ll also receive 10,000 MR points as a base reward for spending S$8,000.

Which offer should you take?

When deciding between Offers 1 and 2, the choice boils down to whether you prefer 88,000 MR points (55,000 miles) or S$800 statement credits.

Based on my personal value of a KrisFlyer mile, 55,000 miles are worth S$825, so it’s marginal to me- I could see arguments either way. Keep in mind that MR points can beconverted to other airline and hotel programmes as well (see below), so the value would could be higher or lower depending on what you choose.

It’s also worth noting that if you choose Offer 2, more than 50% of your first year’s annual fee is covered already, before even taking into account the value of the luggage. Once you factor in the S$1,354 annual statement credits (of which you can use two sets in the first membership year), it’s almost certain you’ll come out ahead.

What counts as qualifying spend?

Qualifying spend refers to all online and offline retail purchases, whether in Singapore dollars or foreign currency.

It excludes the following transactions:

❌ Qualifying Spend Exclusions

a) Charges processed and billed prior to the Enrolment Date or charges prepaid on any Card Account prior to the first billing statement for that Card Account following the Enrolment Date;
b) Cash Advances and other cash services;
c) Express Cash;
d) American Express Travellers Cheque purchases;
e) Charges for dishonoured cheques;
f) Finance charges – including Line of Credit Charges and Credit Card interest charges;
g) Late payment and collection charges;
h) Tax refunds from overseas purchases;
i) Balance transfer;
j) Instalment plans;
k) Annual Card fees and Membership Rewards fees;
l) Pay portion billed for a “Pay + Points” rewards, where the Card Member uses points along with paying a specific amount to redeem the reward;
m) Amount billed for purchase of Membership Rewards points to top-up your points balance;
n) Bill payments and all transactions via SingPost (e.g. SAM kiosks, mobile app, online portal);
o) Payments to insurance companies (except payments made for insurance products purchased through American Express authorized channel);
p) Payments to Singapore Petroleum Company Limited (SPC) service stations;
q) Payments for the purpose of GrabPay top-ups;
r) Payments to utilities merchants (with effect from 12 February 2021);
s) Payments to public/restructured hospitals, polyclinics and other public/restructured healthcare institutions and facilities (with effect from 1 October 2022);
t) Charges at merchants or establishments that are excluded by American Express at its
sole discretion and notified by American Express to you from time to time.

For the avoidance of doubt, CardUp, private and non-profit hospital bills, charitable donations, education, and anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend.While American Express added charitable donations and education to its exclusions list on 1 October 2023, an exception was carved out for the AMEX Platinum Charge.

If you plan to use CardUp to meet the minimum spend, do note that there are certain restrictions on AMEX payments. However, there’s also a ongoing offer that reduces the admin fee to as low as 1.8%, which is a great way to meet the minimum spend for the welcome offer.

CardUp x AMEX promo: Buy miles from 1.36 cents, meet welcome offer minimum spend

Spending by both principal and supplementary cardholders will be combined when determining whether the minimum spend threshold has been met.

When will bonus MR points be credited?

All gifts will be awardedwithin 10 weeks of meeting the spend threshold.

Any questions about the crediting of bonus points should be directed to American Express.

Terms & Conditions

How does this compare to previous offers?

For the sake of comparison, here’s a summary of the recent welcome offers we’ve seen for the AMEX Platinum Charge.

New customers

💳 AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers
(New-to-AMEX)

DateMin. SpendBonus MR Points & Gifts
CurrentS$8,00088,000 + Samsonite luggage + S$100 or Samsonite luggage + S$900
6-30 Sep 24S$8,000131,000 + S$100 eCV
24 Jul – 5 Sep 24S$8,000131,000
1-23 Jul 24S$8,00093,000
30 May-30 Jun 24S$6,000132,500
9-29 May 24S$6,000127,500 + S$350 voucher or Samsonite luggage
1 Apr-8 May 24S$10,000137,500
1-31 Mar 24S$6,000127,500 + RC stay
29 Jan – 28 Feb 24S$6,000132,500 + S$200 voucher
27 Sep 23- 28 Jan 24S$6,000132,500
12-26 Sep 23S$8,00060,000 + Samsonite luggage
5-11 Sep 23S$10,000100,000
Spending time periods may not be the same across all offers; refer to the respective articles for the full details

Existing customers

💳 AMEX Platinum Charge Welcome Offers
(Existing AMEX customer)

DateMin. SpendBonus MR Points & Gifts
CurrentS$8,00088,000 + Samsonite luggage + S$100 or Samsonite luggage + S$900
6-30 Sep 24S$8,000120,000 + S$100 eCV
24 Jul – 5 Sep 24S$8,000120,000
1-23 Jul 24S$8,00093,000
30 May-30 Jun 24S$6,00085,000
5 Apr-29 May 24S$6,000127,500
29 Feb – 4 Apr 24S$6,00080,000
29 Jan – 28 Feb 24S$6,00085,000
12-26 Sep 23S$8,00060,000
5-11 Sep 23S$8,00060,000
Spending time periods may not be the same across all offers; refer to the respective articles for the full details

What can you do with Membership Rewards points?

AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders can convert MR points to airline miles or hotel points at the following rates:

💳 Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
Frequent Flyer ProgrammeConversion Ratio
(AMEX: Partner)
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (3)400:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (4)450:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (5)400:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (6)400:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (7)400:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (8)400:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (9)400:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (10)400:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (11)400:250
AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (12)400:250
1,000:1,000
1,000:1,250

Do note that AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders receive a preferential conversion rate of 400 points = 250 airline miles, compared to regular cardholders who get 450 points = 250 airline miles.

Membership Rewards points do not expire, and all conversions are free of charge.

AMEX Platinum Charge: Key benefits

AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (15)

AMEX Platinum Charge cardholders can enjoy benefits such as:

  • S$1,354 of dining, entertainment, lifestyle, travel and fashion credits each calendar year
  • COMO Club C5 membership with S$260 of annual birthday vouchers (valid for both principal and supp. cards)
  • Unlimited airport lounge access for the cardholder + 1 guest
    • Priority Pass Lounges
    • Centurion Lounges
    • International American Express Lounges
    • Delta SkyClub Lounges
    • Plaza Premium Lounges
  • One complimentary hotel night every membership year
  • Tower Club access
  • Tower Club & assorted dining vouchers
  • Access to the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts programme, which offers perks such as free breakfast, room upgrades (subject to availability), a US$100 experience credit and guaranteed late check-out
  • Hilton Honors Gold status, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, Pan Pacific DISCOVERY Platinum status & Radisson Rewards Premium status
  • American Express Love Dining
  • American Express Chillax
  • Platinum Golf privileges

TheS$1,354 of statement credits are split into:

  • S$150 fashion credits at Mr Porter and NET-A-PORTER (disbursed as S$75 per six-month period)
  • S$200dining credits at participating local restaurants
  • S$200dining credits at participating overseas restaurants
  • S$400lifestyle credits at participating retail partners
  • S$204 entertainment credits for news or music streaming services (disbursed as S$17 per month)
  • S$200airline credits for Singapore Airlines or Scoot

For more details on how to use them, refer to this comprehensive guide.

Guide: AMEX Platinum Charge annual S$1,354 statement credits

Because your first membership year will overlap with two calendar years, you can enjoy two sets of credits in your first membership year (except the entertainment credits, which are disbursed on a monthly basis), regardless of whether you choose to renew your card from the second year onwards.

This creates what I call the “first year sweet spot”, where the value you get is significantly more than the annual fee. To understand this better, check out the guide below (the section on the welcome bonus will be out of date, but all the other information is otherwise current).

The AMEX Platinum Charge first-year sweet spot

In order to get maximum value, be sure to share the AMEX Platinum Charge’s benefits with friends and family. Two supplementary cards are free for life, and enjoy perks such as Como C5 membership, complimentary lounge access, hotel elite status, Tower Club access and AMEX Love Dining & Chillax.

Also be sure to sign up for an A/C card to enjoy additional AMEX offers, which can save you money or earn extra MR points.

Conclusion

AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (16)AMEX Platinum Charge
Apply

The latest AMEX Platinum Charge welcome offer gives new cardholders a Samsonite luggage, plus 88,000 bonus MR points & S$100 statement credit or S$900 statement credit. The offers are the same regardless of whether you’re a new-to-AMEX or existing customer, though the former should get approved for a different AMEX card first before applying for this one in order to take advantage of two welcome offers.

An AMEX Platinum Charge is no small investment, so be sure to weigh the cost and benefits carefully before you apply!

AMEX Platinum Charge offer: 88,000 bonus MR points or S$900 credits, plus Samsonite luggage - The MileLion (2024)

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